Property file digitisation pilot begins

Published on 02 August 2024

As part of Waitaki District Council's transformation program, we are working with Canon Business Services to digitize the District's property files. This means we will scan about 13,000 property files and turn them into digital files. This process will take about 12 to 18 months.

Each file consists of many individual pages which must be digitally scanned and compiled. This project, done by our Digital Services Team and Canon Business Services, aims to make it easier for customers to access property files and help us manage these records better.

We will start with digitising 500 property files. Property owners can visit the Waitaki District Council webpage to see which files are part of this pilot.

During this time, the physical files will be temporarily unavailable for viewing at Council offices. But don't worry, this will be brief and only while the files are being sent to Canon. Once digitized, they will be available on request, so the community can access them quickly.

Digitisation comes with three major benefits:

• Improved Access: Digital files can be accessed more easily and quickly.
• Enhanced Security: Digital records are easier to protect and keep safe.
• Future-Proofing: Ensures our records are maintained for years to come.

For now, if you want to see property files, you will still need to contact the Council to request them.

This pilot is an important step to making our property files available for on demand viewing. It is part of Council's transformation programme to enhance customer experience by increasing self-service options and 24/7 access to information, and improve efficiency.

Talking about the digitisation project, Chief Executive, Alex Parmley said, “Our Transformation Programme has many parts to it which we will be sharing over the coming weeks and months. The digitisation of our property files is just one small element of the changes we are making and shows how we are using technology to both improve our levels of customer service and increase our efficiency to provide better value for ratepayers. I am looking forward to sharing more changes and improvements as we progress.”

ENDS