For the year 2025/26, Council processed Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA) requests at a rate higher than those of larger councils, including Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.
In a district with a population of around 8,850, Council completed 128 information requests, a rate of around 14.5 requests per 1,000 residents.
Data from 48 councils show that only three other councils had a higher rate than Waimate.
Forty-one percent of LGOIMA submissions in 2025/26 came from Waimate residents, up from 30 percent in 2024/25. The spike indicates greater public interest in Council matters.
Requests have risen overall since 2022, indicating Council's workload, despite its smaller size and resource base, and reiterating the need to maintain adequate resources and response capacity.
Council's LGOIMA report shows the topic of each request, and how long it took Council to provide the information. Details of the LGOIMA report are available on waimatedc.govt.nz/lgoima
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