With an estimated population of 132,800 as of June 2025, Dunedin is New Zealand's seventh-most populous metropolitan and urban area.[9] For cultural, geographical, and historical reasons, the city has long been considered one of New Zealand's four main centres.[b] The urban area of Dunedin lies on the central-eastern coast of Otago, surrounding the head ofOtago Harbour. The harbour and hills around Dunedin are the remnants of an extinct volcano. The city suburbs extend out into the surrounding valleys and hills, onto the isthmus of theOtago Peninsula, and along the shores of the Otago Harbour and the Pacific Ocean.
Archaeological evidence points to lengthy occupation of the area by Māori prior to the arrival of Europeans.
A Scottish settlement was established in 1848 by the Lay Association of theFree Church of Scotland and between 1855 and 1900 many thousands ofScots emigrated to the incorporated city. Dunedin's population and wealth boomed during the 1860s'Otago gold rush, and for a brief period of time it became New Zealand's largest urban area. The city saw substantial migration from mainland China at the same time, predominantly fromGuangdong andGuangxi.[21] Dunedin is home to New Zealand's oldestChinese community.[13]
Today, Dunedin has a diverse economy which includes manufacturing, publishing, arts, tourism and technology-based industries. The mainstay of the city's economy remains centred ontertiary education, with students from theUniversity of Otago, New Zealand'soldest university, and theOtago Polytechnic, accounting for a large proportion of the population; 21.6 per cent of the city's population was aged between 15 and 24 at the 2006 census, compared to the New Zealand average of 14.2 per cent.[22] Dunedin is also noted for its vibrant music scene, as the 1980s birthplace of theDunedin sound (which heavily influencedgrunge,indie and modernalternative rock).[23] In 2014, the city was designated as a UNESCOCity of Literature.[24]
Archaeological evidence shows the first human (Māori) occupation of New Zealand occurred between 1250 and 1300 AD,[4] with the population concentrated along the southeast coast.[25][26][27] A camp site at Kaikai Beach, nearLong Beach to the north of the present-day city of Dunedin, has been dated from about that time.[5] There are numerous archaic (moa-hunter) sites in what is now Dunedin, several of them large and permanently occupied, particularly in the 14th century.[25][26] The population contracted but expanded again with the evolution of the ClassicMāori culture which saw the building of severalpā, fortified settlements, notably Pukekura at (Taiaroa Head), about 1650.[27] There was a settlement in what is now central Dunedin (Ōtepoti), occupied as late as about 1785 but abandoned by 1826.[28][29] There were also Māori settlements atWhareakeake (Murdering Beach),Pūrākaunui, Mapoutahi (Goat Island Peninsula) and Huriawa (Karitane Peninsula) to the north, and atTaieri Mouth and Otokia (Henley) to the south, all inside the present boundaries of Dunedin.[citation needed]
Dunedin Museum Māori artefact
Māori tradition tells first of a people called Kahui Tipua living in the area, then Te Rapuwai, semi-legendary but considered[by whom?] to be historical. The next arrivals wereWaitaha,[citation needed] followed byKāti Māmoe late in the 16th century and thenKāi Tahu (Ngāi Tahu in modern standardMāori) who arrived in the mid-17th century.[30] European accounts have often represented these successive influxes as "invasions", but modern scholarship has cast doubt on that view. They were probably migrations – like those of the Europeans – which incidentally resulted in bloodshed.[27][5]The sealerJohn Boultbee recorded in the late 1820s that the 'Kaika Otargo' (settlements around and nearOtago Harbour) were the oldest and largest in the south.[31]
LieutenantJames Cook stood off what is now the coast of Dunedin between 25 February 1770 and 5 March 1770, namingCape Saunders (on theOtago Peninsula) and Saddle Hill. He reported penguins and seals in the vicinity, which led Australian, American and Britishsealers to visit from the beginning of the 19th century.[32] The early years of sealing saw a feud between sealers and local Māori from 1810 to 1823, the "Sealers' War" sparked by an incident on Otago Harbour.William Tucker became the first European to settle in the area – in 1815.[29]
Permanent European occupation dates from 1831, when theWeller brothers ofNew South Wales founded theirwhaling station at Otago (present-dayOtakou) on the Otago Harbour. Epidemics severely reduced the Māori population. By the late 1830s, the Harbour had become an international whaling port. Wright & Richards started a whaling station atKaritane in 1837 and Sydney-bornJohnny Jones established a farming settlement and amission station (the South Island's first) atWaikouaiti in 1840.[33] The settlements at Karitane and Waikouaiti have endured, making modern Dunedin one of the longest-standing European-settled territories in New Zealand.
Statue ofQueen Victoria in Queens Gardens in Dunedin. Europeans settled in Dunedin intensively during theVictorian era.
