The council’s move - to hold workshops in public unless grounds for privacy such as commercial sensitivity and legal privilege apply - follows a call from the chief ombudsman for councils to open workshops to the public by default.
Councils are barred from making decisions at workshops and they have typically been used as informal briefing sessions, forums for discussion and as a mechanism for navigating complex subjects efficiently.
Critics have argued they are too easily used to evade public scrutiny.
Chief Ombudsman Judge Peter Boshier said there should not be a presumption workshops needed to be held behind closed doors.
Making the move to public workshops had been under consideration for some time, she said.
"It’s important to note our workshops have never been decision-making meetings, and we take our commitment to transparency seriously," Ms Graham said.
"We are still reviewing the ombudsman’s report, but an initial reading suggests we are doing well in most areas, including limiting the number of non-public reports, livestreaming meetings, proactively releasing previously non-public material, having an accessible website and having good governance knowledge across the wider leadership team.
"We don’t intend to livestream workshops at this stage, but we will advertise the time and topics publicly in advance and provide a summary of who has attended, topics discussed and provide any related documentation on our website," she said.
The Otago Daily Times has approached all councils in the South for comment and most are due to respond today.
The Invercargill City Council already decided earlier this year long-term plan workshops should be held in public and the Clutha District Council’s workshops were open to the public by default.
Otago regional councillor Michael Laws, whose political experience has included stints as Whanganui mayor and an MP, described a culture across central and local government of insidious secrecy.
This had got worse in the past 20 years, assisting a power grab by an unelected autocracy, he said.
"My view is most of the secret meetings are driven by staff," Cr Laws said. "They are manipulating local government through workshops."
Although it was always argued decisions were never made in private workshops, much debate happened there, Cr Laws said.
Dunedin city councillor Sophie Barker said workshops enabled councillors to "deep dive" into subjects and she supported this being a public process where possible.
It was important for councillors to be well informed on their decisions and workshops helped with this, she said.
Recent subjects included the South Dunedin Future programme, playgrounds, the South Dunedin library and community complex, a future development strategy and waste assessment.
City councillor Steve Walker said workshops were a useful way for councillors to get a better understanding of complicated issues and to seek clarification.
He was comfortable with having them opened up to the public.
City councillor Jim O’Malley said workshops were "essential for giving staff direction when they [were] working on something very large".
"I have always been comfortable with them being public, so I welcome the chief ombudsman’s call."
