But if it does not, it will be hard to dampen their spirits.
For some participants it will be all about the competition, but for many individuals and teams from throughout the country and beyond it will be just as much about the camaraderie and the chance to meet up with old friends or make new ones.
We hope also that when they are having a break from competition, those from out of town have the opportunity to take in all Dunedin has to offer visitors.
The Games may not have the razzle-dazzle of a single event like a rugby test match or an international rock concert but it is worth remembering they are the biggest regularly occurring event in the city.
They are a welcome fillip for accommodation, hospitality and tourism businesses in the city, arriving during the hiatus between university semesters and as the school holidays come to an end.
While the number of competitors will be down on some earlier years, the longevity of the Games which occur in alternate years with Whanganui is something to be celebrated.
It is the country’s largest and longest multisport masters’ event and this year will feature more than 60 sports, including a few which will extend to other centres — Alexandra, Roxburgh, Palmerston, Allanton and Tautuku.
The Games were first held in Dunedin in 1992, and this year is the 37th time they have been held.
Sadly, Dunedin missed out on the Games planned for 2022 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2024 Games made a $193,350 loss, most of which was written off by the Dunedin City Council.
Organisers will be hoping this year’s event breaks even.
Changes for this year, including moving the Games hub to the Edgar Centre, have been designed to help the bottom line, but hopefully without losing any of the atmosphere.
Good luck to all those involved, including the army of volunteers, without whom the event would not be possible.
Short-staffing matters
While it may have been no surprise, it was still concerning to read in a Health and Disability Commissioner decision relating to Oamaru Hospital’s emergency department that while individual staff were involved in what went wrong, workload at the time meant they could not carry out their roles adequately.
Ultimately, Waitaki District Health Services, which was running the hospital at the time of the 2023 case, bore the responsibility of ensuring safe staffing levels.
It did not have adequate staffing to manage high patient numbers in its ED and this had an impact on the standard of care provided by multiple staff for the elderly patient at the centre of the complaint, the HDC found.
The commissioner’s clinical adviser said the workload, with regard to numbers of patients and their complexity, was at the limit of what would be expected to be seen in an emergency department, not taking into consideration any other issues which could be rising on the ward or the maternity unit.
The context was of a doctor working at the limits of what was safe.
Despite that, the requirement remained for the doctor, in such an environment, to adequately prioritise and to be aware of red flags in patients needing further consideration.
That case occurred in a year when the ED was closed three times because of a lack of staffing. The following year the hospital’s operations and assets were turned over to Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand.
The question this case raises for us is how many instances are there of poor decision-making in health settings all around the country where short staffing is playing a role?
It is difficult to know. Only 7%-8% of complaints proceed to formal investigation where the matter will become public as in the Oamaru case.
In 2024/25 the HDC received 3477 complaints, a small decrease from the previous year, but still 48% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
The HDC annual report says these numbers reflect growing consumer concern about timely access to care, the adequacy of treatment and the impacts of a stretched workforce.
