Date For Survey Extended – Return Rate On Track

The Queenstown Lakes District Council resident and ratepayer survey is on track for a good return rate despite some confusion over the extension of the deadline, QLDC communications manager Meaghan Miller said.

“The date for returning the survey had been set at Friday 29 July,” Ms Miller said.

Council’s Christchurch-based research company Research First did not ‘lodge’ the survey on time due to printing issues, pushing the delivery date out by 10 days.

“Although the delay was outside our control we do accept that this aspect of the survey was being managed by Research First,” Research First spokesman Roger Larkins said.

The company recommended a time extension and to resend the survey as a reminder. A sticker was placed on the back page advising the extension of the deadline to Friday 5 August.

“The original deadline of 29 July continued to be shown on the front page and the sticker was not prominent, which has understandably caused some confusion, for which I apologise,” Ms Miller said.

Although the survey was only sent to a random cross-section of ratepayers and residents it was critical to the Council that the recipients took the opportunity to give Council feedback.

“The good news is that the return rate is looking positive and Council acknowledges those members of our community who have taken the time to give us their feedback,” she said.

Anyone yet to undertake and return the survey was encouraged to do so by week’s end.

“If people can get it in the mail by Friday, Research First will still be able to process the response and get the results to Council on time,” she said.

Meanwhile the outcome of the survey would be used to help the Council understand how well it delivered in 2011 and would be captured in the 2011 Annual Report.

“We will be looking at new ways of getting feedback on what the community thinks of our services with the adoption next year of the 10-Year-Plan. Council is aware that sending the community a six page hard copy survey with 111 questions is clearly in need of some revision,” Ms Miller said.