Council surveys indicate general satisfaction with Whanganui

Published on 07 July 2017

7 July 2017

Results of two surveys commissioned by Whanganui District Council were presented at the Council’s Strategy and Finance Committee meeting on July 6.

The first of these, the ‘National Perceptions Survey’, commissioned by Research Solutions biennially on behalf of the Council, provides information for the Council's economic arm, Whanganui and Partners, to help form its programme and strategies.

The second survey, ‘Community Views’ which is conducted annually by Versus Research, identifies perceptions Whanganui residents have on a wide range of services and facilities the Council provides.

The National Perceptions Survey results showed a significant leap in positive perceptions of Whanganui, says Whanganui and Partners Strategic Lead Destination Lyn Cheyne.

“Survey respondents considering visiting Whanganui as a tourist hovered around 32% to 35% in previous years and for 2017 this has jumped to 48%,” Ms Cheyne says.

She says, “While there is still work to be done to lift Whanganui’s reputation as a tourism destination further, this puts us closer to more well- known tourism regions in the Lower North Island in the rankings.”

The Community Views Survey, which is used to evaluate community well-being, as well as what people think about Council services, canvassed 500 Whanganui residents, using both telephone and online interviewing.

The Council’s General Manager – Strategy, Charlotte Almond says the results of the Community Views Survey show small shifts from the previous year.

“The survey shows improvement in satisfaction with the performance of Council staff and the Wanganui Rural Community Board as well as the quantity of information provided by the Council.

“When we develop our 10-Year Plan this year, we’ll be able to reassess our targets and the survey to ensure it meets our need for information about community perceptions.”

Ms Almond says Whanganui District Council has undergone significant organisational change in the last 18 months.

“We are doing things differently and with a positive customer focus and this may influence perceptions over the coming year.”

Significant leap in positive perceptions of Whanganui - Whanganui & Partners media release

National Perceptions of Whanganui Research Report

Community Views Survey Report