Customer Satisfaction Survey

The Manawatū District Council wants to know what residents think of Council's performance.

To do this we commission an annual survey that measures resident satisfaction with Council's performance, services and facilities. The results of these surveys enable Council to assess the extent to which it has met its performance objectives and where additional work may be required.

The survey is carried out quarterly (September, December, March, June) by an independent research company - Key Research Ltd.

The survey then contributes to a yearly benchmarking report where Key Research compare our council to the 16 others that use their services across the country.

Customer Satisfaction Survey Report 2022-23

Overall, 70% of respondents were satisfied with Council performance in 2022-23.  Council did not escape the general trend of decline see across all the 17 councils who use Key Research, with many of our results showing a decline from the 2021/22 year.

When looking at the benchmarking report our 2022/23 results compare favourably with the other Councils participating in the survey. Out of the 54 measures surveyed, MDC achieved the top score in 18 measures, and significantly above the average in another 14 measures. MDC was significantly below the average in 5 measures.

In 2022-23, residents were most satisfied with:

• The reliability of the sewage system (96%)
• The reliability of water supply (95%)
• Sportsgrounds (93%)
• Playgrounds (93%)
• Other parks and reserves (93%)

Residents were least satisfied with:

• How long it took to resolve a matter (in relation to enquiry handling) (46%)
• The resolution or outcome achieved when raising a matter with Council (47%)
• Managing and issuing resource consents (48%)

Largest increases in satisfaction in 2022-23 from 2021-22

• How Council handled an enquiry (+11%)
• How long it took to resolve a matter (in relation to enquiry handling) (+9%)

Largest decreases in satisfaction in 2022-23 from 2021-22

• Overall satisfaction with roads, footpaths and cycle ways (-10%)
• Keeping roads and footpaths free from flooding  (-9%)

Improvements have been made recently with MDC’s building consent capacity, and work is underway internally on enquiry handling and resource consenting. Council will consider, as part of the Long-term Plan process, projects that would aim to improve resident satisfaction with stormwater and green waste services.

Previous Reports