On Friday morning, Portobello resident Ruth Seeny was walking past Queens Gardens when she stopped to watch and enjoy a pipe band practising ahead of the New Zealand Pipe Band Championships held in the city at the weekend.
As soon as the band finished playing they were approached by a security guard, who appeared to work for the Dunedin City Council, and was told to stop because someone had complained about the loud noise.
''I couldn't believe that after all the goodwill that was happening across the country ... a petty-minded person could have this wonderful music stopped and that the council had decided to act on it.''
It was a embarrassing situation, particularly as the band was visiting from outside Dunedin, she said.
Council compliance team leader Carlo Bell confirmed a security guard contracted by the council asked the band to leave after a noise complaint was made, because the gardens had not been booked.
The day-time noise limit for Queens Gardens is 60 decibels.
Another noise complaint was made about a band at the North Ground, on the same day, which was resolved after a noise control officer asked the pipers to move to the other end of the ground, she said.
Otago Centre of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands' Association president Brian Coutts said the complaint called to mind an incident in Dunedin 10 years ago, when a young busking bagpiper was told to move along by a noise control officer when performing outside the Scottish Shop in George St.
Dr Coutts said he had heard reports of someone living near the University of Otago Oval making a complaint about their music, but was unaware of any noise control complaints.
In his view, complaints about bagpipes were questionable given the city's Scottish heritage.
''So much for our claim to be the Edinburgh of the South.''
- Additional reporting byGeorge Block
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Comments
Astounding. The council is able to shut down a pipe band tuning up in the middle of the day, but can't (more likely won't) do anything about excessive party noise, and the hurling of abuse and bottles at band members, in the middle of the night.
"Embarrassing" just doesn't cover it.