Central Otago District Council (CODC) has spent $65,000 upgrading the audio-visual technology in its Alexandra chambers to improve both in-room and remote meeting experiences.

CODC chief information officer Nathan McLeod said the upgrades provide Microsoft Teams Rooms capability such as live streaming, multiple cameras for different meeting types, a room-wide microphone array, upgraded speakers, and touchscreen controllers. 

“The technology being implemented has only just been released in New Zealand,” he said.

The council had budgeted between $100,000 and $150,000 for a similar upgrade after the Covid-19 pandemic but the current rollout came in significantly cheaper.

Nathan said the upgrade of the Ngā Hau e Whā meeting room - the official name for council chambers - was part of a broader council-wide project to modernise meeting spaces.

There was a ‘proof-of-concept’ trial in two other meeting rooms, before the Ngā Hau e Whā installation took place in early August. 

Now, fine-tuning and staff training will continue over the next two months.

Nathan said the decision to upgrade was driven by both planned renewals and increased public feedback. 

“The renewal of the Ngā Hau e Whā meeting room technology aligned with increased feedback related to audio and visual outputs from the community and other stakeholders.”

He said digital connectivity was vital in a geographically large district.

“It improves the ability of elected members to represent the district as they can attend meetings even if they physically cannot be there.

“It also allows the community to watch meetings to understand how decisions were made, but it does not require them to be in person. They can watch later at any time after a meeting, for example in the evening after work.”

Despite the emphasis on technology, Nathan said the council still prioritised in-person participation. 

“Face-to-face meetings are still the preferred method to conduct meetings, and I would suggest the default. Using technology is only an aid to that.”

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