Dunedin City Council

The Dunedin City Council provides local services and facilities, such as public transport, rubbish and recycling, libraries, parks, and recreation facilities. It also makes decisions about building and planning, local regulations, and infrastructure, such as water supply and sewerage. The council is made up of 14 councillors and the mayor. This is a single transferable vote (STV) election, so you vote by ranking the candidates on your ballot paper. Compare the candidates and their policies to decide who to vote for in the Dunedin City Council election.

Jobs and economy

Many councils help support local business and economic development. Some promote tourism in their area, or provide business support services and grants.

Jobs and economy

Many councils help support local business and economic development. Some promote tourism in their area, or provide business support services and grants.

  • Continue to support local businesses as the Totally Gorgeous upgrade work takes place.

    Ensure that we continue to invest in infrastructure renewals that were previously deferred.

    Support and engage with local tourism operators as tourists start to return post-COVID to understand their needs.

  • Continue the council's work on a strategic framework for resilient local economic development – 'doughnut' economics.

    Continue to encourage the council's support of a circular economy – job creation in sectors that are socially and ecologically sustainable.

    Support Māori businesses and initiatives that leverage tāngata whenua values and practices.

  • Engage regularly with local business, industries across sectors find out the needs, challenges and work together on them.

    Work in partnership with health and education sectors to understand their needs, whilst helping them provide workforce education training.

    Partner with representative groups across the city to lobby central government for policies and resources which support our local economy.

  • Listen to what businesses need to provide them with an environment they can flourish in.

    Maintain the one-way system. It connects the south to the north of the city and enables workers to get where they have to go.

    Provide appropriate parking to accommodate customers and workers.

  • Promote Dunedin as a vibrant city welcoming new residents and investment.

    Recognise the critical importance to the city of the University and especially Health Sciences.

    Ensure all infrastructure is both fit for purpose and appropriately located.

  • Immediately refresh the Economic Development Strategy to focus on delivering actions that have not been activated eg Dunedin Ambassadors.

    Revitalise tourism industry via Destination Marketing Strategy (promise) and Destination Management Plan (delivery). Invest more funding.

    Build better business relationships and support through a targeted action plan and engagement including reinstating Red Carpet project.

  • Set up a group to help small businesses to thrive and understanding effective management of profit and loss.

    Efficiently promoting and managing the Dunedin stadium to bring in revenue.

    Promoting and supporting local trades and business with apprenticeship and pilot programme for fresh graduates to boost staffing shortage.

  • Build the South Dunedin Library and Community Centre in 2025, bringing jobs and more people into the area, giving South D an economic boost.

    Support the resourcing effort for big development projects and local businesses in the city so that local people benefit from these jobs.

    Use our strengths to build a local circular economy that is resilient and relevant to the environment we are now operating in.

  • Provide free-to-all CBD loop buses to transport shoppers quickly and safely. Make it easier for people to access the CBD, in and out.

    Support businesses to become sustainability leaders by aligning their practices with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 17, Responsible Consumption and Production.

    Develop and implement a sustainable "shop local" campaign.

  • Reconnect the Dunedin City Council to the local business community through developing a strong relationship with Business South and other business groups.

    Provide a welcoming environment to encourage new businesses to consider Dunedin 'home', and existing businesses to grow.

    Encourage employment diversity through leading by example.

  • Explore ways to increase employment in Dunedin by working with local businesses and agencies to match need with willing people.

    Stop using intergenerational debt to fund city assets. Reduce council debt and manage spending responsibly.

    Maintain infrastructure to a high standard so that we don't have to pay for expensive repairs down the line.

  • Prioritise infrastructure in South Dunedin. Re-divert water pipes from Kaikorai Valley to Green Island. Analysis and monitoring systems.

    Give local business incentives to come to Dunedin.

  • Review into graduate retention in Dunedin.

    Increase funding to Startup Dunedin to incentivise Dunedin start-ups.

    Advocate for a universal education income to replace student allowance.

  • Work with local business to leverage off the university, the Centre for Innovation and angel investors – be flexible and nimble.

    Encourage high value tourism that encourages visitors to stay and explore our attractions thus supporting business and creating jobs.

    Persuade local business to embrace change and not dwell on the past.

  • We need a lot more council flats! We also need to upgrade all the current flats with standards that include double glazing, insulation.

    We have to showcase Dunedin as a place to do business and not scare them off with red tape. I feel every month another company leaves.

    Dunedin has amazing growth we need to capitalise on it now and continue it, not cut it off because we have a shortage of rental or hotels.

  • Work with the university and local businesses to create attractive opportunities for the student population to want to stay on in Dunedin.

    Work with local businesses to see how they can support and benefit from tourism initiatives in Dunedin.

