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Are you being heard survey results

In August and September this year we asked you how we can better communicate and engage with you. As of 15 September, we had 200 responses.

Who gave us feedback?

Pie chart of people who gave us feedback based on gender

More females responded than males. 65.7% of submissions were from females, compared to 33.8% from males and 0.5% from others. This highlights that we need to do a better job engaging with males in the Gore District, particularly those aged 18-50.

Pie chart of people who gave us feedback based on location

People living in Gore township were overrepresented in the data. Those living in the rural wards were the worst represented, highlighting the need for us to work on tools to better engage and communicate with those living rurally.

Pie chart of people who gave us feedback based on ethnicity

People who responded to the survey were mainly of European descent/ pākehā. This highlights the need for us to better engage with our Māori community, as well as several other minority groups.

Giving feedback to council

Bar chart of how people give feedback to council

Most people who responded to the survey indicated that they had never given feedback before. Perhaps because of the new approach.

The most common way people give feedback is through Antenno, online surveys, and Facebook. Other ways people give feedback include:

  • Talking to staff or Councillors face-to-face
  • On the phone
  • At the Council office
  • Emailing staff or Councillors
Pie chart of why people do not give feedback to council

The main reason people don’t give feedback is they feel like the council won’t listen to them. People also mentioned the ways to give feedback are too hard/confusing or not well known.

This shows us that we need to do more work on educating the public on how to give feedback and ensuring that we have a range of simple, easy-to-use tools.

Some comments included:

· “It feels as though the council is not interested in what the community has to say but wants to give the perception of choice.”

· “Feel the feedback is not genuinely wanted. When people give other views to what the preferred option is, those people are made fun of & not taken seriously.”

· “Not sure where to/no space to do this. Don’t want to do it publicly on Facebook.”

Pie chart of how people prefer to give feedback to Council

People want more simple and easy tools. They want surveys to be quick, easy, and, where possible, anonymous. They want to see us use more diverse social media platforms and have more face-to-face opportunities outside of working hours.

Get news and info from the Council

Bar chart of how people currently get news from the council

Facebook and Antenno are the most used tools for getting Council news, followed by the Ensign and website.

Others included:

  • Word of mouth
  • Other social media pages
  • At the library
  • Newspapers
Bar chart of ways people would like to get information from Council in future

People would like us to use the Ensign more and send out more emails. They would also like to see an increase in face-to-face sessions and a wider range of social media tools.

Comments included:

“GDC must continue to, and possibly increase, its use of MULTIPLE options for community to know about, understand and feedback on relevant topics in ways that meet individual and community need across various platforms and avenues. 1 size doesn’t fit all.”

“I’d like to see more on social media about the day to day functions of the council and what they do.”

“Information needs to be more transparent and comprehensive. Also would like actual responses on questions raised.”

Other key takeaways

Across the survey, several issues were raised, that didn’t neatly fit in one box. Many people told us that the Council never gets back to them, and they never hear back about any requests or complaints. People feel like the Council doesn’t listen to them, and that by the time they are asked about a decision – they have made up their mind anyway. They also felt like the Council lacked transparency and needed to be more open and honest.

If you would like to see a summary of all the feedback from 15 September and earlier, you can click here to see our raw data.

What next?

The survey will remain open until 30 November, to give those who have yet to do the survey an opportunity.

We’ve heard your concerns about feeling like your feedback isn’t listened to, and we’re committed to changing that. This survey is a key part of building a new communications and engagement strategy—one that truly reflects what you, the community, want.

Here’s how your input will be put into action:

  • Creating Simpler Processes: We will ensure that the information we send out is simple, concise, and easy to understand. We will clarify how you can give feedback and what your feedback can influence, and we will advertise how to get involved more widely. We will create more straightforward tools to give feedback (such as more short surveys, interactive voting tools like in our current engagement, and the ability to give feedback orally or in person.
  • Closing the Loop: You’ve told us you don’t feel heard, and that’s something we’re addressing. As a comms team, we have started ensuring all emails and direct messages get a response and a follow-up. Our communications and engagement strategy will work closely with all departments across the Council to improve our response times and response rates. We will also put out more results like this via web, email and Ensign around future consultations and surveys so you can see how your input has impacted our decisions or, if it hasn’t – why.
  • Tailoring Our Approach: People need to be able to give feedback and receive information in various ways. We’ve learned that people want us to post more informative content on social media, diversify our channels, send more emails, and increase the information we put in the Ensign. We will start doing all these things immediately and make a full plan as part of the new strategy.

The full communications and engagement strategy draft will be available in the new year. Your feedback has been essential to making this happen. We’re committed to making your voice central to our decision-making process. The document will be a public document you can give us feedback on, and hold us accountable to.

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