The council, its members and services have been put under the public’s scrutiny _ and the results, unlike a beauty contest, are not outstanding.
This annual event is not widely distributed normally, and to date only part of the data has been publicly released. But conclusions can be drawn with even partial data.
So here we have the SWDC’s annual “Residents’ Survey,” which has gauged the perceptions and attitudes of 600 locals towards various council services and facilities.
First, council leadership.
Satisfaction with the accessibility of the mayor and councillors, with their advocacy and leadership, increased from 2022 (24% and 13% respectively) to 35% and 27% in 2023.
Satisfaction with the council overall was 27% in 2023, versus 18% the prior year.
Dissatisfaction levels were not stated in the report provided to councillors and the public.
Still. in 2023, 32% of respondents agreed that their district is going in the right direction, with 27% somewhat agreeing and 5% strongly agreeing. That’s 11% higher than last year’s result of 21%.
Perceptions of the Council’s performance, transparency, financial management, and quality of services also rose.
The percentage of locals who rated the council’s leadership and performance as good or excellent increased from 14% in 2022 to 22% in 2023. No data on what the other 78% thought was immediately available.
The rating of the Council as being open and transparent increased from 11% in 2022 to 20% in 2023. Again, no dissatisfaction levels were available.
Perception of the Council’s financial management. These rose slightly from a very low base: good or excellent ratings went from 7% in 2022 to 12% in 2023.
Those who rated the quality of services the council provides as good or excellent increased from 18% in 2022 to 25% in 2023.
One in five, or 20% of respondents, believe the council’s reputation has improved, with 18% stating it has gotten better and 2% noting it has gotten much better.
Some 80% apparently believe it had not.
Those who agreed the mayor and councillors gave a fair hearing to residents’ views increased from 10% in 2022 to 26% in 2023.
Agreement that Māori culture and te reo are appropriately recognised and visible in the district also saw a significant increase, from 24% in 2022 to 43% in 2023.
Information about the council is sourced by people through various traditional media, online sources, and direct communications.
Their satisfaction with information from the council was mixed.
Direct communications from the council were primarily received through rates invoices (66%), SWDC flyers in the letterbox (30%) and personal contact (13%).
While 32% of respondents reported being satisfied (26%) or very satisfied, (6%), a large portion _ 30% _expressed dissatisfaction, with 18% being dissatisfied and 12% very dissatisfied.
Maintenance and condition of rural roads saw a clear decline in satisfaction levels, dropping from 26% in 2022 to 18% in 2023, while a similar trend occurred for urban roading, with satisfaction falling from 38% in 2022 to 28% in 2023.
That trend was slightly reversed over footpaths, which showed a slight minor satisfaction increase from 28% in 2022 to 31% in 2023.
Satisfaction with water supplies turned out to be the best news, with those on town or city water supply lifting satisfaction with the reliability of water supply from 53% in 2022 to 68% in 2023. Satisfaction with water quality also rose, from 46% in 2022 to 53% in 2023.
Overall satisfaction among those connected to the water supply system also increased, from 39% in 2022 to 51% in 2023.
Sewerage spoit the water picture.
Wastewater system satisfaction dropped from 74% in 2022 to 63% in 2023, and satisfaction with the overall wastewater system also saw a decrease, from 69% in 2022 to 54% in 2023.
Maybe it was the wet year to date that saw satisfaction with efforts to keep roads and pavements free from flooding fall from 19% in 2022 to 14% in 2023.
Or perhaps it was impacted by the number of times the Waihenga and Ponitahi bridges were closed by flooding.
Similarly, satisfaction with the overall stormwater system also decreased, falling from 19% in 2022 to 16% in 2023.
Kerbside recycling collection saw a slight increase in general support from 2022, rising to 73%. Satisfaction with the general cleanliness of the streets also went up, from 61% in 2022 to 66% in 2023.
Satisfaction with refuse collection and disposal meeting the needs of the community also increased slightly from 60% in 2022 to 63% in 2023.
Respondents showed a high level of engagement with waste reduction.
The most popular waste reduction measures were a reusable shopping bag or container (91%), composting garden waste (81%), dropping items to a recycling centre (74%), and using a reusable coffee cup or water bottle (69%).
