Bus fire on Highgate

This afternoon……
cruise ship passengers got more than they bargained for from Ritchies.

Yep, time to upgrade the smartphone. Will check video footage.

Third photo from the top, note the bus driver has returned to the cab after passengers have evacuated.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

The Bog fire damaged . . . . (why?)

Sirens heard last night from lower Pitt Street…. ANOTHER of Dunedin’s significant heritage buildings up in flames.

WHERE THE SMOKE DETECTORS AND SPRINKLER SYSTEM

Otago Daily Times Published on Aug 2, 2015
[post] Fire at The Bog
Firefighters attend a blaze at The Bog in central Dunedin tonight.

39 Dunedin Television Published on Aug 3, 2015
Central city pub catches fire
An investigation is under way to determine the cause of a fire at a central city pub.

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### ODT Online Sun, 2 Aug 2015
Fire at central city pub
Firefighters have attended a blaze at The Bog Irish Bar in central Dunedin tonight. Crews were called about 7pm after a fire broke out in an upstairs office at the pub, on the corner of George and London Sts.
Read more

Google Street View (Nov 2009)

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Briefly, the first hotel on this site was established in 1864 as the Black Bull Hotel. Daniel White changed the name to the Royal Albert when he took over in 1879 – he opened the current hotel building in 1880.

Royal Albert Hotel building history by David Murray:
Built: 1880 / 1939
Address: 387 George Street
Architects: Louis Boldini / Stone & Sturmer
Builders: Norman Wood / D.P. Murphy

Johann Luks (1877-1879) was a German immigrant who had previously worked as a fruiterer in George Street. In late 1878 he commissioned the architect Louis Boldini to design a new hotel building, but was declared bankrupt in August 1879 before the project could go ahead. Daniel White purchased the fourteen-year lease on the property the same month, and in December was granted a license for the establishment which he gave a new name: the Royal Albert Hotel. The replacement building was erected in 1880 by contractor Norman Wood to Boldini’s plans, and completed by October. It was built of brick, with ornate cemented facades in the revived Italian Renaissance style, and made the most of a tricky triangular site. The ground floor had a bar, three sitting rooms, a dining room, and a kitchen. There were nine bedrooms and a sitting room on the first floor.

█ Read more + historical images
http://builtindunedin.com/2013/05/14/royal-albert-hotel/

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Civil Defence response to Dunedin FLOODING

Updating….
● Keep refreshing links at this page for latest information.

FRIDAY 5 JUNE

Otago Daily Times Published on Jun 4, 2015
Raw aerial video of Dunedin Flooding
Video courtesy One News.

5.6.15 ODT: Aerial video of Dunedin Flooding

VOLUNTEERS
Those wishing to volunteer their help should call DCC on 477 4000. Staff will take details and contact you when it is established what help is needed and where. DCC general manager (services and development) Simon Pickford asked that volunteers bring their own gumboots. “You are likely to be working in areas that will still have contaminated surface water, so please come prepared. Your help is most welcome, but we need to look after your welfare too. Gloves and any other clean up equipment required will be provided on site.” (ODT Link)
█ People who wanted to donate baking to volunteers were encouraged to go to the welfare centre set up at St James’ Presbyterian Church in King Edward St, South Dunedin, or to the St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club.

Civil Defence Welfare Centre
The Civil Defence Welfare Centre in South Dunedin will re-open at 10am this morning. The centre is located in the St James Presbyterian Church Hall at 393 King Edward Street, and welfare and DCC staff will be available if you need advice or assistance.

Kerbside collection
Some streets in flooded areas did not receive a glass recycling collection service yesterday. Kerbside collections will take place as normal today so long as trucks can access streets. Streets missed yesterday including yellow bins on Portobello Road will also be serviced today if trucks can get access. Please put bins and bags out again this morning. Any missed collections where streets cannot be accessed today will be serviced on Saturday.

Rubbish skips
The Dunedin City Council has provided seven skips in the South Dunedin area so that residents can get rid of their flood related rubbish. The skips are located at Hargest Crescent, Surrey Street (2), Macandrew Road (2), Bayview Road (2), and Baker Street (Caversham) by the church.
The existing skips that have been deployed will be changed out from time to time and will also be available over the weekend. Please use these skips for large rubbish only (furniture, carpets etc.) Two more skips are on standby as and when other areas are identified.

Extra rubbish collection – South Dunedin
An extra rubbish collection will be done in South Dunedin today. Any smaller rubbish can be left kerbside. If you can bag it, do so. It does not need to be in a DCC bag today.

Manhole covers
With the recent flooding a number of manhole covers have lifted. If you spot a manhole with a missing cover please contact us with the location details so we can fix this. If you can safely move a smaller cover that has come to rest nearby back in to its rightful place, please do so. Larger (and heavier) manhole covers we will reinstall so please contact us with their location details.

Tracks closed
Parts of Ross Creek Track, the Bullock Track (from Prospect Park to Willowbank) and tracks at Frasers Gully and Meremere Reserve have been closed.

