Residents back services while calling for improvement

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Council

Published: 13 July 2026

Lower Hutt residents continue to rate their city as a great place to live while sending a clear message about where Hutt City Council can improve.

The 2026 Residents' Satisfaction Survey measures how residents feel about Council services and performance. This year's results show people continue to value the facilities and services they use every day while also identifying clear priorities for improvement.

Lower Hutt Mayor Ken Laban says the survey offers valuable insight into what matters most to residents.

"It's encouraging to see residents continuing to value the facilities and services that help make Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt a great place to live.

"But we’re also listening carefully to the concerns people have raised around transport, affordability and confidence in Council. These results give us valuable direction as we continue making decisions that deliver the greatest benefit for our communities."

Residents approved of everyday Council services. Museums topped the list with 91% satisfaction, followed by neighbourhood hubs and libraries (89%), parks and reserves (83%), swimming pools (81%) and kerbside rubbish and recycling services (77%).

Residents continue to see Lower Hutt as a desirable place to live, with 74% agreeing it is a great place to be and 53% feeling proud of how the city looks and feels.

At the same time, the survey shows affordability remains a key issue, with fewer than four in 10 residents believing Council services represent value for money. The findings suggest ongoing cost of living pressures and concerns about transport are shaping perceptions of Council spending.

Roads and cycleways remain residents' biggest concern, with traffic congestion and roadworks continuing to frustrate daily journeys, all of which are affected by ongoing work on Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi (RiverLink).

The survey findings reinforce what we've heard previously from ethnic and migrant communities: a desire for more face-to-face engagement, culturally appropriate communication, and clearer information about how community feedback influences Council decisions. Council is already responding through Te Whiringa, its community engagement framework, which includes a programme of work to address these priorities.

Hutt City Council will use the survey findings to inform future planning, improve services and strengthen relationships with residents.

The full 2026 Residents' Satisfaction Survey is available here