Asking people what they would take to a desert island is sooo last year, and frankly rather dull. So this holiday season, the Summer Times has upped the ante. We have kept the desert island, but made the whole shebang super-difficult, by painting a carefully crafted scenario commensurate to the skills of the professionals and leaders to whom we put the question. How will they respond? Will they be able to stand the pressure of ... David Loughrey's A Desert Island Conundrum?
Dr Glen Hazelton is well known in Dunedin for his tasteful black attire, close-cropped haircut, and the cutting-edge coolness he brings to his efforts to renew the city's heritage stock and warehouse district.
The Dunedin City Council heritage planner had a hand in the recent Vogel St Party, which attracted a whole mess of hipsters.
For esoteric effect, he has a PhD in regime transition and foreign policy, focusing on the case of Russia's approach to Central Asia from 1991-2008.
Dr Glen's Desert Island Conundrum is: Name three things you would take to a desert island that: has a run-down heritage area which requires urban renewal.
1. A developer - I can think of a few people in this town who can resurrect almost anything - so one of their names would be top of my list (though I am not sure either of us would survive being alone with each other on an island!).
2. An artist - to augment whatever natural and remaining built beauty there is left on the island and to push the envelope with the public servant and the developer.
3. Mobile Wi-Fi - if we are going to attract people to this island, no-one goes anywhere without internet these days, do they? (Secretly I couldn't get by without Spotify to maintain the ''soundtrack of my life'').
