October 2023

Discussion over the last quarter has been relatively slow; focus has been on the general election instead.
The most widely discussed story was the vote by Auckland Council not to proceed with establishing Māori seats in the region. Reaction was polarised. However, this is not reflected in our Auckland satisfaction scores for ‘information on decisions that affect your area’, or in ‘opportunities to have your say’.

The results for the key measures of satisfaction point to a slight dip in the general mood of the nation in relation to local government outside of Auckland and consistency within Auckland. Interestingly, value for money scores are indicating an upward trend, despite the first rates bills being due. This is one to watch though, the proportion dissatisfied is on the increase but perceptions that value for money has dropped over the last year are down. It could go either way.

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier’s review of eight Councils in relation to concerns on closed door meetings was released at the end of this reporting period and the impact is not yet seen. This is something we will keep an eye on for the January analyses.
The information presented here provides a holistic view of public perceptions by combining data from a nationally representative sample of New Zealanders with social media trend analysis.

If you would like to unpack this more, get in touch with Liz Morley liz@researchfirst.co.nz