Santa Parade, Dunedin (7 Dec 2014)

A People Day —images by Elizabeth Kerr
The flavour of the Santa Parade for those who couldn’t make it to George Street on Sunday. Following the eight sets of images (lowres only for website use, sampled from 540 frames) there is a link to last year’s photographs. The only disappointment yesterday was that Santa wore dark glasses….Big Mistake, and failed to pin his hat on securely for gusty conditions, it flew off at the best place to get photos, sigh.

Here be young and old, Mayor Cull, the ‘future generations’ stuck with paying for your amazing +$20 million per annum loss-making stadium, Christmas! If they can pay for it.

Congratulations to parade organiser Mark Laughton and the Dunedin Santa Parade Trust for another highly enjoyable and successful event.

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Set 1

Set 2

Set 3

Set 4

Set 5

Set 6

Set 7

Set 8

Octagon concert crowd

█ Santa Parade, Dunedin (1 Dec 2013)

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Tertiary larks squeeze DCC ratepayers for $30,000

“The two [Auckland] firms had been hired to prepare concept plans and options for projects to improve the pedestrian and cycling environment in and around the tertiary campuses. […] This will enable projects to be ‘picked off’ by the various institutions together or individually.” –Susan Lilley, DCC (via ODT)

● Why are DCC, university and polytechnic not buying LOCAL?
● (Student Ghetto) The streets are PUBLIC, aren’t they? Or are they.
● University and polytechnic not paying enough rates?!
● Heaps of other questions?!

Kate Wilson said Chow Hill Architects and Flow Transportation were hired to come up with a plan, at a cost of $88,000, with the city council paying $30,000, and the rest split between Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago. (ODT)

### ODT Online Thu, 7 Aug 2014
Auckland firms work on tertiary streetscape
By Vaughan Elder
Two Auckland firms have been hired to investigate options for a revamp of Dunedin’s tertiary precinct, which could include making some areas pedestrian only. The work on the streetscape in the tertiary precinct is being overseen by the “tertiary precinct planning group”, which includes representatives from the Dunedin City Council, Otago Polytechnic, University of Otago, Otago Regional Council, Otago Museum and Southern District Health Board.
Read more

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Related Posts and Comments:
5.8.14 DCC staff-led CBD projects that impact ratepayers…
4.8.14 Cr Wilson’s integrity ‘in tatters’
1.8.14 DCC: Sorting THE MESS
28.7.14 DCC: Residents’ Opinion Survey 2014
5.7.14 DCC’s debt level — who do you believe?
23.6.14 DCC Annual Plan 2014/15 + Rugby and Rates
2.6.14 DCC: Slip in service levels, why?!
22.5.14 DCC Transportation Planning —ANOTHER consultation disaster

1.8.14 University Partyville, North Dunedin: Put the cameras in ~!!
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
20.5.10 Hahaha if you’re still thinking Campus Master Plans look…
17.5.10 Campus Master Plan

North Dunedin – Where Campus Watch are operating [otago.ac.nz]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: Cr Kate by whatifdunedin

Otago Museum: Development plans

New star director on a spending trajectory, more user charges coming…
Remember when we just wanted our museum collections properly indexed, made searchable, accessible and displayed more readily’ —soon as possible?
Now the establishment wants expensive ‘add-ins’. But this is a great idea!

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### ODT Online Sun, 3 Aug 2014
Planetarium in city’s stars?
By Daisy Hudson
Astronomers and lovers of all things galactic could soon be converging on the Otago Museum, as plans for a planetarium move ahead. The planetarium is included in plans for the redevelopment of Discovery World but has yet to be signed off by the museum’s board. […] The museum was confident it would be able to find the funding for the planetarium […] they would have a clear idea about whether the proposal would go ahead, as well as of potential designs, by the end of August. The redevelopment is set to take about two years, with a grand opening scheduled for mid-2016.
Read more

Planetarium Brussels [barco.com]

