Quality of Life Survey results for Lower Hutt

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CouncilPeople & Communities

Published: 19 October 2022

A nationwide survey on quality of life within urban areas indicates that Lower Hutt residents have a relatively high quality of life compared to many other cities in New Zealand.

A highlight for Lower Hutt is that 88% of survey respondents rated their overall quality of life as positive, 28% felt their quality of life had decreased to some degree compared to the 12 months prior, while 24% felt that their quality of life had increased. The main reason given to a perceived decrease in quality of life in Lower Hutt related to reduced financial wellbeing, reflecting a nationwide trend.

Eighty percent of Lower Hutt respondents agreed that their local area is a great place to live, sighting a high degree of positivity towards local amenities and building developments as the main reasons.

Lower Hutt also turned out one of the highest levels of reported satisfaction in work/life balance amongst people in paid employment.

The survey also continues to highlight some concerns for Lower Hutt residents, particularly around issues affecting their local communities. This included concerns around crime, dangerous driving, vandalism – like graffiti and tagging - and people begging on the streets. According to the report, this reflects similar issues evident in other cities.

Mayor Campbell Barry says, “It’s great to see the vast majority of survey respondents in Lower Hutt rate their quality of life in our city positively.  It’s also really pleasing to see 80 percent of people view our city as a great place to live.

“While these results are very encouraging, the survey also highlights some of the challenges we are facing as a city.

“Covid has had an impact on affordability across the board, with many feeling the impact of rising house costs.  It’s clear, we need more houses, and we need to make the city more affordable.

“That’s why investing in our infrastructure to enable the development of new homes in the right locations is so important and is a key focus for council.

“Traffic congestion and parking is perceived as a problem.  That’s why we’ve developed an integrated transport strategy and are putting more focus in resources into our transport infrastructure and planning.

“Concern around water pollution is also highlighted. That’s why it’s vital we invest in our aging water network to ensure it is robust and can continue to deliver quality water for generations to come.”

Results of the 2022 Quality of Life Survey can be found here.