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Community Services Committee
16 October 2024
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Community Services Activity Report April 2024 - June 2024
Department: Parks and Recreation, Library, Ara Toi, Arts and
Culture, Enterprise Dunedin, Community Services and Māori, Partnerships
and Policy
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1 The
Community Services Committee provides oversight of community assets, community
development and community wellbeing across arts, culture, community development
and recreation services.
2 This
report updates the Committee on some key Resident Opinion Survey results and
provides activity reporting from the following areas:
a) Dunedin
Public Libraries.
b) Dunedin
Cultural Facilities - Art Gallery, Toitu, Lan Yuan Chinese Gardens and
Olveston.
c) Dunedin
City of Literature.
d) Creative
Partnerships.
e) Community
Partnerships.
f) Housing.
g) Events.
h) Parks and
Recreation.
3 Each
area has provided an activity overview, key highlights, challenges, trends and
issues over the period April 2024 to June 2024.
4 Some
highlights for the April 2024 to June 2024 period detailed in the report
include:
· Library:
The team has delivered 1067 programmes across the library network with 6685
participants attending sessions ranging from book groups, children’s
story time, bilingual story time, digital learning, and genealogical research
sessions. Successful events in the last quarter included: Reed
Gallery’s ‘Left vs Right. The Battle of the Book Clubs
(1936-51)’ exhibition; the introduction of a weekly “quiet
hour”; and a vibrant Music Month line-up.
· DPAG: Dunedin
City Council holds an Enriching Local Curriculum (ELC) Ministry of
Education contract to deliver programmes at the DPAG, Toitū and Lan Yuan. These
programmes offer wide -ranging and bespoke learning outcomes in all curriculum
areas. This period 3277 students participated in our ELC programmes.
· City of Literature: For National Poetry Day the City of Literature partnered
with Dunedin Public Libraries and NZ Society of Authors Otago/Southland Branch
on a free sold-out event to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of Janet
Frame’s birth and the City of Literature’s tenth birthday year.
· Creative
Partnerships: The team engaged with 50+ external arts and community organisations
and provided personal assistance and advice to over 100 creative practitioners.
A highlight for the team was working with Studio2 to facilitate the exhibition
of their artists’ works on the hoardings surrounding the Lower Stuart St
pipe renewal site. The team has taken over management of the Community Gallery
and this has gone well.
· Community
Partnerships: The Task Force Green team delivered 200 trailer loads of wood
to people in need across the community. This is a collaborative approach with
community groups and social service contacts which illustrates the DCC working
with and helping the community. At a commercial value of $150 a trailer load
this represents over $30,000 worth of firewood to families in need. The
firewood is sourced from Parks operations (Delta) and City Forests and is a
great example of recycling a waste resource into the community.
· Enviroschools: The team has had direct
engagement with 2177 students on waste minimisation, contributing to
over 394 hours on sustainability projects. In the last quarter, the team
delivered the Enviroschools Hui for students in years 4-6: Bio-Blitz at
Tomahawk! This involved 10 schools, 10 teachers, 44 students and many
members volunteers from across the community.
· Housing:
The Outcomes Star database (standardised assessment tool to identify the main
causes of homelessness) is up and running with 23 front line practitioners from
ten organisations currently signed up. Further provider involvement and
training opportunities are being progressed.
· Parks and
Recreation: Te Puna o
Whakaehu has completed one full year of operations. From July 2023 to June
2024, we have had 160,561 total visits. This is 32% higher than the expected
140,000 visits based on the business case for the pool.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Committee:
a) Notes the Community
Services Activity Report for April 2024 to June 2024.
BACKGROUND
Residents’ Opinion Survey (ROS)
5 The
ROS is a monitoring tool utilised by the DCC to collect statistically reliable
results on residents’ satisfaction with DCC services and facilities and
perceptions of Council performance. It has been commissioned by the DCC every
year since 1994 in varying forms and provides an annual snapshot.
6 The
ROS asks respondents to rate their satisfaction levels on a scale from 1-10
from very dissatisfied to very satisfied. Results are now provided to
Council in quarterly reports. Some key ROS results have been included as part
of the Community Services activity reporting.
Some Key ROS Results
Perceptions of Dunedin - Sense of Community
7 Table
1 shows the level of residents’ perception that there is a ‘Sense
of community within their local neighbourhood’ over the last year July
2023 to June 2024.
Perceptions of Dunedin – Dunedin is a creative
city
8 Table
2 shows the level of agreement of residents’ perception that
‘Dunedin is a creative city’ over the last year July 2023 to June
2024.
Overall Satisfaction ratings for Parks, Reserves and
Open Spaces, Sports and Recreation Facilities and Public (Cultural Facilities)
9 Table
3 shows overall satisfaction rates across Parks, Sports Facilities and Cultural
Facilities over time 2016-2024.
Satisfaction with Cultural Facilities
10 Table 4 shows
satisfaction rates of users across Cultural Facilities June
2024 (YTD).
Satisfaction with Sporting and Recreational Facilities
11 Table 5 shows satisfaction
rates of users across Parks and Reserves and Open Spaces June 2024 (YTD).
Satisfaction with Sport and Recreation Facilities
12 Table
6 shows
satisfaction rates of users across Sport and Recreation Facilities June 2024
(YTD).
