2013 Residents’ Opinion Survey —DCC webpage
● Residents’ Opinion Survey 2013 Report (PDF, 3.1 MB)
● Residents’ Opinion Survey 2013 Summary (PDF, 261.4 KB)
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Comment received.
Calvin Oaten
Submitted on 2013/09/04 at 8:11 pmA bit of a perusal of the survey outcomes is a bit of an upturn in almost all categories since 2012. Excuse the cynicism but could this possibly be due to it being election year? I did notice one category which hasn’t been mentioned in the media, or anywhere else for that matter. But it is there in the summary and it is the fact that ‘satisfaction with the elected council and mayor’ is way down on last year. Funny that.
Satisfaction with Council Activities (Summary, page 4)
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Meanwhile, only the good news via DCC Spooks and Allied Press…
### ODT Online Sun, 8 Sep 2013
Satisfaction may hit vote
By Dan Hutchinson – The Star
The Dunedin City Council’s just-released resident opinion survey suggests its residents are a relatively satisfied bunch – but what do the results suggest for democracy? It appears most Dunedin residents are satisfied with their council but that might not necessarily be a good thing with an election less than three weeks away. The Dunedin City Council Resident Opinion Survey released this week shows 54% of the 1212 people surveyed were satisfied with the council’s performance – up from 39% last year.
Associate Professor Janine Hayward, of the University of Otago’s Department of Politics, said high satisfaction levels were one of two main reasons for low voter turnout at elections. […] She said the other main reason was when people felt they could not change anything because they did not like the status quo.
The possible lack of interest in local government was highlighted again on Monday [last] week when the council’s six-weekly public forum was cancelled because no-one wanted to speak.
Read more
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Related Posts and Comments:
22.8.13 DCC website: Candidate profiles
16.8.13 DCC nominations —All the mops, brooms and feather dusters
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 
I attended the Mayoral Debate this afternoon in the Hutton Theatre. This is my personal take on the candidates.
1. Each candidate, as you would probably expect, had words of wisdom and words of crap. Some more, on each scale, than others.
2. Lee Vandervis and Hillary Calvert were strongest on debt and dealing with it first. Managing the debt was uppermost in their minds. Other candidates, I sensed, were still attached to their own favourite wee projects to fund.
3. Not one candidate addressed the ongoing and accummulating debt of the stadium and how to deal with it. I was going to ask each of them whether they would support an independent cost/benefit analysis of the stadium and some clear direction on what to do with the stadium problem.
4. All candidates, except Aaron Hawkins, seems to subscribe to the view that oil drilling is great because of ‘all the jobs’ and economic prosperity it will create. Another kind of ‘build it and they will come’ scenario. A la stadium? No acknowledgement of the risks… except from Aaron Hawkins of course.
We heard a lot about Taranaki. I lived there in the 1980s/early 90s and Taranaki’s economy mirrored the booms and busts of the national economy depite this being the heyday of Think Big and New Plymouth’s energy industry. I am not aware of any huge growth change in Taranaki’s population as a result of the oil industry being there.
Dave Cull was ambivalent on the question as to whether he personally supported the concept of deep sea oil drilling and gave some curt answer to a questioner who pressured him to take a stand on this.
5. I was left with the impression that few, if any, of the candidates would be prepared to ‘kill their darlings’ if required. This concerned me.
Saying all that, it takes guts to get up there and put oneself forward. It’s not an easy thing to do and in that sense I take my hat off to all of them. I am not expecting nirvana with a new council. If there is some improvement in the range of people elected that is the best we can hope for. That’s democracy.
### ch9.co.nz September 10, 2013 – 7:06pm
Mayoral candidates take their message to the people
Dunedin’s mayoral candidates took their message to the people today, with a forum that has moved from the regions to the city.
Video
[ http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/272341/key-issues-set-spur-lively-debate ]
### ch9.co.nz September 10, 2013 – 7:01pm
Councillor Syd Brow [sic] signs off
Dunedin councillor Syd Brown has joined the list of long-serving local body leaders to sign off on their careers. He followed others stepping down from the council by taking the time to reflect on a decade and a half in the role at a recent committee meeting.
Video
### ODT Online Wed, 11 Sep 2013
Mosgiel community praised
By Debbie Porteous
Mosgiel was the jewel in Dunedin’s crown, retiring member Syd Brown told Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board members recently at his last meeting after serving 15 years on the board. Cr Brown was one of several long-serving community board members to say their final farewells at meetings. The Mosgiel-Taieri board farewelled retiring members Barry Barbour (nine years), Cr Brown, Sandra Wilson (seven years) and Teresa Christie and Brian Miller (three years).
At the Saddle Hill Community Board’s last meeting, 82-year-old Ernie Ball was thanked for his 12-year contribution to the community.
Cr Colin Weatherall, who served nearly 40 years on the community board and its predecessor, urged board members to fight for what they believed in.
Mat O’Connell, who is retiring after one term on the Strath-Taieri Community Board, was also acknowledged at that board’s last meeting.
Read more
### ODT Online Wed, 11 Sep 2013
City’s debt and future main issues in debate
By Chris Morris
Battle lines were drawn as Dunedin’s mayoral candidates squared off yesterday over the future of the city and its economy. The political melee unfolded as Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull and seven rivals set out their visions for the city’s future at the Otago Chamber of Commerce-Otago Daily Times 2013 Dunedin Mayoral Forum. About 70 people were at the Otago Museum’s Hutton Theatre for the 90-minute debate, which canvassed issues of job creation, council debt and whether or not to roll out the red carpet for oil and gas companies.
Mr Cull was repeatedly forced to defend his record, and that of his council, while insisting the good work needed to continue. His rivals attempted to take a sledgehammer to his performance by attacking the council’s response to a host of issues over the past three years.
Cr Lee Vandervis insisted the city was being sucked dry by debt costs that continued to mount under Mr Cull and his ”Greater Debt Dunedin” team.
Read more
On election issues:
You have to wonder if day editor Dave Cannan (ODT 11.9.13, The Wash) is all there. Today, he says, “…I’m not sure we have any truly “biggies” in Dunedin; not that I wish to denigrate, for one second, the well-known, well-canvassed issues of mountainous debt, a lack of jobs, insufficient opportunities for the young and talented…” blah blah
What else does he need in search of rainbows ?
Will scan Lee Vandervis’ scorcher letter to the ODT editor shortly. It’s about the Auditor-general’s lack of speed with the investigation into Delta.
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### ch9.co.nz September 11, 2013 – 6:36pm
Your word on drilling off the coast of Otago
Texas oil company Anadarko has confirmed it will drill a test well off the coast of Otago in January, with mixed reaction to the news. Otago Chamber of Commerce President Peter McIntyre says the venture will provide much needed jobs for the region. However, Oil Free Otago believes it will put the region’s precious marine environment at risk.
Video
At the mayoral forum on Tuesday the (very) successful Otago businessman sitting next to me made the point that Calvin Oaten is a very good writer. If you attended you’ll know who that was. It was an evening for verys. His name wasn’t Pete.
Spot the typo in the above intro sentence. Clue. The prefix, ‘self–‘…..