Wellington has spoken, and while there are positives to take away from the latest Residents Monitoring Survey (RMS), there’s also room for improvement.

The RMS is Wellington City Council’s annual check-in with residents to understand their views on a wide range of topics and, along with the nationwide Quality of Life biannual survey, helps to form a small part of the wider performance story in the Annual Report.

While respondents generally agree Wellington is a great place to live, work and play, overall feelings towards the city have shifted significantly over the past decade, with dissatisfaction about the look, feel and vibe of the capital, reflecting a similar downturn in sentiment around the motu.

Mayor Tory Whanau says there’s a huge amount of work already underway to address the areas where Wellingtonians feel improvements can be made, aiming to make the city more vibrant, safe, and welcoming.

“We’re heartened that Wellingtonians continue to value many of the services we provide. We also acknowledge that there are areas where we must do better. We hear you, and the identified areas for improvement will be a priority for us.”

Mayor Whanau cites that through a dynamic, multi-pronged City Safety and Wellbeing Plan approved earlier this year, the Council is introducing measures to combat crime, anti-social behaviour, and negative safety perceptions.

“We also have several transformative projects underway to revitalise the city centre and are investing significantly in our communities. This includes $439.1 million to upgrade social housing as well as efforts like keeping Khandallah Pool and Begonia House open and enhancing services for the future.

“Our city centre will be transformed by 2027. The revitalisation of Courtenay Place has already begun, and Te Ngakau/Civic Square is rapidly taking shape and is set to reopen by March 2026. This reopening includes Te Matapihi library, City Gallery, and a newly landscaped Plaza. The Town Hall will also reopen in 2027. We have so much to look forward to,” adds Mayor Whanau.

The 2025 results show respondents are highly satisfied with the services and facilities provided by the Council like pools, recreation centres, libraries, events, community centres and sportsgrounds. The city reserves, green space and Botanic Garden ki Paekākā also rate highly.

While residents generally feel a sense of safety during the day and at home, they were less satisfied with city safety and the cleanliness and vibrancy of the CBD.

The survey also showed a lack of satisfaction with decision-making at Wellington City Council.

Highlights from the report:

• 67% of respondents agreed that overall Wellington is a great place to live, work and play,
• 76% agreed with the statement “Wellington has a culturally rich and diverse arts scene”.
• 88% said they participated or engaged with a cultural or arts activity in Wellington at least yearly.
• Almost all respondents felt safe in their own home after dark (97%) while the vast majority felt safe in the CBD during the day (82%).
• Walking around the city was viewed as easier than the other forms of transport asked about with 82% of respondents stating that walking around the city was easy.
• Close to two-thirds (62%) found public transport easy to get around the city on.
• 51% of those with a view found cycling around the city easy, while about a third (35%) said driving around the city was easy.
• On average, 83% of recreation centres and 77% of pool users surveyed were satisfied with the facilities.
• 81% satisfaction with kerbside waste collection, 80% satisfaction for kerbside recycling.
• 80% satisfaction among users of community facilities – including libraries, community centres and community halls.
• Local parks and reserves and the waterfront were the most used green/open spaces by our respondents – three-quarters or more said they used these spaces at least monthly.
• Almost all respondents agreed that Wellington’s connection with nature improves quality of life (90%).
• Satisfaction was consistently high across all of the attractions – around 90%+ for all except Capital E (79%), Nairn Street Cottage (75%) and the Cricket Museum (80%).

Find the full report here or at short URL wellington.govt.nz/residents-survey.

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