Early in 1844, theDeborah, captained by Thomas Wing and carrying (among others) his wife Lucy and a representative of theNew Zealand Company,Frederick Tuckett, sailed south fromNelson to determine the location of a plannedFree Church settlement.[34] After inspecting several areas around the eastern coast of the South Island, Tuckett selected the site which would become known as Dunedin.[35] (Tuckett rejected the site of what would becomeChristchurch, as he felt the ground around theAvon River / Ōtākaro was swampy.[36][better source needed])
The name "Dunedin" comes fromDùn Èideann, theScottish Gaelic name forEdinburgh, the capital ofScotland.[30]Charles Kettle the city's surveyor, instructed to emulate the characteristics of Edinburgh, produced a striking, "Romantic" town-planning design.[38] There resulted both grand and quirky streets, as the builders struggled and sometimes failed to construct his bold vision across the challenging landscape. CaptainWilliam Cargill (1784–1860), a veteran of theNapoleonic Wars, served as the secular leader of the new colony. The ReverendThomas Burns (1796–1871), a nephew of the poetRobert Burns, provided spiritual guidance. By the end of the 1850s, around 12,000 Scots had emigrated to Dunedin, many from the industriallowlands.[37]
In 1852, Dunedin became the capital of theOtago Province, the whole of New Zealand from theWaitaki south. In 1861, the discovery of gold atGabriel's Gully, to the south-west, led to a rapid influx of people and saw Dunedin become New Zealand's first city by growth of population in 1865. The new arrivals included many Irish, but also Italians, Lebanese, French, Germans, Jews and Chinese.[30][39] TheDunedin Southern Cemetery was established in 1858, theDunedin Northern Cemetery in 1872.[40] In the 1860s,Ross Creek Reservoir was created so as to serve Dunedin's need for water.[citation needed]
The London-ownedBank of Otago opened its doors in Dunedin in 1863, opened 12 branches throughout its region, then in 1873 merged with the newNational Bank of New Zealand also based in London and also operated from Dunedin but, true to its name, it rapidly expanded throughout New Zealand.[41] Dunedin remained the principal local source of the nation's development capital until theSecond World War.[citation needed]
Dunedin and the region industrialised and consolidated, and theMain South Line connected the city withChristchurch in 1878 and Invercargill in 1879. Otago Boys' High School was founded in 1863. TheOtago Museum opened in 1868. TheUniversity of Otago, the oldest university in New Zealand, in 1869.[42]Otago Girls' High School was established in 1871.
New Zealand Insurance Co Ltd, Dunedin (built 1899)
By 1874, Dunedin and its suburbs had become New Zealand's largest city with a population of 29,832 displacing Auckland's 27,840 residents to second place.[43]
Between 1881 and 1957, Dunedin was home tocable trams, being both one of the first and last such systems in the world. Early in the 1880s the inauguration of the frozen meat industry, with the first shipment leaving fromPort Chalmers in 1882, saw the beginning of a later great national industry.[44] The first successful commercial shipment of frozen meat from New Zealand to the United Kingdom was onthe Dunedin in 1881.
After ten years of gold rushes the economy slowed butJulius Vogel's immigration and development scheme brought thousands more, especially to Dunedin and Otago, before recession set in again in the 1880s. In these first and second times of prosperity, many institutions and businesses were established, New Zealand's first daily newspaper,art school,medical school andpublic art gallery. TheDunedin Public Art Gallery was among these new foundations.[30][39][45] It had been actively promulgated by artistWilliam Mathew Hodgkins. There was also a remarkable architectural flowering producing many substantial and ornamental buildings.R. A. Lawson'sFirst Church of Otago andKnox Church are notable examples, as are buildings byMaxwell Bury andF. W. Petre. The other visual arts also flourished under the leadership ofW. M. Hodgkins.[45] The city's landscape and burgeoning townscape were vividly portrayed byGeorge O'Brien (1821–1888).[46] From the mid-1890s, the economy revived. Institutions such as the Otago Settlers Museum (now renamed asToitū Otago Settlers Museum) and theHocken Collections—the first of their kind in New Zealand—were founded. More notable buildings such as theRailway Station andOlveston were erected. New energy in the visual arts represented byG. P. Nerli culminated in the career ofFrances Hodgkins.[45][47][48][49]
Historic panorama of the Botanical Gardens,c. 1900Opoho tram in Dunedin (1926)Dunedin area railway map (1928)Royal tour of Dunedin in 1901Railway siding for unloading coal and timber, Dunedin (1926)
By 1900, Dunedin was no longer the country's biggest city. Influence and activity moved north to the other centres ("the drift north"), a trend which continued for much of the following century. Despite this, the university continued to expand, and a student quarter became established. At the same time, people started to notice Dunedin's mellowing, the ageing of its grand old buildings,[citation needed] with writers like E. H. McCormick pointing out its atmospheric charm.[50] In 1901 the British royals, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York toured Dunedin.[citation needed] Dunedin grew during the early 20th-century via annexation of surrounding municipalities — between 1904 and 1916 Dunedin annexed the boroughs ofCaversham,South Dunedin,North East Valley,Maori Hill,Roslyn, andMornington as well as theBay Town District.[51] In 1963West Harbour Borough was annexed by Dunedin and in 1968 it annexed the entirePeninsula County.[52]
