Dunedin residents will have a new avenue through which they can help shape the city as the city council trials an online citizens' panel.
Anyone will be able to register on the panel through the council's website and take part in online surveys about matters on which the council seeks feedback.
The email-based "Dunedin People's Panel" was an 18-month trial based on the Auckland People's Panel, which had more than 10,000 members, council policy analyst Tami Sargeant said.
Online panels were already used by councils throughout New Zealand and overseas.
Their purpose was to make ongoing public input into council consultations and planning more accessible.
It was an opportunity for more Dunedin people to have their say on issues and to be a sounding board for future policies and decisions.
Members would be regularly sent surveys about matters on which the council was seeking feedback. Members could choose which surveys they wanted to respond to.
Surveys should take only 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
Responses would be analysed, with summaries made public on the council's website and included in reports to the council.
All personal details would remain private.
The panel would be hosted through the same host as Auckland's, which had a minimal cost, but was, overall, a "very" cost-effective way of engaging large numbers of people over an extended period of time.
She did not expect the panel would reach the size of Auckland's, but it would be "nice" if it did.
The Dunedin People's Panel will be launched next month.
