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.

  • Facilitate community wealth-building by supporting co-operatives, social enterprises and local procurement.

    Promote Dunedin as a national hub for game design and creative tech to attract talent, venture capital, and drive innovation.

    Support Startup Dunedin and other innovation hubs to grow local entrepreneurs and new jobs.

  • Keep infrastructure local by using local firms and making sure it is not subcontracted out to out-of-town contractors.

    Look into how the tourism industry would be impacted, including air travel, cruise ships, buses, cars and rail, and how people are able to get to Otepoti.

    Make it easier for local businesses to survive, create employment and look into alternatives for rent options.

  • Keep free parking on Sundays to support local businesses, introducing a one-hour stay limit to keep carpark turnover high.

    Support organisations that work with startup businesses like CODE, Startup Dunedin and JobDUN, and make Dunedin the easiest city to start a business in.

    Work with tertiary providers and large employers to support job creation for young people and recent graduates.

  • Foster an environment to encourage the business, tourism and education sectors to thrive and grow.

    Make much greater use of industry experts, education leaders and prominent community members at workshops and committees.

    Repurpose vacant land and buildings and incentivise new business opportunities in tourism, tech and innovation hubs.

  • Keep rates affordable and predictable so businesses can invest locally and support jobs for residents.

    Scrap council economic development schemes and redirect funds to lower rates and improve services.

    Work with local businesses to use Dunedin-based companies fairly and as a priority, without regard to race.

  • Focus on infrastructure that supports the move to renewable energy.

    Make the climate and ecological emergency the first consideration in policy discussions.

    Support tourist operators to move to sustainable employment.

  • Commit to continued infrastructure renewal and maintenance.

    Commit to environmentally sound tourism goals that promote the city but respect the precious ecosystem too.

    Support local business growth initiatives, especially in the technological space as a CODE centre.

  • Champion a circular economy that supports local materials, products and food resilience, prioritising repairing and recycling over buying new.

    Foster strong ties with tertiary providers to grow Ōtepoti as a respected education hub that keeps graduates in the local workforce.

    Uplift Ōtepoti to become a destination city for the creative arts and support state-of-the-art businesses to make a home here.

  • Encourage job creation by building a stronger economy through business support, investing in growing the economy and attracting employers.

    Raise Dunedin's profile to attract people and investment to the city, creating growth, jobs and our fair share of Government funding.

    Support business by building better relationships and partnerships, reinstating the Red Carpet project and prioritising local procurement.

  • Embed procurement practices for local businesses, prioritising sustainable, social, disabilities-led and Māori and Pasifika businesses.

    Explore funding for a worker-run supermarket or distribution hub for local retailers, eg Kapiti's food and beverage cluster.

    Require suppliers to pay the Living Wage to all employees and prioritise jobs that contribute to the economic wellbeing of communities.

  • Invest more in Dunedin marketing and the destination management plan to attract visitors, students and businesses to the city.

    Revitalise the economic development vision for Ōtepoti and deliver on it, acting quickly on this.

    Support start-up programmes and innovation in the tech area, including the Centre of Digital Excellence (CODE) and the Job Dun programme.

  • Stimulate the construction sector by expanding the council's community housing portfolio.

    Stimulate the construction sector by expanding the council's community housing portfolio.

    Support Dunedin's growing video game sector by investing in the Centre of Digital Excellence.

    Support Dunedin's growing video game sector by investing in the Centre of Digital Excellence.

    Advocate on behalf of tertiary institutions, two of our largest employers, which are facing significantly reduced public funding.

    Advocate on behalf of tertiary institutions, two of the largest employers, which are facing significantly reduced public funding.

  • Support moving economic development to a new entity with ability and responsibility to develop the city without constraint.

    Reconnect the DCC 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.

  • Invest in the city for liveability, as this attracts migrants to the city and the future growth of Ōtepoti relies on migrants.

    Protect tourism drivers of heritage and wildlife.

    Support businesses involved in the New Dunedin Hospital build through council decision-making processes, including apprenticeship schemes.

  • Control commercial and residential rates and council debt to minimise costs and liabilities.

