But mayor-elect Sophie Barker says she is aware of the issues facing students and more needs to be done to improve their experience.
The Otago Daily Times this week published an opinion piece by outgoing Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) president Liam White, who said he was struck by how little Dunedin’s student population featured in the thinking that shaped the city’s future.
"It’s not that we’re ignored — we’re invisible.
"When we do appear, it’s usually as a problem to be managed rather than a community to be engaged with."
He was critical of the number of references to students in the Dunedin City Council’s 2025-34 nine-year plan, and the tertiary precinct planning group for lacking student representation.
In its submission on the nine-year plan, the University of Otago said there was "no acknowledgement" of its anticipated growth in student numbers over the next five years, or of the infrastructure to support it.
The university is aiming to increase its enrolments to 24,000 full-time-equivalent students by 2030, having reported 18,018 enrolments earlier this year.
"North Dunedin is very slowly, but very quickly becoming a slum for all students," Mr White told the ODT.
"I do just absolutely wonder where are people going to live."
Leaders in Dunedin often played down the city’s role as a student capital, which let it down in terms of growth, Mr White said.
Mayor-elect Sophie Barker said she was "very well aware of a number of issues Liam brings up, and which need to be tackled".
Students comprised a large percentage of Dunedin’s population and the council needed a youth focus for the city, Ms Barker said.
It was a pity some of the students who stood for council were not elected, and she planned to look into how to inject a youth voice into council decisions.
She had previously advocated for the council to invest in the university area and to support its growth target, and intended to "revive" the tertiary precinct plan and its steering group "in a refreshed form".
Incoming councillor Mickey Treadwell said Mr White’s comments came from a place of "justified frustration".
Improving student representation was a priority for him, along with several other councillors who were vocal about it on the campaign trail, he said.
"I intend to hold them to their word."
Cr Steve Walker said he agreed with much, but not all, of Mr White’s opinion piece.
"I don’t believe the core problem with the tertiary precinct planning group lies in its makeup, but rather that both the senior group [led by the mayor] and the working group failed to meet once during the last triennium — truly ridiculous!"
He was confident Ms Barker would not repeat the same mistakes around the group "that was basically left to wither on the vine under the previous leadership".
Jules Radich said, as mayor, he held regular meetings with key stakeholders, including OUSA-elected representatives and staff, the proctor and Campus Watch.
A range of initiatives were implemented as a consequence "with good results".
