Public feedback from Tasman District Council’s 2024 Residents Satisfaction Survey has provided valuable insights into what we are doing well and where we can refine our services.

The annual survey measures community use and satisfaction across a range of our services and facilities – with key areas surveyed including transportation, three water infrastructure, waste management, communication and customer service.

The 2024 Survey results indicate that resident satisfaction has remained similar to last year’s results, with some feedback identifying areas of improvement.

Between 1 May and 11 June 2024, market research company Research First called 197 landlines and 203 cell phones, selected at random.

The sample size of 400 is large enough to be confident that the results fairly represent all Tasman residents.

A quota system was used to ensure the sample included a range of respondents based on age, location, and gender, representative of the District’s population.

Survey questions were based on 21 performance measures relating to levels of service and targets from Tasman’s 10-Year Plan 2021-2031.

Responses from survey participants showed that of these 21 performance measures, 15 achieved their target and six did not.

Tasman District Council Chief Executive Leonie Rae said the value of a regular survey offered mutual benefit to council staff and its residents – through identifying and appraising how well Council services are being delivered.

“Having this kind of measurable data available to us is extremely important in maintaining the high standard we aim to provide our residents - thanks to everyone who participated in the survey.”

The most notable results from this year’s survey are:

71% of respondents were satisfied with the Council’s performance overall (compared to 73% in 2023 and 64% in 2022);

69% of respondents felt the Council’s reputation was good/very good (compared to 72% in 2023 and 66% in 2022);

There was a high satisfaction with our recreational facilities, libraries, storm/waste/ drinking water and kerbside recycling, which all had over 85% satisfaction.

However, residents noted they felt significantly less safe when cycling (41%) as opposed to driving (85%) or walking (73%).

There was little change in the use of our recreational facilities, a slight increase in the use of public toilets, and a significant increase in library usage across the district.

Use of the Richmond Aquatic Centre by all Tasman resident users has decreased slightly - dipping from 35% in 2023 to 34% in 2024.

However, the use of the facility by those in the Richmond and Moutere/Waimea wards alone was 40%.

While still above its performance target level of 80%, user satisfaction with the Aquatic Centre dropped from 95% in 2023 to 84% in 2024.

One of the unmet targets from previous surveys that we’ve been able to reach this year was an increased satisfaction with the level of information provided by Council.

Although performance targets were met, we will look at ways to improve public consultation, footpaths, and the way rates are spent on services and facilities.

The survey report also provided comparisons of survey results with other NZ councils to add a wider context to our performance. In this respect, our residents' overall performance satisfaction put us in an above average position when considered alongside similar Councils' standards.

© Scoop Media