    Keep out of areas best left to private investment, including investment in entertainment such as stadiums and other risky ventures.

    Supply efficient and reliable infrastructure for business, including parking.

  • Advocate for a circular economy to reduce reliance on imports and boost local jobs in sectors that promote sustainability.

    Publicise Dunedin's image as wildlife capital of New Zealand using ecotourism to support both local jobs and conservation efforts.

    Support local creatives through investments and funding that stimulate both the creative arts scene and local start-ups.

  • Partner with industry to create local training and apprenticeship opportunities.

    Promote sustainable tourism that benefits local communities year-round.

    Support small businesses by simplifying council processes and reducing delays and stop the DCC getting in the way.

  • Invest in more start ups around CODE as well as cooperative business models such as Yours and the Bowling Club.

    Provide a clear focus on sustainable and slow tourism through cycle trails, walkways and other active transport modes.

    Work with local business to foster a buy local initiative through more regular markets and community driven food exchange.

  • Listen to local business regarding parking and access to the CBD.

    Work collaboratively with the Otago Regional Council regarding public transport.

    Support youth employment organisations and council support around building a community that is vibrant and attracts youth and whānau.

  • Back local businesses with procurement policies that keep council spending in Dunedin whenever and wherever possible.

    Drive a Double Dunedin vision to double the city's population, jobs and exports over the next 30 years.

    Reignite JobDun and grow youth employment by connecting youngsters with paid work experience, apprenticeships and industry mentoring programmes.

  • Retain the brains we train and foster start-ups in many tech areas. As an education city we have the track record and potential to do this.

    Set up a new economic development agency to supercharge the city's growth aspirations for investment, business, jobs and income.

    Unite city stakeholders with a common goal to achieve.

  • Invest in Dunedin’s liveability as it provides a competitive advantage by focusing on what sets it apart, including nature and heritage.

    Invest in heritage, creative sector, liveability and natural assets while positioning Dunedin as an innovator in education, health and new tech.

    Move Enterprise Dunedin from being an internal unit of council to become a council-controlled organisation supported by an advisory group.

  • Capitalise on our position as the wildlife capital of New Zealand.

    Support the proposal for a CCO for growth in Dunedin.

    Work with local businesses to break down barriers to growth in the central city, listen to their concerns and act on them.

  • Advocate for the creation of Māori Purpose Zones to promote investment and economic development.

    Encourage international investment in Dunedin through partnerships by developing the Project China and the Sister City Societies.

    Oppose austerity and infrastructure cuts to ensure that businesses and residents can have a stable foundation to build from and invest in.

  • Empower polytechnics to create small businesses employing apprentices.

    Encourage the model set by Mondragon and better understand the fifteen-minute cities idea; reduce rates for artisan shops in the CBD.

    Investigate the value of cherishing cityscape as in Hobart, making the city more beautiful and encouraging tourism.

  • Bring all of Dunedin together, including tertiary, business and tourism, using the mayoral platform to lead Dunedin Inc. in forming a broad vision for Dunedin.

    Offer practical and real support to new ventures for Dunedin rather than slogans, as real support will be cheaper than endless seminars and reports.

    Restructure the economic development arm of the DCC by making the manager of economic development the 'sales director', a big personality to get stuff done.

  • Boost local business by slashing consent times and cutting red tape using technology to make Dunedin the most efficient city to invest in.

    Create a stable economic environment by freezing and then cutting rates through a long-term, fully funded city council.

    Deliver all planned core infrastructure in the nine-year plan to create jobs and support growth.

  • Ensure work commences on infrastructure development in water, waste and roading but review timelines and costs which seem inflated.

    Support development of Enterprise Dunedin in a restructured CCO working with local partners and sources of finance.

    Support developments which make the city attractive and safe for visitors and tourists.

  • Remove the ridiculous Dunedin City Council policies for contracts that have shut out many local firms from the $2 billion DCC spend on infrastructure work.

    Redirect the extra $24 million for attracting events at the stadium to Dunedin Airport to promote more international flights to Dunedin.

    Zone more industrial land to promote and encourage new industry as Dunedin industrial land is very expensive in relative terms.