DISCUSSION
DUNEDIN PUBLIC
LIBRARIES ACTIVITY REPORTING
13 At a
high-level the Dunedin Public Libraries operational activities are summarised
below.
Overview of key
library activity
14 Table 7
shows Total Physical Visits to all Libraries in the network over quarter 4,
showing a slight increase in average number of visits per month over the
previous year.
15
Table 8 shows Physical Visits at the City Library over quarter 4, showing a
slight decrease in average number of visits per month over the previous year.
16 Table 9
shows Physical Visits by Branch Libraries over quarter 4, with numbers largely
remaining steady.
17 Table 10
shows Total Physical Issues over quarter 4, with a slight increase in average
number of physical issues per month over the previous year.
18 Table 11
shows Physical Issues at City Library over quarter 4, with a decrease in
physical issues over the previous year.
19 Table 12
shows Physical Issues by Library Branch over the quarter 4, with numbers
largely remaining steady.
20 Table 13
shows Total e-Collection Issues over the quarter 4, with a 14.5% increase in
e-Collection issues over the previous year.
21 Table 14
shows Free WIFI Usage at City Library, showing a steady rise in WIFI usage on
the previous year.
22 Table 15
shows Free WIFI Usage by Library Branch over quarter 4.
23 Table 16
shows Numbers of Community Outreach Programmes Delivered over the quarter 4.
24 Table 17
shows Number of Participants Attending Community Outreach Programmes over the
last 3 quarters.
Library highlights
25 Heritage
Collection
· Reed Gallery
Exhibitions – ‘Left vs Right. The Battle
of the Book Clubs (1936-51)’, 1 May-18 August. The
exhibition recalls the publishing phenomenon that was the Left Book Club and
the Right Book Club in Britain in the 1930s. Dunedin Public Libraries is
fortunate to hold the largest collection of Left and Right Book Club
publications in Australasia, as part of its Heritage Collections, and they were
on display for the first time as part of this exhibition.
26 Events
· After the success
of the low sensory hour to promote Autism NZ’s “Hoods Up Volume
Down” campaign in April the City, Mosgiel and South Dunedin libraries are
now holding weekly low sensory hours every Wednesday, 1-2pm. This hour is
tailored to accommodate individuals with autism or sensory and neurodiversity
needs at each library involved, as part of our commitment to making our
libraries and services accessible to the community.
· Music Month
– opened with a performance from the DCC Waiata Group, followed by
performances throughout May by Em & Me, Mr Roberelli, The Phil Corfield
Band, SheChoir, Dunedin Rock Choir, amongst others. A Beamafilm screening of
“The Chills: The Triumph And Tragedy of Martin Phillipps” also took
place.
Library
Challenges
27 The library
continues to experience disruption to magazine supplies, either because the
titles cease publication or the supplier goes out of business, which has
resulted in gaps in the collection.
28 Ongoing
access to conservation supplies and treatments also continues to be a
concern. Library staff continue to explore other options for supplies and
treatments in an environment of shrinking availability, options are
increasingly limited and alternative treatments are likely to be more
expensive.
Library Trends and Issues
29 The use of
electronic resources (e-books and e-audio resources) continues to grow as
patrons increasingly move towards the online digital environment. This is a
trend across libraries generally, and increasingly so post-covid. During Covid
library users moved into the online and digital environment, with many patrons
continuing to access the library in this way.
30 The libraries
are seeing increased use by people with housing insecurity for charging phones
and accessing services for support. The policy for Sleeping in the Library has
been amended so that people can do so if not causing a problem.
31 There is an
increase in patrons experiencing mental health issues or social issues. This is
unlikely to decrease and policy and management of this is important. Support of
library staff managing difficult encounters with some patrons is ongoing,
particularly in terms of clear communication and de-escalation.
CULTURAL FACILITIES: ART GALLERY, TOITU,
LAN YUAN AND OLVESTON ACTIVITY REPORTING
32 At a high-level
the Dunedin Cultural Facilities operational activities are summarised below.
Overview of cultural
facilities key activity
Exhibition Highlights
33 Dunedin
Public Art Gallery
· Artists
Residency Programme: The DPAG operates a residency programme
funded by Creative New Zealand, which brings two artists to Ōtepoti
Dunedin each year: one international artist and one from elsewhere in New
Zealand. Painter, Nicola Farquhar, was the NZ Resident in early 2024 and her
exhibition, Stars, Lands opened in May.
· Other
new exhibitions: During this reporting period, several exhibitions
were launched. Margery Blackman: Weaving Life celebrates the work of renowned
Dunedin textile artist Margery Blackman and will travel to Christchurch and
Wellington later in 2024. Additionally, the exhibitions Chaptered, A
Painter’s Palette, and Transitions: Aotearoa to London, all
featuring works from the Gallery’s permanent collection, also opened
during this time. A Painters Palette is the latest in the series
of exhibitions designed for early learners as part of the Whānau
Gallery programme.
· Marilynn
Webb – Folded in the hills Catalogue: The Gallery has an
extensive art catalogue publishing program, and its latest release, Marilynn
Webb: Folded in the Hills, was shortlisted as one of four finalists in the
Illustrated Non-Fiction category of the Ockham New Zealand Book
Awards—the country's premier platform for recognizing excellence in
writing and book production. Although the book did not win, making the
shortlist is a significant achievement for the gallery staff, especially
considering the strong competition from major publishing houses.
