Rotorua Lakes Council meetings could be much shorter if councillors cut the chat.

But will democracy will be best served?

That was the question as Merepeka Raukawa-Tait said most Rotorua Lakes Council meetings lasted no longer than three hours.

The councillor, who is also elected to the Lakes DHB and the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust, says: 'If we cut the waffle, we'd all be fine...”

The matter was raised by councillor Raj Kumar who asked if an agenda was full whether meetings could start earlier at say 8.30am rather than 9.30am.

After the schedule was approved, Mayor Steve Chadwick expressed relief because in the past much time was spent on whether evening meetings should be held. 'Really, these are much easier for the public to participate in.”

Raj says that a couple of times in the last three years meetings exceeded 3.30pm.

'I wondered if we have a heavy schedule whether it is easier to start earlier or is that the timeframe it must operate in – if we have a heavy schedule, we can start at 8.30?”

The council's corporate planning and governance advisor Oonagh Hopkins says meeting dates are publicly notifiable in advance, regardless of the size of the agenda which would not have been determined.

'It would be very difficult for us to bring a meeting time forward because we would be in conflict with the advertisement and we have to put those into in the paper,” Oonagh says.

Rules, however, guide the length of meetings.

'There is the ability and options for council to look at adjourning a meeting or the take a decision to carry on”, a decision for councillors.

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait says from experience most council meetings last three hours – 9.30am to 12.30 possibly longer – 'and really that's sufficient for work we have on our agenda”.

'If we cut the waffle, we'd be fine because I can assure you, I get mine (meetings) to get finished by 12.30, and I do know it's appreciated.”

Steve Chadwick: 'But democracy is where I think people should have their say – councillor [Peter] Bentley you are laughing!”

Discussion arose when Oonagh outlined meeting possibilities in a meeting centred mainly on procedural matters, particularly after an intensive induction regiment in the eight weeks since the October 12 local body elections.

Mayor Steve Chadwick looking at downtime during a 'very busy schedule” was difficult; she has urged councillors to make use of their two week's annual break.

'You must have a break – you need at least two weeks off during the year.”