he kōrero mō kā hinoka o te tāone
Projects update
We have had to make some tough decisions about how we prioritise our spending and what we do, proposing that some long-held ambitions – including the Dunedin Tunnels Trail and programmes of work to build new community housing, a performing arts theatre and new public toilets – be put on hold or not included in the draft budgets. Projects across the DCC and our business as usual activities will continue our work to reduce climate emissions, but we have decided not to invest in additional packages of work that would see us making faster progress towards our targets.
Projects that are included in the 9 year plan
Playground upgrades
Equipment has been upgraded at many playgrounds, accessibility has been increased, and some new features have been included to appeal to a wider range of people. This work will continue at the existing community playgrounds. Council has decided to develop three destination playgrounds.
Destination playgrounds are large and cater to all ages and abilities, offering something unique to attract large numbers of people, whether residents or visitors. They normally have gathering spaces, picnic and BBQ
facilities, toilets with baby change facilities, areas of shade, drinking fountains, and a variety of play equipment.
Council has allocated $5.6 million for upgrading the existing playgrounds, $11.22 million for creating the three destination playgrounds and $964,000 for other playground improvements such as basketball courts and skate slabs. This makes a combined budget of $17.78 million for playgrounds over the nine year period.
Proposed timing and budgets
- Marlow Park – design 2025/26, build 2026/27 – $4.62 million
- Woodhaugh – design 2028/29, build 2029/30 – $3.53 million
- Mosgiel – design 2031/32, build 2032/33 – $3.07 million
We will also look to work with community groups and benefactors to support fundraising to enhance the work that is planned.
Changing places bathroom
We are continuing with our decision from the 2021-31 10 year plan to install a changing places bathroom, costing $750,000. A changing places bathroom has three cubicles. One is a fully specialised facility for people with disabilities and their carers. It would be built on the site of the existing Exeloo beside the Dunedin Railway Station. The Exeloo is due for replacement.
The second cubicle will have facilities for toileting, showering, and changing for adults or children who might have more than one caregiver with them. It will be an accessible bathroom for people with disabilities.The third will be an ambulatory bathroom for people with mobility issues, but who can walk with the aid of sticks or crutches, etc.
Stadium major events funding
The council has increased funding by $2 million per year to support event attraction at the Forsyth Barr Stadium and Dunedin Centre Town Hall. The DCC provides funding, through its Events Attraction Fund, to assist in securing major events that drive greater economic benefit to Ōtepoti Dunedin and the wider community.
The events environment has changed significantly in recent years, and since Covid 19 it has become increasingly difficult to attract content, highlighting the need for additional investment. Increasing the Events Attraction Fund is one of the key outcomes of a review of the companies that own and operate the Forsyth Barr Stadium and operate the Dunedin Centre Town Hall.
Dunedin Railways Ltd
The Taieri Gorge Railway is one of New Zealand’s premier train excursions, transporting passengers on a scenic 60-kilometre journey from the historic Dunedin Railway Station through the Taieri Gorge. It is the cornerstone service provided by Dunedin Railways Ltd (DRL), which also operates excursions along the Otago coast including the Coastal Express to Waitati, The Seasider to Merton, and The Victorian to Ōamaru.
In 2020, the Council instructed Dunedin City Holdings Limited (DCHL) to place Dunedin Railways Ltd (DRL) into hibernation, in response to the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on the business. Councillors are now unanimously in favour of restoring funding to DRL so it can start the process of reinstating its sought-after services. It has directed DCHL to provide up to $2 million annually to DRL, to go towards the renewal of the Taieri Gorge rail track through to Middlemarch. There will be a corresponding reduction of $2 million in the amount of dividend that Council requests from DCHL for the next two years.
The Council sees DRL and its Taieri Gorge service as a unique and essential part of Ōtepoti Dunedin’s tourism sector. The decision made by the Council provides the opportunity for DRL to rebuild, re-engage with its pre- pandemic customers and get on track to becoming a financially sustainable business.
City projects that are not included in the 9 year plan
Community housing update
Our priority for the 936 community housing units the DCC owns is to look after the ones we have the best we can. We intend to continue our upgrade programme, modifying the units so they are drier and warmer with lower running and maintenance costs. We will also finish the housing redevelopment project we have underway, i.e., the four new units at our Fitzroy Street property. In the 10 year plan 2021-2031 had $20 million in the capital budget for building new community housing units. The new capital programme has now been paused meaning there is no money allocated to new community housing in the 9 year plan.