Volunteering
If you are keen to volunteer with the cleanup, please phone the DCC call centre on 477 4000. Customer Services Agency staff will take your details and contact you when it is established what help is needed and where.

Dunedin road closures
As of 10am the following roads were closed:
Portobello Rd – Doon St to Macandrew Bay to clear trees at the Cove. Detour over Castlewood Rd.
Upper Junction Rd – from Mt Cargill Rd to Brick Hill Rd.
Henley Rd.
Highcliff Rd – from Camp Rd To Portobello.
Queens Dr – from Chamberlain St to Como St.
Riccarton Rd – SH87 to Tirohanga Rd.
Portobello Rd – Beaconsfield to Beaconsfield Rd.
Waitati Valley Rd – Ford at RP6800 to end.
Gladfield Rd – Bush Rd to Dukes Rd.
Flagstaff/Whare Flat Rd – Pineapple Track to Silverstream Valley Rd.

Highway closures
As of 10.30am the following highways were closed:
State Highway 90, Pomahaka River Bridge, Glenkenich (flooding and flood damage)
State Highway 1, Concord (slip; southbound offramp is closed)

█ Read more at ODT

****

THURSDAY 4 JUNE

The flooding in Dunedin is now being described as a one-in-100-year event with about 175 millimetres of rain falling in 24 hours.

Civil defence welfare centre
Emergency services and the Dunedin City Council are urging Dunedin residents whose houses are affected by flooding to contact the DCC on 477 4000.
A civil defence welfare centre has been set up in South Dunedin at the St James Presbyterian Church at 393 King Edward Street. Those needing information and advice can talk to DCC staff and local welfare agency staff at the centre.

ODT: Dunedin flooding – latest updates
Read full article; some excerpts below.

● ODT Photo Gallery: Dunedin’s flood
Scenes from yesterdays flooding around Dunedin.

—

All householders are urged to follow the steps outlined by emergency services on how to protect you and your family or friends after flooding:

Skips provided in South Dunedin
The DCC is providing five skips in the South Dunedin area so people can get rid of their flood related rubbish.
The skips are expected to be delivered by mid afternoon and will be located at Hargest Crescent, Surrey Street (2) and Macandrew Road (2). Five more skips are on standby as and when other areas are identified.

Power restored to 150 customers
Aurora Energy advises that power was restored to all 150 consumers in Woodland Avenue, Kinmont Crescent and Gebbie Street in East Taieri at 11:45am and safety checks have been completed.
Power was disconnected yesterday evening to ensure the safety of the public.
Power has also been restored to consumers in Poulters Road (Leith Valley).
Power remains out to around 8 consumers in Shetland Street (Wakari). Delta crews are on site and making repairs.

17 Dunedin roads remain closed
Dunedin City Council staff have been out all night attending to road closures slips and flooding.
While many areas of town still have significant flooding issues much of our roadway is clear for traffic with care.
All city roads are open but with minor slips and detours in place.
Please note severe flooding in South Dunedin.
█ Latest road information

Dunedin bus services update
Concord services are now operating to normal schedule.
All other bus services are operating to normal schedules except the following:
Portobello services are travelling along Highcliff Road and Castlewood St to and from Macandrew Bay and then onto Portobello as usual
St Kilda services are travelling directly to St Kilda via Prince Albert St to avoid surface flooding on Bayview Road and Richardson St
█ For more information please contact the bus call centre on 03 474 0287.
(see ORC online bus alerts)

—

█ DCC Website for FLOOD INFORMATION updates

█ Otago Regional Council website for flooding and river level updates.
Residents can also visit water.orc.govt.nz, call 0800 426 463 or receive flood alerts via Twitter.

—

ODT Record rainfall: city awash – with safety information, including:

SCHOOLS
All primary and intermediate schools, and DKA Dunedin Kindergartens from Mosgiel to Port Chalmers to Waikouaiti are closed today, the Otago Primary Principals Association said.
Taieri College, Kings High School and Queens High School are also closed.
Otago Polytechnic’s campus remains open.

BUSES
█ Alerts: ORC Dunedin Bus Services Advisory – Thursday 4 June 9.30am

RUBBISH COLLECTION
The Dunedin City Council said kerbside rubbish collection would be done this afternoon for areas missed yesterday.
If access is unavailable to the contractors, they will finish collection tomorrow morning.

REST HOMES AND HOSPITALS (via RNZ)
The Southern District Health Board says there are no planned changes to patient clinics or surgery today.
On Wednesday, the Radius Fulton rest home on Hillside Road was evacuated, with staff looking for alternative accommodation for about 75 people.

ODT: ‘One in 100-year-flood’
ODT: Record rainfall: city awash
ODT: Wild weather eases, temperatures to drop in South
ODT: Flooding victim resigned to losing his home
ODT: Road ‘disappeared’
ODT: Heading for dry ground
ODT: Cold, dark vigil after power cut
ODT: S. Dunedin flood worst for many
ODT: Wet, wet, wet [photos]
ODT: Northeast Valley resident looks out to see ‘canyon’

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█ DCC website – Phone 03 477 4000

Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Road conditions update

This item was published on 04 Jun 2015

Emergency services and the Dunedin City Council have moved into recovery mode after heavy rain yesterday. All city roads are open but with minor slips and detours in place, but please note there is severe flooding in South Dunedin.

