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.

Recreation and culture

From parks and libraries to museums and art galleries, councils can be a key supporter of sporting, recreational and cultural events that bring communities to life. Community facilities, including sports grounds and town halls, are often owned and run by councils.

Recreation and culture

From parks and libraries to museums and art galleries, councils can be a key supporter of sporting, recreational and cultural events that bring communities to life. Community facilities, including sports grounds and town halls, are often owned and run by councils.

  • Working with the community to implement game plan to promote local event and festivals in advance.

    Maintaining world class parks, pools, library and community halls.

    Accountability to liquor licence holder to uphold the rules regarding sales.

  • Ensure that all citizens have easy and affordable access to parks, pools, libraries and sporting facilities close to their community.

    Fully utilise the facilities of the university and the polytech, ie actively build and grow the town and gown relationship.

    A vibrant and exciting city that actively funds and supports arts and cultural events, markets and festivals.

  • Develop and maintain accessible family friendly recreational spaces and facilities across the city, keep any costs as low as possible.

    Provide support for community groups/neighbourhoods to host events.

    Be aware of liquor outlets sites and their possible impact on the surrounding communities.

  • Prioritise action on upgrading Dunedin's three destination playgrounds so that families have great experiences available.

    Refresh festival and events calendar with better investment and support to create year round entertainment and excitement.

    Revisit the Ara Toi Arts and Culture Strategy to establish goals and outcomes are embedded in the document plus report progress accessibly.

  • Provide free facilities and services for neighbourhoods experiencing high levels of social deprivation.

    Continue the council's work to strengthen a genuine power-sharing relationship with mana whenua.

    Continue strengthening the council's capacity and cultural competency via Te Tīriti o Waitangi – so "what's good for Māori is good for everyone".

  • Support the arts community by creating an artist led purpose-built arts centre/theatre. Maintaining and safe guarding current venues.

    Create a more vibrant and welcoming city inspired by the power of the arts to promote wellbeing and strengthen communities.

    Maintain all sports and recreation facilities, increase public toilet facilities across the city. Provide ongoing funding for museum and sanctuary.

  • Build the South Dunedin Community Library and Community centre in 2025 and open other community centre spaces across our city.

    Open a youth space in the city centre, and youth hubs further out, aligned with the recent Ōtepoti Youth Space pilot run earlier this year.

    Create great outdoor and indoor spaces in our city that are well designed, accessible, inclusive and affordable for all to enjoy.

  • Build a destination playground, with parking facilities, on part of the old hospital site.

    Provide or enable the development of high-quality venues for people who enjoy visual arts, literary arts and performing arts.

    Provide a lot more parking spaces at the Logan Park Sports Hub.

  • Create more opportunities for the stadium to be used for larger events including supporting infrastructure like accommodation upgrades.

    Identify and find ways to utilise Dunedin's current theatres and venues that are currently under-used.

    Create public engagement in how parks and recreation areas are currently used, and if and how these can be improved.

  • Foster a healthy and safe social culture in the CBD especially during the weekend evenings. Support and grow Dunedin's music scene.

    Improve underperforming facilities and actively seek customer feedback on what improvements are needed. Evaluate areas needing upgrades.

    Engage the hospitality sector to help organise major events and maximise customer and community experiences. Improve our social spaces.

  • Encourage repairs to the Edgar Centre roof to prevent it from constantly leaking onto the courts.

    Support the ongoing playground upgrades throughout wider Dunedin including a playground within the CBD area.

    Support the diversity of events and festivals throughout the city to attract visitors and support our local communities.

  • Promote Dunedin events and festivals that build community, and attract visitors to the area.

  • Continue the sports facility review.

    Continue the Parks and Reserves Plan.

    Assist museums and galleries to increase visitors and lower the cost/visitor to ratepayers.

  • Action needs to be taken on Sammy's and the Fortune Theatre. These buildings are going to waste. We need action now. Sell or renovate.

    Support our arts sector to recover and grow. There need to be venues in the city for bands to practise and play and professional theatre.

    Encourage and reward restaurants, cafes and venues who provide space for bands to practise and play. Encourage a vibrant CBD.

  • Upgrade and renew our playgrounds across the city including equipment for all ages and for those with disabilities.

    Upgrade our cities tracks and create a plan around linking our tracks and making them more accessible.

    Lobby central government around for funding for our museum and for more funding and support for education outside the classroom.

  • Ensure all public spaces are: easily accessible, flexible and well utilised, inclusive, culturally diverse, fit-for-purpose and safe.

