hairyLemon press release
Ratepayer Focus For New Buller Website
New Buller District Council website provides better online support provided for geographically spread Buller ratepayers.
1 May 2007. Christchurch. - A drive to improve service to ratepayers is behind the Buller District Council's recent
unveiling of a revamped website.
"The site was originally focussed on promoting economic development opportunities for the region," says Buller District
Council (BDC) acting manager - community services Lisa Hankey, "that audience is now being served by the West Coast
Development Trust."
The upgraded site is now aimed at making it easier for ratepayers to access and use Council services, says Ms Hankey.
"For example more and more people want to download Council forms online, avoiding the need to visit service centres or
wait for them to be posted out."
Ms Hankey said the dispersed nature of the region's population meant that providing information and support online was
an important focus of the Council.
In addition to online forms, Buller ratepayers can now visit the website to access a catalogue for local libraries,
rates information, the latest on community activities and updates on key Council infrastructure projects.
"Although we are focussing primarily on servicing our ratepayers, we also took the opportunity to update the imagery on
the site to reflect the best of Buller's natural beauty," says Ms Hankey.
The upgraded website was created by Christchurch-based website development company hairyLemon.
hairyLemon director Sue Wilkinson said they were delighted to be associated with the project. "The BDC site is a great
example of what smart local government agencies can do online - providing important information and service support in a
clear, easily accessible way."
Ms Wilkinson says it wasn't hard to design for the site. "We really just let the natural beauty of the region tell the
story, with a stunning result of which we are really proud."
hairyLemon have been servicing the West Coast for seven years, and now support more than 40 clients in the region, says
Ms Wilkinson.
ends