The Tararua District Council has been working on a new website that has a fresh, vibrant look and is easier to use.
Council’s revamped website is now online and will use the same address www.tararuadc.govt.nz as before. It includes increased security and is more intuitive, improving the experience for users to find the information they need. In addition, the new website has been optimised to use on a range of devices, from mobile phones to tablets and desktop monitors.
Feedback to the updated website is more than welcome. At the bottom of each page there is an option for providing feedback. We look forward to hearing from users.
As Council’s previous web service provider no longer supported the old website platform, Council was put in a position where the website had to be changed. This provided an opportunity to accommodate feedback and concerns from the community about improving online services, accessibility, and ease of use.
Mitchell Guile, Communications Officer at Council, is the main coordinator of the website update; “We had a hard look at our old website. Based on community feedback and website analytics it was concluded that an update was necessary. With over 500 pages, the previous website had an enormous amount of information on it, but it was challenging to find things. With our new website, we want to provide residents with quick access to information and services."
A lot of effort has gone into creating a consistent look for the new website. The home page and general pages use colour and icons to identify popular enquiries. The accessibility of the site, for people with vision impairment and other disabilities has been improved. Among others, the home page will feature more images, dropdown menus, a link to Council news, events and quick links to the services most often used.
Mark Maxwell, Group Manager – Economic and Community Development explains: “An increasing number of people are looking for information about government services online, rather than to pick up the phone and make a call to get information. By providing up to date, informative, timely and useful information we aim to provide residents of Tararua with an online experience that can save them time from coming into the office or calling.”
