Keegan Millar, 22, says the My Tauranga Vibe survey was a great idea but poorly executed. Photo / Supplied
Keegan Millar, 22, says the My Tauranga Vibe survey was a great idea but poorly executed. Photo / Supplied
A $270,000 community engagement campaign to find what Tauranga's "vibe" is has been heralded a success by its creators but a "waste of money" by others four weeks later.
The Tauranga City Council My Vibe Tauranga project aimed to capture the voice of a greater range of local residents tofind out what was important to them. This was mostly done via an online survey heavily promoted on social media such as Facebook and Instagram.
At the council's Strategy, Finance and Risk Committee meeting on Monday, council strategy and corporate planning manager Jeremy Boase said there were almost 4000 people who began the survey. Some "dropped off" as they progressed through the survey. He said about 2800 completed the final demographic questions.
Boase said he was encouraged and the survey had been a "success".
"We got a lot of research information from that process," he said.
After the meeting, Tauranga man Vaughan Chetwynd applauded the council's intentions to capture a greater section of the community but said the survey "seemed to be written to get the answers they wanted".
"Most answers didn't give an option that applied to me, or to my wife, or to any of our friends that we've spoken to but you had to choose one. That's not going to be representative of us. It's simply going to give a very biased option that they can't really use, therefore it is a waste of money, in that respect," Chetwynd said.
"It's a great idea. I think the council should do more surveys to get what people are thinking but surveys aren't easy. You have to be careful."
Chetwynd, 78, said he has previously written software for surveys.
He said he would have liked an option for respondents to say if a question did not apply to them, with the potential to explain why.
The survey's findings are expected to be incorporated into the council's City Vision document - a framework expected to help guide the council and future council decisions.
"That worries me," Chetwynd said.
"My recommendation is to put it in the bin and start again. It was a very biased survey."
"It was so inaccurate, it just worries me that if the council were using that to decide on something like a Long-Term Plan, they are just way off the mark."
Keegan Miller, who campaigned in 2020 on being a younger voice on city issues, said My Tauranga Vibe was a good idea "but poorly executed", in his view.
Tauranga City Council commissioner Shadrach Rolleston. Photo / NZME
"I don't know anyone who filled out the survey. I did."
Miller, 22, said that while he was "uncomfortable" with the money spent on the survey, it could potentially be worth it depending on what the council did with the data now.
"Whether that turns into civic amenities that people want or having council still going into the wrong direction, we'll have to see."
At the meeting, commissioner Shadrach Rolleston said the survey was successful in reaching those who the council often did not hear from.
"I'm really heartened by the demographic through the process, which is what we were aiming for. Trying to reach out to Māori and those underrepresented, particularly young people as well."
Commission chairwoman Anne Tolley said council staff did a "great job" of using a different medium to reach the people in the community it was intended for.
In response to the criticisms, council general manager of strategy and growth Christine Jones said the results from the survey were only one set of data that would feed into developing the council's plans for the future. It was done to complement existing data and feedback already received.
"My Tauranga Vibe was aimed at hearing from a different part of the community than we normally do, and it achieved that," Jones said.
"Over 3000 people in our community did the survey and they clearly found it a useful way to engage and give us their feedback. We deliberately wanted to hear from people who we haven't heard from before, but still live here, love this place and want the best for this city too."
Jones said it was important to note people had the ability to make comments at the end of the survey, which were also included in the data.
The My Tauranga Vibe is one of several consultation phases expected to feed into a wider City Vision project which also includes Long-term Plan submissions, Vital Update survey 2020, and Future Implications workshops.
A draft of the City Vision document is expected to be presented to the commission this month.
The City Vision document will then be presented to the council and commission for adoption in February.