Public toilets
Since 2021, six new toilets have been built in Ōtepoti Dunedin, at the Exchange, Harwood Reserve, Navy Park, Tunnel Beach, Signal Hill and at Outram Glen. The DCC now has 77 public toilets around the city, sportsgrounds and playgrounds.
The $200,000 per annum allowance for the construction of new toilets that was in the 10 year plan 2021-31 has been removed. While we are not including construction of any new toilets in this 9 year plan, we will be keeping the toilets we have maintained to a high standard.
Dunedin urban cycleways tunnels trail
The DCC has been working with the Dunedin Tunnels Trail Trust (DTTT) on a plan to build a 15km cycle and walking path between Ōtepoti Dunedin and Mosgiel that will go through the Chain Hills and Caversham tunnels.
We have had to delay our funding for this project due to changes in NZTA co-funding. We still have $1 million budgeted for this project in year nine of the 9 year plan and the Council will consider resuming this project when co-funding can be secured. We will continue to work with the Dunedin Tunnels Trail Trust to make sure that the project is ready to go as soon as funding becomes available.
Our great small city project updates
Performing arts theatre
For several years we have considered various options for a performing arts venue, and we have worked alongside the community to identify and address performing arts venue needs for our city.
We have worked with the Dunedin Theatre Network to consider upgrading existing heritage theatres into modern performance venues and we have worked with Stage South to explore a new purpose-built performing arts centre.
The 2021-2031 10 year plan had $17.1 million in the capital budgets for the development of a performing arts venue. This money has been removed and is not in the 9 year plan.
We are committed to supporting the development of performing arts for our city and we will continue to work with the community on how best to do this including with the Performing Arts Community Group. We also plan to seek formal advice on options
around potential theatre ownership and partnership structures, possible operating and funding models in order to determine how the performing arts can be best supported.
Festivals and events plan
The DCC has developed a Draft 2025 Dunedin Festivals and Events Plan, which envisions Ōtepoti Dunedin as a vibrant city enriched by memorable, inclusive events.
The Draft Festivals and Events Plan aims to make the city a vibrant place to live, celebrating inclusivity and fostering a strong city identity. It sets out strategies to ensure community events are diverse and inclusive to all communities, while developing major events to increase visitor numbers, drive tourism, and stimulate economic growth.
We’ll develop a new event to celebrate the total solar eclipse in July 2028 and will continue to work with our partners to grow city events, such as the Matariki Festival, ensuring our communities have access to a diverse and inclusive calendar of events.
To support implementation of the Draft Festivals and Events Plan, we are proposing that this 9 year plan include an additional budget of $4.4 million for major and community events – $800,000 in year 2025/26 and $1.2 million for each year from 2026/27 to 2028/29. This additional funding will enable us to attract new major events to the city, bid for more events and spend more on event promotion and analysis.
Ōtepoti live music action plan
Ōtepoti Dunedin’s international reputation as a cutting- edge musical city could not have occurred without help for musicians to learn and spaces to perform. Our Ōtepoti Live Music Action Plan supports all forms of live music across the city.
The Ōtepoti Live Music Action Plan was adopted by Council in 2023 to foster long-term development of artists, audiences, live music infrastructure and the live music eco-system (venue owners, operators, promoters, event organisers, businesses, music organisations, and educators).
In 2025/26 we propose adding $137,000 annually to support initiatives that tackle familiar, ongoing challenges for live music in Ōtepoti Dunedin.
To help the music community provide and access affordable, fit-for-purpose, and safe spaces for recording, rehearsing, and performing music. The demand for free or low-cost, family-friendly, alcohol-free musical experiences has been well demonstrated by good attendance at community events such as Christmas in the Garden and Dunedin Youth Council’s Soundwave.
Budding musicians need support as they develop sustainable creative and professional practices. Music organisations and events such as the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, Otago Polyfest, Music Heals, and the Amped programme provide pathways for this development and DCC funding can help them continue.
