Helping shape the Shire of Ashburton's 2027 Council Plan
The Shire of Ashburton has recorded strong results in the 2026 MARKYT® Community Scorecard, providing valuable community insights as the Shire prepares for its 2027 Council Plan.
The Shire commissioned independent research specialist CATALYSE® to undertake the Scorecard to understand community needs, priorities and aspirations, assess perceptions of Shire services, monitor changes in community sentiment and benchmark performance against other local governments.
Conducted online from 22 June to 10 July 2026, the Scorecard attracted 421 responses, supported through Shire communication channels.
Results highlighted a number of strong outcomes for the Shire, including:
- Governance scored 62, 11 points above the industry average and 14 points higher than in 2019.
- Main roads matched the industry-high benchmark, scoring 60 compared with an industry average of 48.
- Emergency management scored 66, just one point below the industry-high benchmark of 67, with a 90% positive rating across all respondents.
- Community engagement scored 58, 14 points above the industry average, and was identified as an area that has improved since 2019.
- Ashburton was rated positively as a place to live by 94% of respondents and a place to work by 97%.
The Shire's public swimming pools, libraries and marine facilities were also identified among its top-performing service areas, with pools receiving a 96% positive rating and libraries 98%.
The findings will help inform the review of the Council Plan, ensuring future priorities and planning are guided by community feedback alongside the Shire's ongoing focus on strong service delivery and continuous improvement.
Download the full report here
View the interactive results here