    Create a pathway for the youth of Dunedin to find employment opportunities either as an alternative to high school after 16 or while studying.

  • Support local businesses that are struggling on George Street due to the road works.

  • Local business should be encouraged and advocated for.

    As we are slowly recovering from recent events, tourism should be bolster to help everyone in local businesses.

  • Compensate businesses in the CBD who can prove they have been financially hit from infrastructure work. Help businesses recover.

    Write an innovation strategy for our city. Create collaborative clusters that encourage entrepreneurship and innovation.

    Support CODE (Centre of Digital Excellence) and Startup Dunedin to create jobs for our youth. Remote working opens the world to us, use it.

  • Review and re-energise our economic eevelopment initiatives.

    Strongly encourage tourism with a new plan and inclusive participation with the stakeholders.

    Have regular hui with all youth employment and training providers.

  • Build two new car park buildings, one near the Octagon and another near the hospital, to improve customers' access to the city centre.

    Remove road cones, road works signage, and the men who are digging holes in the middle of the main streets.

    Buy a network of jet boats to water-taxi people to the wider Dunedin waterfront properties, tourism sites and wharfs.

  • Bring a strong business focus back into council decision making. Engage local business to gain insight and input to foster growth.

    Partner with local business and open land to build business parks. A lack of suitable land for new commercial buildings plagues Dunedin.

    Promote Dunedin as a business friendly city. Incentivise business in to the city, remove red tape. Support diversification of industries.

  • Engage more thoroughly with CBD businesses.

    Greater support for start ups.

    Acknowledge and celebrate business success in the city.

  • Infrastructure in transport renewals should remain focused on maintaining the road network to appropriate levels of service.

    Work with local business to ensure changes to the main street create a vibrant and welcoming centre to the city, supporting local retailers.

    Promote our local wildlife destinations – Dunedin, wildlife capital of New Zealand, with endangered species in close proximity to the city.

  • Work with Business South, hospital rebuild, KiwiRail rebuild, large employers and regional employers to create a workforce development plan.

    Visit schools to engage the students around the career opportunities available through the workforce development plan.

    Continue to support the development of the Centre of Digital Excellence and the start-up ecosystem through grants and business support.

  • Support opportunities that encourage students to remain in Dunedin once they graduate.

    Support local businesses and help to reduce any barriers they have in dealing with the council.

    Support local tourism activities and events that will encourage visitors to the city.

  • Continue council's facilitation of investment by the public and private sector, thereby ensuring a bright future for Dunedin.

    Support initiatives, eg Centre of Digital Excellence, towards a billion dollar industry; film's potential to contribute significantly to the city's economy.

    Encourage community engagement around the social licence for tourism and explore visitors' contribution to enhancing the environment.

  • Continue to support local businesses as the Totally Gorgeous upgrade work takes place.

    Ensure that we continue to invest in infrastructure renewals that were previously deferred.

    Support and engage with local tourism operators as tourists start to return post-COVID to understand their needs.

  • Continue the council's work on a strategic framework for resilient local economic development – 'doughnut' economics.

    Continue to encourage the council's support of a circular economy – job creation in sectors that are socially and ecologically sustainable.

    Support Māori businesses and initiatives that leverage tāngata whenua values and practices.

  • Engage regularly with local business, industries across sectors find out the needs, challenges and work together on them.

    Work in partnership with health and education sectors to understand their needs, whilst helping them provide workforce education training.

    Partner with representative groups across the city to lobby central government for policies and resources which support our local economy.

  • Listen to what businesses need to provide them with an environment they can flourish in.

    Maintain the one-way system. It connects the south to the north of the city and enables workers to get where they have to go.

    Provide appropriate parking to accommodate customers and workers.

  • Promote Dunedin as a vibrant city welcoming new residents and investment.

    Recognise the critical importance to the city of the University and especially Health Sciences.

    Ensure all infrastructure is both fit for purpose and appropriately located.

  • Immediately refresh the Economic Development Strategy to focus on delivering actions that have not been activated eg Dunedin Ambassadors.

    Revitalise tourism industry via Destination Marketing Strategy (promise) and Destination Management Plan (delivery). Invest more funding.

    Build better business relationships and support through a targeted action plan and engagement including reinstating Red Carpet project.

  • Set up a group to help small businesses to thrive and understanding effective management of profit and loss.

    Efficiently promoting and managing the Dunedin stadium to bring in revenue.

    Promoting and supporting local trades and business with apprenticeship and pilot programme for fresh graduates to boost staffing shortage.

  • Build the South Dunedin Library and Community Centre in 2025, bringing jobs and more people into the area, giving South D an economic boost.

    Support the resourcing effort for big development projects and local businesses in the city so that local people benefit from these jobs.