Dunedin City Council Roading Maintenance Engineer Peter Standring says rain continued through the night to 2am in the morning. DCC crews and contractors worked through the night attending to road closures slips and flooding.

“While many areas of town still have significant flooding issues much of our roadway is clear for traffic with care. All city roads are open but with minor slips and detours in place.”

For the most up to date information on closures around our main roads please look on the DCC website.

But please note the following information about roads

● Portobello Rd. – (Macandrew Bay to Dunedin) is closed due to numerous slips , please detour via Castlewood Rd and Highcliff Rd.

● Highcliff rd – is blocked by numerous slips north of Sandymount Rd.

● Brighton Rd. (Green Island to Brighton)- is open with care , watch out for surface flooding ,slips and debris .

● Kaikourai Valley rd – is still blocked at Burnside due to flooding.

● Saddle Hill Rd / Scroggs Hill Rd closed between McMaster Rd & Law Rd due to slips

● State Highway 1 -( Mosgiel to Dunedin) is clear , minor surface flooding .

● Three Mile Hill – flooding has receded and road is open for traffic.

● SH 1 Waitati to Allanton – no restrictions. Surface flooding receding from Andy Bay lights (north bound).

● SH 88 Dunedin to Port Chalmers – Flooding, minor slips. Closed at Sawyers Bay rail over bridge. Cars & light vehicles to follow detour route through Sawyers Bay, flooded area ok for heavy vehicles to pass.

● SH 87 Mosgiel – Flooding has receded from the shopping precinct. Surface flooding at Hagart Alexander Drive intersection.

● SH 87 – No events reported through the night from TREIS. Inspection being undertaken now. Update at 0700 hrs.

● SH 85 Palmerston to Kyeburn – Flooding, Snow/Ice, no restrictions.
● SH 1 Milton – Flooding 1km south of Milton. Closed to light vehicles, no detour route. Ok for 4wds & heavy vehicles to pass.

● The south bound motorway off ramp/link from Lookout Point to Stevenson Rd, Concord has a slip blocking the carriageway. We have closed this road. I’d estimate about 100cu of material. It’s blocking 75% of the carriageway and is located approx. 300m uphill from the Stevenson Rd intersection.

“Motorists need to drive carefully and should expect delays getting to school and work.”

Key messages for the public are:
● Where possible, avoid driving or walking through flooded areas
● If you do have to drive, please drive carefully and be prepared for damaged roads
● There have been some sewage overflows. To keep safe please avoid coming into contact with surface water as it may be contaminated with sewage. If you do come into contact with floodwaters, make sure you wash and dry your hands thoroughly
● All DCC water supplies are safe to drink. However, users of privately owned water bores should check their security for surface water intrusion and if concerned shut down the bore head and use stored water
● Always treat all electricity lines and equipment as live at all times and keep well clear.
● Call emergency services in first instance if you are involved in an emergency situation.
● Please don’t go sightseeing
● If you have to evacuate your house please secure as best you can before leaving.

DCC staff and contractors, and emergency services have been working hard to deal with a wide variety of issues around the wider Dunedin area.

█ For the most up-to-date road conditions visit http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/road-conditions. This includes any state highway closures that affect traffic around the wider DCC area.

You can also visit
Dunedin City Council Facebook Page
Dunedin City Council Twitter Page
MetService for Dunedin
NZ Get Thru

Contact DCC on 477 4000.

—

Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Dunedin recovery response underway after deluge

This item was published on 04 Jun 2015

Emergency services and the Dunedin City Council are urging Dunedin residents whose houses are affected by flooding to contact the DCC on 477 4000.

A civil defence welfare centre has been set up in South Dunedin at the St James Presbyterian Church in King Edward Street. Those needing information and advice can talk to DCC staff and local welfare agency staff at the centre.

All schools in the Dunedin are closed today, for further information contact your school.

All householders are urged to follow the steps outlined by emergency services on how to protect you and your family or friends after flooding:
● Keep children and pets out of any affected area until cleanup has been completed.
● Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves during cleanup of affected area.
● After contact with any floodwater or contaminated objects, wash your hands with soap and warm water.
● Remove and discard items that cannot be washed and disinfected (such as, mattresses, carpeting, carpet padding, rugs, upholstered furniture, cosmetics, stuffed animals, baby toys, pillows, foam-rubber items, books, wall coverings, and most paper products). If you cannot dispose of them immediately then bag them (if possible) and put them aside for later disposal.
● Thoroughly clean all hard surfaces (such as flooring, concrete, wood and metal furniture, countertops, appliances, sinks, and other plumbing fixtures). First, wash surfaces with soap and warm, clean water to remove dirt. Next, sanitize surfaces with household bleach. Read and follow the safety instructions on any product you use.
● Wash all clothes worn during the cleanup in hot water and detergent. These clothes should be washed separately from uncontaminated clothes and linens.
● Wash clothes contaminated with flood or sewage water in hot water and detergent.
● Discard any contaminated food: food that has been in contact with flood water or food that has been in a refrigerator or freezer that has been affected by the flood water. Tinned food will be okay but the outside of the can may be contaminated.
● Seek immediate medical attention if you become injured or ill.
● Below are the most important safety guidelines when using sanitizing products:
● Never mix bleach with ammonia or any other cleaner.
● Wear gum boots, rubber gloves, and eye protection.
● Try not to breathe in product fumes. If using products indoors, open windows and doors to allow fresh air to enter.

