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A good kick in the groyne

A good kick in the groyne

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Similar to to the 2022 election we have had a renewed call for the construction of groynes at Ocean Beach Domain in time for the election in 2025. Very little has occurred coastally in the intervening years. Perhaps the other concern is the lack of action on wider coastal plans for areas such as Brighton, Waldronville, Tomahawk and Waikouaiti. All of these areas have issues over their management as coastal buffers to low-lying communities. Ocean Beach Domain has dominated the…

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A long way to go home

A long way to go home

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The first time I saw someone sleeping rough was in London. A bearded man slept on cardboard in a doorway of the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. It shocked me, because I had never encountered homelessness in New Zealand in the early 1990s. Thirty years later in December 2024, approximately 112,496 people, or 2.3% were severely housing deprived. Nearly 5000 people are now living without shelter, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in 2025. In Dunedin during…

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The Harbour Hang-Over

The Harbour Hang-Over

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Recently I received a message from a Peninsula resident who had been cleaning up a section of the Otago Harbour of plastic and other rubbish. Now as a keen fisherman and diver I found their efforts impressive, but it was also depressing at the amount of plastic they removed from around the harbours edge. The prevalence of plastic in the harbour that is washed up onto the tidal bays is quite significant and has become a chief villain in the…

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A Quiet Corner of the World

A Quiet Corner of the World

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Its been noticeably quiet on the Otago Peninsula  with the latest Covid-19 related lockdown and our progression into level two.  As we move into spring and the days get longer the Peninsula begins awakening and preparing for summer. Both people and animals begin to shrug off the last vestiges of winter as the lawnmower gets dusted off and birds begin their frantic nest building in garages and trees around our community. However, one thing that has not been awakened has…

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Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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