Community news and notices

In Memory

The DCC Community Development Team extends its sympathies to the whanau of Tahu Potiki and the wider Ngai Tahu community who mourn at his sudden passing in Auckland last week.

The former Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu chief executive was highly respected and will be deeply missed.

New Housing Roles

The DCC will soon be advertising for two new positions to help the city address housing issues.

A part time case manager position will act as a conduit between people building homes to address the city’s current housing shortage, and the Council. The case manager will ensure people are aware of the process when applying for building or resource consents, and act as a first point of contact. The fixed term role will be advertised within the next week.

A part time project officer role will also be advertised. The role will support the DCC Community Development team with implementation of the Housing Action Plan for Dunedin 2019 – 2039; a plan now stewarded by the DCC. The Plan was developed by the multi-sector Mayor’s Taskforce for Housing, which met for a year to define the housing challenges, and some of the solutions for the city.

While the Council does not have land or buildings for housing development, it is taking a role in ensuring the16 recommendations made by the Mayor’s Taskforce for central, local government and the wider housing sector, are progressed.

Grants Open Today

The September application round for the following grants open today –

· Community Grants

· Community Events

· Creative Communities (funded by Creative New Zealand)

· DCC Arts

· Professional Theatre (part funded by Creative New Zealand)

· Waste Minimisation

Information about the specific grant criteria, and online application forms for each grant can be found at https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/funding-and-grants All applications must be made via the online form for each grant applied for.

It’s strongly recommended that you contact staff in the Ara Toi, Community Development and Events or Waste and Environmental Solutions teams before applying, especially if you have never applied before or wish to know if you can apply to more than one fund.

Applications close at 5pm on Friday 27 September and no late applications will be accepted. The DCC Grants Subcommittee will meet in November to allocate grant funds and all applicants will be advised of the Subcommittee decision in writing.

Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy Launched

Today the Prime Minister and Minister for Children launched the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy at Kaitao School in Rotorua. The Strategy's vision is for New Zealand to be the best place in the world for children and young people.  The Strategy provides a shared understanding of what children and young people want and need to live a good life.

The Strategy was developed with the help of over 10,000 New Zealander, including 6,000 children and young people.

See the Strategy in a range of formats.

Research project to identify opportunities

A new research project is expected to identify opportunities for both artists and developers in Dunedin.

Ara Toi Relationship Manager - Creative Industries and Strategic, Kirsten Glengarry, says research is being commissioned to get a better understanding of demand for spaces and what artists are looking for.

“As Dunedin shifts into growth mode, existing spaces for artists may be lost to commercial development but there are also opportunities to create new ones. The information we gather can be used by real estate agents, building owners and property developers to quantify the demand for studio and workshop spaces. Hopefully it will influence them to make more spaces available for artists.”

The research will scope the likely demand for studios and workshops over the next 3-5 years and gather information about the size of spaces, and what artists are paying.

Expressions of interest are now open for a researcher to undertake the work.  Applications close on 6 September.

For more information contact

Kirsten Glengarry

021 924 693

Healthy Relationships Group Programme

A new social and life skills programme for rangatahi aged 15-20. This is a FREE programme running on Mondays for 10 weeks, starting September 16.

Please see poster attached at the end of this section for more details. 

Ākina Impact Investment Readiness Grants

This is a great opportunity to secure funding to take your social enterprise to the next level with a grant of up to $20,000 to spend on services to help you unlock investment.

For more information and to apply for the funding please click here.

Planning for the unexpected

Planning for the unexpected should be a lot easier thanks to community guides being delivered to some Dunedin households from last week.

Emergency Management Otago is publishing short local guides to emergencies for eight communities in the wider Dunedin area, including South Dunedin, Mosgiel-Taieri, Strath Taieri and coastal areas such as Waikouaiti, Karitane and Aramoana.

Dunedin Civil Defence Controller Sandy Graham says, “These are really useful resources that sit alongside the other things people should be doing to prepare for emergencies. We know there are specific issues for each community within the wider Dunedin area and these guides reflect those local issues.”

These first eight guides are already online and a printed versions will be delivered to letterboxes in relevant areas over the next few weeks.

Each guide has details about local hazards and risks, with simple advice about how to be prepared. This includes the frequencies of local radio stations, website and social media which will be key sources of information and advice during emergencies.

Emergency Management Otago Director Chris Hawker says over the past two years team members have worked with a wide range of community representatives, including community response groups, community boards, Neighbourhood Support, place-based groups and emergency services to develop the guides.

Mr Hawker hopes the guides will help people become familiar with local hazards and prepare for emergencies, as well as encouraging them to connect with their neighbours and local community so they can look out for each other when emergencies happen.

Visit Otago CDEM group website for online versions of the guides.

Waste Minimisation funding

Community groups and organisations play a vital role in helping achieve Dunedin’s vision to be one of the world’s great small cities. Recognising this role, the Dunedin City Council allocates funding for small projects, community initiatives and commercial innovation and development from the Waste Minimisation contestable fund, for distribution in accordance with the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan’s (WMMP) vision and goals.

There are three levels of funding available:

1. Small Project Grants

2. Waste Minimisation Community Project / Initiative Grant

3. Waste Minimisation Innovation and Development (Commercial) Grant

More information on each grant can be found on the DCC website www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/funding-and-grants/waste-minimisation-funds