Survey says Waitomo District Council (WDC) is one of the top performing councils in Aotearoa - and staff are hoping to keep it that way.

WDC’s annual Residents Survey kickstarts today offering residents an opportunity to rate Council’s performance on the services and facilities provided to its communities.

Last year’s results and benchmarking report that compares WDC with other Local Government organisations throughout the country, revealed out of 60 measures surveyed, WDC achieved the top score in six measures and significantly above the average in 10 measures.

Coupled with being named the Top New Zealand Council for Customer Experience at the 2025 ALGIM Awards, WDC staff have their fingers crossed for another favourable result.

Residents decide

An invitation to complete WDC’s Residents’ Survey will soon hit letterboxes and email inboxes throughout the district, offering residents a chance to tell Council what they really think again.

The survey is carried out by independent research company Key Research on behalf of Council. Key Research delivers residents surveys for many other councils throughout New Zealand, and results are benchmarked against other similar councils.

Residents aged 18 years and older living in the district are eligible to undertake the survey as it is delivered to people listed on the current electoral roll.

Chief Executive Ben Smit says it is important Council understands the views of residents and what they think of Council’s performance over the past year.

“It has been a significant year for our small Council as we work towards transferring our water and wastewater services to CCO Waikato Waters Ltd in July. Many hours of hard work and dedication have gone into the transition.

“Our teams work hard across all areas in the community to provide exceptional service. People may not see what I see, but last year’s result and our recent Customer Services award solidifies that we do a great job for our community.

“But we won’t know what residents think this year if we don’t hear from people.”

Responses will track against the various KPIs, identify areas for improvement and help WDC prioritise services over the long term.

The survey can be completed online or returned by post. Those who complete it before the close off date can enter a draw to win one of two $100 Prezzy Cards.

Personal information provided by respondents will not be made available to the public or to any WDC staff.

“We’re encouraging residents to share their views with us. It helps shape our plans and priorities so it’s important we hear from you,” says Ben.

Survey results will be included in WDC’s Annual Report published later in the year.

The survey needs to be returned by Sunday 31 May 2026.