View source for Dunedin

{{Short description|City in Otago, New Zealand}}
{{About|the New Zealand city}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Dunedin
| native_name        = {{native name|mi|Ōtepoti}}
| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = [[List of cities in New Zealand|City]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
  | total_width            = 280
  | border                 = infobox
  | perrow                 = 1/2/2
  | caption_align          = center
| image1 = Dunedin.jpg
| caption1 = Cityscape seen from [[Signal Hill (New Zealand)|Signal Hill]] 
| image2 = Dunedin-Nueva_Zelanda01.JPG
| caption2 = [[Dunedin railway station]]
| image3 = NZ dunedin SI.jpg
| caption3 = [[Dunedin Town Hall|Town Hall]] on [[The Octagon, Dunedin|The Octagon]]
| image4 = Princes street 2023.jpg
| caption4 = [[Princes Street, Dunedin|Princes Street]]
| image5 = Knox Church exterior, Dunedin, NZ.jpg
| caption5 = [[Knox Church, Dunedin|Knox Church]]
}}
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_shield       =
| image_blank_emblem = 
| image_flag         = Dunedin City flag.png
| blank_emblem_size  = 150px
| motto = {{force singular}} {{lang|la|Maiorum Institutis Utendo}}<br/> (By following in the Steps of our Forefathers)<ref name=DunedinCoA>{{cite encyclopedia |first1=David |last1=Thorns |author-link1=David Thorns |first2=Ben |last2=Schrader |date=11 March 2010 |title=City history and people – Towns to cities – Civic coats of arms |url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/23508/civic-coats-of-arms |encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=21 February 2025}}</ref>
| nicknames          = Edinburgh of the South;<ref>{{cite web |title=Southern style |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/fashion/2277129/Southern-style |date=19 March 2009 |work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]]|access-date=15 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023135134/http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/fashion/2277129/Southern-style|archive-date=23 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><br />Dunners (colloquial)<ref name="NZHerald10569715">{{cite web |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10569715 |title=Supersport's Good Week / Bad Week: An unhappy spectator |date=1 May 2009 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=18 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406102339/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10569715|archive-date=6 April 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
| image_map          = {{Location map many|New Zealand Dunedin area
|width                      = 250
|float                      = center
|caption                    = 
|alt                        = Dunedin City
|border                     = infobox
|label                      = [[Middlemarch, New Zealand|Middlemarch]]
|pos1                       = left
|bg1                        = lightblue
|marksize                   = 8
|lat1_deg                   = -45.5606
|lon1_deg                   = 170.1281
|label2                     = [[The Octagon, Dunedin|City Centre]]
|pos2                       = left
|bg2                        = lightblue
|mark2size                  = 8
|lat2_deg                   = -45.8741
|lon2_deg                   = 170.5036
|label5                     = [[Port Chalmers]]
|pos5                       = left
|label5_width               = 7
|bg5                        = lightblue
|lat5_deg                   = -45.8136
|lon5_deg                   = 170.6214
|label6                     = [[Dunedin Airport|Airport]]
|pos6                       = left
|bg6                        = lightblue
|lat6_deg                   = -45.9263
|lon6_deg                   = 170.202683
|label7                     = [[Waikouaiti]]
|pos7                       = left
|bg7                        = lightblue
|lat7_deg                   = -45.5995
|lon7_deg                   = 170.6697
 }}
| coordinates        = {{Coord|45|52|27|S|170|30|13|E|type:city_region:NZ-OTA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = [[New Zealand]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Regions of New Zealand|Region]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Otago]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Community boards in New Zealand|Communities]]
| subdivision_name2  = {{hlist|Strath Taieri|Waikouaiti Coast|Mosgiel-Taieri|West Harbour|Otago Peninsula|Saddle Hill}}
| established_title  = Settled by Māori
| established_date   = {{circa}} 1300<ref name="settled">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/when-was-new-zealand-first-settled/1 |title=When was New Zealand first settled? – The date debate |encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |last=Irwin |first=Geoff |author2=Walrond, Carl |date=4 March 2009|access-date=14 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524045444/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/when-was-new-zealand-first-settled/1|archive-date=24 May 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Anderson|1983}}
| established_title1 = Settled by Europeans
| established_date1  = 1848
