Grievous location. Deathly dull. Another DCC triumph… That applies to the venue and Acklin! If the garden was physically linked (see flow) to the redeveloped Otago Settlers Museum it might have had a fighting chance, but no. Turn the site back to parking for the museum. Cut the loss. There are better ways to honour the sister city relationship we enjoy with Shanghai.
—
Cr Acklin said it was always expected the garden would not make a profit, although he refused to describe that as a loss. “It can’t be seen as a loss. This was never going to make a profit.”
### ODT Online Wed, 8 Aug 2012
Falling numbers prompt shake-up
By Chris Morris
The Dunedin Chinese Garden could be in for a shake-up as visitor numbers continue to decline, leaving ratepayers to foot more of the bill. Figures released to the Otago Daily Times yesterday showed the number of visitors has plummeted since the garden opened four years ago, from 83,000 in the first year to just 28,000 in the 2011-12 year. The decline had contributed to annual budget shortfalls that have together cost ratepayers $1.02 million, due to a council agreement to cover operating costs unable to be met by the garden.
Read more
—
Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 