Amid applause, terse debate and points of order there were fits of laughter.

When councillor Richard Lyon of Pleasant Point stood up to address the first full meeting of the Timaru District Council yesterday he missed two letters in a very important word – organism.

Cr Steve Earnshaw had moved a motion to amend a motion that would appoint five standing committees to the council.

Mr Earnshaw wanted four of the committee structures reviewed in six months' time and as several councillors waited for their turn to speak to the motion's motion, Cr Lyon stood up.

"It's an ongoing thing and a living beast," he said of the structure. "It is an ongoing orgasm – organism."

It took a second or two till the penny dropped.

The word, so apt in syntax, but so very out of place in the world of council standing committees, sent those in the chamber into fits of laughter.

Red-faced, Cr Lyon regained composure and soldiered on, saying he supported a review and it was best done earlier rather than later. However, his faux pas will likely be remembered as the climax of the meeting.