Does the Tararua District Council open its meetings with a prayer?
Alex Harris made this Official Information request to Tararua District Council
The request was partially successful.
From: Alex Harris
Dear Tararua 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
From: Richard Taylor
Tararua District Council
Good morning Alex.
The Council opens its meeting with a prayer given by the Mayor. In each
case the Mayor decides on the content of the prayer, and it is different
for each meeting. Examples include reference to events of relevance to the
district, its communities and residents. I do not have any written copies
as in each case the Mayor verbally presents the prayer to the meeting.
Richard Taylor | Governance Manager
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