Further to your LGOIMA request about the need for Council prayers,
can you please supply me with a postal address. I cannot find one
on your website. I'm sorry but our business system requires a
postal address for lodging requests of any sort. It is not a matter
of Council policy, just a system requirement. Many thanks.

Alex,

Thank you for your information request.  We hope the following information
adequately answers your questions.

Yes, full meetings of Ashburton District Council (but not its
subcommittees) are opened with prayer.
The current practice began in 2004, at the instigation of the then Mayor
and with the agreement of Council.  We have no knowledge of possible
earlier practices by this District Council and its predecessor Councils.
The local inter-denominational Ministers' Association operates a rota for
their members to attend and say the prayer.
There is no set written prayer and it is left to the minister/clergy to
provide any introductory thought and say the prayer.
No record is kept of the prayers or dialogue.
There is no current discussion on cancelling - "abolish" is a very loaded
word semantically as this is not a bylaw - the arrangement following the
recent Wanganui District Council decision and the matters leading up to
the amendment of the UK Localism Act.

Thank you for your help with my technical problem.  That's quite an
address!

Best wishes,

Geraint Philp
Records and Administration Manager
Ashburton District Council
5 Baring Square West
PO Box 94
Ashburton 7740
New Zealand
Tel    [1]+64 (0)3 307 7700
DDI   [2]+64 (0)3 307 7775
Fax   [3]+64 (0)3 308 1836
Email  [4][email address]

-----Original Message-----
From: Alex Harris [mailto:[5][FYI contact email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 3 April 2012 9:53 p.m.
To: adcinfo
Subject: Local Government Official Information and Meetings request: Does
the Ashburton District Council open its meetings with a prayer?

    Dear Ashburton District Council,

    As you may have read recently, the Whanganui District Council
    abolished its opening prayer after a complaint was made to the
    Human Rights Commission. I'm interested in learning how widespread
    this practice is, so I'd like to request the following information
    under the LGOIMA:

    * Does the Council open its meetings with a prayer?
    * If the answer to the above is "yes", then I'd like a copy of that
    prayer (or examples, if more than one is used), when the practice
    was first established, whether the council has considered
    abolishing it in the wake of the Whanganui decision, and any advice
    the council may hold on the prayer's compatibility with both the
    Human Rights Act 1993 and Bill of Rights Act 1990.

    I would prefer to receive an electronic response. Queries about
    this request will be automatically forwarded to me by the
    [6]fyi.org.nz website.

    Yours faithfully,

    Alex Harris

    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be
    published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
    [7]http://fyi.org.nz/help/about#officers

    Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
    [8][OIA #123 email]

    Is [9][Ashburton District Council request email] the wrong address for Local Government
    Official Information and Meetings requests to Ashburton District
    Council?

    If so please contact us using this form:
    [10]http://fyi.org.nz/help/contact

    If you find FYI useful as an OIA officer, please ask your web
    manager to suggest us on your organisation's OIA page.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/tel:%2B64%20%280%293%20307%207700
2. file:///tmp/tel:%2B64%20%280%293%20307%207775
3. file:///tmp/tel:%2B64%20%280%293%20308%201836
4. mailto:[email address]
5. mailto:[FYI contact email]
6. http://fyi.org.nz/
7. http://fyi.org.nz/help/about#officers
8. mailto:[OIA #123 email]
9. mailto:[Ashburton District Council request email]
10. http://fyi.org.nz/help/contact

hide quoted sections