A community research project will determine what community issues need to be prioritised in the Western Bay.

The 2017 Vital Signs survey, conducted by Key Research, will send out invitation letters to locals randomly selected from the electoral roll, giving them the opportunity to complete an online survey.

Acorn Foundation general manager Nicky Wilkins says the project will give locals the opportunity to voice their opinions and will help with any the future state of the Western Bay.

'This is our community's opportunity to share their views and contribute to one of the most important conversations that will help shape the future investments in our region.”

'It is effectively a very robust community check-up that reports on the social, environmental, cultural and economic well-being of our communities, identifying strengths, and areas for improvement. It asks respondents what they love about our region, and what concerns them most.”

She says this data will also show how the Western Bay of Plenty measures up to other communities and what changes need to be made.

The data will also help the local councils and funders establish what needs to be priorities where for future investments.

'The findings from the report will be pivotal in assessing our community's areas of greatest need and ensuring funding is matched to this. Vital Signs will be widely used by our donors, councils, and by charitable organisations working in our community. A key challenge for philanthropy and Councils is sorting through competing priorities, identifying opportunities, and creating space for deeper conversations and solutions.”

The first Vital Signs research programme was run in the region in 2014 with the intent to repeat the survey every two to three years.

'Our first Vital Signs survey in 2014 confirmed how important our natural environment is to us, and our ability to access it freely for recreation and enjoyment. It also highlighted some of the things we are not so happy about, including the increasing inequity gap.”

She says repeating the survey will give them the opportunity to see if things have changed over the last three years, and whether there may be other issues that have become more relevant.

The analysis and final report will be prepared by Key Research and will be published in February 2018.

Anyone in the region can take part and have their views heard by going directly to the survey site online at http://keyresearch.co.nz/VitalSigns-Acorn