34 Toitū
Otago Settlers Museum
· 1964 Beatles NZ
tour: June 2024 marked the 60th anniversary of the Beatles' historic NZ
tour including a concert in Dunedin. To commemorate this occasion, staff
installed a display in the Research Centre featuring film footage of the tour,
alongside objects from our collection and items generously lent by members of
the public. This special exhibit will be on view until September 2024.
· Toitū staff
also completed 3 Talking Pictures episodes. These are released on the
Toitū YouTube channel and focus on the Toitū art collection and
variously feature stories about artworks, the artists and the lives of the
people or the scenes depicted.
Programme Highlights
35 Toddler
Time: From April to June 2024, over 100 visitors attended
Toitū’s monthly interactive pre-schoolers programme. Each
month, a different museum theme is explored, ranging from music and transport
to Dunedin’s printing history. These are brought to life with crafts,
storytelling, music, play and dance.
36 ANZAC
Day: Toitū opens at dawn on ANZAC Day, immediately following the dawn
service at the Cenotaph, welcoming visitors with a warm beverage and the
opportunity to view the Otago Roll of Honour and other commemorative military
displays in the Museum. As part of the ANZAC Day program, the Museum also
screened a series of documentaries and other programs produced by Toitū
staff.
37 Dragon
Boat Festival: In June, Lan Yuan hosted its annual celebration of the
Dragon Boat Festival, focusing on the Legend of Qu Yuan. The event included
various family-friendly activities, such as a craft station where participants
created miniature dragon boats and lanterns, and a scavenger hunt to locate
hidden toy dragons throughout Lan Yuan’s pathways. A dragon boat,
provided by the local dragon boating club Ōtepoti Dragons, was also on
display near the Pai Lau. As dusk fell, approximately 165 attendees gathered
for an outdoor screening of *Raya and the Last Dragon*, enjoying the film under
the stars with their own chairs, blankets, and picnic dinners.
38 School
Holiday programmes: Both DPAG and Toitu ran extensive programmes in the
April term break. Each day of the holidays many young people participated
in arts and crafting workshops, hands on history programmes or film screenings.
Education
Highlights
39 Schools
Education: Dunedin City Council holds an Enriching
Local Curriculum (ELC) Ministry of Education contract to deliver programmes
at the DPAG, Toitū and Lan Yuan, or via our outreach service at schools or
early learning centres. These programmes offer wide -ranging and bespoke
learning outcomes in all curriculum areas.
40 This
reporting period 3277 ākonga, or students, participated in one of our ELC
programmes. Table 18 shows the number of students attending ELC
programmes by schooling group.
41 Schools
continue to face challenges in visiting our museums due to the cost of transportation.
In response, the education team have expanded the Museums Outreach service,
focusing on schools on the waiting list and those identified as priorities by
the Ministry of Education, with some additional visits for specific
professional development needs.
42 The team
have developed activities and programmes to compliment the curriculum which
encourage teamwork, abstract thinking, and critical analysis. This model has
increased engagement, particularly among reluctant learners and students with
neurodivergent or learning difficulties.
43 Other
programmes involve process-based drawing sessions to encourage creative
expression without judgment. These mindful, multi-sensory activities have been
highly engaging for all students, including those with physical challenges, and
can be easily incorporated into daily classroom programs to improve confidence,
encourage creativity and problem-solving, as well as promote well-being.
Cultural Sites
44 Olveston
Summer bookings: All summer bookings for the cruise ship season with
major inbound tour operators are finalised. At the time of writing, 93 cruise
ships are due into port this coming cruise season between October 2024 and April
2025. Coach bookings start early September and run through until mid-June
2025, with over 90 coaches booked during this time.
45 Lan Yuan.
Work is underway on a new building maintenance programme that will ready
the Lan Yuan facility for the busy summer period.
46 Olveston
Garden: Winter is traditionally a quieter period at Olveston, allowing
staff to conduct thorough cleaning and prepare the house for the upcoming
influx of visitors in spring. In anticipation of the busy season, a new cohort
of tour guides has been recruited and engaged in extensive training over the
past few months.
47 Asbestos:
As part of routine work, Toitū collections staff team began
investigating asbestos-containing materials in 2022. Historically, asbestos was
used in items such as Bakelite, flooring materials, and heat-resistant products
so can be expected in collections relating to social history. This investigation
also found asbestos-containing dust in some collections, most likely from past
storage buildings. We continue work with DCC colleagues and contractors to
develop a methodology for identifying and remediating the affected storage
areas and anticipate beginning this work in late 2024.
Trends and Issues
48 Visitation:
A total of 121,929 people visited the Cultural Facilities this reporting
period. Visitation trends from earlier in the year have continued
at DPAG and Toitu. The winter months are traditionally quieter at Lan
Yuan and Olveston. Table 19 shows a breakdown of visitation numbers.
ŌTEPOTI HE PUNA AUAHA - DUNEDIN UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE ACTIVITY
REPORTING
49 At a high
level the City of Literature’s operational activities are summarised
below.
