Meetings
Officials' attendance at Cabinet committee meetings
Preparing Ministers' papers for a meeting
Papers should be prepared for a Minister's attendance at Cabinet or a Cabinet committee by putting the papers in the order of the agenda, with the agenda on top. Remember to add any previously distributed items or items listed on the agenda as a previous reference.
It is helpful to put in the top right hand corner of each paper its item number from the order of the agenda. This is often how papers are referred to in the meeting.
Getting messages to Ministers during meetings
Cabinet committee meetings
Staff from ministerial offices who need to contact their Minister while he or she is in a Cabinet committee meeting should:
- go down the 8.5 corridor through the single door. Immediately to the left is the door to the Cabinet committee room;
- knock on the committee room door and wait until a member of the Cabinet Office answers; and
- give the message to the Cabinet Office staff member.
Cabinet meetings
Staff from ministerial offices who need to contact their Minister while he or she is in Cabinet should contact:
- in the first instance, the executive secretary to the Secretary of the Cabinet; or
- Cabinet Office reception.
These staff will ensure that the messages and documents are taken into the Cabinet Room. Ministerial staff may not enter the Cabinet Room.
Use of the Cabinet and Cabinet committee rooms
The Cabinet Room is for meetings of Cabinet. It is generally not available for any other purpose.
The Cabinet committee room on the 8th floor of the Beehive may be used for meetings of Ministers or officials. Meetings of Cabinet committees will always take precedence. Ministerial offices that wish to book the Cabinet committee meeting room (8.4) should phone the Cabinet Office reception on ext 9743. The committee meeting room is generally not available on:
- Mondays 11.00am - 12.00 noon and 2.00pm - 2.30pm;
- Tuesdays 8.00am - 10.00am;
- Wednesdays 8.00am - 1.00pm; and
- Thursdays 8.00am - 9.30am.
