Source: Auckland Council

Auckland Council’s Director of Community Rachel Kelleher responds to concerns about the council’s approach to venue hire of our community meeting halls and shared spaces.

It is with huge gratitude that I acknowledge the messages of support our staff and the council has received over the past few days, regarding our response to the awful disruption of a family-friendly Pride event at Te Atatū Peninsula Library last weekend.

It has been uplifting to see the voices of leaders throughout New Zealand also extend their support to our brave library staff and affected communities, along with the widespread public condemnation of this harmful activity.

We are also grateful for police support, to ensure that all remaining Pride events at our venues continue to be uplifting occasions to celebrate Auckland’s rainbow communities.

We are actively monitoring any health, safety or security risks at future events.

Venue hire

We have been asked questions about the use of our community venues and whether the council should apply tighter restrictions on bookings – particularly from groups like Destiny Church with strong views that not everyone shares.  

So, I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about how Auckland Council provides access to our collection of more than 100 bookable community venues across the region on the principle that they are available for anyone to hire. We are obliged to ensure everyone throughout Auckland has fair and equal access to connect and enjoy using these spaces.

This doesn’t mean that we endorse the content of an event, or the views of participants, but rather that we must manage our venues in a neutral and non-discriminatory manner.

It is not always easy to maintain that careful balance between providing a public service (venues for hire) and expressing our council values, including ensuring our people feel supported on our position on diversity and inclusion.

This sometimes leads to tension, and pressure to do more in support of one community or group, over another.

Here’s the thing.  We remain one hundred per cent committed to protecting and growing Tāmaki Makaurau’s culture of inclusivity and belonging. That’s the foundation we build our practical policies and guidelines on, and what helps us make decisions or remain focussed when dealing with difficult situations.

When differences arise between the views of the various groups using our community venues, and there is potential for conflict or any risk to public safety, we work closely with the police and security experts to determine if activities should go ahead.

An example of this occurred in 2023, when the council terminated venue bookings at the Mount Eden War Memorial Hall in response to safety concerns from two groups with strong opposing views planning to gather on the same night.

Consistent with our obligations as a public authority, we will continue to operate our venues on the principle that they are available to all Aucklanders, but will not hesitate to address or terminate bookings if terms are breached or safety compromised.

With respect to the events at the events at the at Te Atatū Peninsula Library last Saturday, council is supporting the police with their investigations and has not ruled out taking further action against those individuals involved.  

Venue hire requirements:

• All venue hire bookings agree to comply with council’s venue hire terms and conditions. These set out the circumstances in which the council may terminate a booking and include situations where the event might breach the law or the conditions themselves or where the management or control of the event is deficient.
• It is always the responsibility of venue hire users to ensure their events are managed safely, and to meet the terms and conditions of our venue hire policy.
• Where we have concerns that an event may raise health and safety or security concerns we work with the organisers andrelevant agencies to ensure that these concerns are addressed ahead of the event. 
• Our community venues are operated on the principle they are available for anyone to hire. If a booking is accepted, it doesn’t mean that we endorse the content of the event, but rather that we are obliged to manage our venues in a non-discriminatory manner.

MIL OSI