In the 1930s and early 1940s a new generation of artists such asM. T. (Toss) Woollaston,Doris Lusk, Anne Hamblett,Colin McCahon andPatrick Hayman once again represented the best of the country's talent. The Second World War saw the dispersal of these painters, but not before McCahon had met a very youthful poet,James K. Baxter, in a central city studio.[citation needed]
Numerous large companies had been established in Dunedin, many of which became national leaders. Late among them wasFletcher Construction, founded by SirJames Fletcher in the early 20th century.Kempthorne Prosser, established in 1879 in Stafford Street, was the largest fertiliser and drug manufacturer in the country for over 100 years.G. Methven, a metalworking and tap manufacturer based inSouth Dunedin, was also a leading firm, as wasH. E. Shacklock, an iron founder and appliance manufacturer later taken over by the Auckland concernFisher and Paykel. TheMosgiel Woollens was another Victorian Dunedin foundation.Hallensteins was the colloquial name of a menswear manufacturer and national retail chain, while the DIC andArthur Barnett were department stores, the former a nationwide concern. Coulls, Somerville Wilkie—later part of theWhitcoulls group—had its origins in Dunedin in the 19th century. There were also theNational Mortgage and Agency Company of New Zealand,Wright Stephensons Limited, the Union Steamship Company and the National Insurance Company and the Standard Insurance Company among many others, which survived into the 20th century.[citation needed]
After theSecond World War prosperity and population growth revived, although Dunedin trailed as the fourth 'main centre'. A generation reacting againstVictorianism started demolishing its buildings and many were lost, notablyWilliam Mason'sStock exchange in 1969. (Dunedin Stock Exchange building) Although the university continued to expand, the city's population contracted, notably from 1976 to 1981. This was a culturally vibrant time with the university's new privately endowed arts fellowships bringing writers includingJames K Baxter,Ralph Hotere,Janet Frame andHone Tuwhare to the city.[citation needed]
Princes Street in April 1982
During the 1980s Dunedin'spopular music scene blossomed, with many acts, such asThe Chills,The Clean,The Verlaines andStraitjacket Fits, gaining national and international recognition. The term "TheDunedin sound" was coined to describe the 1960s-influenced, guitar-led music which flourished at the time.[53] Bands and musicians are still playing and recording in many styles.
By 1990,population decline had steadied and slow growth occurred thereafter with Dunedin re-inventing itself as a 'heritage city' with its main streets refurbished in theVictorian style.[54]R. A. Lawson's Municipal Chambers (Dunedin Town Hall) inthe Octagon were handsomely restored. The city was also recognised as a centre of excellence in tertiary education and research. The university's and polytechnic's growth accelerated. Dunedin has continued to refurbish itself, embarking on redevelopments of theart gallery, railway station and theToitū Otago Settlers Museum. Meanwhile, the continued blossoming of local creative writing saw the city gain UNESCOCity of Literature status in 2014.
The cityscape glitters with gems of Victorian and Edwardian architecture—the legacy of the city's gold-rush affluence. Many, including First Church,Otago Boys' High School andLarnach Castle were designed by one of New Zealand's most eminent architectsR. A. Lawson. Other prominent buildings includeOlveston and theDunedin Railway Station. Other unusual or memorable buildings or constructions areBaldwin Street, claimed to be the world's steepest residential street;[55] the Captain Cook tavern; Cadbury Chocolate Factory (Cadbury World) (In 2018, both the factory and Cadbury World closed to make way for a new NZ$1.4 billion hospital to replace the existingDunedin Public Hospital); and theSpeight's brewery.
Botanic Gardens in Spring
The thriving tertiary student population has led to a vibrantyouth culture (students are referred to as 'Scarfies' by people who are not students), consisting of the previously mentionedmusic scene, and more recently a burgeoning boutique fashion industry.[56][57] A strong visual arts community also exists in Dunedin, notably inPort Chalmers and the other settlements which dot the coast of theOtago Harbour, and also in communities such asWaitati.
In February 2021, theEast Otago towns ofWaikouaiti andKaritane in New Zealandreported high lead levels in their water supplies. Local and national authorities responded by dispatching water tanks to assist local residents and providing free blood tests, fruits and vegetables. The lead poisoning scare also attracted coverage by national media.[58][59][60] By early March 2021, theSouthern District Health Board confirmed that test results indicated that long-term exposure to lead in the water supply posed little risk to the local population.[61]
In late January 2024, theDunedin City Council andOtago Regional Council released a joint draft strategy to expand housing development and industrial land over the next thirty years to accommodate a projected 10% population growth.[62]
The Dunedin City territorial authority has a land area of 3,314.8 km2 (1,279.9 sq mi), slightly larger than the American state ofRhode Island or the English county ofCambridgeshire, and a little smaller thanCornwall. It was the largest city in land area in New Zealand until the formation of the 5,600 km2 (2,200 sq mi)Auckland Council on 1 November 2010. The Dunedin City Council boundaries since 1989 have extended toMiddlemarch in the west,Waikouaiti in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the east and south-east, and the Waipori/Taieri River and the township ofHenley in the south-west.
