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Photo: Gerard O'Brien
Photo: Gerard O'Brien
Mountain Biking Otago has been ordered to rename three of its Signal Hill mountain-biking tracks after the Dunedin City Council deemed their monikers inappropriate.

The Ginger Cougar, The Mrs and The Mistress tracks have to be replaced with more appropriate names approved by the council.

A member of the Signal Hill digging group posted the news on social media on Tuesday, describing it as ‘‘a sad day’’.

Council parks and recreation group manager Robert West said it had received two complaints about the names of the Dunedin tracks.

Staff agreed the names were inappropriate, and raised the matter with Mountain Biking Otago, he said.

‘‘We are pleased MBO has agreed to make the changes and understand some of the signs have already been removed.’’

‘‘We are working with the group on guidelines for the future naming of tracks.’’

Mountain Biking Otago president Kristy Booth said she was ‘‘disappointed for all involved’’.

The tracks had carried the names for seven to 10 years, and ‘‘in this time there has been no negative comments bought to our attention’’.

‘‘We don't find them inappropriate within the context of how their names came to be.’’

Volunteers would spend a significant amount of time and club funds reacting to the complaint of one person, she said.

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Absolutely ridiculous. Two - count them - TWO complaints.

Is there anything this council won't censor or destroy?

While there were two complaints, both were made by the same person with the second being a follow-up of the original complaint. It should really be considered as a single complaint.

Unbelievable level of nanny state political correctness. I challenge Mr West to explain just why those names are inappropriate.

Really? You don't get it? Well, putting aside you not understanding why the names are sexist and demeaning, the Council has paid the piper so gets to call the tune. If MTB Otago doesn't like it, it can stop applying for Council money.

So I take it, you were the one that made the complaint?.

Only demeaning if your are hypersensitive. On the scale of life this is at the absolute botton of the scale and i pity how sad your life must be if these name spin you out.

The killing of monotremes by crushing is no laughing matter flatplatypus. Please change your name to avoid giving offence to lovers of nature and the natural world,

What a joke this council is.

We need to kick these clowns into touch. The sooner the better.

Ridiculous alright. Seems a sense of humour is inappropriate for some.

Dunedin City Council ignores many complaints of other most concerning matters for example the George St fiasco and now "two" people complain about names along a mountain track and DCC bureaucrats spit the dummy --- Is PC being kept well and alive, or is it "twisted thinking" by these DCC bureaucrats?

So then, if I lay a complaint about this council, they will be replaced?

No, you need to complain about the greens staff members - Ms bidrose and the planning dept first.

I have always hated the names, and I don't see why MTB Otago locked the names in with the signage. Actually, I do see why. And it has to do with the fact that most of MTB Otago have never had to deal with the pervasive sexism that impinges on women's lives, or raised daughters in this society where so many people are unaware of the corrosive effect of the casual misogyny that these names reflect.

I have a moustache and wish to register my disgust that those freedom loving mountain biking types would be so so vulgar to name a track after my facial hair! It's high time the council did something to protect all the mustachioed in our society from this sort of bigotry against the hirsute.

I've seen this sort of thing before. Usually very old people with nothing better to do than complain do so, in this case apparently only one. Then a very old thinking group of councillors without a sense of humour to share amongst them take a knee jerk decision to justify their cushy jobs and exercise their power, the reason they took the job!! Very sad. Graham Carter

The single complaint doesn't in anyway reflect the fact that a 'very old' person lodged the complaint. Many younger people are also prone to being easily outraged and offended. Blaming any age group without evidence is biased and inflammatory. There are many 'do-gooders' out there of all ages. It will most likely be the context and manner of the wording in the complaint that has the DCC being pro-active in having the signs changed.

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