Mrs Guyan said the objectives set by trustees at the meeting, the first since the recent triennial elections, were to increase awareness of the Waitaki Power Trust, actively seek future trustees and achieve an election voting rate exceeding 30%.
This election also saw the use of a hybrid voting system that meant any consumers with emails held by retailers were sent voting information by email.
The remaining 10% still received postal notifications.
"The hybrid model proved financially beneficial, saving the trust $20,070 compared to traditional voting methods,"
Mrs Guyan said.
"Despite an impressive email delivery rate of 98.06% and a 63.6% open rate, only 20.99% of eligible voters participated.
"In 2022, 23.5% was achieved and the percentage of consumers voting has been declining for some time.
"Feedback from this election highlighted that many voters expected to receive traditional voting packs in the post."
This indicated a continuing need for clearer communication regarding electronic voting and to enhance voter engagement in the future, she said.
"We are dedicated to refining our approach based on consumer feedback and will focus on ways to boost participation in future elections," Mrs Guyan said.
— Allied Media
