infonews.co.nz
INDEX
INTERNET

Four National Awards for NPDC's Websites

Tuesday 3 May 2011, 12:26PM

By New Plymouth District Council

281 views

NEW PLYMOUTH

New Plymouth District Council has walked away with four national awards for the way it delivers information online – including the Supreme Award for Best Local Government Website.

The Association of Local Government Information Management (ALGIM) announced its Web Awards yesterday (Momday).

The Best Redevelopment Award went to the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery for its newly redesigned website, while the Council’s website gained three awards:

  • Supreme Award for Best Local Government Website.
  • People’s Choice Award for Best New Feature (for the How Your Council Spends Each Dollar interactive map).
  • Accessibility Award, judged by the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind, for the most accessible local government site.
     

“All of our work on the Council’s websites is to provide the public with information that is easy to access and is easy to understand, so it’s fantastic to have that recognised by ALGIM,” says Manager Communications Nick Maybury.

“So much of a community’s business, information gathering and socialising are done online these days that it’s very important for local government to get this part of their business right.”

Being blind as well as Chairman of the Disability Issues Working Party, Councillor Lance Girling-Butcher knows first-hand the importance of breaking down barriers to information for people with limited or no sight.

“The computer has become a very important aid for the blind. The easier it’s made for them to get around websites, the more they’re able to research and read,” he says.

“I know the Council staff have gone to an enormous amount of trouble to make this website accessible I’m thrilled it’s been recognised.”

The ALGIM Web Awards recognise and celebrate best practice in web management amongst New Zealand local authorities, encouraging local government to be innovative.

For the Supreme Award, ALGIM judged against a technical assessment of the websites as well as the response time to enquiries.

Govett-Brewster Art Gallery website