Council wins Best Government site at web awards

Monday, 15 November 2004, 10:06 pm
Press Release: Wellington City Council

NEWS RELEASE
15 November 2004

Wellington City Council’s new website www.Wellington.govt.nz was named the best Government site of the year at the annual NetGuide Web Awards last Friday night in Auckland.

The awards decide ‘who's who’ on the web according to the people that know best – Internet users themselves. Public opinion of the site included comments such as ‘… [a] new look, fresh design, and all you could want and more from the council. Very good interactive features, easy to navigate, and all the info you need’.

Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast said the recognition was well deserved.

“I know staff have worked extremely hard to ensure the Council has the best Government site in New Zealand, and it’s a credit to them. Wellington prides itself on its creativity and innovation and this award shows the Council definitely leads by example.

“I congratulate all those who have contributed to this site.”

The Council’s website was one of five finalists in the Best Government site category, including the New Zealand Companies office, Government NZ, Hastings District Council and the Inland Revenue Department. Overall 298 sites entered this category.

Finalists were chosen across 16 categories based on votes and nominations registered on NetGuide's website using methodology developed with AC Nielsen. Winners were then selected based on an overall ranking, a combination of the number of votes received and their average rating out of 10 by voters.

Wellington City Council was one of the first New Zealand local government bodies to establish an Internet website. Ten years on, the site averages over 70,000 visits every month. In October, the total visitor sessions numbered 93,444 - an average of 3105 a day.

The new website was launched in July this year after two years of hard work says City Council Web Centre Manager Pauline Northrop.

“The Council worked in close collaboration with Wellington-based Breathe Communications in the final stages of the project. Much effort was put into improving the site’s structure, navigation, and design and a huge amount of work went into getting new information and revamping existing information into a much more user-friendly format.

“The new site now delivers a vastly more professional Council Internet website that is structurally sound and able to accommodate the future expansion of information and services.”

For information about Wellington City Council’s website visit www.Wellington.govt.nz

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