Tuesday 6 December 2011

Give the Gift of a Digital Future
– Opportunity for Residents to Report on Internet Use

Clutha Country residents have the opportunity to tell Clutha District Council about their internet usage at home and at work via an online and postal survey being conducted from next week.

The district-wide Digital Survey aims to assist Council as it tries to establish the current issues and future demands of district digital (broadband) infrastructure and service provision.

All residents, employers and employees in the Clutha District are urged to respond to the survey which has strong support from leaders in the education, health, business and agricultural sectors.

Organisations such as Enterprise Clutha, Clutha Agricultural Development Board, Otago Chamber of Commerce, Federated Farmers, Clutha Health and district education leaders have all pledged their support.

District Development Manager Jill Borland said that the survey was a first step towards identifying any issues relating to access, speed, community capability and cost of service provision, so that appropriate solutions can then be researched.

“Council wishes to future proof the district and so the survey will ask about a wide range of internet services, not only those which are currently available, but also those which may evolve or be needed in future,” Ms Borland said.

“Today’s children are the business leaders of tomorrow and we each owe it to them to make sure Council plans today for the digital needs of the future. To plan for the future, we must first establish exactly how things stand today”.

“Completing the survey will be like giving our children the gift of a digital future, to help enable Clutha children to have the skills and access to digital technologies that will enable them to compete in the global market” said Ms Borland.

The survey will be available online via the Clutha District Council and Clutha Country websites from 9 December 2011 – 15 January 2012 and participants are encouraged to respond online wherever possible.

However, Council is aware that some people do not have access to or use the internet.

“It is those folk that we most need to hear from, to establish why this is and what changes might be needed in this regard”.

For this reason the Council will next week be posting a hard copy of the survey with reply paid return to all ratepayers for return by Monday 19^th December 2011.

Additional copies will be available at Council Service Centres and Libraries across the district.

The survey takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and results will be available early next year. A report from the survey will be presented to the February 2012 meeting of Council.

“We hope people will take the opportunity for a short 5 minute breather from the Christmas rush”.

ENDS