Dunedin is situated at the head ofOtago Harbour, a narrow inlet extending south-westward for some 15 miles. The harbour is a recent creation formed by the flooding of two river valleys.[63] From the time of its foundation in 1848, the city has spread slowly over the low-lyingflats and nearby hills and across theisthmus to the slopes of theOtago Peninsula.
Eastern Otago is tectonically stable, meaning that it does not experience many earthquakes. One of the few known faults near Dunedin is theAkatore Fault.[64] The first earthquake to cause widespread damage in Dunedin since its founding was the 1974 Dunedin earthquake, which had a magnitude of 4.9 and caused about $3.5 million in damages (2024 terms).[65][66]
Princes Street was developed during Dunedin's 1860s boom from the gold rush, and consequently is one of New Zealand's most historic streets
The central region of Dunedin is known asthe Octagon. It was once a gully, filled in the mid-nineteenth century to create the present plaza. The initial settlement of the city took place to the south on the other side ofBell Hill, a large outcrop which had to be reduced to provide easy access between the two parts of the settlement. The central city stretches away from this point in a largely northeast–southwest direction, with the main streets ofGeorge Street and Princes Street meeting at The Octagon. Here they are joined byStuart Street, which runs orthogonally to them, from theDunedin Railway Station in the southeast, and steeply up to the suburb ofRoslyn in the northwest. Many of the city's notable old buildings are located in the southern part of this area and on the inner ring of lower hills which surround the central city (most of these hills, such asMaori Hill, Pine Hill, andMaryhill, rise to some 200 metres [660 ft] above the plain). The head of the harbour includes a large area of reclaimed land ("The Southern Endowment"), much of which is used for light industry and warehousing. A large area of flat land, simply known colloquially as "The Flat" lies to the south and southwest of the city centre, and includes several larger and older suburbs, notablySouth Dunedin andSt Kilda. These are protected from the Pacific Ocean by a long line of dunes which run east–west along the city's southern coastline and separate residential areas fromOcean Beach, which is traditionally divided intoSt. Clair Beach at the western end andSt Kilda Beach to the east.
Dunedin seen from Unity Park lookout in the suburb ofMorningtonBaldwin Street in North East Valley is the world's steepest residential street
Dunedin is home toBaldwin Street, which, according to theGuinness Book of Records, is the steepest street in the world. Its gradient is 1 in 2.9.[67] The long-since-abandoned MaryhillCablecar route had a similar gradient close to its Mornington depot.
Beyond the inner range of hills lie Dunedin's outer suburbs, notably to the northwest, beyond Roslyn. This direction contains Taieri Road and Three Mile Hill, which between them formed the original road route to theTaieri Plains. The modernState Highway 1 follows a different route, passing throughCaversham in the west and out past Saddle Hill. Lying between Saddle Hill and Caversham are the outer suburbs ofGreen Island and Abbotsford. Between Green Island and Roslyn lies the steep-sided valley of theKaikorai Stream, which is today a residential and light industrial area. Suburban settlements—mostly regarded as separate townships—also lie along both edges of the Otago Harbour. Notable among these arePortobello andMacandrew Bay, on theOtago Peninsula coast, andPort Chalmers on the opposite side of the harbour. Port Chalmers provides Dunedin's main deep-water port, including the city's container port.
The Dunedin skyline is dominated by a ring of (traditionally seven) hills which form the remnants of avolcanic crater. Notable among them areMount Cargill (700 m [2,300 ft]),Flagstaff (680 m [2,230 ft]),Saddle Hill (480 m [1,570 ft]),Signal Hill (390 m [1,280 ft]), andHarbour Cone (320 m [1,050 ft]).[68]
Dunedin's hinterland encompasses a variety of different landforms. To the southwest lie theTaieri Plains, the broad, fertile lowland floodplains of theTaieri River and its major tributary, theWaipori. These are moderately heavily settled, and contain the towns ofMosgiel, andAllanton.[68] They are separated from the coast by a range of low hills rising to some 300 metres (980 ft). Inland from the Taieri Plain is rough hill country. Close to the plain, much of this is forested, notably aroundBerwick andLake Mahinerangi, and also around theSilverpeaks Range which lies northwest of the Dunedin urban area.[69] Beyond this, the land becomes drier and opens out into grass andtussock-covered land. A high, broad valley, theStrath-Taieri lies in Dunedin's far northwest, containing the town ofMiddlemarch, one of the area's few concentrations of population.
To the north of the city's urban area is undulating hill country containing several small, mainly coastal, settlements, includingWaitati,Warrington,Seacliff, andWaikouaiti.State Highway 1 winds steeply through a series of hills here, notablyThe Kilmog.[68] These hills can be considered a coastal extension of the Silverpeaks Range.
To the east of Dunedin lies the entirety of theOtago Peninsula, a long finger of land that formed the southeastern rim of theDunedin Volcano.[68] The peninsula is lightly settled, almost entirely along the harbour coast, and much of it is maintained as anatural habitat by theOtago Peninsula Trust. The peninsula contains several fine beaches, and is home to a considerable number ofrare species, includingyellow-eyed andlittle penguins,seals, andshags.Taiaroa Head, on the peninsula's northeastern point, is a site of global ecological significance, as it is home to the world's only mainland breeding colony ofroyal albatross.