  • Facilitate community wealth-building by supporting co-operatives, social enterprises and local procurement.

    Promote Dunedin as a national hub for game design and creative tech to attract talent, venture capital, and drive innovation.

    Support Startup Dunedin and other innovation hubs to grow local entrepreneurs and new jobs.

  • Keep infrastructure local by using local firms and making sure it is not subcontracted out to out-of-town contractors.

    Look into how the tourism industry would be impacted, including air travel, cruise ships, buses, cars and rail, and how people are able to get to Otepoti.

    Make it easier for local businesses to survive, create employment and look into alternatives for rent options.

  • Keep free parking on Sundays to support local businesses, introducing a one-hour stay limit to keep carpark turnover high.

    Support organisations that work with startup businesses like CODE, Startup Dunedin and JobDUN, and make Dunedin the easiest city to start a business in.

    Work with tertiary providers and large employers to support job creation for young people and recent graduates.

  • Foster an environment to encourage the business, tourism and education sectors to thrive and grow.

    Make much greater use of industry experts, education leaders and prominent community members at workshops and committees.

    Repurpose vacant land and buildings and incentivise new business opportunities in tourism, tech and innovation hubs.

  • Keep rates affordable and predictable so businesses can invest locally and support jobs for residents.

    Scrap council economic development schemes and redirect funds to lower rates and improve services.

    Work with local businesses to use Dunedin-based companies fairly and as a priority, without regard to race.

  • Focus on infrastructure that supports the move to renewable energy.

    Make the climate and ecological emergency the first consideration in policy discussions.

    Support tourist operators to move to sustainable employment.

  • Commit to continued infrastructure renewal and maintenance.

    Commit to environmentally sound tourism goals that promote the city but respect the precious ecosystem too.

    Support local business growth initiatives, especially in the technological space as a CODE centre.

  • Champion a circular economy that supports local materials, products and food resilience, prioritising repairing and recycling over buying new.

    Foster strong ties with tertiary providers to grow Ōtepoti as a respected education hub that keeps graduates in the local workforce.

    Uplift Ōtepoti to become a destination city for the creative arts and support state-of-the-art businesses to make a home here.

  • Encourage job creation by building a stronger economy through business support, investing in growing the economy and attracting employers.

    Raise Dunedin's profile to attract people and investment to the city, creating growth, jobs and our fair share of Government funding.

    Support business by building better relationships and partnerships, reinstating the Red Carpet project and prioritising local procurement.

  • Embed procurement practices for local businesses, prioritising sustainable, social, disabilities-led and Māori and Pasifika businesses.

    Explore funding for a worker-run supermarket or distribution hub for local retailers, eg Kapiti's food and beverage cluster.

    Require suppliers to pay the Living Wage to all employees and prioritise jobs that contribute to the economic wellbeing of communities.

  • Invest more in Dunedin marketing and the destination management plan to attract visitors, students and businesses to the city.

    Revitalise the economic development vision for Ōtepoti and deliver on it, acting quickly on this.

    Support start-up programmes and innovation in the tech area, including the Centre of Digital Excellence (CODE) and the Job Dun programme.

  • Stimulate the construction sector by expanding the council's community housing portfolio.

    Stimulate the construction sector by expanding the council's community housing portfolio.

    Support Dunedin's growing video game sector by investing in the Centre of Digital Excellence.

    Support Dunedin's growing video game sector by investing in the Centre of Digital Excellence.

    Advocate on behalf of tertiary institutions, two of our largest employers, which are facing significantly reduced public funding.

    Advocate on behalf of tertiary institutions, two of the largest employers, which are facing significantly reduced public funding.

  • Support moving economic development to a new entity with ability and responsibility to develop the city without constraint.

    Reconnect the DCC 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.

  • Invest in the city for liveability, as this attracts migrants to the city and the future growth of Ōtepoti relies on migrants.

    Protect tourism drivers of heritage and wildlife.

    Support businesses involved in the New Dunedin Hospital build through council decision-making processes, including apprenticeship schemes.

  • Control commercial and residential rates and council debt to minimise costs and liabilities.