Key messages for the public are:
● Where possible, avoid driving or walking through flooded areas
● If you do have to drive, please drive carefully and be prepared for damaged roads
● There have been some sewage overflows. To keep safe please avoid coming into contact with surface water as it may be contaminated with sewage. If you do come into contact with floodwaters, make sure you wash and dry your hands thoroughly
● All DCC water supplies are safe to drink. However, users of privately owned water bores should check their security for surface water intrusion and if concerned shut down the bore head and use stored water
● Always treat all electricity lines and equipment as live at all times and keep well clear.
● Call emergency services in first instance if you are involved in an emergency situation.
● Please don’t go sightseeing
● If you have to evacuate your house please secure as best you can before leaving.

DCC staff and contractors, and emergency services have been working hard to deal with a wide variety of issues around the wider Dunedin area.

For the most up-to-date information please visit:

Dunedin City Council Facebook Page
Dunedin City Council Twitter Page
MetService for Dunedin
NZ Get Thru

Contact DCC on 477 4000.

****

WEDNESDAY 3 JUNE

DCC Manager Civil Defence Neil Brown said while Civil Defence has been activated to monitor and co-ordinate, a civil defence emergency had not been called at this stage.

More heavy rain that has flooded parts of Dunedin is forecast overnight, with the council warning the situation could get worse before it gets better.

Power has been cut to 150 houses in East Taieri as a safety measure, and Aurora Energy is warning others may be affected. “We anticipate that further urgent disconnections of power supply in Dunedin may be required in the interests of public safety. Dunedin electricity consumers should be prepared in the event of power outages,” an Aurora Energy spokesman said.

### ODT Online Wed, 3 Jun 2015
Civil defence response to Dunedin flooding
A civil defence response has been activated in Dunedin amid torrential rain which has caused widespread flooding, including sewage on the streets.
A Dunedin City Council spokesman said emergency services were now working together out of the civil defence bunker in central Dunedin to coordinate their response to multiple flooding events across the city.
Dunedin City Council civil defence manager Neil Brown said in the 24 hours up to about 3pm, about 90mm to 95mm of rain had fallen in the Dunedin area.
“To put that into perspective, overnight we may get another between 80mm and 100mm, according to the forecast. So really we are about halfway in terms of the volume we have experienced over the city.”
Read more + Photos

—

█ DCC webpage

Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Widespread Flooding Posing Problems

This item was published on 03 Jun 2015

South Dunedin, Kaikorai Valley and parts of Mosgiel, the Brighton Coast and the Taieri Plain have been hardest hit by heavy rain and flooding.

Dunedin City Council staff and contractors, and emergency services are busy dealing with flooding that is knee deep in isolated areas.

As at 1.30pm, seven roads around the wider Dunedin area are closed.

Key messages for the public are:
● Where possible, avoid driving or walking through floodwaters, particularly those that may be contaminated with wastewater
● If you do have to drive, please drive carefully and be prepared for widespread surface flooding
● There are going to be a lot of motorists on the road trying to get home, so we ask drivers to be patient and allow plenty of time for travel
● Check on your neighbours, especially if they are elderly or have young children
● The water supply is safe to drink

DCC Manager Civil Defence Neil Brown says Civil Defence has been activated to monitor and co-ordinate, but a civil defence emergency had not been called at this stage.

DCC Roading Maintenance Engineer Peter Standring says heavy rain since early today has caused widespread flooding and the rain was not expected to ease any time soon. According to Otago Regional Council data, more than 60mm of rain had fallen at Pine Hill in the 24 hours to 12.40pm today.

“The sheer amount of rain means our stormwater system is at capacity and the roading network is under pressure. We are monitoring what is happening and assisting wherever we can.”

Foul sewer contamination has forced the closure of the Hargest Crescent area. This could become an issue for other areas.

DCC Water and Waste Network Contracts Manager Mike Ind says stormwater and foul sewers in the Hillside Road/Surrey Street areas were at capacity at 10.30am today. The Fire Service was pumping water from the Fulton Home property on Hillside Road. DCC staff and Civil Defence have helped with the provision of additional flood barriers.

The Fire Service reports its appliances and personnel are fully committed.

Mr Standring says the severe weather warning for Dunedin is still in place. One of the major upcoming concerns is high tide, due late afternoon, which may have an impact on the water draining away.

