Ōtepoti Dunedin residents rate their city as a great place to live, a recent survey has found.

Rangahau te Korou o te Ora/Quality of Life Survey is carried out every two years across New Zealand’s nine largest urban areas – Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Hutt, Porirua, Wellington City, the greater Wellington Region, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Results of the latest survey, carried out earlier this year and released today, show 85% of Dunedin residents think the city is a great place to live – a higher rating than anywhere else in the country.

The survey also found nearly nine out of 10 Dunedin residents rate their quality of life here positively (87%), while six out of 10 residents said they enjoyed a good work/life balance (61%).

Mayor of Dunedin Jules Radich says the survey results reinforce Dunedin’s reputation as a fantastic city in which to live, work, study and play.

“Dunedin is a truly outstanding city. With marvellous scenery, precious wildlife, rich heritage, a highly educated population, and innovative businesses, it’s no wonder people thoroughly enjoy living here.

“The Quality of Life Survey results also shows Dunedin people rate the city as a safe and affordable place to live. Nearly all (95%) Dunedin people surveyed feel safe in the city centre during the day, while 52% agreed that their current housing costs were affordable. Dunedin rated higher than anywhere else in the country on both these measures.

“While full of positive results, the survey also reveals some areas of concern,” Mr Radich says.

“For example, only one quarter (25%) of Dunedin residents surveyed said they had confidence in Council decision making, while just 28% felt that the public had an influence on Council decision making. Of respondents who felt the city had got worse as a place to live compared to 12 months ago, the biggest contributing factor was dissatisfaction with government/local government.

“As the newly-elected Mayor, one of my first priorities is to restore the community’s trust and confidence in the Council and start to turn these numbers around,” he says.

The full survey results are available at www.qualityoflifeproject.govt.nz.

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