Waipā’s communication and engagement team issued 66 media releases in the three months from November 1 to keep the community engaged and updated on the council’s work.
Many were picked up and published in full by media outlets or used as a basis for broader stories, an eight monthly report to the Finance and Corporate committee yesterday said.
The information only report under the name of financial accountant Nada Milne wraps up the council’s performance for the committee.
Communication and Engagement Report
The council had more social media followers, increased website traffic and community feedback from its four platforms on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
It also implemented a more “tactical” approach to communication through media releases which took a proactive approach to communicating high-profile community issues.
They included releases on the Cambridge Water Tower, Cambridge Connections, waste to energy plant, Waikato Water Done Well, double decker buses, Cambridge Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cambridge Pathway’s completion and Shakespeare St interim repairs.
An artist’s impression of Paewira waste to energy plant. Photo: Supplied
Water Tower surrounds taken down. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
The communications team also reported on a community celebration it organised on December 13 to honour Waipā’s record number of Olympians and Paralympians.
The event which coincided with other key sporting events boosted Waipā’s sporting profile and saw the district’s Home of Champions spirit shine through as residents came together to celebrate the achievements of their local heroes, the report said.
The News reported the council spent nearly $15,700 on the event which included a civic function and Party in the Park at Victoria Square which was described as a “disaster” by the Chamber of Commerce because so few people attended.
Goldie the mascot adjudicates the tug of war at Waipa’s Party in the Park on Victoria Park in December last year. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
