Pacific Advisory Group 

Terms of Reference – December 2020

1. Purpose of the Pacific Advisory Group (PAG)

•	Advise Council on how to help grow a great City, where Pasifika peoples thrive and contribute to Council’s priorities.

•	Bring knowledge and extra insight into Council about how the different needs of Wellington’s Pasifika communities can be addressed in the context of Council’s roles and priorities.

•	It is recognised that members come from and remain connected to their communities, it is from this foundation members share their expertise and lived experience in this advisory role, and engage with their communities and others as part of the wider council consultation processes.  The expectations around this connection are set out in the Communication and Involvement of communities points below’

2. Expectations

Members will be accountable for their efforts to provide:

•	Constructive advice – on Council projects and policies, where possible identifying evidence and solutions, whilst taking into account the wider needs, issues and views of communities from the Pacific nations that PAG members are from.

•	Communication – engage with the Council and Pasifika communities to increase information flow and build knowledge of Council processes to increase involvement in Council decision-making. 

•	Involvement of communities - work with council staff to help Council involve more people from Wellington’s Pasifika communities in the setting and meeting of city-wide objectives. The Council is ultimately responsible for full community consultation.

The specific work areas where members will contribute will be set out in the annual work programme. The work programme will be finalised reasonably quickly and in a collaborative way. That annual work programme will be determined jointly between the PAG, Council officers, Chair of the appropriate Committee and Councillor representative. This will take into account the Council’s priorities as well as the skills, experience, interests and commitments of PAG members. This will enable members to have early input into Council’s work.

Council officers will report back to the PAG on how advice was considered, and whether or not officers and councillors chose to act on that advice, with reasons given at the appropriate time through e-mail and at PAG meetings.

The Council liaison officers, working with the Chair, will track meeting attendance and contribution to workflows. Issues considered will include:
•	 Punctuality and attendance of meetings
•	 Behaviour in relation to the role and Code of Conduct
•	 Degree of active involvement in the work of the group.
*See number 7 Terms of Appointment.

3. Reporting 

The PAG will publicly report to the appropriate Council Committee with the agreed workplan within the first four months of each financial year.  

The PAG will publicly report to the appropriate Council Committee within the last four months of each financial year. The report will refer to the agreed work plan and outline progress against this over the previous year, and any issues it wishes to raise with Council. 

The names of members, their attendance and minutes of the group’s meetings will be available on the Council website and annual report.

The PAG, through the Chair, will also present a verbal report to Pacific Forums that occur.

4. Meetings 

There will be up to 12 paid meetings per year of the full PAG. A provisional meeting schedule will be agreed once the work programme is finalised. This schedule can be varied throughout the year. At least half of the current number of members, not including vacancies, and at least four of the Pacific nation groups must be present for the group to have a quorum.

5. Training for members

The Council will provide members with: 
•	An induction explaining the machinery of local government, the Council’s function and processes and the role of the PAG
•	Training or resources as necessary to fulfil their roles as a PAG member. For example, Chairing, contributing at meetings, understanding the role of local government and presentation skills as needed or as requested.

6. Key Membership criteria

The PAG will include up to 17 members. 

Three members will be from Samoan communities.

Two members will be from each of the following communities: Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Niue, Tokelau and Tuvalu.

One member will be from a Melanesian community and one member will be from a Micronesian community.

Subject to the above, the Council will during recruitment, have regard to maintaining an appropriate balance of age and gender mix, and representation of tikanga Māori.. Where one or more place is not able to be filled, the remaining PAG members will still continue to meet.

Further details of the roles and accountabilities of members (including Chairs) and non-members that support PAG are in Appendix A.

7. Term of Appointment

The standard term of appointment will be three years.  A PAG member’s membership will cease if that member resigns and may cease if that member:
•	misses more than three consecutive meetings without apology or 4 of meetings within one year 
•	does not work proactively during any one-year review period, or
•	behaves in a way that violates the Code of Conduct (Appendix B) or is otherwise seen as detrimental to the effective operation of PAG.

A member can be nominated for two consecutive terms.
No member can sit on the group for more than two consecutive three year terms.
A member may be nominated for a future term not immediately after them completing two consecutive terms.

The process for electing the Chair and Deputy Chair is set out in Appendix A.

