2017 Report

Council, through Opinions Market Research Limited, conducted the 2017 Resident Satisfaction Survey in November and December 2017. The survey provides a representative indication of Council's performance in relation to key activities and also benchmarks Grey District Council against other similar local authorities.

This year we included a set of questions focussed on the upcoming Long Term Plan, asking how our community felt about potential key issues. This information will be useful for confirming the key issues facing our District as part of our Long Term Planning. We also asked some questions around use of the Westland Recreation Centre.

You can read the full survey below.

2017 Resident Satisfaction Survey Report (PDF, 1MB)

The following is a brief summary of the survey results.

Performance of Grey District Council

• Satisfaction with the overall performance of Council is 76%, lower than the rating achieved last year (2016: 83%).
• Overall satisfaction with Grey District Council's performance, 76%, is just higher than for the group of Councils on average (group average is 75%).
• Reasons for the increased dissatisfaction include the swimming pool, Town Square and lack of consultation.
• Some of the area's residents thought needed improvement or expressed dissatisfaction with include footpaths, rates too dear, things not moving forward/getting fixed and too much red tape and regulation.

Performance of Mayor and Councillors

• The 77% satisfaction rating is lower than the rating achieved last year (2016: 86%). Satisfaction is marginally higher amongst those aged 65+, 84%.
• Satisfaction with the performance of Grey District Council's Mayor and Councillors is also higher than for the group of Councils on average (group average is 68%).

Overall Service When Contacting Council Offices

• There is a marked increase in the satisfaction rating from last year - 88% (2016: 82%). This is a great result and testament to our focus in providing excellent customer service. This puts us above the group of Councils on average (group average is 85%).
• A large majority of residents, 81%, are satisfied with the information they receive from Council (2016: 82%).
• Residents' preferred option for receiving information is the quarterly newsletter sent to ratepayers and available on our website, 77% - this is a significant jump from last year (2016: 52%) and shows Council that this is an important communication tool for keeping our community up to date. The next most popular option is the newspaper, 50% (2016: 36%).
• Getting information from social media and our website is most popular with those aged 18-49.

Satisfaction with Council's Facilities and Services

Note: Full results are in the report.

• Parks and Reserves - 92% of residents satisfied with our parks and tracks (2016: 91%).
• Satisfied that rubbish and recycling are collected on time - 94% (2016: 91%).
• Water Supply - 91% of residents are satisfied with water pressure (2016: 94%) and 83% of residents are satisfied with the taste and appearance of water (same as last year).
• Stormwater Drainage - 80% of residents are happy with how their property drains stormwater (2016: 75%).
• Roading - 83% of residents feel safe on our roads (2016: 85%).
• Libraries - 79% of residents satisfied with the library service (2016: 82%).
• Overall satisfaction with maintenance of footpaths is lower than last year's result at 52% (2016: 55%).
• Satisfaction with public toilets and rest rooms is 68% and has decreased from last year (2016: 70%).

Perception of Quality of Life

• 65% of residents feel a sense of pride in the way the District looks and feels (2016: 63%). A slight increase from last year and the report mentions it appears working bees have had an impact by improving cleanliness.
• 94% thinks the District to be a great place to live (same as last year). The top reasons are similar to last year, namely sense of community, safe/low crime, lifestyle and beautiful place to live/natural.

Issues Important to the Community

This year we included the following question in the Resident Satisfaction Survey - Are the following issues facing our District important to you?

• Being prepared for emergencies and natural disasters, eg floods, earthquakes etc - 98%
• Diversifying and developing our economy to become more financially sustainable - 97%
• Making the most of the growth in tourism and provide the necessary infrastructure for the increase in visitors - 96%
• Rejuvenating our town centre, including CBD renewal and dealing with earthquake prone buildings - 91%
• Being prepared for the effects of climate change, which includes higher temperatures, rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather events and a change in rainfall patterns - 84%
• Local businesses increasing their use of digital technologies - 81%