Side-section of the Peter Harrison Planetarium [Allies and Morrison Architects]

With close to one million visits being made to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, and public demand increasing, the Observatory decided to attempt a spectacular development that would feature new galleries about modern astronomy and time, the Lloyds Register Education Centre, and a planetarium. “Through the avenue of trees, partially pushed into the ground, stands a bronze-coated cone, enriched by what looks like a patina of age, topped with a lens of reflective glass” (Telegraph). The Peter Harrison Planetarium opened in spring 2007. Public, corporate, and private sources contributed £15 million to the project. (via Brits At Their Best: Sharing the Inheritance)

█ For more images of planetariums, do this Google search.

Morrison Planetarium (San Francisco, California) [calacademy.org]

The Morrison Planetarium is the largest all-digital dome in the world with a 75-foot diameter projection screen tilted at a 30 degree angle. Thanks to immersive video technology, the dome seems to disappear when imagery is projected onto it, creating an experience more like flying than watching a movie.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Heritage Lost & Found: Our Changing Cityscape #Dunedin

MUST SEE | PHOTOGRAPHS, OBJECTS AND FILM

Exhibition hosted by Otago Museum in partnership with Heritage New Zealand (formerly New Zealand Historic Places Trust) — sponsored by solicitors Gallaway Cook Allan

Where: Postmaster Gallery, H D Skinner Annex, Museum Reserve (former Dunedin North Post Office, cnr Great King St and Albany St)

Hours: Daily 10am – 4pm – Free entrance (building tours available)

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Related Post and Comment:
4.1.14 Otago Museum: H D Skinner Annex + returning exhibition!

● Category II Historic Place — List No. 2154
(assessment criteria and historical narrative)

● Otago Museum H D Skinner Annex
(building background and facilities)

█ To complement the exhibition, Otago Museum is offering a number of free presentations led by local experts: Public Lectures and Workshops

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Otago Museum: H D Skinner Annex + returning exhibition!

### ODT Online Sat, 4 Jan 2014
Museum to keep annex open all year
By John Gibb
Otago Museum is planning to keep its recently redeveloped H D Skinner Annex open to the public throughout the year, to allow increased community use. The recent ‘Heritage Lost and Found: Our Changing Cityscape‘ exhibition, displayed in the Postmaster Gallery at the annex, had been “very well received” by the community. This show, which was developed with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, would now be reinstalled, and, in response to “public demand”, would return to public display from March. Read more

● Otago Museum H D Skinner Annex (building background and facilities)

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Comment at ODT Online:

Lost and found
Submitted by ej kerr on Sat, 04/01/2014 – 11:03am.

The significance of the recently closed exhibition for local residents and city visitors was perhaps, at the time, under-appreciated by the exhibiting parties. Dunedin City has formerly lacked such an insightful, rational and easily grasped interactive exhibition on the historical layers of the built environment – signposting the form and change to our cultural heritage landscape and urban context, for better or worse since early days.

This is a planned city (thank you, surveyor Charles Kettle) – we should always honour Dunedin’s uniqueness and intricate textures representatively and graphically; know the ‘before and afters’, the losses, additions and discoveries; be able to quickly recount how the cityscape has evolved, with just these type visual aids and new evolving IT. ‘Heritage Lost and Found’ exactly captures the spirit of where we are!

It’s great news the exhibition is set to continue – in a broader sense, the exhibition is something to build on and develop into the future as a permanent visitor display worthy of any sensitive location for public education. It can take special refreshes and add-ons as research into the merits and quirks of the architecture (our collective legacy) continues through the work of New Zealand Historic Places Trust, Dunedin City Council, Otago Museum, related city archives and collections, archaeologists, building owners, researchers, and professional architectural historians of the calibre of Peter Entwisle and David Murray. The combined effort, its coordination, contains so much power, potential and publishing opportunity. Boggles the mind, then there’s the overwhelming ‘pasture’ for design excellence to cover the brief…
[ends]

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Former Dunedin North Post Office before work started, photo by Benchill via Wikimedia Commons. (below) Proposed building redevelopment rendered by McCoy and Wixon Architects, 2012.

