Policies

Travelling Overseas

Reference: P02-003           
Status: Approved by the Council on 11 April 2002

That the Council adopts the following procedures and policy for approving the participation of elected members in delegations travelling overseas:

1. The Mayor and Chief Executive will determine whether or not the purpose for which the delegation is to travel is relevant and that participation by elected members would be beneficial to the Council or its community;
2. Details of the proposed delegation will be circulated to elected members with a request for them to register their interest in participating;
3. The Mayor and Chief Executive will determine who is appropriate to participate in the delegation and will take into consideration the elected members’ interests and experience in the subject and relevance to the committees/sub-committees that the elected member has been appointed to, and where appropriate tangata whenua involvement and participation;
4. The Mayor and Chief Executive, when deciding on who should participate in the delegation, will endeavour to ensure that there is an even spread of the workload among elected members;
5. Elected members participating in an overseas delegation at the Council’s expense are to report on the activities of the delegation to the next appropriate standing committee or Council meeting;
6. The Mayor and Chief Executive will determine whether it is appropriate and beneficial to invite representatives of other businesses or organisation to join the delegation at those organisations’ own cost, and will, on a case-by-case basis, take into account factors such as those organisations’ interest and experience in the subject, and the appropriate number that the delegation should comprise;
7. The Mayor and Chief Executive, in deciding whether other businesses and organisations should be invited to join the delegation will consider on a case-by-case basis, what is the most appropriate process for inviting other participants (e.g. personal invitation, public advertising etc);
8. Where appropriate, the Mayor and Chief Executive will consult with the chair and/or members of the International Relations Sub-committee;
9. That once the delegation is determined the names and other appropriate information is reported back to the Monitoring Committee for information;
10. That the travel and accommodation expenses of the spouse of the Mayor be reimbursed where his/her travel is deemed appropriate.

Reviewed three yearly (next review 2013).