Dunedin looks for new slogan

Calc: Complainer? No. Criticiser? Yes. There is a difference.

While you champion the council's spend, spend, spend policies, perhaps you might want to take a little time thinking about the poor of this city who would love to have a voice on the council or even run for office, rather than having to worry about how they are going to afford the massive increase to this and subsequent years' rates (totalling 63%), all to pay for projects they will have little if any opportunity to enjoy. That’s the reality.

Run for council is your retort. Unfortunately, I have to work for a living and can ill-afford the time and certainly not the financial commitment such an undertaking merits.

That is why a very small number of people end up representing the majority, making decisions they know will have little effect on them.

I look forward to the next elections and your inclusion to the list of prospective candidates though.
This is truly a great and beautiful city.

In the future it will have to face up to and deal with the spendthrift policies this council will leave in its wake.

Death is not only an end, but a beginning, returning the spent body to be recycled into a new being, a new start for Dunedin.

Spoken like a true anti, anti-stadium realist (perhaps they know about the facts about the Queensland stadiums running losses by the tens of millions).

The city is better off without that sort of radical attitude and the few people that espouse it. Dunedin was a wonderful place. Politicians come and go (this lot leaving their legacy), but if your attitude to the city is based on a rugby stadium sucking all the coffers, it's time for a reality check.

Ditching those rose-tinted glasses wouldn’t go astray either.
I have your slogan already "Dunedin, few buses, financially-ailing hospital with a huge waiting list, third world sewer, one stadium." It’ll be a laugh in Rough Guides to come.

Many parodies have already been made over the current DCC, that will spread over the years.
We can be blown away, not only by the wind, but the crass folly of the few that took the rest of the city to ransom for their wanting to call the place rugby city.

The scenery or heritage that brings in those cruise ships currently visiting etc seems to have nothing to do with what makes the city tick, according to some. They only bring in a few million dollars to the local economy at a time.

And the welcome 'i' booth at the wharf is still a converted container.

All this while rugbyheads get way, way more than their fair share, more than words in spoken English can aptly describe.

You clearly believe that $45,000 p.a. is somehow a lot of money to be paid as a salary if you're an adult. I would have thought it would be a minimum for an educated and experienced adult doing a valued and rewarding job. It's kind of sad you are so impressed by an average range salary rather than the point of the calculations shown.

Spoken like a true anti-stadium complainer. The city is better of without that sort of attitude and the people that espouse it. Dunedin is a wonderful place. Politicians come and go, but if your attitude to the city is based on who is running it at the moment then it's time for a reality check.
You should run for council and put your attitudes to the test. I have your slogan already "Dunedin is dead, its all over ..... vote for me"

"Clowns" eh? Well, its good job you aren't involved in anything of note in marketing then isn't it, otherwise I imagine, your slogan might be " Dunedin - don't bother, I don't" or perhaps "Dunedin - leave it in the 1950's where I'm happy".
You will be rather lonely in the old park though, I think.

Are you aware that Dunedin has its own PR group that operates under some sort of council umbrella. So it unlikely to be someone from Auckland that comes up with a solution.

I have read so many cynical, and negative and insulting comments about this subject ... "I am Dunedin" ... sounds like something out of Startrek surely?.

"Dunedin, It's all right here" bit daft if you ask me ... can be misinterpreted by about 50% of the people that read it or hear it.

What ever is decided, it will take more than a slogan to make Dunedin a city to be proud of living in, it might actually take some sort of engagement and effort by the people that live in it, people who are prepared to put their hands up and help make it a vibrant and alive place to live in.

Its easy to throw mud in the face of change ... but keep in mind if you throw mud, you're giving ground to somebody else.

Golden Past Shining future 

It's a real case of back to the future here. Once upon a time we had suburban trains and clean green trolley buses (like those Wellington retained and updated, windy city of wisdom).

We have a sewer pipe that was recently upgraded to third world status, and part of South Dunedin still can't flush their loos when it rains.

But - wait for it  (Drum roll and "parpity parp parp parrrp!") - we have a new rugby stadium with a roof.

Ha ha funkie01, you are almost funny. I’m working on it, can’t always move overnight, (be nice if we could).

I might just stick around until October and see the Council of Corruption off on a slide. People go on about Auckland, but it’s better than Dunedin - vibrant, and sensible enough to reject it’s waterfront stadium.

Stadium of hope? "The Dunedinite's of the future will look back and praise this project." Ahh, yes, of course, like most of the Queenslanders know about their loss-making stadia. Clearly you didn’t do the Google search to see the news item I mentioned. Too much an inconvenient truth, proving some are living in denial.

A stadium to save this city? I’ve never heard anything so… yes, well... it beggars belief.

