2018 Report

Council, through Opinions Market Research Limited, conducted the 2018 Resident Satisfaction Survey between mid-October and December 2018. 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 new questions related to the Greymouth Town Square and events in the District.

You can read the full survey below.

2018 Resident Satisfaction Survey Report (PDF, 1.5MB)

The following is a summary of the survey results.

Performance of Grey District Council

• Three quarters (74%) expressed satisfaction with the overall performance of Council in the last 12 months, this is similar to 2017 (76%) and marginally lower than earlier years (79-90%).
• Dissatisfaction (21%) in 2018 is similar to 2017. This is higher than in earlier years (9-19%). The greatest change is in the proportion who are quite' dissatisfied.
• Overall satisfaction with Grey District Council's performance, 74%, is just higher than for the group of Councils on average (group average is 72%).
• Reasons for dissatisfaction were reasonably generic comments including could perform better/lack of support/communication/consultation; rates dear/money could be better spent. There were no specific parts of Council operations receiving a stand out number of negative comments.

Performance of Mayor and Councillors

• Satisfaction with the performance of the Mayor and Councillors (76%) is also similar to 2017 (77%) but lower than in earlier years (83-91%).
• Satisfaction with the performance of Grey District Council's Mayor and Councillors is higher than for the group of Councils on average (group average is 60%).

Overall Service When Contacting Council Offices

• 58% of survey respondents contacted Grey District Council in the last 12 months, 81% expressed satisfaction with the overall service from Council Offices. These findings are similar to earlier years (82-88%).
• This puts us at the group of Councils average of 81%.
• Satisfaction (79%) with the information received from Council in 2018, is at a similar level to earlier years. It was highest in Greater Greymouth (83%) and lowest in Kaiata/ Dobson/Taylorville/ Stillwater (57%).
• Residents' preferred option for receiving information is fragmented; a quarterly newsletter sent to ratepayers (60%), followed by a letter/bulk mail out (44%), via social media (31%), email (30%) and newspaper (30%) among other means.
• In 2018, 58% of residents expressed satisfaction that the Council consults with residents on important issues, while 34% are dissatisfied and 8% do not know. Satisfaction with consultation on important issues is marginally lower than in previous years and indicates there is an opportunity for improvement. Satisfaction is highest in Greater Greymouth (64%) and lowest in Runanga/Rapahoe/ Coast Road (41%).

Satisfaction with Council's Facilities and Services

Note: Full results are in the report.

• Of all Council services, residents are most likely to have used or visited a park or reserve (73%), followed by the Council offices (63%), a rubbish dump/recycling facility (63%), a cemetery (59%) or a public toilet/rest room (58%) in the last 12 months.
• Satisfaction in 2018, is similar to 2017. There are some differences in satisfaction with Council services by location, indicating there are localised issues to be addressed.
• Parks and Reserves - 90% of residents satisfied with our parks, reserves and tracks (2017: 92%).
• Other services or facilities with high satisfaction included Cemeteries 89%; Libraries 84% (2017: 79%); Swimming pools 85% satisfied in 2018 compared to just 61% in 2017.
• Overall satisfaction with fitness centres or gyms also increased from 68% in 2017 to 73% this year.
• Overall satisfaction is lowest with the maintenance of footpaths (52%), the same as last year's result.
• Satisfaction with public toilets and rest rooms is 70% and has increased from last year (2017: 68%).
• 52% of residents are satisfied with Council's regulation of land use throughout the District in 2018, this level of satisfaction is similar to earlier years (46-65%).
• Nearly all (91%) are satisfied that their household rubbish/recycling is collected on time. This is marginally lower than in 2017 (94%) but similar to earlier years (91-95%). 84% are also satisfied with the household rubbish/recycling service in general.
• Consistent with 2017, 74% are satisfied with Council litter bins, recycling centre and recycling stations being kept clean and tidy. Satisfaction is lower in Kaiata/Dobson/ Taylorville/ Stillwater (50%) and in Grey Valley/ Blackball/ Lake Brunner (51%).
• In 2018, nearly three quarters of participants' homes (72%) are on a Council water supply and 1% are on both a Council and private water supply, similar to previous years.
• 73% of residents on a Council water supply are satisfied with the water's appearance and taste in 2018; this proportion is significantly lower than in 2017 (83%). Satisfaction is significantly higher in Greater Greymouth (78%) and lower in Runanga/Rapahoe and the Coast Road areas (30%).
• 92% are satisfied with the water pressure and flow, similar to previous years. Satisfaction is lowest in Kaiata/Dobson/Taylorville/Stillwater (74%).
• Roading - 83% of residents feel safe on our roads, the same as 2017.

Perception of Quality of Life

• Most participants (86%) agree the District is a great place to live, however, this proportion is significantly lower than in previous years (91-94%).
• Half (51%) agree they feel a sense of pride in the way their District looks and feels. This proportion is also significantly lower than in previous years (59-65%). It appears that this shift in perception is primarily related to a sense that the District is run down, untidy and in need of better maintenance and that the CBD is dying with lots of empty shops.

Greymouth Town Square & Events

• 82% have visited or spent time in Greymouth Town Square since it was opened in December 2017.
• 57% have attended an event in the Grey District community in the past 12 months.
• In terms of the types of events people would like to see more of, a wide range of event types including Family, Fun based & Music concerts and Festivals were popular.