Residents value Council services while calling for greater focus on value for money and affordability

New Plymouth district residents continue to express strong satisfaction with Council services, facilities and quality of life, according to the latest NPDC’s latest Community Survey.

The independent survey found that 68 per cent of residents are satisfied with Council overall, while satisfaction remains exceptionally high for many of the services and facilities people use every day including:

• Parks, reserves and open spaces overall (95% of respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied).
• Public facilities overall (96%) – which includes New Plymouth Airport and Council venues
• Water management (86%)
• Waste management overall (87%) and kerbside rubbish and recycling collection (92%)
• Puke Ariki library (95%); community libraries (95%), Puke Ariki Museum (99%)
• Quality of Council’s events (93%) and event venues (96%)
• 98% positivity regarding the quality of parks and reserves and 96% satisfaction with the district’s playgrounds.

The survey also highlighted strong community pride in the district, with 84% of residents rating their quality of life as good or very good, and 83% satisfied with the look and feel of the district.

Venues and events also rate well overall quality of event venues at 96 % and quality of events at 93%.  Puke Ariki Museum had a 99% positivity rating among respondents with Govett-Brewster Art Galley| Len Lye Centre at 78%

NPDC’s Chief Executive Kelvin Wright said the results show residents appreciate the facilities and services delivered across the district.

“It is encouraging to see residents continue to recognise the quality of the services, infrastructure and facilities available across our district. The results reflect the hard work of Council staff, contractors and community partners who help make New Plymouth a great place to live."

At the same time, the survey identified clear areas where residents want the organisation to  improve.

Satisfaction with value for money was 61%, while only 42% of residents agreed that annual property rates are fair and reasonable.

Residents said they would like to see greater investment in core services and infrastructure, roading and pothole maintenance, and town centre improvements. They also called for a stronger focus on affordability, transparency and prudent spending.

“We're listening carefully to what our community is telling us as we prepare for our upcoming Long-Term Plan, which all residents will get the opportunity to give their feedback on in March 2027.”

The survey also found:

• 71% satisfaction with roading overall, although road quality and parking availability remain areas for improvement.
• 84% of respondents had a good or very good quality of life
• 86% satisfaction with water management, with residents highlighting the importance of continued investment in water infrastructure and flood protection.
• 78% satisfaction among residents who had direct contact with Council in the past year.

Read the NPDC Community Survey report on our website (npdc.govt.nz).  

At a glance

• The survey was conducted independently by an external third-party specialist research company Key Research during April 2026, with 409 responses weighted to reflect the district's population.