The findings from ‘Vital Update – Tauranga' – a research project that measures the wellbeing of our communities – is now available at www.vitalupdate.org.nz.

The research findings identify significant trends in a range of areas related to quality of life, and capture the aspirations of the people that live, learn, work and play in Tauranga.

Tauranga Mayor Tenby Powell says the research has provided fundamental information to guide decision-making on future work in our communities.

'We now have a better understanding of the make-up of our communities, and their aspirations for our city. The research has identified which demographic communities and geographical areas have identified needs to address, helping us understand where we can commit our resources to make positive changes.

'Furthermore, it gives us weight when lobbying central government for improved health, social and community services and funding in Tauranga,” added Tenby.

The research focused on hearing from our harder to reach communities, providing valuable data on people experiencing homelessness; disabled people and carers; youth; ageing population; ethnic communities and newcomers; and Māori.

It looked at topics such as:

• what residents love about living in Tauranga, what they would change, and what they want to protect
• housing and standards of living, including home ownership, savings and expenses
• how connected people are and their interest in attending events
• accessibility to services and facilities, technology and transport
• perceptions of crime and safety.

An executive summary of the key findings is presented in the main report. More detailed findings are presented in the 12 suburb snapshot reports and six priority group reports.

Lori Luke, General Manager of the Acorn Foundation, said having shared data to work from means a more coordinated approach across our organisations to formulate and deliver great community outcomes.

'The breadth and depth of this research provides us with information we haven't previously been able to gather. This data will be tremendously useful for the local funders and the charitable organisations we support,” said Lori.

The research will also feed into council's long-term planning process when the community has a chance to have their say on what projects council will lead and fund over the next 10 years.

Acorn Foundation, TECT, BayTrust and Tauranga City Council teamed up to carry out ‘Vital Update – Tauranga'. The research looked at the geographic communities in Tauranga: who is in them, and what are their needs, wants and aspirations for their neighbourhood and the wider city through a city-wide survey.

The survey was conducted by independent research company, Key Research. A total of 5222 responses were received, with 4835 responses from Tauranga residents.

The Acorn Foundation runs the Vital Signs research study every three years which gathers information from people across the Western Bay of Plenty. ‘Vital Update – Tauranga' is an interim research project between the last Vital Signs research in 2018 and the next which is planned for 2021. This study focuses on the suburbs within the city of Tauranga rather than the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region.

For more information, visit www.vitalupdate.org.nz