But, since I see reality, the only way I’d be at the opening would be from above in a helicopter, dropping a few eggs - a nice thought, anyway.

By then many of the incumbents that railroaded it onto us will already have egg on their faces in the landslide vote come next October.

The song you and your cult should be listening too is ‘The Logical song’ or ‘Dreamer,’ by Supertramp.

Maybe people like me will be thinking "what were these clowns thinking? Look what they've done. They built something we all ready had when maybe what they really needed was a big top."

But I guess these clowns just seem to know how it will be in two years. I'm already planning were I will be sitting for the world cup games at the brook

Perhaps because for a lot of people it isn't all right here. Trying to paper over the council's recent incompetence with a feel-good slogan only works if you can persuade everyone one that they do feel good about the council - otherwise one just pastes it up on the internal Tui billboard, sighs and mutters "yeah right".

I suggest the council start by doing some good and fixing up the mess they've gotten the city into

The problem with that one was that it sounded too much like 'Dunedin: It's alright here'.

You are so right. It was an excellent slogan. It takes many years for such slogans to take hold, so why dump it? It should be brought back.

Why did we change from 'Dunedin, Its all right here'?
Some silly advertising executive spun a story it was old, ignoring how good it was.

What happened to leaving the city in disgust? Hope to see you at opening of our Stadium of Hope. The song you should be listening to is "You can't always get what you want" or "Stop your Crying".

The Dunedinite's of the future will look back and praise this project.

Yes, I couldn't agree more Raven 9. Fancy putting down someone because of their age. 'If you can't say something nice you shouldn't say anything at all.' Mind you, Paulonthebay might still be very young and wet behind the ears. Youth can be like that, bless them.

Dunedin - Brad Thorn

Rather than a new name for the city would it not be more apt to write it's obituary. Dunedin, A beautiful city from cradle to grave, in later life endured the cancer of an inept and greedy Council with dignity, she finally sucame to the illness after being sucked dry of all her wealth, burdening her family with massive debt she passed away quietly, the funeral and memorial service will be held at Awatea Street 2011.

DUNEDIN - JEWEL OF THE SOUTH

Dunedin - dramatically different.

That's not a nice thing to say about Calvin, so why are you saying that? Shouldn't you be listening to grandma as well? Naughty boy.

So, how about - 'Dunedin - it's all rort here!'

Is Amsterdam threatening to sue?

The last slogan "I am Dunedin" was stolen from Amsterdam which has used it for years and still cost more than I care to remember.

How about follow the lead of Paris and hold a competition to name it?

Should have done that with Farry's Folly too.

Simple clean and reflective of a lot of what makes the city great.

Many of us were born here and want to make it a better place - so far the slogans have been pretty embarrassing.

I think as a simple test we should start by doing away with any suggestion that will raise a chuckle when placed on a Tui ad.

Yes, that's what's being stunted by the stadium cost, there's scope that most places would harness but we do that and everything else is left in the cold. They'd rave more if the real potential was harnessed.

I want to work for 'Calc', if he would pay $45k per year to a tour guide at Tairoa Head then he's the guy to work for.

It's interesting that this has come up now aside from the comments above.

Maybe it's a recognition that the mood in the city is very downcast given the divisiveness over the years under the Chin Council.

Is this a 'feel good' campaign in the run up to the local body elections in October?

Trouble is slogans are not the solution to bring a community together again.

The funkie01 rendition would be the starting slogan for another one of the Tui ads.

A better rendition is... Dunedin - where the actual wowsers and the rugby idolising squeaky wheel moaners get their way - again; rugby under a roof, (and call the opposing others to their frivolous agenda) i.e those of culture and creativity moaners.

Dunedin- where a radical cult-like obsessors think a stadium (like themselves) is the centre of the universe, the be all and end all. What other people want or need are irrelavent to them.

Dunedin - moving onto into the red.

Dunedin city of ongoing conservatism, the stadium and the glass cube says it all.

Creating Blandsville.

All so you don't get wet or the words "Otagooooo" are not lost in the wind.

Whoop-de. Dunedin - Council of corruption.

Those who can think a bit more constructively than that will hopefully move on up, if they can move on out (rather like Billy Joel’s song.

And I'm reminded of the quote "I could fly like an Eagle if I wasn't surrounded by turkeys."

If people can move on, they can join the ranks of those bemused by the mentality of the current DCC, which will be history come next October anyway. It would pay to stay around long enough to vote them out, even if it is closing the gate after the horse has bolted.

If you can't be introspective, raw and cynically honest, as if it's all coming up in roses. Forget about sometimes gritty realities when they are present. Perhaps we should call Peter Pan...