Moana Pool upgrades
Moana Pool turned 60 years old last year, consistently providing a popular and essential service to our community for many fitness, swimming education, and health and wellbeing activities. Pools of any size require constant care. In the last three years we have upgraded areas including changing rooms, showers and meeting rooms, and seismically strengthened some walls and made ceiling and roof replacements. We had planned to replace the hydro-slides, but significant price rises led us to review this. We’ve checked their condition and they’re still safe and fit for purpose if we keep maintaining them well, so we have decided to delay replacement for now. The planned major upgrades are budgeted to cost $18.5 million over the 2025/26 and 2026/27 years, and include:
- a complete overhaul of Moana Pool’s heat recovery system to help keep power costs down, reduce condensation and improve air quality – $2.5 million in 2025/26
- more seismic strengthening – $4.6 million over the 2 years
- replacement of some main pool glazing – $3.3 million in 2026/27
- changing room upgrades – $1.9 million in 2026/27
Municipal Chambers restoration
Work is underway to restore the Municipal Chambers, breathing life back into its ageing exterior and preserving its historical significance for future generations.
The Octagon-facing Municipal Chambers building is listed as a category one heritage building and is the only substantial town hall of the Victorian period remaining in Aotearoa New Zealand that is still serving a municipal purpose.
The work requires specialist trades people employing traditional skills and materials. Together with heritage consultants, they will ensure that a quality, sustainable and faithful restoration is conducted without compromising the building’s historical character. We have $13 million in our budget to continue this work from 2025/26 to 2029/30.
Urban centres upgrade
We are proposing to start work on upgrading Ōtepoti Dunedin’s suburban centres through this 9 year plan, starting with minor amenity improvements in small centres and then undertaking more significant upgrades in larger centres. The upgrades will focus on improving the streetscape amenity of the area for local communities and businesses.
Minor amenity improvements for small centres – $1.5 million from 2025/26 to 2027/28, and 2032/33 to 2033/34
Minor amenity improvements are smaller upgrades that replace old street furniture, incorporate landscaping, and focus on improving the overall amenity of the centre for our residents. We’ve done a number of these over recent years, with examples being pocket parks in Mosgiel, the Stuart Street planted median, the design of the new roundabouts and seating in Green Island, and the roundabout improvements at Forbury and Victoria Roads. This work will be our focus for the first three years of the 9 year plan, and we have budgeted for three small upgrades over this time.
Upgrades to larger centres – $4 million from 2028/29 to 2031/32
The upgrades to the larger centres will take a similar approach to the earlier upgrades of King Edward Street and the Warehouse Precinct. In general, we will look to make modest upgrades that enhance streetscape amenity and improve safety. This may include footpath treatments, especially around crossing points and on corners, landscaping and street furniture. We’ll look for opportunities to make better use of open spaces, and we may also review bus shelters and nearby kerbing and parking management to make centres more accessible. Where possible, we’ll tie in with other planned work on the roading network or pipes. We expect to upgrade two larger centres, each taking two years. Starting these upgrades in year four of the 9 year plan will give us time to consult with our community on priorities.
Through this programme of work, we will encourage and support building and land owners to upgrade or use buildings and redevelop vacant or underutilised sites in centres. Initiatives like the Dunedin Heritage Fund can be used to support building owners to upgrade, maintain and restore historic buildings so that they contribute positively to the streetscape and identity of the centre.
Heritage Action Plan
Ōtepoti Dunedin’s built heritage is taoka that builds a connection to our past, while also providing a key economic drawcard for our city, attracting people to visit and live in Ōtepoti Dunedin. It also drives economic opportunities for businesses that make use of the city’s rejuvenated historic buildings, not least the film industry.
The Warehouse Precinct demonstrates that our historic built environment can be adapted and reused to create vibrant places for people to live, work, and play.
The DCC has a statutory role in protecting our historic places. In 2023, the Council adopted the Ōtepoti Dunedin Heritage Action Plan, incorporating a vision that Ōtepoti Dunedin is a city that treasures its heritage as a living inheritance from the past and a legacy for future generations.
The Ōtepoti Dunedin Heritage Action Plan includes a focus on encouraging the conservation of our significant built heritage and on developing proactive, supportive relationships with the owners and custodians of our heritage buildings.
The DCC’s investment in protecting Ōtepoti Dunedin’s historic architecture during tough economic times acknowledges the long-term value of heritage buildings to the city.
We propose including extra funding of $235,000 each year for 2 years in this 9 year plan.
This funding will enable us to:
- develop a database of historic places so building owners and the wider community can access this information
- commission work to identify the economic value of our city’s heritage
- continue to assess our historic places to identify buildings and places worthy of protection
- simplify processes and provide guidance to support heritage building owners
- run information sessions and establish a heritage building owners’ forum
- explore more ways to financially support heritage building owners, for example reducing development contributions and funding conservation work.