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Last modified: 29 Jul 2020 10:34am

Friendly communities, good services and facilities, peaceful, open spaces, events and activities, and feeling safe – these are just a few of the reasons why most local people enjoy living in Selwyn.

The Council’s 2018 annual residents survey shows that 91% of people surveyed agreed that Selwyn was ‘a great place to live’ – the same proportion as last year.

A majority of residents also gave the thumbs-up to the services and facilities that the Council provides, with 69% of residents rating the Council’s overall performance as good or very good, similar to last year’s 70%.

The result continues a long-term trend which has seen the overall performance rating increase steadily from 58% in 2013.

Among the services that respondents rated most highly were rubbish collection (95% rated good or very good), recycling (94%), parks and reserves (85%), libraries (84%), and water supply (76%).Approval rates; 69% are happy with overall Council performance, 76% with the water supply, 91% say it's a great place to live, 55% are happy with footpaths and cycleways and 85% are happy with the district's parks and deserves

Across the 24 different Council services surveyed, the biggest increases in satisfaction were recorded for organic waste collection (up 4%), making roads and footpaths safer (up 3%), and playgrounds (up 3%).

Services which saw a significant decrease in satisfaction included water races (down 6%), public toilets (down 6%), cemeteries (down 5%), land drainage (down 5%), the resource recovery park down 5%), and sewerage and waste water (down 4%).

Mayor Sam Broughton says it’s no surprise that people feel positive about the district.

“Selwyn has a lot to offer – thriving townships, a growing economy, good schools and services and a stunning environment right in our back yard,” he says.

“It’s great to hear that most residents think the Council is doing a good job overall, but it’s also important to get feedback on the areas where need to lift our game. We do take careful note of the findings of this survey each year, and look at how we might need to shift our priorities to provide better service in key areas.”

The survey was carried out in June and July by independent research company Research First, and surveyed 421 people using telephone, cellphone and online surveys to provide a statistically representative sample of Selwyn’s population.

The full residents’ survey is available on  our website.