    Use our strengths to build a local circular economy that is resilient and relevant to the environment we are now operating in.

  • Provide free-to-all CBD loop buses to transport shoppers quickly and safely. Make it easier for people to access the CBD, in and out.

    Support businesses to become sustainability leaders by aligning their practices with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 17, Responsible Consumption and Production.

    Develop and implement a sustainable "shop local" campaign.

  • Reconnect the Dunedin City Council to the local business community through developing a strong relationship with Business South and other business groups.

    Provide a welcoming environment to encourage new businesses to consider Dunedin 'home', and existing businesses to grow.

    Encourage employment diversity through leading by example.

  • Explore ways to increase employment in Dunedin by working with local businesses and agencies to match need with willing people.

    Stop using intergenerational debt to fund city assets. Reduce council debt and manage spending responsibly.

    Maintain infrastructure to a high standard so that we don't have to pay for expensive repairs down the line.

  • Prioritise infrastructure in South Dunedin. Re-divert water pipes from Kaikorai Valley to Green Island. Analysis and monitoring systems.

    Give local business incentives to come to Dunedin.

  • Review into graduate retention in Dunedin.

    Increase funding to Startup Dunedin to incentivise Dunedin start-ups.

    Advocate for a universal education income to replace student allowance.

  • Work with local business to leverage off the university, the Centre for Innovation and angel investors – be flexible and nimble.

    Encourage high value tourism that encourages visitors to stay and explore our attractions thus supporting business and creating jobs.

    Persuade local business to embrace change and not dwell on the past.

  • We need a lot more council flats! We also need to upgrade all the current flats with standards that include double glazing, insulation.

    We have to showcase Dunedin as a place to do business and not scare them off with red tape. I feel every month another company leaves.

    Dunedin has amazing growth we need to capitalise on it now and continue it, not cut it off because we have a shortage of rental or hotels.

  • Work with the university and local businesses to create attractive opportunities for the student population to want to stay on in Dunedin.

    Work with local businesses to see how they can support and benefit from tourism initiatives in Dunedin.

    Create a pathway for the youth of Dunedin to find employment opportunities either as an alternative to high school after 16 or while studying.

  • Support local businesses that are struggling on George Street due to the road works.

  • Local business should be encouraged and advocated for.

    As we are slowly recovering from recent events, tourism should be bolster to help everyone in local businesses.

  • Compensate businesses in the CBD who can prove they have been financially hit from infrastructure work. Help businesses recover.

    Write an innovation strategy for our city. Create collaborative clusters that encourage entrepreneurship and innovation.

    Support CODE (Centre of Digital Excellence) and Startup Dunedin to create jobs for our youth. Remote working opens the world to us, use it.

  • Review and re-energise our economic eevelopment initiatives.

    Strongly encourage tourism with a new plan and inclusive participation with the stakeholders.

    Have regular hui with all youth employment and training providers.

  • Build two new car park buildings, one near the Octagon and another near the hospital, to improve customers' access to the city centre.

    Remove road cones, road works signage, and the men who are digging holes in the middle of the main streets.

    Buy a network of jet boats to water-taxi people to the wider Dunedin waterfront properties, tourism sites and wharfs.

  • Bring a strong business focus back into council decision making. Engage local business to gain insight and input to foster growth.

    Partner with local business and open land to build business parks. A lack of suitable land for new commercial buildings plagues Dunedin.

    Promote Dunedin as a business friendly city. Incentivise business in to the city, remove red tape. Support diversification of industries.

  • Engage more thoroughly with CBD businesses.

    Greater support for start ups.

    Acknowledge and celebrate business success in the city.

  • Infrastructure in transport renewals should remain focused on maintaining the road network to appropriate levels of service.

    Work with local business to ensure changes to the main street create a vibrant and welcoming centre to the city, supporting local retailers.

    Promote our local wildlife destinations – Dunedin, wildlife capital of New Zealand, with endangered species in close proximity to the city.

  • Work with Business South, hospital rebuild, KiwiRail rebuild, large employers and regional employers to create a workforce development plan.

    Visit schools to engage the students around the career opportunities available through the workforce development plan.

    Continue to support the development of the Centre of Digital Excellence and the start-up ecosystem through grants and business support.

  • Support opportunities that encourage students to remain in Dunedin once they graduate.

    Support local businesses and help to reduce any barriers they have in dealing with the council.

    Support local tourism activities and events that will encourage visitors to the city.

  • Continue council's facilitation of investment by the public and private sector, thereby ensuring a bright future for Dunedin.

    Support initiatives, eg Centre of Digital Excellence, towards a billion dollar industry; film's potential to contribute significantly to the city's economy.

    Encourage community engagement around the social licence for tourism and explore visitors' contribution to enhancing the environment.