Selwyn District Council partners with Spark for NZ-first digital community engagement services

In partnership with Spark IoT, Selwyn District Council is the first New Zealand organisation to embark on an innovative digital community engagement service offering, which aims to deliver a more personalised user experience for the local community outside of existing digital and social media channels. Members of the public can engage directly with the council, opt-in and personalise the information they would like to receive on the variety of council services and initiatives via an app, such as waste management, civic works and road closures, local community programmes and events.   

Spark IoT (Internet of Things) will deploy the GreenBe cloud-based customer engagement solution. GreenBe is an Australian-based provider with a proven track record in helping to enhance the services Councils deliver for their communities. The solution includes the capability to derive insights and analyse information from IoT devices via an admin portal, a branded mobile app for members of the public, CRM and customer support and rewards/incentives fulfilment to help promote local businesses to the community.   

Selwyn District Council’s Head of Digital and Information Services and Chief Information Officer Trish Baird says the council was searching for an innovative, leading-edge platform to help multiple council teams engage with their fast growing, digital native community, “This enables us to enhance our community engagement strategy using the power of technology. Community members can personalise their experience on the app, and at the same time our teams can take advantage of new technology to communicate our services and community initiatives more effectively and at scale.  

“For example, we are looking to explore how we can boost community participation for our waste and recycling programmes by incentivising residents to live more sustainably using gamification features that are similar to what you’d find in social media apps. Features like quizzes, polls, surveys, rewards and discounts offers will help to boost engagement further, and to better understand the ‘pulse’ of the community around particular council services or any local topics or issues of concern in near real-time.”   

Spark IoT lead Michele Wong says “We are proud to work with Selwyn District Council to help deliver best-in-class digital service solutions that help foster a more connected community. The new technology will play an important role in how the Council can encourage the public to engage further with its services and community initiatives around sustainability, community volunteering, waste management, or the latest rewards and promotions from local businesses. The benefits of IoT in helping to drive sustainable outcomes are more evident when combined with the ability to enhance community engagement.”  

Selwyn District Council aims to have its app available for members of the public towards the latter half of 2023.   

GreenBe is an Australian-based provider of cloud customer engagement solutions built exclusively for smart water utilities, energy networks and local governments. Their partners include Microsoft, Telstra, Nokia and local councils in Australia. 

ENDS