Dunedin (Tuesday, 16 October 2018) –Resident satisfaction with the Dunedin City Council has remained relatively consistent over the past 12 months, according to the results of the latest Residents’ Opinion Survey.

Overall satisfaction with the DCC is at 57%, down 1 point on last year but not a significant drop. Overall satisfaction with the DCC has seen an overall increase of 22 points since 2010 – a trend seen reflected in many areas.

Over half of Dunedin residents continue to be satisfied or very satisfied the DCC delivers overall value for money (52%; up 1 point). Satisfaction with the performance of the Mayor and Councillors is up 4 points to 47%.

Despite some small drops from what was a high-scoring year in 2017, residents continue to highly rate Dunedin’s cultural facilities. The Dunedin Botanic Garden (95%), Otago Museum (95%), Toitū Otago Settlers Museum (94%), the Regent Theatre (90%), and Forsyth Barr Stadium (90%) all achieved satisfaction scores of 90% or above. Forsyth Barr Stadium’s rating has consistently trended upwards in recent years and is well up on its 69% rating in 2012.

Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull says the continued high ratings for cultural facilities highlight the value Dunedin residents receive for their rates.

“The stadium hosted some massive events over the past 12 months and Dunedin is fast becoming a favourite destination for promoters to bring big-name concerts, so it’s no surprise to see the stadium’s rating now reach 90%.

“Dunedin’s other cultural facilities all consistently rate very well in this survey and are the envy of much larger cities,” says Mr Cull.

Chief Executive Sue Bidrose says the Residents’ Opinion Survey also lets the DCC know about areas where residents would like to see some improvements.

While residents were generally satisfied with the facilities, infrastructure and services the DCC provided (70%) in 2018, satisfaction with the conditions of roads dropped 10 points to 39%, satisfaction with the flow of peak traffic dropped 8 points to 38%, and satisfaction with the condition of footpaths dropped 7 points to 44%.

“We have worked hard to step up our repairs and maintenance programme in response to resident feedback, so I suspect these results reflect the amount of work we and some of our partner organisations have been doing on the transport network over the past 12 months. Roadworks can be frustrating for all types of road users while they’re in progress, but in the long run they will improve the way people can get around the city,” Dr Bidrose says.

Of the 4,800 residents randomly selected from the electoral roll and invited to complete the survey, 1,356 did so – a response rate of 28%. The survey was carried out each month from July 2017 to June 2018 by independent research company Key Research, and has a margin of error of +/- 2.2%. Full results and detailed information is online at www.dunedin.govt.nz/ros.

2018 Residents’ Opinion Survey at a glance

Services/facilities residents are most satisfied with in 2018

• Botanic Garden (95%)

• Otago Museum (95%)

• Toitū Otago Settlers Museum (94%)

• Regent Theatre (90%)

• Forsyth Barr Stadium (90%)

Services/facilities residents are least satisfied with

• The suitability of the road network for cyclists throughout the city (28%)

• Availability of parking in the central city (28%)

• On-street metred parking (32%)

• Flow of peak traffic (38%)

Largest increases in satisfaction in 2018 from 2017

• Satisfaction with overall performance of Mayor and Councillors (up 4 points to 47%)

• Agreement that Dunedin is a safe city (up 3 points to 76%)

• Satisfaction with control of roaming dogs (up 3 points to 66%)

• Satisfaction with control of barking dogs (up 3 points to 60%)

Largest decreases in satisfaction in 2018 to 2017

• Satisfaction with condition of roads (down 10 points to 39%)

• Satisfaction with flow of traffic at peak times (down 8 points to 38%)

• User satisfaction with Dunedin Ice Stadium (down 8 points to 67%)

• Satisfaction with the condition of footpaths (down 7 points to 44%)

ends

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