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Links to earlier stories copied from another thread:

● ODT 11.7.13 Museum annex set for opening [after delays]
The $1.6 million redevelopment of the former Dunedin North post office as an Otago Museum exhibition area is nearing completion, and the first display is expected to open next month. Titled ‘Heritage Lost and Found: Our Changing Cityscape’, the first exhibition to be displayed at the annexe was developed in partnership with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. The display would showcase “important aspects of Dunedin’s built heritage that have been demolished or redeveloped”.

● ODT 7.7.13 Work near end on old Post Office
● ODT 18.5.13 Museum’s ‘old post office’ annex nearly ready

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image – opening graphic, view from Museum reserve by Whatifdunedin

Otago Museum, regional collaboration

Animal Attic, Otago Museum [nzmuseums.co.nz]

### ODT Online Sat, 19 Oct 2013
Cultural institution teamwork is the plan
By John Gibb
Otago Museum director Dr Ian Griffin is keen to join forces with other museums and cultural organisations in order to seek more Government funding for regional museums and similar institutions. He was invited to a private lunch attended by Prime Minister John Key during a visit to Dunedin last month and, with the help of National list MP Michael Woodhouse, Dr Griffin had the chance to briefly raise the funding topic.
Read more

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### ODT Online Sat, 19 Oct 2013
Museum job applicants high quality director says
By John Gibb
Otago Museum director Dr Ian Griffin is pleased with the ”high quality” of applicants for the museum’s vacant commercial director role, during a time of ”significant change” at the institution. Museum officials said about 18 people had applied. Dr Griffin said a new commercial director would soon be appointed, but there could be a delay of a month or slightly more, depending on any notice period required at any previous job for the successful applicant.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

A museum. Laying poor management, bullying, and much more, to rest.

First, we received a very fair assessment:

ODT 2.9.13 Peter Entwisle – Art Beat, Opinion (page 9)

And now, this week’s tidy and brave acknowledgement:

ODT 25.9.13 Letter to the editor (page 17)

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Ommmmmmmmmm.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr | What if? Dunedin… A blog about the social and built environment at Dunedin.

The regular marvel

[scene.co.nz – re-imaged by Whatifdunedin]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Earthquake-proof your home

Expert Talk with Win Clark

Join Structural Engineer Win Clark to learn how to stabilise your home against the effects of earthquakes. Discover whether structural strengthening is required on all buildings and how this can be achieved.

Thursday 21 March
Hutton Theatre, Otago Museum
5.30pm
FREE!

Link to Poster

Part of the Canterbury Quakes exhibition — Otago Museum

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Shimrath Paul resigns

### ODT Online Thu, 6 Sep 2012
Museum head Shimrath Paul resigns
Otago Museum chief executive Shimrath Paul has resigned to take up a position as head of an Indonesian centre of excellence for cancer treatment.
Read more

Full story in tomorrow’s ODT | Go to Comment

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Related Post:
8.2.12 Otago Museum strife
18.1.12 D Scene exposes museum director’s salary

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Otago Museum strife

Mayor Dave Cull said he wanted it on public record the councillors appointed to the museum trust board – Crs Kate Wilson, Syd Brown and Colin Weatherall – were not there as representatives of the council; instead, their role was to do their best for the board. The council appoints one board member, a role filled by board chairman Graham Crombie.

### ODT Online Wed, 8 Feb 2012
Call to cut DCC funding for museum
By David Loughrey
Dunedin City Council critic Lyndon Weggery has called for the city to reduce its annual $3.7 million funding of the Otago Museum, claiming that would be the best way to force change at the institution. Mr Weggery, speaking at a council public forum yesterday as an individual, rather than as a member of the Dunedin Ratepayers and Householders Association, continued the debate over claimed problems at the museum.
Read more

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Related Post:
18.1.12 D Scene exposes museum director’s salary

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DScene exposes museum director’s salary

“Council was not aware of it. It was certainly a surprise to many people who had heard the figures.”

