The sixth annual Quality of Life survey opens today, asking residents and ratepayers to share how they feel about life in the Queenstown Lakes District.

The survey will provide insight into how residents feel about issues such as housing, health services, the environment, transport, employment and sense of community.

Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers says the annual survey has been crucial in building a long-term picture of how the district is faring.

“Over the past five years, the data collected through this survey has provided a strong evidence base for Council and other public services providers to understand more about the issues, challenges and opportunities facing our district.”

“Past findings have helped shape QLDC’s Long Term Plan, supported our advocacy with government agencies and guided other projects such as the Climate and Biodiversity Plan or the recently adopted Joint Housing Action Plan,” he said.

Last year over 1,500 residents took part in the survey, which found that 77% of residents rate their quality of life as good or better, up marginally from 76% in 2021. It showed that community satisfaction with Council-run facilities was high, however overall satisfaction with Council performance was low. It also highlighted pressing challenges such as housing, work security, disposable income and satisfaction with public transport.

“A lot has happened over the past twelve months and the survey will provide an important snapshot of how people are feeling. It will give us a broader insight into what’s going well and what people would like to change, helping to identify priority issues, pain points and opportunities to improve the quality of life for our communities,” Mayor Lewers said.

A group of people randomly selected from the electoral roll will receive letters or emails asking them to participate in the annual Quality of Life Survey. However, the online survey is open to anyone who lives in the district and is aged 18 and over.

The survey is available at letstalk.qldc.govt.nz/qol and will take around 15-20 minutes to complete. It is open until 19 November 2023.

As a small incentive, all respondents will go into the draw for a $250 prezzy card at the end of the survey, and a $50 weekly spot prize.

© Scoop Media