City of Literature Key Activity
50 Ōtepoti He Puna Auaha Dunedin UNESCO City of
Literature celebrates original local writing in te reo Māori, English and
all other languages, including fiction, non-fiction, children’s books,
poetry, spoken word, scripts for theatre and film, and lyrics. The team also
works to progress UNESCO’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals to improve
outcomes for communities and the planet. Participation in Creative Cities
programmes offers the chance to shine a light on Ōtepoti’s
extraordinary writers on the world stage. In partnership with tangata whenua,
the team collaborates with writers, illustrators, publishers, libraries,
booksellers, arts practitioners, community groups, festivals, galleries,
tertiary institutions, and pre-schools, and runs free hands-on workshops in
primary schools. The Director sits on the Executive Group for the Cities of
Literature Network.
51 2024 is the
City of Literature’s tenth birthday year, and below is an update on some
of the key activities to acknowledge this significant celebratory year.
52 June
2024: City of Literature South D Poet Lorikeet Jenny Powell worked with
Rudolf Steiner School intermediate students to edit their poetry from earlier
free workshops. The City of Literature has published a tenth birthday
collection, Teddy’s Life Journey, for students to take home to
their whānau. This Ōtepoti initiative was
selected by the Secretary General, National Commission for UNESCO for reporting
to UNESCO in Paris.
53 The City of
Literature South D Poet Lorikeet ran free workshops for SuperGrans, and the
City of Literature will publish a tenth birthday collection including artworks
in response by Studio 2 artists for poets and artists to keep.
54 23
August: For National Poetry Day the City of Literature partnered with
Dunedin Public Libraries and NZ Society of Authors Otago/Southland Branch on a
free sold-out event to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of Janet
Frame’s birth and the City of Literature’s tenth birthday year. The
City Library’s fourth floor was transformed with pink baubles and banners
and the walls were covered with almost fifty striking poem posters. The evening
was filled with jazz by the Bill Martin Trio, captivating poetry performances – some accompanied by music
and dance, the announcement of the 2024 National Poetry Day Competition
winners, and a special themed birthday cake. The NZ Society of Authors Chair Michelle Elvy published the
collection perch – a series of remarkable collaborative
poems written especially for the night – which was presented to the City
of Literature as a surprise gift from the poets.
55 28 August: Janet Frame’s literary and
personal papers held at Hocken Collections were inscribed into the
UNESCO Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Register on the hundredth
anniversary of her birth. The City of Literature supported the event along with
the exhibition Janet Frame's Bookshelf: A Writer's Reading Life, now
open at Special Collections, University of Otago Library.
56 October: University Book Shop (Otago) turns eighty and is running a
‘best memory’ competition. The City of Literature will acknowledge
this shared anniversary with birthday cake for the community.
57 1 to 17
December: The Sustainable Development Goals social media campaign with the
other Cities of Literature will see the birthday logo alongside the SDG of the
day, to showcase books by Ōtepoti writers and our
city around the world.
City of Literature Highlights
58 Connections:
International Youth Day – City of Literature nominee, writer Shima Jack
who coordinates the Dunedin Youth Writers Association, attended the youth
online roundtables, featuring seventeen young writers from thirteen Cities of
Literature around the globe; and, ongoing, Ōtepoti is the mentor city for
new City of Literature Okayama (Japan).
59 Collaboration: Poetry on the Move – Ōtepoti City of Literature
was one of eighteen cities to be included in Heidelberg’s initiative
which saw each poem published on postcards and posters in German and English
and distributed in cafes and on buses and trains throughout 2024.
60 Sustainability:
Announcement in May of the Caselberg Trust Margaret
Egan Cities of Literature Writers Resident 2024. Award-winning poet
Alison Glenny was selected by the judges from a strong field and will be
welcomed to the Caselberg House in Whakaohorahi/Broad Bay from the start of
November till mid-December. Alison, who lives on the Kāpiti Coast and has
previously published two collections of poetry, is an eco-poet and is eager to
form strong connections with the Ōtepoti landscape and community.
61 Innovation:
The Director City of Literature attends Aotearoa Creative Cities Network
meetings hosted by the National Commission for UNESCO to uplift practitioners
and cities.
62 Innovation:
Secretary General Vicki Soanes, National Commission for UNESCO visited
Ōtepoti to attend the inscription of the Janet Frame Papers and to
acknowledge our city.
CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS ACTIVITY REPORTING
63 At a
high-level Creative Partnerships operational activities are summarised below.
Community Engagement Summary
64 Creative
Partnerships engagement with the arts community involves working and
collaborating with organisations and individual artists to assist with project
development, capability development, funding questions. Creative advocacy is
also a key part of promoting creative activity and practitioners across the city
and staff undertake this work through a variety of activities outlined below.
a) The
team continues to provide ongoing updates, assistance, and advice to 50+ external
arts and community organisations. This includes in-person meetings outside
office hours if this best suits groups.
b) Personal
assistance and advice provided to over 100 creative practitioners; the sorts of
topics covered include public and private murals, the promotion of upcoming
events, funding opportunities, potential studio spaces, festival and event
logistics, professional development opportunities.
c) The
DCC/OCT Creative Capability Workshop programme continued through April–June
2024. These have included workshops on Contracts and Music Pathways, and a
joint CNZ/Creative Partnerships event.
d) After
discussions with the Otago Community Trust, the decision was made to actively
support the development of creative capability for emerging and mid-year
creative practitioners through the continuation of the workshops programme.
