Dear Alex

The Hurunui District Council does not open its meetings with a prayer.

You may be interested to know that Council meetings begin with an Affirmation - the wording is as follows:

"AFFIRMATION:
WE PLEDGE THAT WE WILL FAITHFULLY AND IMPARTIALLY USE OUR SKILLS, WISDOM AND JUDGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE DISCUSSIONS AND DELIBERATIONS AHEAD OF US TODAY IN ORDER TO MAKE RESPONSIBLE AND APPROPRIATE DECISIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF HURUNUI DISTRICT AT LARGE. WE COMMIT INDIVIDUALLY AND AS COUNCIL TO THE PRINCIPLES OF INTEGRITY AND RESPECT, AND TO UPHOLDING THE VALUES THAT WE BELIEVE DISTINGUISH AND ENRICH OUR DISTRICT."

Regards
Graham

Graham Sutherland
Council Secretary
T 03 314 0030 | F 03 314 9181 | [email address]
Hurunui District Council, 66 Carters Rd, PO Box 13, Amberley 7441 | hurunui.govt.nz
Hurunui Wellness “In Hurunui we live the lives the rest of the world would love to live”
 Please consider the environment before printing

-----Original Message-----
From: Alex Harris [mailto:[OIA #142 email]]
Sent: Thursday, 12 April 2012 9:39 a.m.
To: Hurunui District Council Info
Subject: Local Government Official Information and Meetings request: Does the Hurunui District Council open its meetings with a prayer?

Dear Hurunui 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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published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
http://fyi.org.nz/help/about#officers

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[OIA #142 email]

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

If so please contact us using this form:
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

######################################################################
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intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error:
- Please let us know by return email immediately and then destroy
the message;
- Do not copy, disclose or use the contents in any way.
The contents of this email and any attachments are not formal policy
of the Hurunui District Council, unless otherwise stated. Any views
or opinions presented are solely those of the author.

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-----Original Message-----
From: Graham Sutherland
Sent: Friday, 13 April 2012 9:23 a.m.
To: [OIA #142 email]
Cc: CustomerServices
Subject: RE: Local Government Official Information and Meetings request: Does the Hurunui District Council open its meetings with a prayer?

Dear Alex

The Hurunui District Council does not open its meetings with a prayer.

You may be interested to know that Council meetings begin with an Affirmation - the wording is as follows:

"AFFIRMATION:
WE PLEDGE THAT WE WILL FAITHFULLY AND IMPARTIALLY USE OUR SKILLS, WISDOM AND JUDGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE DISCUSSIONS AND DELIBERATIONS AHEAD OF US TODAY IN ORDER TO MAKE RESPONSIBLE AND APPROPRIATE DECISIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF HURUNUI DISTRICT AT LARGE. WE COMMIT INDIVIDUALLY AND AS COUNCIL TO THE PRINCIPLES OF INTEGRITY AND RESPECT, AND TO UPHOLDING THE VALUES THAT WE BELIEVE DISTINGUISH AND ENRICH OUR DISTRICT."

Regards
Graham

Graham Sutherland
Council Secretary
T 03 314 0030 | F 03 314 9181 | [email address] Hurunui District Council, 66 Carters Rd, PO Box 13, Amberley 7441 | hurunui.govt.nz Hurunui Wellness “In Hurunui we live the lives the rest of the world would love to live”
P Please consider the environment before printing

-----Original Message-----
From: Alex Harris [mailto:[OIA #142 email]]
Sent: Thursday, 12 April 2012 9:39 a.m.
To: Hurunui District Council Info
Subject: Local Government Official Information and Meetings request: Does the Hurunui District Council open its meetings with a prayer?

Dear Hurunui 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

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

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[OIA #142 email]

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

If so please contact us using this form:
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

######################################################################
Attention:
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error:
- Please let us know by return email immediately and then destroy
the message;
- Do not copy, disclose or use the contents in any way.
The contents of this email and any attachments are not formal policy
of the Hurunui District Council, unless otherwise stated. Any views
or opinions presented are solely those of the author.

#####################################################################################
This e-mail message has been scanned for Viruses and Content and cleared
by MailMarshal
#####################################################################################

hide quoted sections