An intercept survey of Western Springs Park visitors was conducted in January-February 2015, in order to improve Auckland Council’s Local and Sports Parks understanding of the experience of visitors within the park.

The survey results indicate that Western Springs is a popular park that attracts visitors from across the region. The overall level of satisfaction with the park is high, with 95 per cent of visitors reporting that they are somewhat or very satisfied with the park. Most visitors (87%) rate the park as being important to their sense of well-being. Visitors use the park for a range of activities,
including walking, spending time in nature, peace and quiet, feeding ducks / waterfowl, and entertaining children.

The survey shows that the use of public transport to access the park is extremely low, with only two per cent of visitors taking the bus, and none taking the train on the day that they were surveyed.

Visitors provided mixed reactions to the possibility of making the park rubbish-free (removing rubbish bins and encouraging visitors to recycle their rubbish at home), with roughly equal numbers stating that this change would have a positive compared to a negative impact on their experience. Although levels of satisfaction are high, visitors’ responses indicate a number of possible areas for
service improvement, including:

• Increased cleaning of bird droppings from paths and seats
• Adding toilet facilities to the southern, Great North Road area of the park
• Improving the provision of seats and tables
• Providing additional drinking fountains throughout the park.

Auckland Council technical report, TR2015/013

May 2015