Residents’ satisfaction with council improves

Satisfaction with the council’s overall performance has improved in the past year according to the latest Residents’ Survey.

The research was conducted by independent Tauranga-based company, Key Research, which has tracked public satisfaction with the council since 2017. Results from 2024/25 show encouraging progress with satisfaction increasing across key indicators:

• Services, facilities, and infrastructure rose 11 per cent to 31 per cent
• Value for money rose 11 per cent to 23 per cent
• Overall satisfaction rose 11 per cent to 29 per cent.

The survey was run in four rounds between September 2024 and June 2025, with over 390 Far North residents randomly chosen from the Electoral Roll.

Council services with the highest satisfaction levels included public libraries (89 per cent), refuse transfer stations (80 per cent), and community recycling centres (78 per cent). Findings also show that quality of life remains strong in the Far North, with 72 per cent of residents rating it positively. However, many residents did not directly link their quality of life to council services.

Community feedback reinforced the need for ongoing improvement. More than one in five comments related to rates, with concerns raised about affordability, rebates, and fairness of rating distribution. A further 15 per cent mentioned roading, including traffic management, bridges, and road maintenance.

Key Research noted that the results reflect positive momentum but emphasised the importance of building on this progress. Areas suggested for ongoing attention included ensuring property rates are reasonable, maintaining quality of services, and continuing to build trust and confidence in the council .

The 2024/25 Residents’ Survey results are available here, and find the full list of previous results on our website.

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Image below – summary of key performance indicators from Residents’ Survey 2024/25.