The Gore District Council has some room to grow, after a mixed bag of results from their first staff survey.
The 2025 annual staff engagement survey was emailed to council staff in June and 115 out of 152 responded.
Positive feedback was given about staff work-life balance, support of health, safety and wellbeing, as well as respect for their personal values.
Other areas had less glowing reviews.
Only 51% of staff said they felt consulted for feedback, 45% believed their pay and benefits were in line with the market, and 42% believed the council had a positive reputation with ratepayers.
There was varied feedback on leadership, with "some praising supportive managers while others noted issues like bullying and lack of recognition".
Consultation with involved parties before enacting change was also an area which could use improvement according to the report, which was shown to the council at last week’s meeting.
Chief executive Debbie Lascelles said in the meeting this was a benchmark to work on, but she was proud of the results.
The issue of pay equity was addressed in the long-term plan which was released after the survey took place, Ms Lascelles said.
Responding to questions sent by The Ensign, Ms Lascelles said the when compared to other councils, Gore had a higher mark by 3% overall.
There was no tolerance policy for bullying at the council, with thorough investigative processes, she said.
"The council is committed to ensuring a safe and respectful workplace. Everyone should feel safe, supported, and happy at work.
"We genuinely care about our people and want them to enjoy being part of the council."
The fact 81% responded their health, safety and wellbeing was important to the council, with 78% also feeling comfortable being themselves at work as an example of the council’s positive work environment, Ms Lascelles said.
There was always room for improvement however and using these results to better implement policies to foster workplace cohesiveness was a priority, she said.
"Learning and development, building a stronger understanding of the organisation, and connecting with one another will all play a key role in moving forward.
"Leadership training and development are a clear focus for us."
Overall the results were positive and "identified areas where we can improve", she said.
"This means looking inward and peeling back the layers to understand what is needed to make this an even better place to work."