█ For the most up-to-date road conditions visit http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/road-conditions. This includes any state highway closures that affect traffic around the wider DCC area. People can also look at the Highgate web cam and others around the city.

█ Contact Peter Standring, DCC Roading Maintenance Engineer on 027 514 1617.

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### ODT Online Wed, 3 Jun 2015
Heavy snow to 500m possible
By Carla Green
A severe rain warning for Clutha and Dunedin may culminate in heavy snow falling to 500m in Otago today, a MetService meteorologist says.
The warning predicted “accumulations may reach 80mm to 100mm about the hills and ranges over an 18-hour period, which is a significant amount of rain for the [Clutha and Dunedin] area”.
The rain was expected to develop early this morning, and clear by Friday, meteorologist Emma Blades said. Snow was expected above 500m from this afternoon to tomorrow morning.
Read more

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Flood Videos:

█ 39 Dunedin News: Flooding strikes Dunedin
With much of Dunedin under water, emergency personnel are preparing for a busy night. Dozens of roads are closed due to flooding, and residents are being urged to limit travel. And for one local, the rain is already proving costly.

█ ONE News – Live Updates: Rain continues to flood Dunedin, with 126mm in the last 14 hours

█ 3 News – Dunedin ‘hammered’ by surface flooding

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### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 22:23, June 3 2015
Flooding wreaks havoc in Dunedin video
By Hamish McNeilly and Michael Daly
Large parts of Dunedin are underwater as heavy rainfall cause chaos in the city.

More than 400 emergency calls were made during the severe flooding in Dunedin on Wednesday, the Fire Service said.

The army had been helping volunteers desperately sandbag 100 houses in the Dunedin seaside suburb of St Kilda as water threatened to devastate the properties. All of the Dunedin Fire Service’s vehicle fleet had been called out, including part of its reserve fleet and the Dunedin Rural Fire Service, a Southern Fire communications spokesman said.
Read more + Video + Safety Information

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Surprise!* Farry’s f.u.b.a.r. Stadium not attracting first year Efts

BLUNDER CITY #DUD —AND THE STADIUM REVIEW AIN’T NO HELP

Ivy League Assaults: Dumber and Dumber due to UE failure, drunkenness, fires, civil disorder, better campus and study offerings up north and overseas?

AWAIT UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO PRONOUNCEMENTS AFTER THE MARCH MEETING OF THE HALLOWED UNIVERSITY COUNCIL

A ‘PUBLIC RELATIONS EPIC’ IS EXPECTED

### ODT Online Tue, 10 Mar 2015
University roll worry realised
By Timothy Brown
Fears of University of Otago first-year student numbers falling for the first time since 2011 appear to be realised, with “serious” vacancies at Knox College and Salmond College. About 10% of beds at the two non-university run colleges remain vacant and the Otago University Students’ Association revealed, earlier this year, the University of Otago could face a drop in first-year student numbers.
Read more

Both Knox and Salmond have undergone recent building upgrades and provide excellent pastoral care in quiet settings – who then, would choose a university-owned rough-house college if you were serious about career education.

What sort of undergrad student is the University of Otago attracting nowadays? Party animals? Generation Zero lefties? Discount ivy-leaguers (Kiwi-Asian style)? And how come accommodation at college halls is so steep? It’s an obscene weekly cost if mummy and daddy aren’t paying, so yes, way better(?) to camp out in the grunge and gunge flats of Studentville —or hey, move up the hill to sink the tone of City Rise, look at all those “historic-kick-apart” villas and mansions, incredibly suited to Face Book parties and upsetting middle class owner-occupiers next door. Cripes, at each former family or professional home there’s room to park “6 cars!”, yes, the cash-cow landlords will happily (just ask) destroy established 100-year-old plantings and gardens to lay down asphalt.

Welcome to ‘Absolutely Beautiful’, Dunedin. Welcome to the student ghettos, the broken streetscapes…. smashed bottles, lingering trash, burnt furniture, bouncing basketballs (all hours, Really Dumb like that), drying vomit and worse, weeds, untrimmed trees and hedges, a few kicked-in fences, more asphalt, flaking paint at once proud residences, stickering with satellite dishes and heat pumps, strings of poorly washed laundry draping house fronts. But who can forget the “Dunedin Sound”, of nights, drunken male yahoos, uncoordinated white trash hakas and ‘young girl’ screams, passion or torture, hard to tell. 111.

THIS is, Dunedin FOR Education.
Student loans FOR Banks and Slum Landlords.
Google Images: “castle street hyde street dunedin”

And Harlene, next! Frat Life starts in on St Leonards – just a quick ride from your Ivy League of diminished offerings, that overpriced BA, BCom or BSc.

