Dunedin city councillors voted 8-6 to reinstate a grants subcommittee at Thursday’s meeting — supporters hailing its return as a win for community input, while opponents felt it distanced elected members from funding decisions.
The vote follows dismay from community groups in November after Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker’s governance system did not include a subcommittee to assess and approve grant applications.
Cr Steve Walker said without input from those with expertise and lived experience, grants failed.
Last term’s subcommittee included councillors and community, arts, mana whenua and specialist representatives.
"The long-standing grants subcommittee was not perfect actually, no structure ever is, but it stood as a genuine example of power sharing and co-operation between council and community," Cr Walker said.
He said stripping participation would send the wrong message to groups the council relied on, and which were left in limbo when the subcommittee was "put under the guillotine without clear justification".
As part of a wider motion, Cr Cherry Lucas initially proposed grant allocation sit with staff and the finance and performance committee — comprised of all councillors and mana whenua representatives.
"I just think this is about being very clear in the environment where we’re heading ... that any funding goes, very importantly, to where we as a council wish to set the direction of our city," she said.
Ms Barker supported this approach, saying it aligned with her campaign promise of fewer committees to "streamline" governance.
"I have sympathy for the philanthropic models. However this is ratepayer money and in the end, councillors are ultimately responsible for [that] money."
Cr Marie Laufiso said she challenged the lived experience of most elected members to appreciate the intent of grant applications.
"I think we’re doing our communities a disservice for generations if we don’t have communities at the table making decisions, sharing that power."
He opposed the subcommittee’s return when the council voted 8-6 to reinstate it.
Under the approved structure, the grants subcommittee would allocate "mid-tier, multi-year and large grants".
Allocation of "small" grants would be delegated to staff.
The council also agreed to a raft of grant policies on Thursday, after a review last year indicated the grants system lacked a "coherent policy foundation".
Among other things, the policies defined council grants as primarily targeting not-for-profit organisations, but with scope to support for-profit activities where clear community benefit existed separate from private gain.
Grant funding levels would be set through the annual plan and long-term plan processes.
The definition of grant sizes was not included in the report to the meeting, but would be developed following approval of the grant policies, council chief executive Sandy Graham said.
Four community group representatives also spoke in public forum, urging councillors to reinstate the subcommittee.
The vote
That the council confirms its preferred governance structure for grants decisions is a grants subcommittee, staff delegations and council oversight.
For (8): Crs John Chambers, Christine Garey, Doug Hall, Marie Laufiso, Mandy Mayhem, Andrew Simms, Mickey Treadwell and Steve Walker.
Against (6): Mayor Sophie Barker, Crs Cherry Lucas, Russell Lund, Benedict Ong, Lee Vandervis and Brent Weatherall.