This spreads the focus of the $60K arts capability funding (split 50:50 DCC and
OCT) more equitably across formal arts organisations and informal collectives,
groups, and practitioners.
e) The
University of Otago HUMS 401 internship was completed in May 2024. Honours
student Ms Hodson took an active role in facilitating and supporting the
roll-out of the workshop programme.
f) Creative
advocacy including promotion of Creative Partnerships work was undertaken via
interviews with Otago Access Radio; over 150 @aratoiotepoti Instagram stories
were shared promoting local creative activities, businesses, and practitioners.
g) Creative
Partnerships staff have been actively seeking out and speaking with local and
national music venues, organisations, mentor programmes, and recording studios,
to gather information about best practice for supporting and implementing music
in Ōtepoti Dunedin.
Creative Grants Summary
65 Table 20
shows the percentage of total DCC Arts and CNZ Creative Communities Scheme
grants allocated across creative medium for the six years to June 2024. The
data track where applications are coming from, where funding is allocated, and
allows staff to identify trends over time. This in turn is used to help staff
prioritise outreach and engagement. Please note that these data do not include
Professional Theatre Fund grants
66 Visual Arts
and Music continue to receive the majority of funding across these two grants
pools. The most obvious trends are the overall rise in successful applications
for Dance and Visual Arts activities, and the decline in those for Theatre
activities.
67 The
establishment of Dance Ōtepoti has had a very positive effect on the
production and visibility of dance practice in the city. The obvious decline in
theatre practice can be attributed in large part to two main factors:
68 Ongoing and
fundamental effects from the loss of venue and soft infrastructure occasioned
by the 2018 closure of the Fortune Theatre company.
69 The effects
of the Covid 19 pandemic on performing arts in particular.
70 Table 21
shows the percentage of total DCC Arts and CNZ Creative Communities Scheme
grants allocated across Māori, Pāsifika, other minority communities
for the six years to June 2024. The team is happy with the general trend
upwards and will continue to work to improve results in these areas.
71 Staff
assessed City Service/City Project grants in May 2024 and made funding
recommendations to the Grants Subcommittee. Table 22 shows the funding
allocations according to creative medium for the six years to June 2024. The
total available for allocation to arts organisations in the 2024 round was
$231,550.
72 It has been
pleasing to see new organisations Dance Ōtepoti, the Māori and
Pasifika Education Trust (MPET), and the Dunedin Jazz Club accessing this
funding in the last two years. The addition of the MPET is especially welcome,
as the total lack of Māori and Pasifika focussed arts organisations
applying to this fund has been concerning for the team.
Creative Partnerships Highlights
73 The team
has been actively reaching out to groups and individuals in the community who
may feel unable to proactively come forward to engage with DCC staff. This is
part of a strategic, long-term approach to working for these communities. The
grants round that has just closed appears to show success in this area,
although this will be borne out once the round is fully analysed.
74 Management
of the Community Gallery now sits with Creative Partnerships. Special mention
needs to go to the team’s Administrator, Becky Gell, who ensured that the
handover process rolled out with little impact on gallery users. Her attention
to detail and calm, measured manner was appreciated by all involved.
Creative Partnerships
Challenges
75 The
systemic challenges noted in the last activity report remain valid. Staff work
hard to serve all sectors of the city’s creative communities equitably
and effectively. This is not always reflected in public discourse, which can be
dominated by those who are already privileged by Council systems and processes
76 The team
faces ongoing issues with the lack of resourcing for gathering useful and
relevant data, the most valuable of which is often qualitative rather than
quantitative. This activity is resource-heavy and best done over long periods
of time.
77 The lack of
a functional grants management system continues to place extra demands on staff
during peak workload periods. This has been an ongoing concern for years. It
should also be noted that the basic analysis of the grants data shown above
cannot be extracted in a useable format from the current system. Staff collate,
group, and analyse these figures separately.
Creative Partnerships
Trends and Issues
78 National
Context
· Current government
policy directions have not shown support for the arts and culture ecosystem.
Rhetoric around arts and music programmes in schools as ‘nice to
haves’ suggest a failure to recognise or value the intrinsic public good
provided by arts, creativity, and culture. This is supported by a reduction in
Manatū Taonga funding of $42.2M over four years.
· The level of
funding CNZ receives from the government has not changed since 2006; the CPI
has increased by 52.6% over the same period.
· The new funding
regime instituted by CNZ was welcomed for its shift in focus, but the reality
continues to be heavily over-subscribed grants rounds with an average of only 1
in 5 applications successful.
COMMUNITY
PARTNERSHIPS ACTIVITY REPORTING
79 At a high-level
Community Partnerships operational activities are summarised below.
Community Activity
80 The team
processed Place Based Grant Applications that delivered $460k of grant funding
across the community. The team has also started to assess nearly 50
applications for Community Grants which will be reviewed by the Grants
Sub-Committee in November. Grant-related activities include providing advice,
information and support to applicants in person or over the phone, or online.
81 Delivered a
funding seminar with Otago Community Trust, Department of Internal Affairs,
Sports Otago, Otago Gaming Trust, and Otago Regional Council. The DCC Community
Partnerships team was the lead in organising this event.
82 Delivered
support to 3 Council Mandated Advisory Groups; Dunedin Former Refugee Steering
Group; Disability Issues Advisory Group; and Social Wellbeing Advisory Group by
providing administration support, advice and delivering on key actions where
appropriate.
83 Delivered
one bi-monthly workshop for Place Based Community Groups. Next one is scheduled
for October 2024.