—

Related Posts and Comments:
18.2.15 University of Otago: Toga Party 2015 #video
16.2.15 University of Otago can’t beat broadcast news and social media #image
18.12.14 University of Otago —um Harlene, what you sellin’ now, girl?
12.8.14 Cameras in North Dunedin
1.8.14 University Partyville, North Dunedin: Put the cameras in ~!!
16.7.14 Stadium: Out of the mouths of uni babes…. #DVML
30.4.14 Octagon mud
22.3.14 Dunedin North care less filthy slum
19.3.14 Dunedin North drunks
15.2.14 University of Otago: Starter questions for Harlene
10.2.14 University of Otago major sponsor for Highlanders
19.8.13 Cull on senility (firing up graduates)
25.3.13 UoO: NEGATIVE PRESS: Weekly disorder in Dunedin campus area
20.2.12 University of Otago student orientation
17.2.12 Salvation Army: The Growing Divide
17.12.11 Stadium + Cull love = University of Otago + OUSA party
23.11.11 Judge Oke Blaikie finally said it
9.11.11 DCC has PR problem

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Hype O’Thermia’s whole Guy story

Received Sat, 8 Nov 2014 at 10:18 a.m.

—

Please to remember
new
Submitted by Hype.O.Thermia on Sat, 08/11/2014 – 1:07am.

“We’re not “celebrating” Mr Fawkes as a hero. We’re celebrating the fact that he failed to destroy parliament, failed to institute an absolutist monarch.”
Back in the distant days of my childhood the connection with Mr Fawkes and the night of fireworks was clear. We had bonfires, we gathered wood for it and built it up, kids being told by adults, and you don’t just chuck sticks in the direction of the pile, there’s a right way to do these things. And we had a guy, trousers and shirt and a round head-shaped bundle with a hat on top if someone’s Dad could be persuaded to part with an old one. So the story of Guy Fawkes was told, short and medium and long versions, and we knew from kids’ stories that English kids trundled their guy around the neighbourhood and people gave them money in response to their call, “Penny for the guy?”

Safety has ruled out all but the most rigidly organised public Guy Fawkes nights. We can’t have our own bonfires among friends, so there’s nowhere to burn a guy, so they don’t get made and the story has died or, as is seen in comments, misunderstood as celebrating Guy Fawkes, hero. Many popular types of fireworks have been outlawed for reasons of safety, only for the law of unintended consequences to kick in. Manufacturers added ear-shattering noise to replace the banned excitements.

In country areas the bonfire could be 2 or 3 neighbours’ shared festivity, or in a nearby town the Lions or some other group might organise a big bonfire for all comers, and Plunket sold hot dogs and cuppas to raise funds. Everyone would bring along their own fireworks, little kids waved sparklers, older kids lit strings of crackers and threw them at each other and laughed when the target leapt in shock at the bangs at his feet.

Next day we kids scoured the scuffed area around the charcoal and ashes looking for fireworks whose fuse had gone out, and the greatest prize: an untouched one that someone might have dropped in the dark. This was before daylight saving, we stayed up way past our usual bedtimes, but after all this was a special occasion, only once a year.

The ratio of injury to activity was pretty good, from memory. Especially with the private family bonfires, there was a great deal of scouring for dry branches and dragging them to the bonfire site, everyone had to physically do something. In the process we tended to get our ears bent about bonfires and matches and dry grass and how easily fire could spread, and the importance of having water buckets and a hose if it would reach, and sacks to wet if there had been no rain for a while and there could be sparks into dry vegetation.

Perhaps fireworks do need to be removed permanently from sale to the public, because so many of the public are no longer in touch with real practical elements of life such as safe outdoor fires, urban digital competence is a whole different knowledge set from what we grew up surrounded by when I was thrilled by November 5th, some double happies and being allowed to light one of the rockets, reminded of the checking procedure, where is it pointing, and is the bottle it’s sitting in well-seated so it won’t tilt?

[abridged at ODT Online]

Images:
● Lake Okareka Volunteer Rural Fire Force 2014 [okarekarural.fire.com]
● Sparklers, CrispNZ Trips [cris.lovell-smith.com]

__________________________________

█ NZ Herald 31.10.14

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█ The Economist 4.11.14

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Vegetation fire contained at Woodside, Outram

███ Evacuees were advised to go to the Outram Presbyterian Church Hall on Holyhead Street. –Police

Updated post 2.11.14 at 7:18 p.m.

“The New Zealand Fire Service and the Otago Rural Fire Authority have done a great job with protecting … houses today.”

Helicopters with monsoon buckets had been flying overhead all morning and appeared to have contained the fire. By early afternoon it had spread across about 60 hectares of land. Shortly after 2pm, Fire Service spokeswoman Rachel Butler said the blaze was “contained but probably not under control”.
By early evening rain had started to fall, easing conditions.

