The Helen Clark Foundation’s second annual Social Cohesion in New Zealand report highlights several different aspects about people’s interaction and role in society.
Of those surveyed, it found 68% of people in Otago felt safe walking home at night, well ahead of the national average of 56% and the lowest polling region Hawke’s Bay (47%).
Meanwhile, only 30% of Otago respondents worried frequently about crime, in contrast to the rest of the country (36%).
But beneath the surface, isolation is a real concern.
One in five (20%) in Otago reported feeling often isolated (up 5% from last year), and only 56% felt part of their local community (down 6% from last year).
‘‘The biggest surprise for me [for Otago] was that fewer people felt part of the local community, and much high levels of loneliness.
‘‘This isolation and disconnection is not partly because of a larger younger population, but is also present across the wider community.
‘‘This has partly been because we are participating less often in shared activities and spaces than in the past (sport, church, etc) making it harder to form meaningful connections with individuals and communities.’’
Mr Eaqub said much of the disconnection and discontent was among people with low financial resources.
‘‘So we should of course think about solutions to poverty and housing, but also investing in approaches that let people meet and connect with each other.’’
‘‘We’ve put safety initiatives in place, and we work closely with the police — it’s a key thing you can say about a compact city like Dunedin, is that we have really, really strong relationships.
‘‘That’s actually what makes social cohesion work ... when we work closely with all of our partners, and everyone knows everyone.’’
She acknowledged it was a challenge to address people with connection or isolation issues.
‘‘It’s not just the homelessness, it’s also the elderly population.
‘‘We have a lot of elderly that live alone, and it’s about us creating spaces for people to come and feel welcome, making sure that there are transport options to go to places like libraries.
‘‘I know that some people for going to the checkout at the supermarket might be the only social interaction that they have all day, so all of those touch points are really important.’’
There were several initiatives ‘‘in the pipeline’’ to ensure Dunedin remained a socially cohesive city, she said.
‘‘Our ambition is to be the best place to live in New Zealand, and I think that social cohesion is a huge issue for obviously the whole of New Zealand, but also to fix up what Covid-19 broke.’’
Queenstown Mayor John Glover said the mostly positive results were not that surprising, and chimed with their own surveys.
On the subject of isolation, Mr Glover urged people to reach out to their community groups.
‘‘Start with volunteering.
‘‘There are so many groups around all of our districts across all of Otago, whether that’s planting some trees, or killing some predators, or joining the fire brigade or the paramedics, or groups such as Lions and Rotary.
‘‘There’s so many ways to get involved and that’s just an amazing way to start making connections and not being isolated.’’
Mr Eaqub said despite some of the concerns, there was much to be optimistic about.
‘‘ I was encouraged that across all regions, demographics and place of birth, we have a broad sense of belonging and pride in New Zealand.
‘‘This is an extraordinary base to build from.’’