8. Payment 

Members will be paid $110 per meeting for up to 12 meetings per year they attend of the full PAG.  

The Chair will be paid $150 for every meeting per year of the full PAG attended. If the group decides to have more than one member in the role of Chair, the additional $40 available to the Chair will be split between the Co-Chairs. 

The Council will also support the group by providing refreshments at up to 12 meetings per year.

Council at its discretion will consider providing extra resources to PAG (including for planning) on a case-by-case basis and where those extra resources enable the group to meaningfully contribute to the Council’s objectives.

9. Budget 

The PAG is an advisory group set up to inform the work and activities of the Council. The group will not be given an independent budget to commission work or undertake activities outside of this advisory role. 

10. Conflict Resolution 

Should conflict occur, the Chair/Co-Chairs and group will work with Council Officers to resolve the conflict. 

If there are any concerns, members should raise them:
-	with the Chair of the group if concerns are about other members
-	with the responsible Councillor and/or the Group’s ELT member if concerns are about the Chair of the group
-	with the Chair of the group (who will decide whether to raise them with the Group’s ELT member) if concerns are about employees.

11. Conflict of Interest

Members will be asked to complete a conflict of interest form when they join the PAG and at the beginning of each year they sit on the group.  This will be provided by the Council liaison officer.

Members are also expected to notify the liaison officer of any new or emerging conflicts of interest at the start of each meeting where the liaison officer is present.

For the purpose of the PAG, conflicts of interest are deemed to occur where a member advises on work-streams that impact on:
•	money or other resources the member has invested outside Council
•	the member’s family, or
•	official positions the member holds on groups or bodies outside of Council.

12. Review of Terms of Reference 

The Terms of Reference will be reviewed as required. PAG will be involved in any review. All changes to the Terms of Reference will need approval by the appropriate Council Committee and the Council. 

Appendix A: Role descriptions for the PAG Chair, members, Liaison Officers, Responsible Council Manager and Appointed Councillor 
Members 
Member position	Roles and accountabilities	
Chair	•	encourage open communication where all members can effectively contribute 
•	run the meeting efficiently
•	work with Council officers to compile meeting agendas 
•	work with PAG members and Council officers to develop, complete and implement the group’s annual work programme referred to in section 2
•	be the PAG spokesperson representing the views and recommendations of the group
•	work with the Council liaison officers to review the contribution of PAG members at the yearly review and raise any concerns with the appropriate Council Officer
•	sign off minutes if the Deputy Chair was not present at the previous meeting
•	The Chair and Deputy Chair will hold their position for a maximum of three years
•	PAG members will elect the Chair and Deputy Chair by ballot as vacancies arise.	
Deputy Chair	•	support the Chair in their role
•	act in place of the other Chair if the Chair is unavailable or has a conflict of interest
•	sign off minutes of the previous meeting.	
All PAG Members (including Chair and Deputy Chair)	•	be prepared for meetings and consider issues with an open mind
•	provide advice on the development and implementation of the agreed annual work programme 
•	actively participate in PAG meetings and contribute to the actions in the agreed annual work programme 
•	turn up to meetings on time 
•	be available and attend any other training/meetings that may be planned 
•	proactively establish, maintain and make the most of existing relationships with Pasifika groups and diverse Pacific individuals in the City, including Church Ministers, young and old Pacific persons, people who were both Island-born and born in New Zealand
•	maintain a broad knowledge of issues and opportunities for Pacific people and their communities
•	advise from a ‘pan-Pacific’ perspective (i.e. not limited to the views of a specific organisation or nation group)
•	comply with the Code of Conduct in Appendix B
•	have their contributions reviewed annually against the current “Terms of Appointment”.	
Non-Members who will work with PAG
Member position	Roles	
Council liaison officers	•	administration, support and promotion of the group. This will include the induction of new members, development of agendas, recording meeting minutes and following up on action points to report back to the group 
•	work with the Chair/Co- Chair to set the meeting agenda
•	work with the Chair to track attendance and review the contribution of PAG members at the yearly review 
•	work across Council business units to help them effectively engage the PAG in the development and implementation of policy, strategy, planning and service delivery in the city 
•	Progress projects agreed between PAG and officers, including ensuring officers across Council’s business units engage with PAG in the right ways and at the right stages of a work-stream.	
Responsible City Council Manager	•	approve the PAG’s annual work programme
•	help the Council liaison officers ensure officers work with PAG in the right ways and stages.	
Councillor/s	•	act as a communication link between Council (councillors and officers) and the PAG by attending meetings on a regular basis. 
•	provide with officers, information, advice and explanation of the Council’s political process and agreed Council policy when required and facilitate feedback from the PAG to Council.	

