Horowhenua District Council

Our Facebook page is monitored during office hours: 8.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday. We are closed public holidays.

The purpose of our Facebook page is to:
- Provide you with Horowhenua District Council's latest news and event information
- Get your opinion on various topics relating to Council activities
- Answer any questions you may have about Council services

Our Facebook page is maintained by the Communications team. If we require additional details from you to help us action your query, we may ask you to contact us via phone or email.

If you have questions or feedback for the Mayor or elected representatives you can locate their contact details on our website http://www.horowhenua.govt.nz/Council/YourCouncil/Mayor--Councillors/

Public Conditions of Use
Those who participate in communicating with HDC through its social media channels are asked to be respectful of each other, Officers and Elected Members.

All users should be aware that Council Officers monitor all social media activity associated with HDC. As social media is a 24 hours a day/seven days a week medium, the monitoring period will vary.
The Officers responsible have the authority to make a judgement call regarding inappropriate commentary.

HDC has three categories regarding inappropriate commentary and they are:
I. Minor – general name calling
II. Major – unacceptable language, inappropriate imagery
III. Extreme – threatening or explicit commentary and/or images

What happens in the event of:
1. Noncompliance:
a. Minor: The post/comment being made so it is only viewable by friends of the person who posted the comment.

b. Major: The post being deleted from the page. In this instance a Council Officer will direct message the person to advise:
- The post has been deleted in accordance with Council’s Social Media Policy
- That a condition of use of Council’s social media platforms is that they are respectful for each other, Officers and Elected Members
- That a further breach of Council’s policy may lead them being banned from the social media channel.

c. Extreme:
- A direct message is sent to the person who made the post advising they will be banned from the page following which they are banned. This option is reserved for the most serious breaches of the Social Media Policy, and is for a period of no less than three years.

2. Repeated breaches:
a. Minor: In the event of three or more Minor breaches by the same person within a period of 12 months then, for a period of no less than one year, all future Minor breaches by that person will be treated as Major breaches and a Direct Message will be sent to that person advising them of this.

b. Major: In the event of a second Major breach by the same person then the author will be sent a Direct Message advising that due to a second Major breach of Council’s Social Media Policy they will be banned for a period of no less than one year.

c. Extreme: If, a person has been banned from a social media page and that ban is lifted yet they subsequently commit an Extreme breach then the breach will be treated in accordance with 1.c. above with the exception that the ban will be for a period of no less than five years.

Council’s Communication Lead will keep a record of non-compliance and bans and bans will be lifted after the specific time-frame.
Horowhenua District Council reserves the right to refer all posts to the appropriate authority/ies including, but not limited to, the New Zealand Police, the Race Relations Commissioner and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

Contact Information
For more information see our website: www.horowhenua.govt.nz
Email: enquiries@horowhenua.govt.nz
Phone: + 64 (06) 366 0999
Fax: + 64 (06) 366 0983