Nelson City Council

Results from the 2009 survey on four topics: community, social wellbeing, transport, and sustainability

Community

In the 2009 Residents' Survey, 95% of the respondents said they would recommend Nelson as a place to live.

Also, residents are feeling more neighbourly - significantly more people feel a sense of community this year (73%) compared to three years ago when 57% agreed with that statement. In 2006, 21% said they did not feel a sense of community, while only 8% disagreed in the current survey.

We are also becoming increasingly proud of the way our city looks and feels. 85% of respondents agree with the statement "I feel a sense of pride in the way Nelson looks and feels" compared with 74% in 2006 and 80% in 2003.

PROUD, happy people

The reasons why respondents feel this way varied, but it appears to rest with our people. The most popular response for being proud of Nelson was our helpful, friendly and welcoming people at 12%.

Other reasons given were:

• Parks and gardens 10%
• Good size/right population size 9%
• Great outdoor/recreational activities 7%
• Slow pace/no rush/relaxed quiet 6%
• Beaches/harbour/beautiful/good access 6%
• Safety/city reasonably trouble free 5%
• Well laid out and spacious 5%

And a variety other positive comments made up a further 20% with only 6% having negative comments.

Our residents are also the reason people feel a sense of community with others. 47% attribute that to great neighbours and 43% to a living in a great area, while 29% put it down to belonging to lots of groups and clubs.

Strength in Diversity

Our city's cultural diversity is also considered a strength. When asked what difference more people from different countries with new lifestyles and cultures make to Nelson, 57% considered their presence makes our city a much better or better place, while 32% said it was neither better nor worse. Only 9% thought new residents from other cultures make Nelson a worse place to live. It seems we like to celebrate different cultures, with 65% saying they would attend an event that celebrated cultural diversity, slightly less than two out of three respondents. 

Public Safety

Safety in public places is considered by our residents to be an important priority for Council. It featured in the survey responses as an area where there is more awareness of measures already underway. For several years the Council and other groups have worked on reducing alcohol based related harm in the central city. The survey shows our residents are starting to see the fruits of those labours, with 51% saying the initiatives have made a difference. 

Council is working closely with the Police, Māori Wardens, the Hotel Association of New Zealand (HANZ) and Community Patrol Nelson, as well as introducing Street Ambassadors and upgrading the security camera system around the central city.

Slightly more than half of respondents (51%) think NCC's intiatives to reduce alcohol related harm have made a difference. Of those respondents, 48% state this is due to there being 'Less intoxicated people on the street'.

We are also feeling more comfortable after dark in the inner city in the busy summer months, with 39% saying they feel safe in this situation. The sanctuary of our own home during the day rates highly, with 97% reporting they feel safe there and 98% feeling safe in their own neighbourhood. This figure drops to 70% for the hours of darkness.

• More central Nelson respondents (60%) than Port Hills respondents (43%) believe the initiatives by Council have made a difference.
• 40-54 year olds (60%) are more likely to state there are 'Less intoxicated people in the streets' than respondents aged 16-24 (31%)

Civil Defence - are we prepared?

The survey showed that more of us are aware of the need to be prepared for a civil defence emergency. With 88% of respondents having food to last at least three days and 73% with water stored for the same period.

The survey showed our residents are thinking carefully about what they might need. We also have a strong sense of community spirit, with checking on family and neighbours, leading the first two responses when asked what you would do in a major emergency.

• 38% would make sure the family is safe
• 17% would check on neighbours
• 3% would pray and 2% would panic!

Slightly more than one half of respondents have an emergency kit (58%). Food (88%), water (73%) and a First Aid Kit (52%) are the top three items likely to be found in respondents emergency kit. Seniors aged 65+ years (67%) are more likely than 16-24 year olds (44%) to have an emergency kit available.

Transport

Affordable and accessible transport is one of the top three social priorities suggested by the public for Nelson City but the Council's latest survey showed that no one surveyed used the public transport system to commute to work.

Obviously many people take The Bus at other times of the day, but in this year's survey when asked about commuting, 79% drove a vehicle to work.  Walking and cycling were 5% and 6% respectively in mid-winter.

While use and approval of our public transport system were low, our residents are proving yet again that the city's cycleways are very well used and supported. Nelson residents are taking to their bikes in increasing numbers, with 39% saying they cycle and, of those, 70% are satisfied with the overall experience.  There is a high level of satisfaction with the off road cycle ways, at 68%, while 60% are happy with separate lanes for bicycles on the roadways.

It is important that Council understands where residents have concerns so that we can put our resources into the areas that most need improvement. When asked why residents are not satisfied with different areas of our transport systems, respondents were most concerned about:

• The condition of roads and footpaths
• The safety of cycle lanes
• More public transport (including more late night services)
• Better lighting of streets and walkways

In setting priorities, Council also takes into account the number and type of crashes as well as residents' views on how safe they feel.  Out of those who walk, bike or drive, it's our pedestrians who feel the safest, with 65% saying they are satisfied with the level of safety, while 63% of motorists and 48% of cyclists said they were satisfied with safety levels.

Sustainability

A future part of this Residents' Survey series being developed for Live Nelson ... stay tuned!

About the 2009 Residents' Survey

An independent research company carried out 400 telephone interviews with Nelson residents and produced the report.

Interviews took about 20 minutes and all identifying demographic information was kept confidential and combined to ensure a representative sample.

Residents were phoned at random and interviewers ensured there was a representative sample. Self-selected surveys by post, online or submissions cannot provide a statistically representative sample. While there are some limitations using phone interviews, this method is accepted as being the best available.

Interviews were completed between 26 June and 19 July 2009.

The overall results have a margin of error of +/- 4.9%.

Council is grateful to everyone who took the time to participate, as the results provide valuable and reliable information on residents' views on Council services and issues facing Nelson.

Download

Download the full 2009 Residents' Survey report (PDF @ 2.5MB).