Highlights
84 Delivered
one bi-monthly meetings for the Ōtepoti Community Support Network. This
followed the “Elevator Pitch” where five groups presented about the
services they deliver. Next one is scheduled to take place in October 2024.
85 The
community advisors team also supported the DCC at Polyfest 2024 and helped
deliver a Youth Activity.
86 Youth
Activity
· Delivered advice
and support for the Dunedin Youth Council (DYC).
· The DYC have
engaged in health and safety discussions related to the Bus Hub. They have been
supported by their Community Partnership’s Advisor to navigate these
opportunities as they emerge.
· At Polyfest, the
Community Partnerships team along with other DCC staff, engaged with young
people to better understand what matters most to them. Five key needs were
identified from the recent Ōtepoti Youth Vision survey. The results showed
that young people would like more activities that are young-people-led and
activities that are creative. Some young people indicated that they don’t
feel connected to their community/ neighbourhood.
87 Youth
Highlights
· On 29 August, the
DYC organised Soundwave Festival. It was a successful event with 65
performers/16 bands from across 15 secondary schools.
· DYC Chair and
Deputy Chair accompanied Cr Gilbert to the Festival for the Future in
Wellington. This was a great opportunity for the DYC representatives to network
and represent Ōtepoti youth in this forum. Cr Gilbert provided support for
the DYC reps and the Mayor supported with conference and transport costs.
· In collaboration
with the Mayoral fund and the Otago Community Trust, the DCC funded two
Ōtepoti young adults to participate in the Aspiring Leaders’ Forum
in Wellington. They will be submitting their report to the Community Services
Committee in November.
88 Taskforce
Green Activity
· The TFG team
supports people who are experiencing long term unemployment. With funding
support the MSD, the TFG offers work opportunities for people to engage, grow
their skills and develop their confidence by engaging in meaningful activity.
The TFG team also supports people from Corrections in relation to helping
people deliver on their community hours.
· The type of work
the TFG undertakes is either in relation to the DCC’s wider work
programme mainly via DCC events, Parks and Recreation and Waste. They also
support community groups in their projects.
89 TFG Key
deliverables this past quarter:
· TFG Volunteer
Hours: 3,460.
· Average Volunteer
Numbers: 36 people per day.
· Number of DCC or
Community Projects completed: 90
90 TFG Activity
Highlights
· Supporting 2024
Otago Polyfest during the week (set-up, pack-down and supporting).
· Lightbox
installation in the Octagon for new JETSTAR international flights announcement
and for Hospital Cut protest/campaign.
· Delivered 200
trailer loads of wood to people in need across the community - collaborative
approach with community groups/ social service contacts which illustrates the
DCC working with and helping the community. At a commercial value of $150 a
trailer load this represents over $30,000 worth of firewood to families in in
need, in the community. The firewood is sourced from Parks operations (Delta)
and City Forests – great example of helping a waste resource go to those
in need.
91 Enviroschools
Activity
· The team continued
to support 35 Ōtepoti/ Dunedin schools in their Enviroschools programme.
The team works with teachers and students to transform their environmental
ideas into actions.
· The DCC supports
this work as it aligns with the Council’s commitment to sustainability
and supports youth and community wellbeing.
· In Otago,
Enviroschools has been running for 21 years! Each year, the team also leads 4
hui with school groups. This past quarter the team delivered
‘BioBlitz!’.
92 Enviroschools
Highlights
· Direct engagement
with 2177 students on waste minimisation, contributing to over 394 hours on
sustainability projects.
· Led and delivered
the Enviroschools Hui for students in years 4-6: Bio-Blitz at Tomahawk! This
involved 10 schools, 10 teachers, 44 students and many members from across the
community.
93 Keep
Dunedin Beautiful (KDB) Activity
· In partnership
with KDB Trust – the team continued to support education opportunities to
the community about waste minimisation and recycling initiatives,
sustainability best practice, and coordinated environmental projects.
· This included
coordinating 35 clean-ups city-wide, 17 of which took place during National Clean-up
week September 20-27. Clean-up Week alone saw 3050 volunteer hours and
approximately 500kgs of litter removed from the local environment.
· Also supported
were beautification programmes such as 13 graffiti removals and completed
resource consent to undertake 1 community mural.
94 Keep
Dunedin Beautiful Highlights
· In partnership
with the KDB Trust, organised and delivered the annual KDB Awards. This was a
successful event supported by the Mayor. There were 62 nominations received and
120 attendees as we celebrated and acknowledged community people and groups who
do great work.
· Maintenance and
upkeep 100 of plants – ongoing.
· Supporting clean
ups in the weekends – ongoing.
HOUSING ACTIVITY REPORTING
95 At a high-level Housing operational activities are summarized below:
96 A
full update report will be provided at the 26 November 2024 Council Meeting and
will provide a comprehensive overview of ongoing work.
Implementation Plan
97 The
2024/2026 Implementation Plan is currently going through final shaping and will
be presented for adoption at the 26 November 2024 Council meeting.
Recent Highlights
98 Homelessness
· The Outcomes Star
database is up and running with 23 front line practitioners from ten
organisations currently signed up. Further provider involvement and training
opportunities are being progressed.