The climate of Dunedin in general is temperate. Under theKöppen climate classification, Dunedin features anoceanic climate. This leads to mild summers and coolish winters. Winter is not particularly frosty with around 49 frosts per year, lower than most other South Island locations, but sunny. Snowfall is not particularly common and significant snowfall is uncommon (perhaps every two or three years), except in the inland hill suburbs such as Halfway Bush and Wakari, which tend to receive a few days of snowfall each year. Spring can feature "four seasons in a day" weather, but from November to April it is generally settled and mild. Temperatures during summer can reach 30 °C (86 °F). Due to its maritime influence, Dunedin's mild summers and mild winters both stand out considering its latitude.
Dunedin has relatively low rainfall in comparison to many of New Zealand's cities, with usually only between 600 and 750 millimetres (30 in) recorded per year. However, wet weather is frequent, since much of this rainfall occurs in drizzle or light rain and heavy rain is relatively rare. Dunedin is one of the cloudiest major centres in the country, recording approximately 1,850 hours of bright sunshine per annum.[70]Prevailing wind in the city is mainly a sometimes cool southwesterly and during late spring will alternate with northeasterlies.[71] Warmer, dry northwest winds are also characteristicFoehn winds from the northwest. The circle of hills surrounding theinner city shelters the inner city from much of the prevailing weather, while hills just to the west of the city can often push inclement weather around to the west of the city.
Inland, beyond the heart of the city and into inland Otago, the climate is sub-continental: winters are quite cold and dry, summers warm and dry. Thick freezing ground fogs are common in winter in the upper reaches of theTaieri River's course aroundMiddlemarch, and in summer, the temperature occasionally reaches 30 °C (86 °F).
Climate data for Dunedin (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1947–present)
The Dunedin City territorial authority has a population of 132,800 as of June 2025.[9] This comprises 104,000 people in the Dunedin urban area, 15,100 people in theMosgiel urban area, 1,470 people inBrighton, 1,310 people inWaikouaiti, and 10,920 people in the surrounding settlements and rural area.
Dunedin City had a population of 128,901 in the2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 2,646 people (2.1%) since the2018 census, and an increase of 8,652 people (7.2%) since the2013 census. There were 61,722 males, 66,300 females and 873 people ofother genders in 49,920 dwellings.[79] 5.8% of people identified asLGBTIQ+. The median age was 37.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 19,056 people (14.8%) aged under 15 years, 34,455 (26.7%) aged 15 to 29, 53,055 (41.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 22,329 (17.3%) aged 65 or older.[78]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 85.1%European (Pākehā); 10.8%Māori; 3.9%Pasifika; 9.3%Asian; 1.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.6%, Māori language by 2.3%, Samoan by 0.8% and other languages by 12.0%. No language could be spoken by 1.6% (e.g. too young to talk).New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 21.1%, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Of those at least 15 years old, 24,159 (22.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 58,182 (53.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 20,418 (18.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $33,500, compared with $41,500 nationally. 9,825 people (8.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 48,852 (44.5%) people were employed full-time, 17,673 (16.1%) were part-time, and 3,528 (3.2%) were unemployed.[78]
The Dunedin urban area covers 91.16 km2 (35.20 sq mi)[8] and had an estimated population of 104,000 as of June 2025,[9] with a population density of 1,141 people per km2.
The urban area had a population of 100,908 in the2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,023 people (1.0%) since the2018 census, and an increase of 5,007 people (5.2%) since the2013 census. There were 48,096 males, 52,020 females and 792 people ofother genders in 38,127 dwellings.[81] 6.7% of people identified asLGBTIQ+. The median age was 34.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 14,475 people (14.3%) aged under 15 years, 30,684 (30.4%) aged 15 to 29, 40,515 (40.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 15,234 (15.1%) aged 65 or older.[80]
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 83.0%European (Pākehā); 11.2%Māori; 4.5%Pasifika; 10.9%Asian; 2.0% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.5%, Māori language by 2.5%, Samoan by 0.9% and other languages by 13.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.6% (e.g. too young to talk).New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 23.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Of those at least 15 years old, 20,169 (23.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 45,513 (52.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 14,928 (17.3%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $31,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 7,266 people (8.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 37,755 (43.7%) people were employed full-time, 14,250 (16.5%) were part-time, and 3,099 (3.6%) were unemployed.[80]
In December 2014, Dunedin was designated as aUNESCO Creative City of Literature.[24] Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull said at the time, "This announcement puts our city on the world map as a first-class literary city. We keep honourable company; other cities bestowed with City of Literature status include Edinburgh, Dublin, Iowa City, Melbourne, Reykjavík, Norwich and Kraków."[82]
Dunedin's application was driven by a steering committee and an advisory board of writers, librarians and academics from a range of Dunedin institutions. The bid highlighted the quality of the city's considerable literary heritage, its diverse combination of literary events, businesses, institutions and organisations, plus its thriving community of writers, playwrights and lyricists.
