Waitomo District Council (WDC) has come out on top following a benchmarking report that compares them with other Local Government organisations throughout the country.

The results are based on Council’s annual residents survey, and it is the first time WDC has been able to see how it stacks up against similar councils.

WDC carries out a survey each year to understand how residents feel about council’s performance and the way we deliver our services and activities. It is also used to measure seven of Council’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and inform the Annual Report each year.

It is the first time WDC has used independent research company, Key Research, to undertake the survey, which was undertaken in May this year. A big drawcard was the added benchmarking report.

Key Research conducted surveys for 21 councils across New Zealand in 2024/25, including 18 district councils and 3 city councils.

Overall, WDC’s results compare favourably with the other councils participating in the survey. 

Out of 60 measures surveyed, WDC achieved the top score in six measures, significantly above the average in 10 measures and below the average in only four measures.

Some of the measures where WDC achieved the top score are:

• engagement and consultation (82% where average is 51%)
• enquiry handling (84% where average is 69%)
• public facilities and open/outdoor spaces (90% where average is 81%)
• building consents (82% where average is 61%)
• overall regulatory services (75% where average is 53%)
• leadership (70% where average is 56%)

Some of the measures where WDC scored significantly above the average are:   

• core service deliverables
• overall reputation of the council
• financial management
• district going in the right direction
• overall water management
• overall roading infrastructure
• parks, reserves and green spaces
• libraries
• public toilets
• dog and animal control

The survey also noted that there are still some areas for improvement, which are:

• overall satisfaction with the council
• value for money
• overall waste management
• overall stormwater system

Chief Executive Ben Smit says WDC has some excellent rankings within some of the categories measured for satisfaction and well above average for the subcategories that are considered “reputation rankings”.

“The residents survey looks at what we do well, and where we need to make improvements and while there are always improvements to be made, we should all be pleased with these results,” he says.

“Even more so, staff should be extra proud that our performance in terms of resident satisfaction is somewhat higher than other councils included in the benchmarking report.

“It is a credit to those who work hard to meet the expectations of the community.

“We are very appreciative and thankful for the time residents took to complete the survey. We know that our services and facilities play a vital part in our residents’ lives so it’s important we do our best.”