### DScene 18.1.12 (page 3)
Council in the dark over Paul
By Wilma McCorkindale
Dunedin City Council should have been told what the director of the ratepayer-funded Otago Museum is earning, deputy community development chairman Cr Paul Hudson believes. Hudson acknowledged D Scene’s persistance on making the information public: “And the answer has been very revealing.” […] Figures showed Paul earned $310,793 last year — higher than the highest-paid staff member at the national museum of New Zealand, Te Papa.
{continues} #bookmark

Register to read DScene online at
http://fairfaxmedia.newspaperdirect.com/

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DScene: Michael Guest ‘ruled out standing for mayor, saying he had never considered it’ (page 6)

### DScene 17-3-10
Council lashes out at Chamber (page 4)
By Wilma McCorkindale
Dunedin City Council chief executive Jim Harland has lashed out at the Otago Chamber of Commerce over its challenge against proposed harbourside rezoning. The two organisations are battling the issue out in the Environment Court, and are at the mediation stage.

Last week, John Christie claimed the chamber had been working hard for more than a year to get council to the table on achieving a resolution that would see harbourside access and improved amenity value of the harbourside, but not cost the city jobs. The magapaper says Jim Harland believes the chamber was on dangerous ground and its moves were creating an impossible situation.

{continues} #bookmark

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Question of 3D to come up at conference (page 5)
By Wilma McCorkindale
Do science centres see 3D in their futures? That’s just one of the questions being raised at the coming week’s ASPAC science centres conference at Otago Museum. Peter Hayden of the internationally renowned Dunedin-based Natural History New Zealand (NHNZ) is presenting a keynote address on links between NHNZ and Otago Museum, and the challenge of attracting audiences, including the future of 3D in that context. Around 100 delegates are expected to converge on Dunedin for ASPAC.
{continues} #bookmark

The Asia Pacific Network of Science & Technology Centres (ASPAC) was formed in 1997 to facilitate communication and cooperation amongst centres, museums and other organisations which use interactive approaches to encourage excellence and innovation in informal learning and the public understanding of science and technology in the Asia Pacific region. www.aspacnet.org

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Guest takes time to return to law (page 6)
By Michelle Sutton
Dunedin city councillor and former Invercargill District Court judge Michael Guest has yet to step back to law – six months after campaigning successfully to be reinstated to the bar – and is refusing to comment on his future direction.
{continues} #bookmark

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Register to read DScene online at http://fairfaxmedia.newspaperdirect.com/

Advertising feature [excerpt] (page 26) #bookmark
South Dunedin…
“At the end of March the Business Association will be taking part in a meeting with other community bodies and the DCC to review the council’s draft plans for the further development of the Lorne Street site. […] The council’s proposals include plans for enhanced lighting, soft landscaping, outdoor eating areas with tables, seating, and a drinking fountain, and a possible children’s play area. This is just the beginning. It’s an opportunity for local stakeholders to comment on and provide input to the draft plans to make this a truly worthwhile resource for residents and visitors alike. We believe in a positive future for South Dunedin so we’re delighted to see the momentum for redevelopment of the area building so strongly.”
–Jane Orbell, South Dunedin Business Association

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

100+ Southern architecture then, now and next

EXCEPTIONAL DISTRACTION

While we’re thinking about the architecture and design of the proposed stadium at Dunedin…check out the best ever exhibition of Otago Southland architecture now showing at Otago Museum.

NZIA Southern is hosting the exhibition, curated by Michael Findlay, in partnership with The Warren Trust and Otago Museum.

100+ looks at architecture over the past century through three themes – a chronology of projects; the architectural profession through individuals, practices and organisations; and how architecture fits within our society.

Download 100+ poster (PDF, 747 kB)