A new spirit of co-operation in Dunedin is beginning to bear dividends as organisations involved in everything from tourism to education and sport work together to help each other succeed.
That includes last week's agreement between Dunedin City Council-owned company Dunedin Venues Management Ltd (DVML) and Otago Cricket to attract and host internationals, and a group of city organisations getting together to shore up what were flagging airline connections with the rest of New Zealand.
While the genesis of the collaborations goes back two or three years in some cases, those involved say they are now beginning to bear fruit.
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull pointed to an ``all of city approach'' late last week when cricket games with South Africa, England and Pakistan were announced.
He called them "the fruit of a very collaborative partnership'' between the city's economic development arm Enterprise Dunedin, DVML and Otago Cricket.
The approach was also invoked by Dunedin Airport chief executive Richard Roberts recently when Air New Zealand and Jetstar announced increased seats.
Otago Chamber of Commerce chief executive Dougal McGowan said yesterday a memorandum of understanding with Air New Zealand that had helped bring more flights had been a ``work in progress'' since before he was appointed early last year.
"We're now just starting to see the dividends.''
The memorandum was first mooted when flights started "disappearing from Dunedin''.
"There was an action group put together to attract flights back.
"Basically it was that mantra many of us were trying to work with around town, which is "how do we work together to achieve better results for the city?''
Mr McGowan said education was another area where collaboration was having an effect.
Study Dunedin was a collective way of marketing, advertising and travelling overseas for schools, the University of Otago and the Otago Polytechnic to attract international students.
It was paying dividends in the international education sector.
University of Otago deputy vice-chancellor of external engagement Prof Helen Nicholson said institutions were keen to attract good international students, and individually each had their own marketing and recruitment processes.
But together they had developed marketing material about studying in Dunedin, and worked together to develop pathways for international students from secondary school to the polytech and university.
As well, when representatives went offshore, they would go together or represent each other while overseas if only one or two were going.
Study Dunedin had been "rejuvenated in the last two or three years and is becoming much more effective''.
That was borne out by the university's international student numbers rising for the first time since 2011.
Figures released in April showed international full-fee enrolments are up 5.8%, or 65 equivalent full-time students.
"That's been a help, I think,'' Prof Nicholson said.
Airport marketing and communications manager Megan Crawford said the airport had been working with Enterprise Dunedin and DVML for about two years.
The organisations shared information, which provided ``a much better story'' when the airport was talking to airlines about flying to the city, and allowed her and Mr Roberts to talk more knowledgeably about what was going on.
The airport was "just a piece of infrastructure'' and the only reason people would come here was because of what Enterprise Dunedin did to promote the city.
There was collaborative work marketing Dunedin in Queensland, done by the airport, Enterprise Dunedin and Air New Zealand.
"In a lot of cases it's the first time Air New Zealand has done something like that, working with the city and an airport in a joint-venture agreement.''
