Auckland Council is being criticised by its Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel for shutting Pacific communities out of important decisions on the city's future.
The panel is angry the council won't translate a summary of a 1000 page, draft 10-year plan into Pacific languages for public consultations starting on Friday.
Council staff say there wasn't time, but the panel says they have had a year to prepare.
Deputy chair Orchid Atimalala, who is a town planner, says many Pacific people will find the English version too hard to understand and simply will not take part.
The panel's liaison councillor, Arthur Anae, says the documents will be translated, but it is taking time to work out how to do it and how to pay for it.