### stuff.co.nz Last updated 14:52 02/11/2014
Dunedin scrub fire ‘out of control’
By Blair Ensor and Wilma McKay
Land owners evacuated from the scene of an out of control fire west of Dunedin believe the likely cause is re-ignition of a controlled farm burn-off more than a month ago.
Michael and Annette Harrex, who have 2000 acres at Woodside in the hills above near Outram, spent this morning at an evacuation point near the blaze, watching nervously as it threatened their neighbours’ homes.
“We were burning five or six weeks ago and we’ve had a lot of rain in between,” Michael Harrex said. “There was no thought anything could happen. Probably with the high wind overnight, it’s just blown an ember into gorse.”
Harrex said the fire was spreading into trees behind neighbours’ homes.
“It’s obviously extremely stressful for everyone. There are people up there that have obviously had to get out of their houses. it’s just the concern of what might happen.”
Read more + Video

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### tvnz..co.nz updated 11:35
Published: 8:49AM Sunday November 02, 2014
Gorse fire continues to rage out of control in rural Dunedin
Source: ONE News
An out of control gorse fire continues to threaten several homes in the rural area of Outram near Dunedin. The fire, which is currently covering 60 hectares of land in the Maungatua Ranges, is being fanned by strong winds and has come within 20 metres of one farm house.
Fire fighters have been battling the blaze all morning and have sent in five helicopters as they have been unable to reach it on the ground.
Principal Rural Fire Officer Stephanie Rotarangi says they have the front closest to the houses under control but are still working on the rest of the fire.
Read more + Video

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### ODT Online Sun, 2 Nov 2014
Strong winds fan Otago fires
Firefighters have several battles in their hands in Otago this morning as strong winds fan vegetation fires near Outram and Ettrick.
Emergency services continue to fight a massive vegetation fire near Outram, about 30km from Dunedin, which has caused three homes to be evacuated.
Police said the fire was burning strongly along the ridge of the Maungatua hill range and was being fanned by strong wind gusts.
Read more + Photos/Video

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

University Partyville, North Dunedin: Put the cameras in ~!!

“We’ve earned the right to live away from home and live by ourselves and do what we want and I don’t think we should be baby-sat or monitored,” Ms Walker said. Students “should be able to be stupid on the weekend” and the situation had improved from previous years. –Maddy Walker (21), student

“If you look at the costs to city council every year of holes burnt in Leith St, Hyde St, Dundas St … some years it’s been $600,000.” –Cr Lee Vandervis

### ODT Online Fri, 1 Aug 2014
Call for north end cameras
By Vaughan Elder
A Dunedin city councillor is calling for video surveillance of the student quarter as a way of preventing out-of-control vandalism. The call for surveillance from Cr Lee Vandervis was not welcomed by north end residents and students spoken to yesterday, who said such a move would be an invasion of privacy. Cr Vandervis said video surveillance in the Octagon worked well and there was no reason why it could not be successfully employed in North Dunedin. “I believe we need to have some cameras up and we need to have a few prosecutions.”
Read more

Related Posts and Comments:
16.7.14 Stadium: Out of the mouths of uni babes…. #DVML
22.3.14 Dunedin North care less filthy slum
19.3.14 Dunedin North drunks
15.2.14 University of Otago: Starter questions for Harlene
10.2.14 University of Otago major sponsor for Highlanders
19.8.13 Cull on senility (firing up graduates)
31.5.13 University of Otago development plans
25.3.13 University of Otago: NEGATIVE PRESS: Weekly disorder…
20.2.12 University of Otago student orientation
17.12.11 Stadium + Cull love = University of Otago + OUSA party
23.11.11 Judge Oke Blaikie finally said it

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: (from top) stuff.co.nz, stuff.co.nz, wikimedia.org – North Dunedin

Dunedin North care less filthy slum

—– Original Message —–
From: Jeff Dickie
To: Elizabeth Kerr
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2014 5:45 PM
Subject: Sunday in the slums of North Dunedin

Hi Elizabeth, your comments re the new hotel [“Cull’s Cockup”, the new “Farry’s Folly”] are very good and congratulations on the National Radio coverage.

In the next day or so I’d like to post something on your Whatif site regarding the implications of the DCC neglecting core business and services. We’ve watched as the North End has transformed from an integrated community combining residents and students to an intensely populated and filthy slum. Largely as a result of poor planning by the DCC and University. I took these photos on Sunday, 16 March.

While Dave preens himself in front of the mirror and is distracted by the latest snake oil salesmen, there are some very serious social issues developing.

Regards, Jeff

—

George Street

Castle Street

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Related Post and Comments:
19.3.14 Dunedin North drunks
15.2.14 University of Otago: Starter questions for Harlene
10.2.14 University of Otago major sponsor for Highlanders
25.3.13 University of Otago: NEGATIVE PRESS: Weekly disorder…
20.2.12 University of Otago student orientation
17.12.11 Stadium + Cull love = University of Otago + OUSA party
23.11.11 Judge Oke Blaikie finally said it

For more, enter *university* or *campus* in the search box at right.

Dunedin North drunks

Mr Gable stressed not all the partygoers exhibited bad behaviour, with others trying to calm the more aggressive young men.

