12 May 2025
I’ve asked Taupō District Council to tighten up how microphone muting and audio-visual records are handled during meetings. Since moving into the new Council Building, all mic control has sat with the Chair—and there’s no official record of when or how that control is exercised.
Speakers can be cut off at the Chair’s discretion, and because the camera automatically shifts to the next speaker, the public watching may never know it happened. That should concern everyone who values transparency.
I’ve proposed a basic safeguard: let elected members control their own microphones, or at the very least, keep a log of any muting events so they can be independently reviewed. So far, I’ve received no formal response—only the implication that if I’m the only one asking questions, then I must be the problem.
If you’re watching Council meetings and notice audio dropouts, silenced speakers, or unexplained gaps in the livestream, please let me know. Democracy belongs to all of us—not just the one with their finger on the mute button.
Facebook here
duncandoestaupo.com 