    Address food scarcity/security by partnering with local communities to create public orchards, vegetable gardens and communal pantries.

    Work with the Ministry of Education and other partners to secure funding for local schools to maximise educational opportunities via our public facilities.

  • Renew DCC support for the Physio Pool.

    Continue development of Sports-Hub facilities at Logan Park.

    Support and encourage the performing arts, music and theatre.

  • Make a decision about a permanent performing Arts Centre in Dunedin City.

  • Foster events and festivals that celebrate the many cultures that make up the population of Dunedin.

  • Make the opening of a library in South Dunedin a high priority.

    Assist Otago Museum in re-obtaining its funding from central government.

    Maintain other facilities in Dunedin eg Moana Pool, Art Gallery, Toitu at their current high standards. Retain the Sports Hall of Fame.

  • Embark on further work with the performing arts community; including theatre and live music around venues and community access to Dunedin Venues Management Ltd. (DVML) venues.

    Continue our work in support of the Sophia Charter, giving particular voice to students in the Charter's next stage.

    Support the completion of the South Dunedin Hub within the next triennium.

  • We need to upgrade the "Dinosaur Park" desperately, like the Margaret Mahy playground in Christchurch, but make sure we keep the Dinosaur theme.

    Moana Pool and physio pool. Only one of them is open, this is just crazy and hopefully there will not be too many delays with Mosgiel pool.

  • The council needs to look at the cost of entering some sporting facilities. This has becoming an item a lot of families cannot afford.

    Community events should be held and welcomed, as this brings people together and is good affordable entertainment.

    I do not like the way liquor licensing has everyone squeezed in one small area to enjoyed a night out.

  • Create safe youth space in the city centre.

    Commit to saving Dunedin's live music scene.

    Advocate for mana whenua to have more cooperation and continue to develop our relationship with them.

  • Drive the Logan Park redevelopment as proposed over ten years ago.

    Increase security around the city to reduce public harm and bad behaviour.

  • Commit to continued work upgrading our play spaces with additional investment where appropriate to offer engaging spaces.

    Work with communities to encourage unique and engaging events that will appeal to our multicultural residents.

    Work with Dunedin Venues Management Ltd to attract acts, events and shows to Dunedin's range of venues and boost the local economy.

  • In the Dinosaur Park, repair the whale so that bubbles comes out of the top of it for the children to play in.

    Add toilets and BBQ facilities into many of the parks and playgrounds.

    Add a restaurant with large windows at the top of Signal Hill and a luge down a hill towards the gardens.

  • Working with the community to implement game plan to promote local event and festivals in advance.

    Maintaining world class parks, pools, library and community halls.

    Accountability to liquor licence holder to uphold the rules regarding sales.

  • Ensure that all citizens have easy and affordable access to parks, pools, libraries and sporting facilities close to their community.

    Fully utilise the facilities of the university and the polytech, ie actively build and grow the town and gown relationship.

    A vibrant and exciting city that actively funds and supports arts and cultural events, markets and festivals.

  • Develop and maintain accessible family friendly recreational spaces and facilities across the city, keep any costs as low as possible.

    Provide support for community groups/neighbourhoods to host events.

    Be aware of liquor outlets sites and their possible impact on the surrounding communities.

  • Prioritise action on upgrading Dunedin's three destination playgrounds so that families have great experiences available.

    Refresh festival and events calendar with better investment and support to create year round entertainment and excitement.

    Revisit the Ara Toi Arts and Culture Strategy to establish goals and outcomes are embedded in the document plus report progress accessibly.

  • Provide free facilities and services for neighbourhoods experiencing high levels of social deprivation.

    Continue the council's work to strengthen a genuine power-sharing relationship with mana whenua.

    Continue strengthening the council's capacity and cultural competency via Te Tīriti o Waitangi – so "what's good for Māori is good for everyone".

  • Support the arts community by creating an artist led purpose-built arts centre/theatre. Maintaining and safe guarding current venues.

    Create a more vibrant and welcoming city inspired by the power of the arts to promote wellbeing and strengthen communities.

    Maintain all sports and recreation facilities, increase public toilet facilities across the city. Provide ongoing funding for museum and sanctuary.

  • Build the South Dunedin Community Library and Community centre in 2025 and open other community centre spaces across our city.

    Open a youth space in the city centre, and youth hubs further out, aligned with the recent Ōtepoti Youth Space pilot run earlier this year.

    Create great outdoor and indoor spaces in our city that are well designed, accessible, inclusive and affordable for all to enjoy.

  • Build a destination playground, with parking facilities, on part of the old hospital site.