    Keep out of areas best left to private investment, including investment in entertainment such as stadiums and other risky ventures.

    Supply efficient and reliable infrastructure for business, including parking.

  • Advocate for a circular economy to reduce reliance on imports and boost local jobs in sectors that promote sustainability.

    Publicise Dunedin's image as wildlife capital of New Zealand using ecotourism to support both local jobs and conservation efforts.

    Support local creatives through investments and funding that stimulate both the creative arts scene and local start-ups.

  • Partner with industry to create local training and apprenticeship opportunities.

    Promote sustainable tourism that benefits local communities year-round.

    Support small businesses by simplifying council processes and reducing delays and stop the DCC getting in the way.

  • Invest in more start ups around CODE as well as cooperative business models such as Yours and the Bowling Club.

    Provide a clear focus on sustainable and slow tourism through cycle trails, walkways and other active transport modes.

    Work with local business to foster a buy local initiative through more regular markets and community driven food exchange.

  • Listen to local business regarding parking and access to the CBD.

    Work collaboratively with the Otago Regional Council regarding public transport.

    Support youth employment organisations and council support around building a community that is vibrant and attracts youth and whānau.

  • Back local businesses with procurement policies that keep council spending in Dunedin whenever and wherever possible.

    Drive a Double Dunedin vision to double the city's population, jobs and exports over the next 30 years.

    Reignite JobDun and grow youth employment by connecting youngsters with paid work experience, apprenticeships and industry mentoring programmes.

  • Retain the brains we train and foster start-ups in many tech areas. As an education city we have the track record and potential to do this.

    Set up a new economic development agency to supercharge the city's growth aspirations for investment, business, jobs and income.

    Unite city stakeholders with a common goal to achieve.

  • Invest in Dunedin’s liveability as it provides a competitive advantage by focusing on what sets it apart, including nature and heritage.

    Invest in heritage, creative sector, liveability and natural assets while positioning Dunedin as an innovator in education, health and new tech.

    Move Enterprise Dunedin from being an internal unit of council to become a council-controlled organisation supported by an advisory group.

  • Capitalise on our position as the wildlife capital of New Zealand.

    Support the proposal for a CCO for growth in Dunedin.

    Work with local businesses to break down barriers to growth in the central city, listen to their concerns and act on them.

  • Advocate for the creation of Māori Purpose Zones to promote investment and economic development.

    Encourage international investment in Dunedin through partnerships by developing the Project China and the Sister City Societies.

    Oppose austerity and infrastructure cuts to ensure that businesses and residents can have a stable foundation to build from and invest in.

  • Empower polytechnics to create small businesses employing apprentices.

    Encourage the model set by Mondragon and better understand the fifteen-minute cities idea; reduce rates for artisan shops in the CBD.

    Investigate the value of cherishing cityscape as in Hobart, making the city more beautiful and encouraging tourism.

  • Bring all of Dunedin together, including tertiary, business and tourism, using the mayoral platform to lead Dunedin Inc. in forming a broad vision for Dunedin.

    Offer practical and real support to new ventures for Dunedin rather than slogans, as real support will be cheaper than endless seminars and reports.

    Restructure the economic development arm of the DCC by making the manager of economic development the 'sales director', a big personality to get stuff done.

  • Boost local business by slashing consent times and cutting red tape using technology to make Dunedin the most efficient city to invest in.

    Create a stable economic environment by freezing and then cutting rates through a long-term, fully funded city council.

    Deliver all planned core infrastructure in the nine-year plan to create jobs and support growth.

  • Ensure work commences on infrastructure development in water, waste and roading but review timelines and costs which seem inflated.

    Support development of Enterprise Dunedin in a restructured CCO working with local partners and sources of finance.

    Support developments which make the city attractive and safe for visitors and tourists.

  • Remove the ridiculous Dunedin City Council policies for contracts that have shut out many local firms from the $2 billion DCC spend on infrastructure work.

    Redirect the extra $24 million for attracting events at the stadium to Dunedin Airport to promote more international flights to Dunedin.

    Zone more industrial land to promote and encourage new industry as Dunedin industrial land is very expensive in relative terms.