Survey reveals how residents think Tauranga City Council is performing. Photo / Brydie Thompson
Tauranga City Council’s latest residents’ survey results reveal a mixed but improving picture of public sentiment.
The council hit its highest overall level of public satisfaction in five years, but other data suggest it has a way to go to match surveys under previous elected councils.
The first wave of results from the Annual Residents Survey 2025-26 showed overall satisfaction with the council’s performance rose to 55% from 44% in 2024-25.
A council report said it was “the first time this measure has passed the 50% mark since the 2021-22 financial year”.
The latest results showed satisfaction improved across all nine overall key performance indicators.
Waste management had the highest score at 84% satisfaction, up from 76%.
The council’s reputation had the lowest score at 35%, with a 9-point improvement.
The value-for-money perception rating rose to 39%, up from 30%.
New affordability questions added last December also showed improved ratings.
The perception that Tauranga’s rates are affordable rose to 30% from 21%, rent affordability rose to 29% from 18%, and the city’s cost of living rose to 23% from 17%.
The results were presented to the council’s City Delivery Committee meeting on Tuesday last week.
A staff report said public comments highlighted appreciation for core services such as water management, libraries, pools and parks, as well as concerns about affordability and perceived overspending.
Survey respondents raised concerns about homelessness, safety in public spaces, and a lack of transparency in decision-making.
They called for better budgeting, community engagement and prioritisation of essential services.
Trust in leadership and financial management remained below 30%.
Perception of safety for cyclists dropped to 45%, down from 56%.
The council does the survey each year to see how residents view its performance in various services and initiatives.
Key Research conducts the survey over four waves during the year, and results are compiled into an annual report.
The latest results came from 154 surveys conducted in August and October for the first wave of 2025-26.
The participants are from a random selection of residents sourced from the electoral roll and mailed an invitation letter with a link to an online survey.
This year, the council’s results were also benchmarked against 21 other councils that use Key Research.
This comparison found Tauranga’s council performed well across core services, but the results for reputation, engagement and elected member performance were below the all-council average.
At an elected member’s request, this year the council also provided a comparison of the latest survey results with the past two full-term elected councils.
Compared with the average of 2015-16 and 2018-19 results, the current council is behind in all key performance indicators except public facilities (on par) and waste management (improved).
The council elected in 2019 was not included. It did not serve a full term because the Government removed it and replaced it with a commission from 2021 until last year’s election.
Pāpāmoa ward councillor Steve Morris is the only councillor from the sacked cohort re-elected to the new council.
He told SunLive the council’s reputation dropped when the commission was appointed.
He attributed this to a “democratic deficit”.
“People like democracy. They may not like politicians, but they do like the opportunity to elect them in and boot them out.”
Morris said he believed the current elected council had turned a corner and was working to rebuild public faith.
He said the survey comments often mentioned a desire for more two-way communication.
“So not just us communicating with them, but feeling that they are really being listened to and that we are acting on their feedback.”
Morris said his experience was that the public’s perception of the council was mixed.
He said a “reset” had started and needed to continue.
He felt that more could be done and that the council could better communicate about its activities, which he believed would improve confidence and reputation.
Arataki ward councillor Rick Curach, who previously served six terms on the council from 2001-2019, said it was easy to lose reputation, but hard to regain it.
“It’s a big job and we’ve just got to keep chipping at it.”
He said the results may not improve by wave two of the survey, but he hoped that over the next few years, the public would build trust in the council.
Curach said the council would need to focus on financial prudence to mend its reputation.
Wave two will run in November-December 2025, with the full-year results informing the council’s planning and community engagement strategies in early 2026.