Council responds to nine-year submission
A possible heavy-traffic bypass to move trucks out of the town centre will be considered within a transport investment profile being prepared with New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. Pedestrian and road safety matters, including crossings, footpaths, lighting and speed reductions, will also be addressed through that process.
The council said the study might or might not recommend a bypass.
The board stressed the need to strengthen cycling and walking links, naming the Dunedin Tunnels Trail, Taieri Trail and Outram loop track.
The council said there was no new funding for the full Tunnels Trail, but it was working with the Dunedin Tunnels Trail Trust to maximise the Chain Hills tunnel phase within existing budgets.
A destination playground for Mosgiel Memorial Garden will be designed, with construction expected in 2032 or 2033.
The board sought funding for public toilets at the Brooklands/Seddon Park precinct; the council said that funding had been removed due to budget constraints.
Noting growth in housing, aged care and industry on the Taieri, the board asked for supporting infrastructure.
The council said its Future Development Strategy identified Mosgiel as a growth area and included some projects within the nine-year plan.
The board also highlighted floodbank and river channel maintenance, especially on the Silverstream, and upgrades to Mosgiel's stormwater network, including pumps at Reid Ave and Centre St.
The council said funding in the first two years would enable some upgrades, followed by further assessment and public engagement.
Nominees
Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board Nominees
• Malcolm Anngow
• Austen Banks
• Rose Finnie
• Brian Peat
• Alexis Robin
• Rebecca Shepherd
• Andrew Sutton
• Kimberlee Wallace
• Steve Wilson
Postal votes need to submitted by Tuesday, October 7.
After this date votes must be returned to the council's secure ballot boxes before noon on Saturday, October 11.
sam.henderson@thestar.co.nz
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Everything has gone up from the halftime oranges to the user charges for Dunedin City Council grounds and facilities. The latter has been quite a hike. McGowan said user charges have more than doubled since 2018. He has seen Southern Football's bill grow from $42,202 to $98,119 in 2025. It has been reluctant to pass that extra cost on to members and has instead opted to reduce the number of fields it uses to bring down the cost. Southern Football has budgeted a loss of $58,000 this financial period but that may double, McGowan said. The association cannot keep absorbing the costs. McGowan said he was going to have to have an awkward conversation with one club about its ongoing financial viability. It could lead to the club closing. He declined to say which one. Nation said the problem was widespread. "I think clubs are really having to have those conversations about their financials and how do we make sure that we are viable." Fewer volunteers The burden of helping bridge the gap between rising expenses and revenue often falls to volunteers, who are in dwindling supply. "They're there for the love of the sport and helping people out and not for the rewrite of their constitution and chasing up funding all the time," Nation said. "It's not a recipe for a great future. "I think there's a really core pool of volunteers that most clubs have. They may be ageing. "They may be struggling to bring people in. But I think the good clubs out there have got good structures in place, and they look after their volunteers, and they're doing well. "So it seems like for the level of people that are playing, it is pretty healthy across the board in Otago. "But I think there is a bit of a tipping point there ... and it's not going to take much to turn it to being a bit of an exodus." It is a gloomy assessment that Nation walked back a little by adding he does not believe the volunteer base has thinned as much in Otago as in other parts of the country. McGowan had similar thoughts. "We've got a very strong group of volunteers, some of them with considerable experience, who do an amazing job. And it's a big job now. "It's not like it used to be, where you'd just turn up on a Saturday and put the nets up. "They are running large organisations which have large cash flows. "We know our volunteers are required to do more and more, and it almost becomes like a second job for many of them. "I think it's got harder and harder, so I think we will start to see an impact on that pretty soon." Kinley said referee and coaching numbers were holding, but they did not keep statistics on overall volunteer numbers. "I would say that what I've found over the years, and this is a general comment, is that we tend to follow the things that happen in other areas of the country. "While we're holding OK, it's certainly an area that we need to focus on. I don't want us to see us following what the rest of the country has done."
