28/05/2026
Yesterday an ex-Taranaki Daily News columnist wrote that we “need to be spanked” over our latest Ask Max Anything weekly livestream 🤣
So what has him all worked up?
The order of questions…
Apparently, someone should judge how important each community-submitted question is, then decide which ones get priority over others.
We disagree.
The “Ask Mayor Max” weekly livestream is a direct line for New Plymouth District residents to question the mayor on anything, with no “middleman” putting their spin on things or dictating which topics deserve priority over others.
One resident’s minor issue is another resident’s absolute priority.
To keep it fair, questions are presented in the exact order in which they are received.
Here’s a quick rundown of how the process works, followed by the first topic for our new series “Discussion of the Day:”
Questions are summarised if too long, stripped of swear words etc. if any, then inserted straight into the queue of our custom-built app, ready for Monday.
Just before 12pm on the day, Max opens the app on his tablet, where the first question appears on-screen.
And we go live.
Once answered, the next one pops up, and so forth.
Anything that needs action or follow-up is “Saved,” which triggers an email.
Any new questions received live during the stream are added to the queue.
Simple and fair.
And the best part about it being live?
It’s raw and real.
No time to think.
No second takes.
No editor deciding what makes the cut, or twisting facts to support their narrative, or inserting their opinion.
For Taranaki Media’s role in the weekly livestreams - we aren’t there to question the validity or importance of residents' questions.
We are there to facilitate a direct line of communication between the mayor and the community.
Which brings us to the first topic of our new series; “Discussion of the Day.”
When you combine the weekly “Ask Max Anything” livestream with “The Mayor’s Office” in the CBD where any resident can book an in-person appointment, where else in New Zealand can you get this level of direct access to a mayor?
And do you think community-submitted questions should be ranked by an editor based on what they deem most important, or is our “first-come, first-served” queue the fairest way to give everyday residents an equal voice?
Drop your thoughts below. Let’s keep the discussion constructive! 👇
P.S. we’re developing functionality that will provide transcripts after each stream, along with timestamp links for jumping straight to the particular questions/answers in the video replay that you’re interested in.
