Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:14:13 +1200
Subject: Local Government Official Information and Meetings request: Does the Gisborne District Council open its meetings with a prayer?
From: Alex Harris <[FYI request #137 email]>
To: LGOIMA requests at Gisborne District Council <[email address]>

     Dear Gisborne 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
     fyi.org.nz website.

     Yours faithfully,

     Alex Harris


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