Waipa website beats the 'big boys'
19 May 2015
Waipa District Council has beaten local government big boys to win the Web and Digital Project of the Year.
Waipa's Future Waipa website was launched in March to encourage community engagement in the 10-Year Plan. It helped explain the big issues facing the district, and made it easy for people to have their say by simplifying the submission process. It also featured nine animated videos created in-house that were voiced by Waipa's mayor and staff.
Of the nearly 500 submissions received by the council, more than half came via the website.
Last night in Christchurch, the Waipa website was judged best project by the Association of Local Government Information Managers. The website beat entries from much larger councils including Wellington City Council, Auckland Council, Queenstown Lakes and New Plymouth District Councils, Hawkes Bay and Bay of Plenty Regional Councils to win.
Waipa District Council communications manager Natalie Palmer said it was very clear that more and more people wanted to engage with the council using on-line channels.
There will always be a place for traditional ways of engaging but we have to innovate and embrace new ways to create two-way conversations with the community, she said.
Judges were impressed with Waipa's creative use of in-house animation, the low-cost but high impact site and the way in which the council proactively took the site into the community.
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All media enquiries, contact Jeanette Tyrrell (on behalf of council) 027 507 7599