Why my child is going to Canterbury in 2026
As a former local, I remember Dundas St being trashed back in the mid-1990s, so this is nothing new. The culprits then, as now, were people who had chosen to come to Otago mostly to party.
My daughter has just finished her second year at uni. Her time living in a drafty, uninsulated 130-year-old Howe St terrace house was marred by some seriously uncivilised behaviour by flatters in the surrounding neighbourhood. As I packed her belongings to come home last Monday, I observed the impact of the previous night’s "fireworks wars", I trod on the smashed glass on the street and footpaths, and I noticed the stink of discarded rubbish from the neighbourhood flats.
A serious conversation needs to be had by the University of Otago, OUSA and the council about the incredibly poor behaviour that’s tolerated in North Dunedin, and the degraded physical environment that exacerbates an "anything goes" culture.
For my daughter, a cheaper, newer, warmer flat awaits, as she completes her degree at the University of Canterbury in 2026.
Student support
Whew, what a battering Clive McNeill (10.11.25) gave me, for my letter, supporting our hard-working, intelligent young students.
Well Clive you obviously haven’t read my previous six letters supporting students, published since March 3, 2023. One of my letters even stated "Don’t blame the students" and I stand by that statement too.
No-one ever wants any of our precious young ones to be damaged or hurt in any way, and I want them all to be healthy, successful, safe, happy and to have really good reliable friends.
Student safety is paramount and following Sophia Crestani’s death a charter, with a strong safety focus was prepared by several people associated in many ways with the university and students. Sophia’s Charter was needed and welcomed but still no-one has been willing to open a large university area for regular supervised safe student social occasions.
Some might wonder why a very few students cause problems and leave messes?
They are young and just want to meet up with others and have fun but there are no large supervised areas available where they can socialise in safety. Cheap alcohol is available and drugs seem to be pushed too.
Absentee landlords rely on managers and just a few managers neglect their extremely important duties for the tenants, as well as for the landlords, who are paying for their services.
Also, frequently, troublesome gate-crashers mingle with the students and some just want to cause trouble.
As a long-time student flat property manager, I will always support, respect and care for any students that I meet up with. These young ones are the future of our city and country They deserve the best.
Parking opportunity
With the demise of the large trees in Anzac Ave recently due to high winds, I feel it would be an opportunity to create angle parking on the berm.
The greedies
The editorial on housing (5.11.25) was refreshingly straight-forward. Despite yet another sickening rise in house prices, the tone was sane. No hint of the Life of Brian desperately singing "always look on the bright side."
I fear my grandchildren will look back on this era as the day of the greedies. But I hope they may see a New Zealand Zohran Mamdani throw off the grip of the greedies and bring back democratic socialism.
Welcome conciliation starting a conversation
Contrary to the sensational editorial introduction to Robin Quigg’s article (The Weekend Mix 9.11.25), that she and co-author Els Russell were not backing down, there is, despite a lot of doubling down of opinion by Robin, much welcome conciliation that was nowhere visible in Matthew Littlewood’s earlier report on the author’s survey (ODT 24.10.25).
Robin recognises that people’s history, values, and relationships to land are not unique to Māori.
She recognises that many families and communities from all backgrounds, understand wellbeing as something shared, grounded in relationships and care for the land. We are all tenants on this planet.
Robin also asks us to reimagine our parks and reserves as spaces that reflect us all. All New Zealanders need to feel welcome when visiting.
And this is where the conversation might start, not with prejudice, rights, and opinions requiring justification and the digging of deeper holes, but with stories to share.
Applause for keffiyeh-clad councillors
Greg Glendining, Andrew Couper and Nanette Linklater criticise the Dunedin councillors who wore keffiyeh at the recent DCC swearing in (Letters ODT 6.11.25).
Mr Couper apparently believes the plight of the Palestinians should not be a DCC concern. Wrong. Rule 44 of the Local Government procurement guidelines allows for local bodies to include human rights violations as a consideration when choosing those to do business with. .
Mr Glendining, on the other hand, is apparently yet to realise that Israel is actually conducting a genocide/ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. This lack of understanding is hard to fathom as more evidence unfolds daily, such as torture carried out by the IDF on Palestinian prisoners (ODT 5.11.25) and Israel’s military lawyers finding evidence pointing to war crimes committed by the IDF (ODT 10.11.25).
Ms Linklater conflates the councillors’ wearing of keffiyeh with support for Hamas. The wearing of keffiyeh signifies support for the Palestinian people. The practice of keffiyeh wearing does not and has never represented support for Hamas.
So, I say, "Well done" to the councillors who wore keffiyeh to their swearing in. Constituents should be encouraged that some councillors are prepared to publicly signal their understanding that we live in a world where ethics matter.
The various letters to the ODT about some councillors wearing the keffiyeh at their swearing-in ceremony were filled with misleading suggestions that the wearing of the keffiyeh is a show of anti-Jewish feeling.
This is a sadly now a popular conflation of the issue of the siege of Palestine that Israel is inflicting upon the citizens of Gaza and the West Bank, that support of Palestine is anti-Semitic. This is not the case: it is disingenuous at best and dishonest at worst, of the authors to imply that it is.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: letters@odt.co.nz
