Robertson sees future for Dunedin

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The wind was cold, the street was near empty but there was no dampening the spirits of Labour MP Grant Robertson as he campaigned in Dunedin South late yesterday afternoon.

Mr Robertson, the Wellington Central MP, grew up in South Dunedin, attended Kings High and gained a degree at the University of Otago.

He was also a former president of the Otago University Students' Association.

King Edward St was different from when he was growing up and had his first job cutting up fruit at the former New World after school on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and on Saturdays and Sundays.

The area serviced a large industrial base which no longer existed.

''I like coming back to Dunedin to engage with the people. It's where I grew up. Mum is still here. It's nice to come back.''

Mr Robertson was in Dunedin to support the election campaigns of Dunedin South MP Clare Curran and Dunedin North MP David Clark, both of whom supported his bid to become leader of the Labour Party last year.

From the few people he and Ms Curran met, advance voting was the main message but there were a few questions about regional development, an area he has responsibility for in the Labour caucus.

Asked if Dunedin had lost its status as a major New Zealand city, Mr Robertson said he believed Dunedin's time would come again.

''Success will look different for each region and we have to ensure we have a plan which makes that happen.''

Ms Curran said her vision for the main retail area of South Dunedin included having more clothing shops carrying fashions from young Dunedin designers and developing more of a cafe culture.

As Mr Robertson walked along King Edward St, he recalled there were not so many second-hand shops, fewer eating places and more industrial workers.

He remembered fondly the opening of Chan's Garden Restaurant where he and his friends went after school formals.

Then, as the wind picked up, Mr Robertson, Ms Curran and Dr Clark were off to Montecillo Veterans' Home.

There was a chance he would attend the rugby at Forsyth Barr Stadium last night, but because the stadium was in Dunedin North, he did not mention it to Ms Curran.

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