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The Selwyn District Council is one of the first councils in New Zealand to launch an online dashboard for resource consent applications to provide more transparency on how applications are progressing and how many are completed.

“This new dashboard will provide our customers and residents with a wonderful overview on how applications are progressing, but also comprehensive data on our total workload, on how we are tracking and how that compares to previous years,” says Emma Larsen, Head of Planning at the Selwyn District Council.

Larsen says that the Selwyn District Council is making remarkable progress transforming some rather archaic, paper-based processes into state-of-the-art digital solutions and says the new dashboard is only one part of the digital transformation the Council committed to in the 2024-2034 Long-Term Plan.

She hopes that in a few years, through continued investment in digital tools, customers will be able to lodge and track applications and interact directly with council staff through the dashboard.

“That type of interactive tool is the gold standard we are aiming for, but in the meantime we want to celebrate this first major step that will give applicants and other stakeholders an up-to-date picture of how our team are performing.”

The new dashboard consists of two sections, one that shows the new applications coming in and applications in progress, while the second section provides data on completed consenting decisions that go back many years.

Larsen acknowledges that the Council has faced some tough challenges over the past years as the fastest growing district in the country, with record numbers of subdivision and land use applications and she is aware that delays have caused frustration with homeowners and developers.

“Last year, we promised to add more firepower and invest in new technology to speed up our processes and the dashboard will show you that we have been able to complete record numbers of applications to reduce the backlog and waiting times,” says Larsen.

She adds that the dashboard will reduce the need for residents to phone or visit council for generic enquiries, which will hopefully reduce mutual frustrations.

“But naturally, our door is always open if anyone has any questions if they feel their application has not progressed in a timely manner.”

While the Council is proud of the new dashboard, Larsen says her team will continue to look for efficiencies in the application process, to accommodate the increasing demand and be prepared for continued growth of the Selwyn district.

Check out the new dashboard at selwyn.govt.nz/rcdashboard

Last modified: 26 Feb 2025 2:45pm