· The
encampment at the Oval has ended with a number of those present getting
permanent homes with both Kainga Ora and DCC, concerns and complaints are still
being received about homeless people occupying other public spaces. These
are being dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
99 Newsletter
· The
next iteration of the newsletter will be going out shortly. The first
iteration went live in April and was well received. This will now move
into business as usual and will likely be two or three times annually.
100 Incentives
· The council-wide
incentives work is progressing with a report due to council late 2024/early
2025 for consideration.
COMMUNITY EVENTS ACTIVITY
REPORTING
101 At a high-level Community
Events operational activities are summarised below:
Event Team Activities
102 Events
· During
the period April to June 2024, the Events team has facilitated and assisted
with 22 applications and bookings for local community events, three major or
premier events and delivered five civic events.
103 Getting
the basics right
· Between
April to June 2024, the Events Team allocated over $525,000 in grants, with
$287,178 supporting 12 major community events and $238,500 going to 4 premier
events.
PARKS AND RECREATION SERVICES ACTIVITY REPORTING
104 At a high-level Parks
and Recreational services operational activities are summarised below:
Parks and Recreation Services key activity
Aquatics
Highlights
105 Te
Puna o Whakaehu: Te Puna o Whakaehu has completed one full year of
operations and through July 2023-June 2024 we have had 160,561 total
visits. This is 32% higher than the expected 140,000 visits based on the
business case for the pool.
106 Table
23 below shows Pool visits per month at Te Puna o Whakaehu July 2023 to June
2024.
107 Moana
Pool: Family Change Room refurbishment completion, family change
rooms / area reopened for public use. Refurbishment including upgrade to
showers, toilets, flooring in the area, tile work, and the creation of two
larger dry change rooms for public and school group use.
Challenges
108 Pool space: Demand for pool space across all our
aquatic facilities at peak times is a constant challenge. We have
competing sports like water polo, diving, underwater hockey, synchronized
swimming all competing for deep water space along with our aqua jogging
population, casual users and aqua aerobics classes.
109 Construction
closures: Refurbishment work continues at Moana Pool. Some of this
work requires areas of the facility to be closed for the duration of parts of
the project. This proves challenging for staff and public as there is
disruption and temporary changes to people’s daily routines, available
space or activity.
Trends and Issues
110 Aqua Fitness classes
remain popular at Moana Pool, the year July 23’ – June 24’
saw over 5600 people participate in Aqua Fitness classes (that is an average of
17 people per class over 7 classes per week).
111 Weekend swimming
lessons across all facilities remain the most popular time slot for families.
112 Moana Pool Gym continues to prove popular with over 103,000 visits
from 1 July 2023 to the end of June 2024 and has 1525 current active
memberships.
113 Table 24
shows gym visits per month at the Moana Pool Gym. The gym service continues to
be well utilised, with the number of paid memberships at 1126 as of June 2024. This
does not include people that have swim only memberships.
Sportsbook
& facilities bookings
Highlights
114 Staff have received
positive feedback following the recent refurbishment of the Wellers Rock Jetty.
The $325k project involved replacement of old piles and structural gangways to
ensure it was open ahead of the busier spring and summer seasons.
115 Four new
mini-basketball hoops have been installed at Mosgiel Memorial Gym creating two
new junior cross courts. Both courts have been popular and well received by the
local user groups.
116 We have had no
cancellations of sport due to field closures in the last 2 years which reflects
the work staff and contractors are doing to maintain the fields despite the
high use and demand on them.
Challenges
117 Sports clubs are facing
increased operating and insurance costs which means some are struggling to
maintain their facilities. This leads to more requests for council
assistance and support in maintaining or replacing club owned assets.
Trends and Issues
118 Table 25 below also
shows sports fields and facility bookings from April 2023 to June 2024. This
illustrates the high level of winter sports bookings for the season (April to
June).
119 Summer bookings for
Touch, Softball and Cricket increase across February/March as School/College
terms begin.
DCC Cemeteries
and Crematorium
Highlights
120 The new Burial and Ash Beam contract
(11158) has been awarded to Whitestone Contracting Limited. This contract, effective
April 2024, has a duration of nine years, structured as 5+2+2.
Challenges
121 Green space and garden maintenance
costs are not meeting the revenue finance policy.
Botanic Garden
Highlights
122 Three new generation recycling units have
been installed, two in the lower Garden and the third in upper garden car park.
A fourth is to be placed at the Gardens corner entranceway prior to Christmas. The
earlier style recycling bins had been well used however limited capacity.
The new recycling units have a much more pleasant appearance, greater capacity
and influence future plans to centralise rubbish disposal and collections
points in the Botanic Garden and reduce costs.
123 Sponsorship of $100K was approved by the
committee of the Friends of Dunedin Botanic Garden towards the purchase of
playground equipment.
124 Apprentice graduation - Four apprentices
graduated having completed their three years of training; three students
completing their Level 4 Amenity Horticulture Certificate and one with a Level
4 Nursery Production Certificate. Three new Amenity trainees have started
however the Nursery Production trainee position will be filled in the new
year.
Challenges
125 Development and provision of community
engagement programming and information, garden activities and displays for
public and visitors’ participation and enjoyment are limited due to the
current level of resourcing available.
126 Maintaining
sufficient numbers of reliable volunteer staff of the Information Centre and
volunteer drivers to operate CREST’s - the Children’s Recreational
Support Trust’s novelty trains and shuttle bug continues to be
challenging.
