The findings from Selwyn District Council’s annual survey of residents this year shows 92 per cent of people surveyed thought Selwyn was ‘a great place to live’, consistent with the results in 2018 (91 per cent ) and 2019 (93 per cent).
Three quarters of residents surveyed also said they felt a sense of belonging and community.
However, residents' satisfaction has decreased for community-run swimming pools, down 10 per cent, local urban roads, down 5 per cent, and public halls, down 4 per cent.
Overall, 63 per cent of residents rated the council’s performance as good or very good. The survey notes that it is unclear what impact the Covid-19 pandemic may have had on the figures. It was undertaken in July, soon after the lockdown, when a number of council services were closed or reduced.
Mayor Sam Broughton said the results reflect the positive feeling around the district.
"I’m delighted that the people of Selwyn think this is a great place to live, in particularly as we continue to grow at such pace.
"We’re constantly thinking about the future for all our communities across Selwyn, the challenge ahead is how we maintain our high standards as we grow."
Residents were also asked to rate a range of services and facilities provided by the council. For rubbish collection, 94 per cent rated good or very good, recycling 90 per cent, playgrounds 86 per cent, libraries 85 per cent and parks and reserves on 84 per cent were the highest rated services.
All six areas of the council’s water services, covering drinking, waste and storm water, saw increases in user satisfaction.
Council chief executive David Ward said the council is looking closely at ways to address the issues raised in the survey.
“We are always looking to improve the service we deliver to our community and we have taken account of this feedback in our planning for services in the coming year and further ahead,” he said.
The survey was carried out by independent research company, Research First, and surveyed 624 people by telephone, cellphone and online surveys.
A summary of results is included in the Council’s Annual Report 2019/20, published this week. The full residents’ survey is available at: selwyn.govt.nz/residents-survey.
