Secret briefings for elected members are happening at more than half of Waikato and Bay of Plenty councils.

It's happening at seven of the 12 councils, with most saying they aren't planning to give the public access.

Some say they limit public excluded workshops and only close the doors when privacy or commercially sensitive issues arise, but others admit the meetings are for candid debate without the public or media listening.

The latter is the reason the Chief Ombudsman launched an investigation into councils undermining democracy by using workshops to discuss issues and make decisions behind closed doors.

'Local bodies are not allowed to exclude the public from meetings so they can hold free and frank discussions behind closed doors,” Peter Boshier said when the investigation launched in August last year.

Matamata-Piako District Council spokesperson says closed-door workshops are a 'a useful means to get advice from staff on complex matters and for frank discussion”.

The meetings allow staff to brief elected members on emerging issues, or to provide time for preparatory work, they say. There are no plans to give the public access.

There are about two of the informal, secret meetings each month.

The Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act requires all meetings to be public, but because no decisions are supposed to be made in workshops, they are not considered meetings under the act.

Hauraki District Council also says 'scenarios where free and frank discussion is required” is one of the purposes of closed workshops.

Its workshops are not advertised, and typically don't have an agenda – but might have a list of matters staff will present on.

Opening the door on workshops might confuse the public, according to Waitomo District Council.

'[It's] difficult to see how this would be positive,” says a spokesperson.

'They are also used to have an initial conversation about a specific topic so that council staff can better prepare papers that later come through an open council meeting.”

They say these topics are specific or topics very early in development, so 'may confuse the public before they are fully scoped”.

There are about 12 of the workshops each year, but the council is trying to limit them, says the spokesperson.

At Rotorua Lakes Council, there was a move to report the date of its 'forums” online and which councillors attended.

But the meetings themselves are not public, and no minutes are recorded because no decisions are made, says district leadership and democracy deputy chief executive Oonagh Hopkins.

The meetings are to brief elected members on emerging issues, get an indication of councillor preference before starting a project or to give the elected members an opportunity to develop ideas and be informed of options.

Matters become public when reported and presented at formal meetings.

There has been 18 to-date held with the current council and community boards, but 14 were induction workshops.

South Waikato District Council says business in public excluded is the exception, rather than the rule.

But, a spokesperson went on to say all of its workshops sre behind closed doors. Its council and committee meetings sre public.

Thames Coromandel District Council holds non-public workshops with elected members 'to bring them up to speed on matters like central government policies or to hear presentations from agencies and stakeholders that do not require any decision-making”, says a spokesperson.

Despite this, they say people can request information on workshops, such as briefing papers and presentations.

Waikato Regional Council had 58 closed workshops during the 2021/22 financial year, says a spokesperson.

'They provide councillors with detailed information relevant to governance matters, and give them the time to ask questions and seek clarification on some issues that are often very complex.”

Meanwhile, Hamilton City Council abolished closed door workshops and opened them to the public in 2016.

General manager of people and organisational performance David Bryant says the – now called briefings – are held every fortnight and are open to the public with the topic and presentations uploaded online.

'Our default is always to start from the view that an item is public and should be discussed in an open forum. It's important our community can see the journey elected members go on to reach a decision.”

There are exceptions where information is confidential, such as commercial sensitivity.

This is the same at Waipā, Ōtorohanga and Taupō district councils.

Waipā District Council deputy chief executive Ken Morris says many of its workshops are public and live-streamed.

It still has some public excluded – like to receive legal advice, for training purposes, to informally discuss or receive updates on potentially commercially sensitive land sales, commercial contractual arrangements, or issues involving privacy.

It had 25 closed door workshop sessions between February 2022 and February this year – with some only 15 minutes and some longer.

Taupō District Council acting chief executive Julie Gardyne says it holds one or two workshops each week.

'Workshops enhance local democracy by helping elected members become informed on complex issues.”

In 2020, Waikato District Council agreed to open its workshops to the public, but then took more than three years to advertise them.

-Rachel Moore/Stuff.