South Wairarapa residents remain unhappy with their council’s financial management, governance, and leadership, an annual survey shows.

It also showed satisfaction gains had been made in the water services space, communications, civil defence, and urban roading. 

Each year, South Wairarapa District Council conducts a survey of residents to understand their views on a range of services and facilities. 

This year’s survey was completed between mid-June and the end of July, attracting 845 responses. 

It showed overall satisfaction with the council was 34%, a marked improvement from 18% in 2022.

Satisfaction with waste-related services remained generally high, as did overall satisfaction with community facilities and open spaces. 

The facilities with the highest levels of satisfaction were libraries, parks and reserves, and sportsfields, with all receiving a rating of more than 80%. 

Results for the council’s governance and leadership measures remained largely unchanged from last year, with satisfaction across all measures below 50%. 

Just 25% were satisfied that the mayor and councillors gave fair hearing to residents’ views and 22% were satisfied with the advocacy and leadership from elected members. 

Comments from survey respondents identified issues with trust and confidence in the council’s leadership, concerns about transparency and accountability, and questions over how well the current system represented the district. 

A strong theme across the responses was the community’s diminishing confidence in elected members. 

Some respondents said they no longer felt represented or heard. 

Others referred to recent decisions or behaviours by elected members as disappointing, embarrassing, or misaligned with the values of the district. 

“There is no real leadership - just noise and blame,” one respondent said. “It’s hard to trust anything will change.” 

Regarding public perception and trust, the most significant feedback theme was a widespread lack of trust in council, stemming primarily from perceptions of poor leadership and internal dysfunction.

Many respondents were critical of the ongoing conflict between councillors and the mayor, describing it as petty, unprofessional, and harmful to public confidence. 

Respondents also shared concerns about the affordability of rates, with just 17% satisfied with the council’s financial management. 

There was a strong view that rising rates were not delivering value and concerns that the current model was driving long-term residents out of the district. 

Satisfaction with rural roading was 28%, and urban roading was 40%. Both ratings were improved on last year but fell short of ratings from 2021. 

Satisfaction with footpaths was 36%, the highest result since the survey began in 2021. 

Reliability of water supply was rated at 76%, a significant improvement on 2022 when just 53% were satisfied. 

Water quality satisfaction was also high at 62% compared to 48% in 2021. 

Reliability of the wastewater system was rated at 73%. 

Few people were satisfied with South Wairarapa’s stormwater system and flooding prevention, with a satisfaction rating of just 22%. 

Respondents noted the need for improvements in water infrastructure maintenance, such as more frequent drain clearing. 

The lack of capacity in wastewater systems, particularly the inability to connect new developments in Greytown and Martinborough, was mentioned as an issue for growth in the district. 

Several respondents described this as a failure of long-term planning and investment, with urgent calls for modernisation and future-proofing of infrastructure. 

Overall, two-thirds of respondents were satisfied with the image of their local town. 

The satisfaction survey results would be discussed at the council’s September 10 Strategy Working Committee meeting. 

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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