UNESCO established the Creative Cities Network to develop international co-operation among cities and encourage them to drive joint development partnerships in line with UNESCO's global priorities of 'culture and development' and 'sustainable development'. Each city in the network reflects one of UNESCO's seven Creative City themes: folk art, gastronomy, literature, design, film or music. Dunedin is New Zealand's first city to be appointed to the Creative City network.
Paul Theroux described Dunedin as "cold and frugal with its shabby streets and mock-gothic university". The university students he described as "ignorant, assertive and dirty".[83]Billy Connolly described Dunedin as "a dreary town. It's got that Scottish Presbyterian feel about it".[84]Michael Palin inFull Circle says of Dunedin "at first glance it is a dour, damp, chilly place, its buildings heavy with ponderous Presbyterian pride...but beneath a grey and sober heart there lurks a wild heart."[85] In 1895,Mark Twain said of the Scottish who settled in Dunedin, "They stopped here on their way from home to heaven – thinking they had arrived".[86]
The Dunedin RSA Choir regularly performs concerts and has played an important and valued role in Dunedin City's commemorative celebrations of significant historical events. ANZAC, of course, is one such occasion, and the ANZAC Revue held on the evening of every ANZAC Day, occupies a special place of honour in the choir's calendar.
The all-female Dunedin Harmony Chorus are an important part of the Dunedin culture.
The Southern Children's Choir, based atMarama Hall in the university, is Dunedin's main children's choir. Most schools in Dunedin have choirs, many having more than one.
The Southern Youth Choir is a concert-based youth choir.
TheUniversity of Otago is home to three official choirs: the two chapel choirs (Knox and Selwyn), and the travellingCantores choir.
The DunedinRed Cross Choir (of New Zealand Red Cross), conducted by Eleanor Moyle, is one of only three Red Cross choirs globally. Established in 1942, this choir performs regularly in Dunedin at various Rest Homes and holds an annual concert at the Kings and Queens Performing Arts Centre.
The Dunedin Symphony Orchestra is a semi-professional orchestra based in Dunedin. Other instrumental ensembles include the Rare Byrds early music ensemble, the Collegiate Orchestra, and the Dunedin Youth Orchestra. Many schools also hold school orchestras and bands. There are also three brass bands in Dunedin: St. Kilda Brass, Kaikorai Brass, and Mosgiel Brass. The Otago Symphonic Band andCity of Dunedin Pipe Band are also important Dunedin musical ensembles.
Dunedin has a substantial public art gallery, theDunedin Public Art Gallery, in the Octagon. The city contains numerous other galleries, including over a dozen dealer galleries, many of which are found south of the Octagon alongPrinces Street,Moray Place and Dowling Street. There are also several more experimental art spaces, notably theBlue Oyster in Dowling Street.
The Dunedin City Council (DCC) governs the Dunedin City territorial authority. It is made up of an electedmayor (currentlySophie Barker elected 17 October 2025) and fourteen additional councillors elected across three wards, one of whom gets chosen as deputy mayor.
Maiorum Institutis Utendo (By following in the steps of our forefathers)
Symbolism
The castle is taken from thearms of Edinburgh, while the green fess and garb/animals signify regional agriculture and crops. At the base, thelymphad, or ship, alludes to the arrival ofScottish immigrants to the Otago region. The supporters represent the original Māori owners of the land and its Scottish purchasers. All of the elements of the arms are crowned with amural crown, emblematic of local government. Their motto is:Maiorum Institutis Utendo, or inEnglish,By following in the steps of our forefathers.
The flag of the city of Dunedin is abanner of arms in white and green and featuring the castle, lymphad, ram's head and wheat sheafs as on the coat of arms.
The major daily newspaper is theOtago Daily Times, which is also the country's oldest daily newspaper and part of theAllied Media (formerly Allied Press) group.[96] Weekly and bi-weekly community newspapers includeThe Star,[97] and the university student magazineCritic Te Ārohi.[98]
The city is served by all major national radio and television stations. The city's main terrestrial television and FM radio transmitter sits atopMount Cargill, north of the city,[99] while the city's main AM transmitter is located atHighcliff, east of the city centre on the Otago Peninsula.[100] Local radio stations includeRadio Dunedin,[101] community stationOtago Access Radio (formerly Hills AM, then Toroa Radio), and the university radio station,Radio One.[citation needed]
Television broadcasts began in Dunedin on 31 July 1962 with the launch of channelDNTV2, the last of the four main centres to receive television. In November 1969, DNTV2 was networked with its counterpart stations in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to form NZBC TV. In 1975, the NZBC was broken up, with the Wellington and Dunedin studios taking over NZBC TV asTelevision One (now TVNZ 1) while Auckland and Christchurch studios launchedTelevision Two (now TVNZ 2).[citation needed]
The city had one local television station calledChannel 39, which was owned by Allied Press.[102] It closed on Christmas 2025.[103]
The television news broadcaster1News along withRadio New Zealand andNZME also have bureaus in Dunedin. In May 2021, the former television news broadcasterNewshub's ownerDiscovery, Inc. announced that it would be closing down its Dunedin bureau as part of a restructuring process.[104]
Dunedin is home to 12 secondary schools: eight state and fourstate-integrated. The oldest secondary school is state-runOtago Boys' High School, founded in 1863. Its sister school,Otago Girls' High School (1871) is the oldest state girls' secondary school in New Zealand, even though it preceded the state education system by six years.