Appendix B: Code of Conduct

1.	Objective

The objective of the code is to enhance:
•	mutual trust, respect and tolerance between members as a group and with Councillors and Council staff 
•	the credibility and accountability of the Council within its communities. 

The following is the standard of behaviour that is expected from members of Wellington City Council reference and advisory groups.

2.	Relationships with others

Members will conduct their dealings with each other, and elected members, in ways that:
•	are open, honest and maintain integrity
•	focus on issues rather than personalities
•	avoid aggressive, offensive and abusive conduct 
•	maintain confidence in their group.

3.	Relationships with Council staff

The effective performance of the group also requires a high level of cooperation and mutual respect between members and Council staff. To ensure this is maintained, members will:
•	treat all employees with courtesy and respect (including the avoidance of aggressive, offensive or abusive conduct towards employees)
•	observe any guidelines that the Chief Executive puts in place regarding contact with employees 
•	not do anything which compromises, or could be seen as compromising, the impartiality of an employee
•	avoid publicly criticising any employee in any way, but especially in ways that reflect on the competence and integrity of the employee 
•	raise concerns about employees only with the Chair of the group, who will then decide whether to raise the issue with an appropriate senior Council officer
•	not seek to improperly influence staff in the normal undertaking of their duties.

4.	Contact with the media 

Groups may have the opportunity to input into a number of different initiatives and for consistency, it is important that a single point of contact is established to respond to any media enquiries.
•	All media enquiries shall be redirected to Council staff.
•	If it is agreed with Council staff that it is appropriate for a view to be expressed by the group, only the Chair, or the Chair’s proxy, can represent the group to the media. The Chair will work with the Council’s Communication and Engagement team in relation to any public comments.
•	Views expressed to the media on behalf of the group must have been previously agreed on by the group as a whole. 
•	If a member is contacted by a journalist for a view from their group, they must refer the journalist to the Chair or Co-Chair. 
•	Members are free to express a personal view in the media or the view of other organisations of which they are a member, at any time.  However, they must make clear that these represent their private views as an individual, or the view of their organisation. 

5.	Confidential Information 

In the course of their duties, members will receive information that they need to treat as confidential. This will often be information that is either commercially sensitive or is personal to a particular individual or organisation.

Members should be aware that failure to observe confidentially will impede the performance of Council and could expose the Council to prosecution under the Privacy Act 1993 and/or civil litigation. 

6.	Individual queries

Members will not bring individual issues to their advisory groups that can best be dealt with by going through the Council’s Service Centre.

7.	Honesty and Integrity

Members have a duty to act honestly. They must declare any private interests relating to their duties and take steps to resolve any conflicts of interest in such a way that protects the public interest. They must not act in order to gain financial or other benefits for themselves, 
their families, friends or business interests.

8.	Complaints 

Any complaints about other group members, officers or Councillors should be addressed confidentially to the Chair who can then raise the issue with relevant Council officers.

Appendix C: Recruitment and Selection Process
Council will determine how new members will be selected by each Pacific nation group. This will be resourced by Council officers.

The Council will support the selection process by:  
•	preparing clear role descriptions for Members, the Chair and the Deputy Chair
•	working with Pacific nation groups to identify appropriate candidates for membership 
•	ensuring promotion of the selection process is transparent via a wide range of media and community networks to ensure that all Pacific people in Wellington are aware of the opportunity and how they can participate
•	running the selection process with Pacific nation groups (which may include calling for nominations, and information sessions.)

All members who want to nominate themselves for the role of Chair or Deputy Chair will submit a basic resume to Council officers for distribution to all PAG members before selection for these positions.

Replacement of Vacancies

Vacancies will be recruited for annually for all Advisory and Reference Groups.  For PAG, the representation of the Islands is to remain as set out in section 6 of the Terms of Reference: Key Membership Criteria.  This means new members will be recruited from the same Island community from which the vacancy arose.