Attending a meeting or hearing

photo of council chambers with people sitting at the seats.

All meetings of Council and its committees are held in the Council Chambers, Te Iwitahi (civic centre), 9 Rust Avenue, Whangārei.

For locations of hearings, please check the table in the 'Meeting and hearing dates' section below.

Public engagement and participation in Council decision-making is welcomed and encouraged. The public gallery (Council Chambers) is open to those who wish to attend public meetings.

Live stream and recorded videos

We recommend that members of the public wishing to attend Council meetings watch the livestream on our YouTube channel. Some features on YouTube may require you to sign in.

YouTube live videos (youtube.com)

YouTube playlist of recorded videos (youtube.com)

Members of the public can't take part in the discussion but do have an opportunity to speak during the public forum at the monthly meeting of Council.

Meeting and hearing dates

Council and committees meet on a recurring schedule:

Strategy, Planning and Development Committee: third Thursday of each month – 9:00am
Community Development: third Thursday of each month – 10:00am
Infrastructure Committee: third Thursday of each month – 11:30am
Council: fourth Thursday of each month – 9:00am
Finance Committee: fourth Wednesday of each month – 9:00am
Risk and Audit Committee: quarterly meetings – 9:00am
Te Kārearea Strategic Partnership Committee: first Tuesday of each month – 9:00am Council Chambers
Te Kārearea Strategic Partnership Hui: third Wednesday of every second month – 9:00am Marae
Council Briefing: second and fourth Tuesday of each month – 9:00am
Council Workshop: second and fourth Tuesday of each month – 11:00am.

To view committee meeting times, please download the full calendar:

Council meeting schedule 2026(PDF, 123KB)

Please refer to the upcoming Council meetings and hearings list below for changes to the meeting schedule.

Upcoming Council meetings and hearings

View agendas and minutes

The public is notified of the following meetings of Council and hearings:

Meeting or hearing	Date and time
Council Briefing Adaptation planning Options for new bylaws for public spaces	Wednesday 1 April at 9:00am
Extraordinary Council Decision on Northland Water Done Well – Recommitment Point 1	Wednesday 1 April at 12:00pm
Council Briefing Central Library roof replacement and HVAC install project – funding considerations (Venue: May Bain Room – Central Library)	Thursday 2 April at 9:00am
Te Kārearea Strategic Partnership Standing Committee	Tuesday 7 April at 9:00am
Council Briefing Long Term Plan direction setting	Wednesday 8 April at 9:00am
Council Briefing (Refer to agenda for topics)	Tuesday 14 April at 9:00am
Council Workshop (Interested parties should note, it is the intention of Council that this meeting be held in public excluded.)	Tuesday 14 April at 11:00am
Council – Annual Plan Submissions Hearing	Wednesday 15 April at 9:00am
Strategy, Planning and Development Committee	Thursday 16 April at 9:00am
Community Development Committee	Thursday 16 April at 10:00am
Infrastructure Committee	Thursday 16 April at 11:30am
~~Council – Annual Plan Submissions Hearing (if required)~~ CANCELLED	~~Monday 20 April at 9:00am~~ CANCELLED
~~Council – Food Business Grading Bylaw Submissions Hearing~~ CANCELLED	~~Tuesday 21 April at 9:00am~~ CANCELLED
Council Workshop (Interested parties should note, it is the intention of Council that this meeting be held in public excluded.)	Tuesday 21 April at 9:00am
Exemptions and Objections Committee	Tuesday 21 April at 10:30am
Finance Committee	Wednesday 22 April at 9:00am
Council Meeting	Thursday 23 April at 9:00am
Council Briefing (Refer to agenda for topics)	Tuesday 28 April at 9:00am
Council Workshop (Interested parties should note, it is the intention of Council that this meeting be held in public excluded.)	Tuesday 28 April at 11:00am
Council Meeting Northland Water Done Well – Recommitment Point 2	Tuesday 28 April at 1:00pm

The agenda and reports will be available on this website prior to the meeting.

Agendas and minutes

Meeting dates, times and topics may change and meetings may be cancelled or added. Changes are published on this page. For confirmation, please contact us.

Speaking at public forum

If you wish to speak at a public forum, please complete the application form.

Download and save a copy of the application to your computer first.
Application form to speak at public forum(PDF, 144KB)
You can then either:

print it, fill it in and send or deliver it to us; or
fill it out on your computer, save it and attach it to an email to us.

If you have any questions, please contact one of our Democracy Advisers:

Phone: 09 430 4200

Council workshops

Council holds workshops regularly throughout the year that enable councillors to discuss and debate matters involving complex information in a less structured environment than a formal meeting.

No decisions are made at these workshops and, as such, the requirements of LGOIMA regarding public notification and access to agendas and minutes do not apply.

The public are unable to attend the workshops, and the agendas and minutes are not available to the public.

Council briefings

Council holds briefings throughout the year to enable councillors to find out more information and seek clarification on specific, often complex, matters. This gives councillors the opportunity to discuss these matters in depth outside of a formal meeting situation to gain greater understanding and clarity.

No decisions are made at these briefings and, as such, the requirements of LGOIMA regarding public notification and access to agendas and minutes do not apply; however these documents are made available to the public.

The public are able to attend briefings.

Code of conduct

The Elected Members' Code of Conduct provides guidelines for the expected standards of behaviour by the mayor and councillors.

Elected Members' Code of Conduct(PDF, 811KB)

Standing orders

Standing orders contain rules for the conduct of the proceedings of local authorities, committees, subcommittees and subordinate decision-making bodies, and local and community boards.

Their purpose is to enable local authorities to exercise their decision-making responsibilities in a transparent, inclusive and lawful manner.

Standing orders(PDF, 2MB)