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Author: Paul on the Peninsula

My name is Paul Pope and I have lived in Portobello on the Otago Peninsula for the last 30 years. I served on the the Otago Peninsula Community Board since 2013 and have ben Chairman since 2016. I'm a community-minded problem-solver and advocate for the people and places I represent. As a practicing ecologist and project manager I've paid my dues in the outdoors, board rooms and public halls of communities across Otago. I love storytelling and photography and have a genuine interest in teaching people more about the world around them.
5 Tempat Tersembunyi (Hidden Gems) yang Mengubah Cara Saya Melihat Dunia

5 Tempat Tersembunyi (Hidden Gems) yang Mengubah Cara Saya Melihat Dunia

Perjalanan sejati bukanlah tentang seberapa banyak negara yang telah kita kunjungi, melainkan tentang seberapa banyak perspektif baru yang kita bawa pulang. Selama bertahun-tahun berkelana, saya menemukan bahwa Tempat Tersembunyi sering kali menyimpan pelajaran hidup yang jauh lebih mendalam dibandingkan destinasi wisata populer yang penuh sesak. Di sudut-sudut terpencil yang jarang terjamah oleh kamera wisatawan, saya menemukan keheningan yang memungkinkan saya untuk mendengar bisikan alam dan suara hati sendiri. Lokasi-lokasi rahasia ini menawarkan keaslian budaya dan keasrian alam yang belum tercemar…

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Opini: Mengapa Pemimpin Komunitas Harus Lebih Banyak Mendengar Alam

Opini: Mengapa Pemimpin Komunitas Harus Lebih Banyak Mendengar Alam

Dalam diskursus kepemimpinan modern, kita sering kali terlalu fokus pada angka pertumbuhan, efisiensi manajemen, dan dinamika politik antarmanusia. Namun, ada satu suara yang sering kali terabaikan dalam proses pengambilan keputusan, yaitu suara alam. Menurut opini saya, seorang Pemimpin Komunitas di tahun 2026 harus memiliki kemampuan untuk “mendengar” tanda-tanda yang diberikan oleh lingkungan sekitarnya sebelum merancang kebijakan apa pun. Alam adalah sistem yang telah berjalan sempurna selama jutaan tahun; ia memiliki logika keseimbangan yang bisa menjadi pelajaran berharga bagi pemimpin dalam…

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Pantau Cuaca Real-Time: Hubungan Iklim Mikro dan Kesejahteraan Kita

Pantau Cuaca Real-Time: Hubungan Iklim Mikro dan Kesejahteraan Kita

Kehidupan manusia modern sangat dipengaruhi oleh kondisi lingkungan sekitarnya, namun kita sering kali baru menyadarinya saat terjadi perubahan ekstrem. Memasuki tahun 2026, kemampuan untuk Pantau Cuaca Real-Time telah menjadi kebutuhan dasar yang memengaruhi keputusan kita mulai dari memilih pakaian hingga merencanakan aktivitas fisik di luar ruangan. Namun, yang sering kali terabaikan adalah pemahaman tentang iklim mikro—kondisi cuaca spesifik di area yang sangat kecil, seperti halaman rumah, lingkungan kantor, atau jalanan tempat kita sering lewat. Pemantauan yang akurat terhadap parameter cuaca…

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Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are

Winter is not my favourite season, I take no joy in the cold and darkness and if I had my way I would hibernate through it like a bear. However, with the arrival of spring my disposition changes and I become energised and optimistic once again. Spring on the Otago Peninsula though has its trials, and is best described by Mark Twain who once wrote “In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.”…

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Power to the Pupils

Power to the Pupils

Participation in local government, particularly in elections should be looked upon as one of our great shames. With only 42% of eligible New Zealand voters bothering to cast a ballot in Council elections, we only have ourselves to blame when decisions are made that we may not approve of or support. Just why we are so apathetic when it comes to voting for the people who raise our rates, dog registrations and pool fees is as mysterious as the Bermuda…

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Taking a Breather

Taking a Breather

In early May all Community Board Chairs were asked by The Star, “If you could have just one thing from your board area included in the 2020-21 Annual Plan, what would it be, and why?”  In the Board’s submission to the Dunedin City Council’s 2020 Annual Plan it was clear that we needed to adjust in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and level 3&4 lock-down. Job and business losses meant that there was likely to be hardship in the community…

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Waitangi Day at Otakou

Waitangi Day at Otakou

When you live on the Otago Peninsula you are living in a rich cultural and historical landscape that extends over the many generations whose descendants are part of our community today. The Peninsula sits on a crossroads of historical people and events that defines not only our community but gives its name Otakou to the very region we live in. I’m always reminded of this at the Waitangi Day celebrations held recently at Otakou Marae. The celebrations held every three…

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Dunedin North or South? Boundary Politics

Dunedin North or South? Boundary Politics

The New Zealand Electoral Commission has announced that the Dunedin South and North electorate boundaries are to be changed. Big deal you might say, how will this affect the Otago Peninsula? The proposal is to remove all of the Otago Peninsula from Ocean Grove to Taiaroa Head from Dunedin South electorate and add it to Dunedin North. The NZ Electoral commission are required under the Electoral Act (1993) to use a complex population formula based on our previous flawed census…

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Remembering What’s Important

Remembering What’s Important

With the Christmas holiday period fast approaching, we tend to get drawn into the whirlpool of planning family gatherings, school break ups, shopping and overloading our fridges beyond their intended capacity. Worrying whether we should have ham or chicken and will grandma be all right sleeping on a camp stretcher in the spare room removes us from some of the real issues around this period. The holiday season can be a difficult time for some families and individuals. Financial, familial…

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Having Skin In the Game

Having Skin In the Game

The debate between the Otago Peninsula community and the Otago Regional Council over the provision of bus services for school commuters has been a long and arduous one. Recently, local parent Jason Graham and I presented a petition of nearly 1000 signatures seeking three very simple things; A timetable change An additional bus to create a half hourly service like the rest of the city A minor route change that caters for all users. Over the course of the bus…

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