The Dunedin Hospital and the Wakari Hospital, which are closely related, are operated byTe Whatu Ora. Ambulance services are provided bySt John New Zealand.
Aurora Energy owns and operates the electricity distribution network servicing the city and the Taieri plains, while OtagoNet Joint Venture owns and operates the electricity distribution network in the rural areas north and west of the city. Electricity is primarily supplied fromTranspower's national grid at two substations: Halfway Bush and South Dunedin, with part to the OtagoNet network also supplied from Transpower'sNaseby substation in central Otago.
The Dunedin urban area is served by twostate highways, with an additional two state highways and one tourist route serving other parts of the district. The main state highway in Dunedin isState Highway 1, which runs in a north to south-west direction through the middle of the city, connecting Dunedin with Invercargill to the south and Timaru and Christchurch to the north. Between The Oval and Mosgiel, State Highway 1 follows the eleven-kilometreDunedin Southern Motorway.State Highway 88 connects central Dunedin to the city's port facilities atPort Chalmers.
Other State Highways in the city are:State Highway 86 connecting SH 1 at Allanton with Dunedin International Airport,State Highway 87 connecting SH 1 at Kinmont withSH 85 at Kyeburn via Middlemarch, serving the Dunedin city hinterland.
Buses in Dunedin are organised by the Otago Regional Council. A total of 64 buses operate on 17 weekday routes and 13 weeknight/weekend/holiday routes across the city. Buses are run by two operators, Ritchies Transport with three routes and Go Bus Transport with the remainder. Dunedin City Council-owned operatorCitibus was a major player until 2011 when Passenger Transport (New Zealand) purchased Citibus from Dunedin City Holdings, and both companies were subsequently bought by Go Bus.
Dunedin Railway Station, located east of the Octagon, is the city's main railway station. Once the nation's busiest, the decline in rail over the years saw the withdrawal of most services. Suburban services ceased in 1982, and the last regular commercial passenger train to serve Dunedin,The Southerner, was cancelled in February 2002. TheTaieri Gorge Railway now operates tourist-oriented services from the station, the most prominent of which is the Taieri Gorge Limited, which operates daily along the formerOtago Central Railway through the scenicTaieri Gorge. Taieri Gorge Railway also operates toPalmerston once weekly. The station is also sometimes visited by excursions organised by otherheritage railway societies, and by trains chartered bycruise ships docking at Port Chalmers.
Dunedin International Airport – an Air New Zealand 737 lands on the runway while an Air New Zealand A320 waits on the taxiway
Dunedin International Airport is located 22 km (13.67 mi) southwest of the city, on theTaieri Plains atMomona. The airport operates a single terminal and 1,900-metre (6,200 ft) runway, and is the third-busiest airport in the South Island, after Christchurch and Queenstown. It is primarily used for domestic flights, with regular flights to and fromAuckland,Christchurch,Wellington and charter flights to and fromQueenstown,Wānaka, andInvercargill, but it also has international flights arriving from and departing toBrisbane year round. In recent years, a decline in international passengers can be attributed to fewer international flights operating direct to the airport.
As of 2018,[108] a ferry operates betweenPort Chalmers andPortobello it started in 2018 and is the first since the early 20th century.[109] Occasional calls have been made to revive them, and a non-profit organisation, Otago Ferries Inc., has been set up to examine the logistics of restoring one of the original ferries and again using it for this route.[110]
In 1866, plans were made for a bridge across theOtago Harbour between Port Chalmers and Portobello,[111] but this grand scheme for an 1140-metre structure never eventuated. Plans were also mooted during the 1870s for a canal between the Pacific coast atTomahawk andAndersons Bay, close to the head of the harbour.[112] This scheme also never came to fruition.
180° view of Dunedin shot from the hills on the west. Mount Cargill is at the extreme left of picture, and the Otago Peninsula is beyond the harbour to the centre
A panorama from just east of the summit of Mount Cargill. The harbour runs from its entrance near the centre to the city centre on the right, the peninsula beyond. The base of a television mast is at the extreme left and right edges
The view from the summit of Mount Cargill. The base of a television mast can be seen on the left, with the harbour and the peninsula beyond. The city centre is in the middle
The view from the summit of Flagstaff. The city centre is on the right, and Mosgiel on the left. Mount Cargill is slightly right of centre
The view from the summit of Signal Hill. Dunedin CBD is in the centre of the image. The Otago Peninsula stretches out to the left
^The description of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin as the four main centres neatly divides the country geographically into northern and southern halves of each of the two main islands. These centres are thus described in a wide range of fields, from encyclopedias of New Zealand[14] to scientific research institutes,[15] the tourism industry[16] to nationwide organisations[17] and government departments,[18] and from the entertainment industry[19] to newspaper reports.[20]
^Byrne, T. B."Wing, Thomas 1810–1888".Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved17 March 2009.Wing made several voyages to New Zealand between 1842 and 1852. In early 1844 he sailed from Nelson on the Deborah with the New Zealand Company's survey party to find a suitable site for the settlement of New Edinburgh (Dunedin).