    Provide or enable the development of high-quality venues for people who enjoy visual arts, literary arts and performing arts.

    Provide a lot more parking spaces at the Logan Park Sports Hub.

  • Create more opportunities for the stadium to be used for larger events including supporting infrastructure like accommodation upgrades.

    Identify and find ways to utilise Dunedin's current theatres and venues that are currently under-used.

    Create public engagement in how parks and recreation areas are currently used, and if and how these can be improved.

  • Foster a healthy and safe social culture in the CBD especially during the weekend evenings. Support and grow Dunedin's music scene.

    Improve underperforming facilities and actively seek customer feedback on what improvements are needed. Evaluate areas needing upgrades.

    Engage the hospitality sector to help organise major events and maximise customer and community experiences. Improve our social spaces.

  • Encourage repairs to the Edgar Centre roof to prevent it from constantly leaking onto the courts.

    Support the ongoing playground upgrades throughout wider Dunedin including a playground within the CBD area.

    Support the diversity of events and festivals throughout the city to attract visitors and support our local communities.

  • Promote Dunedin events and festivals that build community, and attract visitors to the area.

  • Continue the sports facility review.

    Continue the Parks and Reserves Plan.

    Assist museums and galleries to increase visitors and lower the cost/visitor to ratepayers.

  • Action needs to be taken on Sammy's and the Fortune Theatre. These buildings are going to waste. We need action now. Sell or renovate.

    Support our arts sector to recover and grow. There need to be venues in the city for bands to practise and play and professional theatre.

    Encourage and reward restaurants, cafes and venues who provide space for bands to practise and play. Encourage a vibrant CBD.

  • Upgrade and renew our playgrounds across the city including equipment for all ages and for those with disabilities.

    Upgrade our cities tracks and create a plan around linking our tracks and making them more accessible.

    Lobby central government around for funding for our museum and for more funding and support for education outside the classroom.

  • Ensure all public spaces are: easily accessible, flexible and well utilised, inclusive, culturally diverse, fit-for-purpose and safe.

    Address food scarcity/security by partnering with local communities to create public orchards, vegetable gardens and communal pantries.

    Work with the Ministry of Education and other partners to secure funding for local schools to maximise educational opportunities via our public facilities.

  • Renew DCC support for the Physio Pool.

    Continue development of Sports-Hub facilities at Logan Park.

    Support and encourage the performing arts, music and theatre.

  • Make a decision about a permanent performing Arts Centre in Dunedin City.

  • Foster events and festivals that celebrate the many cultures that make up the population of Dunedin.

  • Make the opening of a library in South Dunedin a high priority.

    Assist Otago Museum in re-obtaining its funding from central government.

    Maintain other facilities in Dunedin eg Moana Pool, Art Gallery, Toitu at their current high standards. Retain the Sports Hall of Fame.

  • Embark on further work with the performing arts community; including theatre and live music around venues and community access to Dunedin Venues Management Ltd. (DVML) venues.

    Continue our work in support of the Sophia Charter, giving particular voice to students in the Charter's next stage.

    Support the completion of the South Dunedin Hub within the next triennium.

  • We need to upgrade the "Dinosaur Park" desperately, like the Margaret Mahy playground in Christchurch, but make sure we keep the Dinosaur theme.

    Moana Pool and physio pool. Only one of them is open, this is just crazy and hopefully there will not be too many delays with Mosgiel pool.

  • The council needs to look at the cost of entering some sporting facilities. This has becoming an item a lot of families cannot afford.

    Community events should be held and welcomed, as this brings people together and is good affordable entertainment.

    I do not like the way liquor licensing has everyone squeezed in one small area to enjoyed a night out.

  • Create safe youth space in the city centre.

    Commit to saving Dunedin's live music scene.

    Advocate for mana whenua to have more cooperation and continue to develop our relationship with them.

  • Drive the Logan Park redevelopment as proposed over ten years ago.

    Increase security around the city to reduce public harm and bad behaviour.

  • Commit to continued work upgrading our play spaces with additional investment where appropriate to offer engaging spaces.

    Work with communities to encourage unique and engaging events that will appeal to our multicultural residents.

    Work with Dunedin Venues Management Ltd to attract acts, events and shows to Dunedin's range of venues and boost the local economy.

  • In the Dinosaur Park, repair the whale so that bubbles comes out of the top of it for the children to play in.

    Add toilets and BBQ facilities into many of the parks and playgrounds.

    Add a restaurant with large windows at the top of Signal Hill and a luge down a hill towards the gardens.