Key points
This indicator measures residents’ rating of agreement with the statement “I would like to have more of a say in what the council does”, and their perceptions of how much influence the public has on the decisions that councils make. The community generally wants to have a say in what council does, particularly on major matters of public importance. Community involvement is critical for an effective local government. Resident perception of council provisions of opportunities for involvement in decision-making is a good measure of how adequate councils’ processes are for community involvement.
Baseline data for Waikato regional communities was collected through the 2007 Waikato Community Outcomes Survey commissioned by MARCO and Choosing Futures Waikato. This was repeated during 2010. Respondents were asked: ‘We are interested in understanding your views on the role of your local Council. For each of the following statements can you please tell if you agree or disagree using the scale where 0 = Strongly Disagree and 10 is Strongly Agree…. ‘You have enough say in what your Council does’’. From the resulting percentages, an Agreement Index (weighted average score) was calculated.
- Survey results show that a substantial number of residents throughout the Region would like more of a say in what their Council does.
Respondents' level of agreement that they have enough say in what their Council does – Waikato territorial authority areas 2007 and 2010
Source: 2007 and Waikato Community Outcomes Survey (International Research Consultants Ltd/MARCO)
Note: The 2010 survey sample included 70 interviews for most districts (100 for Hamilton) but only 21 for Waitomo and 8 for Rotorua. The 2007 survey used a similar sampling method. Hence, the results for Waitomo and Rotorua should be treated with particular caution.
What agencies are doing
Information currently being collated.
What you can do to help
Information currently being collated.
More information
More detail on this indicator, including how and where this information is collected, is available here.
What we want to achieve
The community outcomes we are seeking to achieve by improving residents’ satisfaction with councils’ provision of opportunities for community involvement in council decision-making are:
- All our people and communities can participate in decision-making. We are educated, informed and have the resources we need to take responsibility for our own futures.
- Iwi, hapu and Maori work together with central government, local government and community organisations in mutually beneficial partnerships.
- Our communities understand partnerships under the Treaty of Waitangi and representation and processes for these partnerships have integrity.
- The unique status of tangata whenua is respected and reflected in community processes.
- Maori have the opportunity to participate in community development and decision-making at marae, hapu and iwi levels.