^Bloomfield, Gerald Taylor (1973).The Evolution of Local Government Areas in Metropolitan Auckland, 1840-1971. Auckland: Auckland University Press. p. 10.ISBN0-19-647714-X.
^Bloomfield, Gerald Taylor (1973).The Evolution of Local Government Areas in Metropolitan Auckland, 1840-1971. Auckland: Auckland University Press. p. 14.ISBN0-19-647714-X.
Anderson, Atholl (1983),When All the Moa-Ovens Grew Cold: nine centuries of changing fortune for the southern Maori, Dunedin, NZ: Otago Heritage Books
Anderson, Atholl (1998),The Welcome of Strangers: an ethnohistory of southern Maori A.D. 1650–1850, Dunedin, NZ: University of Otago Press with Dunedin City Council,ISBN1-877133-41-8
Anderson, Atholl; Allingham, Brian; Smith, Ian W G (1996),Shag River Mouth: the archaeology of an early southern Maori village, Canberra, Australia: Australian National University,OCLC34751263,ISBN0-7315-0342-1{{isbn}}: ignored ISBN errors (link)
Bishop, Graham; Hamel, Antony (1993),From sea to silver peaks, Dunedin: John McIndoe,ISBN0-86868-149-0
Collins, Roger;Entwisle, Peter (1986),Pavilioned in Splendour, George O'Brien's Vision of Colonial New Zealand, Dunedin, NZ: Dunedin Public Art Gallery,ISBN0-9597758-1-1
Dann, Christine; Peat, Neville (1989),Dunedin, North and South Otago, Wellington: GP Books,ISBN0-477-01438-0
Dunn, Michael (2005),Nerli an Italian Painter in the South Pacific, Auckland University Press.,ISBN1-86940-335-5
Entwisle, Peter (1984),William Mathew Hodgkins & his Circle, Dunedin, NZ: Dunedin Public Art Gallery,ISBN0-473-00263-9
Entwisle, Peter (1998),Behold the Moon, the European Occupation of the Dunedin District 1770–1848, Dunedin, NZ: Port Daniel Press.,ISBN0-473-05591-0
Entwisle, Peter (2005),Taka, a Vignette Life of William Tucker 1784–1817, Dunedin, NZ: Port Daniel Press.,ISBN0-473-10098-3
Entwisle, Peter; Dunn, Michael; Collins, Roger (1988),Nerli An Exhibition of Paintings & Drawings, Dunedin, NZ: Dunedin Public Art Gallery,ISBN0-9597758-4-6
Hamel, J (2001),The Archaeology of Otago, Wellington, NZ: Department of Conservation,ISBN0-478-22016-2
Hayward, Paul (1998),Intriguing Dunedin Street Walks, Dunedin, NZ: Express Office Services
Hocken, Thomas Moreland (1898),Contributions to the Early History of New Zealand (Settlement of Otago), London, UK: Sampson Low, Marston and Company,OCLC3804372
McCormick, E H (1954),The Expatriate, a Study of Frances Hodgkins, Wellington, NZ: New Zealand University Press.,OCLC6276263
McCormick, E H (1959),The Inland Eye, a Sketch in Visual Autobiography, Auckland, NZ: Auckland Gallery Associates,OCLC11777388
McDonald, K C (1965),City of Dunedin, a Century of Civic Enterprise, Dunedin, NZ: Dunedin City Corporation,OCLC10563910
McLintock, A H (1949),The History of Otago; the origins and growth of a Wakefield class settlement, Dunedin, NZ: Otago Centennial Historical Publications,OCLC154645934
McLintock, A H (1951),The Port of Otago, Dunedin, NZ: Otago Harbour Board
Morrell, W P (1969),The University of Otago, a Centennial History, Dunedin, NZ: University of Otago Press.,OCLC71676
McCoy, E. & Blackman, J. (1968).Victorian City of New Zealand: Photographs of the Earlier Buildings of Dunedin. Dunedin: John McIndoe.OCLC16481. (E. McCoy was New Zealand architect.)
McFarlane, S. (1970).Dunedin, Portrait of a City. Whitcombe & Tombs.ISBN0-7233-0171-9.
Peat, Neville; Patrick, Brian (2014).Wild Dunedin: The Natural History of New Zealand's Wildlife Capital (Paperback). Dunedin, NZ: Otago University Press.ISBN978-18-7757-862-5.
Smallfield, J. & Heenan, B. (2006).Above the belt: A history of the suburb of Maori Hill. Dunedin: Maori Hill History Charitable Trust.ISBN1-877139-98-X.
.jpg)
.jpg)
_(14763792702).jpg)
.jpg)
