Wellington North is going to set aside time once a month for council to discuss issues of importance.
The "open forum" will be held during the first meeting of each month.
Mayor Andy Lennox credited Councillor Dan Yake with coming up with the idea for the open forum.
"When we are not under the pressure of making a decision we can talk about a big issue," said Lennox. "Like housing, rural broadband, community safety and what role we should play in that."
Lennox said council and himself will determine what topic will be discussed for a maximum of 45 minutes. No decisions will come out of the open forum.