Residents' survey

We use surveys to find out what residents think about Palmerston North City Council reputation and services.

The Residents' Survey is an independent survey that we run every year. The results help elected members and staff provide better services.

The survey is done by KeyResearch Ltd. The questions focus on asking how satisfied residents are with Council and our services.

It is done quarterly in batches to even out the effects of one-off events. Over the year 400 people are interviewed. They are randomly selected from the Electoral Roll to reflect the neighbourhood, gender, ethnic and age structure of the city. The first survey was in 2018.

We also use occasional focus groups. These involve more detailed face-to-face discussions with 50 to 100 randomly selected residents. The last focus group was in 2016. We focused on young people and people with low incomes, because their views are often harder to get.

Overall, the results from the surveys and focus group show that most people are satisfied with Council services.

We use the results for all of our planning, especially the Long-Term Plan.