Parks and
Planning
Highlights
127 Table
26 shows increased community volunteer numbers from April to June. This is due
to an increase in community groups joining and particular groups having big
volunteer numbers for the 3-month period:
· Tomahawk-Smaills
Beachcare Trust (323 volunteers)
· Town
Belt Kaitiaki (91 volunteers)
· Green
Hut Track Group (76 volunteers)
· Valley
Project (OpenVUE) (43 volunteers)
128 The team has received
positive feedback from volunteers for training opportunities (First Aid, Basic
Chainsaw, Volunteer Engagement, Predator Trapping).
Challenges
129 Funding
is the biggest challenge for our community groups.
130 Information sharing.
Improving our website and having easily accessible information of various
volunteer opportunities would help to increase volunteer uptake in the future.
131 One-off
volunteers. In the wider volunteer space across the country, volunteers tend to
look for a one-off opportunity rather than committing long-term.
City Sanctuary - Predator Free Dunedin
Overview
132 During this period the City Sanctuary
team has continued to activate and engage with communities via its city-wide
trapping programme. The community continues to support efforts by volunteering
on reserves and by managing traps in their own backyards. We continue to
provide opportunities for people to connect to nature and enhance our natural
flora and fauna.
133 Table 27 below shows the total number of volunteer hours for the period
April – June 2023 (5026.95 hours or 628 workday equivalents) and
comparative data for the period April – June 2024 (5588.75 hours or 699
workday equivalents). There has been an 11.2% increase in volunteer
contributions to the project during this period.
134 Table 28
below shows the total number of possums, rodents, mustelids and hedgehogs
removed from reserves and backyards during the period April – June 2023
(1431) and comparative data for the period April – June 2024 (1355).
There has been a 5.3% decrease in catches for this period which can be
attributed to increased level of effort from volunteers and staff and an
overall reduction in predators across Dunedin City because of the City
Sanctuary programme.
Highlights
135 Engagement with Fulton
Hogan and Fairfield School to develop a community biodiversity project. The
school has incorporated trapping into the school curriculum by issuing
‘Predator Patrol’ badges to participating students.
136 Ongoing support and
guidance to the newly formed Aroha Kaikorai Valley Conservation Group who
undertake conservation initiatives across council land in Kaikorai Valley. This
project is moving from strength to strength and gaining much buy-in from local
businesses and residents.
137 Again, this year we
participated in the ever-growing Wild Dunedin Festival of Nature. We are always
proud to support the event.
138 Collaboration with the
Department of Conservation and the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology
(NMIT) National Trapping Programme at Orokonui Ecosanctuary. The course
received an all-time high number of registrants.
139 Signal Hill Intensive
Possum Control Plan implemented and proving successful.
Challenges
140 Funding is not
guaranteed past 25/26 financial year.
OPTIONS
141 As
this is a report for noting, there are no options.
NEXT STEPS
142 The next Activity
Report will be presented to the first Community Services Committee in 2025.
Signatories
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Author:
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Heath Ellis - Acting Group Manager Parks and Recreation
Anne-Maree Wigley - Director Library Services
Lisa Wilkie - Kaiarahi - Team Leader Creative Partnerships
Nicky Page - Director, City of Literature
Cam McCracken - Director DPAG, Toitū, Lan Yuan and
Olveston
Sian Sutton - Dunedin Destination Manager
Gina Hu'akau - Community Partnerships Manager
Gill Brown - Principal Policy Advisor Housing
|
|
Authoriser:
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Jeanette Wikaira - General Manager Arts, Culture and
Recreation
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Attachments
There are no attachments for this report.
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SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS
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Fit with purpose of Local Government
This decision supports democratic local
decision making and action by, and on behalf of communities.
This decision promotes the social,
economic, environmental and cultural well-being of communities in the present
and for the future.
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Fit with strategic framework
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Contributes
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Detracts
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Not applicable
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Social Wellbeing Strategy
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✓
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☐
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☐
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Economic Development Strategy
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✓
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☐
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☐
|
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Environment Strategy
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✓
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☐
|
☐
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Arts and Culture Strategy
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✓
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☐
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☐
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3 Waters Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☐
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Future Development Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☐
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Integrated Transport Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☐
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Parks and Recreation Strategy
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✓
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☐
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☐
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Other strategic projects/policies/plans
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☐
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☐
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☐
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The refresh of the DCC’s four wellbeing strategies
is a critical piece of work that is overseen by the Panel.
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Māori Impact Statement
Alignment of the four wellbeing strategies with Te Taki
Haruru is central to the work updated in this report.
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Sustainability
Alignment of the four wellbeing strategies with
Council’s commitment to sustainability is central to the work updated
in this report.
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LTP/Annual Plan / Financial Strategy /Infrastructure
Strategy
The activity updates reported are included in the 10 Year
Plan and Annual Plan.
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Financial considerations
The activity updates reported are within existing budgets.
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Significance
This is considered low in terms of the Significance and
Engagement Policy.
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Engagement – external
As this is an activity update report, no external
engagement has been undertaken.
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Engagement - internal
As this is an activity update report, no internal
engagement has been undertaken.
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Risks: Legal / Health and Safety etc.
There are no identified risks.
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Conflict of Interest
There are no known conflicts of interest.
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Community Boards
Any specific issues are discussed with the appropriate
Community Board.
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