### ODT Online Wed, 19 Mar 2014
Man attacked by St Patrick’s revellers
By Hamish McNeilly
A Dunedin man says he had his shirt ripped, glasses pulled off his face and his car’s wing mirror yanked off after he confronted drunken St Patrick’s Day revellers who were urinating on his property. Walking from work to his Malvern St home, Chris Gable encountered a large crowd of green-clad revellers in the area of the former Woodhaugh Hotel, about 5pm on Monday. […] He later had to leave the property, and while he was away, his neighbour, Jeff Dickie found an estimated 40 people on Mr Gable’s section, including some bouncing on his trampoline and others urinating on his property.
Read more

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Figures released under the Official Information Act show the Fire Service recorded 586 nuisance fires in the North Dunedin student area between February 20, 2009, and February 20, 2014. Of those, 179 were recorded last year – compared with 77 in 2009.

### ODT Online Wed, 19 Mar 2014
Student fires dampened
By Hamish McNeilly
Nuisance fires in the student quarter hit a five-year high last year, with Castle St the area’s top hot spot. To dampen fire threats, the Fire Service, police, University of Otago and Dunedin City Council have taken a zero tolerance approach to such fires in the city. Fire Service East Otago area manager Laurence Voight said that approach, coupled with fire prevention activities during Orientation Week appeared to have ”reduced the unwanted behaviour”.
Read more

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Meanwhile Vice-chancellor Harlene Hayne, on advice received from the likes of Stuart McLauchlan and John Ward (did we mention Mayor Cull?), ‘decides’ the University of Otago should sponsor, yes, the ‘drinking culture’ that attends a professional but barely coherent and losing rugby team, The Highlanders. Some things are cumulative by fragile branding connection… a marketing marriage borne in heaven: A GREAT EXAMPLE TO ALL. This, a ‘subtle’ buttering device, before the DCC’s Stadium gets offloaded to the University for nothing, and Hail Mary/Harlene! the University doesn’t have to pay rates.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

University of Otago: NEGATIVE PRESS: Weekly disorder in Dunedin campus area

● Unacceptable student and non-student behaviour ● Vice-chancellor Harlene Hayne’s bid to bring students into line fails ● Dunedin’s multi-agency approach to campus area unrest not working

[Archives: newzeeland.wordpress.com]

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### ODT Online Mon, 25 Mar 2013
Students blame authorities
By Rosie Manins and Eileen Goodwin
Drunken disorder in the student quarter is being exacerbated by police and council intervention, university students and Castle St residents say, citing a Saturday night incident as a classic example. At least one private Castle St party was shut down by a Dunedin City Council noise control officer about 10pm, forcing people out of the flat, on to the street.

$$$ ● About 300 people had gathered on the street by 11pm, when four Dunedin firefighters arrived in an appliance to extinguish two couch fires.
$$$ ● The size of the crowd prompted them to call for a back-up appliance and crew from Roslyn, as well as for police attendance.
$$$ ● At the same time, four Willowbank firefighters in an appliance were called to a Dundas St mattress fire.
$$$ ● They were finished in time to respond as back-up in Castle St, so the Roslyn crew was stood down, then immediately called out to back up a St Kilda crew, attending a fire in Harrow St.
$$$ ● In total, seven furniture fires were extinguished in the student area on Saturday night.
$$$ ● More than a dozen police officers, including a dog handler and two paddy wagon crews, arrived in Castle St to disperse the crowd about midnight.

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull said if people’s behaviour on private property was excessive and had to be curtailed, it made no sense for them to assume such behaviour in public was acceptable.
Read full article

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[Archives: newzeeland.wordpress.com]

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What do we think of OUSA…
Close down the Hyde St party never to return?

### ODT Online Sun, 24 Mar 2013
Moves to increase safety at Hyde St keg party
By Vaughan Elder
The Otago University Students’ Association has settled on a range of measures to make this year’s Hyde St keg party safer, including a ”one-way” policy from as early as 2pm. An estimated 5000 people attended last year’s party, which was marred by 15 arrests, the collapse of a roof overloaded with partygoers and 80 people requiring treatment by St John. The OUSA has been looking at ways to make this year’s April 13 party safer. OUSA president Francisco Hernandez said apart from limiting numbers, it had settled on a range of measures, including a ”one-way door” policy, with non-resident party-goers who leave the street barred from returning. It was also looking at making it a 10am to 5pm party, he said.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Emergency services: do you hub all the eggs, adding risk?

Fire Service Southern region manager Stu Rooney plans to talk to St John and other “sister agencies to find out whether doing something together is a far better use of public and/or private funds”.

### ODT Online Thu, 15 Dec 2011
Emergency services hub mooted for city
By Hamish McNeilly
The partial closure of Dunedin’s St John office – and questions about the state of the Dunedin Central Fire Station – has prompted a call to investigate creating an emergency services hub for the city. […] The Christchurch earthquake had not only raised issues surrounding the safety of some buildings, but also the possibility of emergency and social services working from a hub.
Read more

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Join the dots, for non code compliance…

### ODT Online Mon, 22 Mar 2010
Fire Service defers central station upgrade
By Debbie Porteous
Plans to refurbish the Dunedin Central Fire Station have been postponed after engineers found major conservation work and earthquake proofing are needed to bring it up to building code standards.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr