Matt Cowley Tauranga City Councillor

I'm not going to try sell the benefits of civic duty to you, because I know you already care about your community – it's part of being a Kiwi.

This column is about the council being more relevant to you. Because you – the resident – are our shareholder, partner, and customer all at the same time; and we need to look after you.

From the time you wake up until you go to bed, you are bombarded with people and organisations trying to grab your attention. Businesses fork out thousands to try to get you to buy or do something. Family and friends also cry out for your limited time. It makes sense that council issues are low on your priority list.

Knowing what you want

Council has to compete with the private sector to connect with you and understand your needs. We need to know when your expectations change so our services can evolve with you. This will provide better service and save us money in the long run.

While we cannot match the advertising budgets of similar-size businesses, we can compete on customer experience and develop smarter ways of grabbing your attention when we need your feedback on key issues.

Better ways to connect with you

During my election campaign, I organised games on the street to give people a laugh as they went about their day. I shrewdly talked about council-related issues under the disguise of having fun. I got real value out of it.

We are working on easier ways to engage with you during your daily routine and at public events. We've also set up a new committee designed to better connect on local matters.

The elected members are also keen to discuss issues with your work, club, cul-de-sac, or group – so please invite us along to meetings and events.

Issues that you care about are usually complex and require input from other parties and agencies. The Local Alcohol Policy is a good example of where the police, medical and hospitality sectors should have been involved early in the process to inform better decisions from the outset.

I endeavour to make our documents more concise and simple to follow – for example, producing a plan-on-a-page.

Aside from the issues that require a serious approach, I want you to enjoy engaging with us. We're just a game, email or phone call away.

Feel free to email me your thoughts (matt.cowley@tauranga.govt.nz), call/text on 027 6989 548, and follow me at www.facebook.com/a.younger.voice.