| established_title2 = Incorporated<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20051205234340/http://www.cityofdunedin.com/city/?page=archives_townbrd1 Dunedin Town Board]</ref>
| established_date2  = {{start date and age|1855}}
| named_for          = {{lang|gd|Dùn Èideann}} – [[Scottish Gaelic]] name for [[Edinburgh]]
| seat_type          = NZ Parliament
| seat               = [[Dunedin (New Zealand electorate)|Dunedin]]<br/>[[Taieri (New Zealand electorate)|Taieri]]<br/>[[Te Tai Tonga]] ([[Māori electorates|Māori]])
| government_footnotes = <ref name=mayor>{{cite web |url=http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/councillors/mayor-dave-cull |title=Mayor Dave Cull |publisher=Dunedin City Council|access-date=14 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923221201/http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/councillors/mayor-dave-cull|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–Council]]
| governing_body     =  [[Dunedin City Council]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor of Dunedin|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Sophie Barker (mayor)|Sophie Barker]]
| leader_title1      = [[Deputy Mayor]]
| leader_name1       = Cherry Lucas
| leader_title2      = MPs
| leader_name2       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Rachel Brooking]] ([[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour]])
* [[Ingrid Leary]] ([[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour]])
* [[Tākuta Ferris]] ([[Te Pāti Māori]])
 }}
| leader_title3      = [[Territorial authorities of New Zealand|Territorial authority]]
| leader_name3       =
| total_type         = Territorial
| unit_pref          = 
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="Area">{{Cite web |title=ArcGIS Web Application |url= https://statsnz.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f49867abe464f86ac7526552fe19787| access-date=25 April 2024 |website=statsnz.maps.arcgis.com}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 3,286.14
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2     = 91.16
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_min_m    = 
| population_total   = {{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Dunedin city|y}}|R}}
| population_as_of   = {{NZ population data 2018|||y}}
| population_footnotes = {{NZ population data 2018||||y}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_urban   = {{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018||y}}|R}}
| population_density_urban_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = Dunedinite
| population_note    = 
| postal_code_type   = Postcodes
| postal_code        = 9010, 9011, 9012, 9013, 9014, 9016, 9018, 9022, 9023, 9024, 9035, 9076, 9077, 9081, 9082, 9092
| area_code          = 03
| unemployment_rate  = 
| website            = [http://www.dunedinnz.com/ DunedinNZ.com]
| footnotes          = 
| elevation_max_m    = 
| timezone           = [[Time in New Zealand|NZST]]
| utc_offset         = +12:00
| timezone_DST       = NZDT
| utc_offset_DST     = +13:00
| blank_name         = Local {{lang|mi|[[iwi]]|italic=no}}
| blank_info         = {{lang|mi|[[Ngāi Tahu]]|italic=no}}
}}

'''Dunedin''' ({{IPAc-en|audio= En-nz-Dunedin.ogg|d|ʌ|ˈ|n|iː|d|ᵻ|n}} {{respell|dun|EE|din}};<ref>{{citation |title=Dunedin |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/dunedin |website=[[OxfordDictionaries.com]] |publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=8 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107224835/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/dunedin|archive-date=7 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{efn|Also pronounced {{IPAc-en|d|ʌ|ˈ|n|iː|d|ən}} {{respell|dun|EE|dən}} or {{IPAc-en|d|ə|ˈ|n|iː|d|ən}} {{respell|də|NEE|dən}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dunedin |work=The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary |editor-last1=Deverson |editor-first1=Tony |editor-last2=Kennedy | editor-first2=Graeme |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=2005 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195584516.001.0001/m-en_nz-msdict-00001-0015803 |doi=10.1093/acref/9780195584516.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-19-558451-6 |accessdate=6 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106155131/https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195584516.001.0001/m-en_nz-msdict-00001-0015803 |archive-date=6 November 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} {{langx|mi|Ōtepoti}}) is the second-most populous city in the [[South Island]] of [[New Zealand]] (after [[Christchurch]]), and the principal city of the [[Otago]] region. Its name comes from {{lang|gd|Dùn Èideann}} ("fort of Edin"), the [[Scottish Gaelic]] name for [[Edinburgh]], the capital of [[Scotland]].<ref>[http://www.scotsman.com/heritage/people-places/dunedin-edinburgh-of-the-south-1-2240765 Dunedin: Edinburgh of the south] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816233112/http://www.scotsman.com/heritage/people-places/dunedin-edinburgh-of-the-south-1-2240765|date=16 August 2017 }}, ''[[The Scotsman]]'', 18 April 2012</ref> The city has a rich [[Māori people|Māori]],{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} [[Scottish people|Scottish]],{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} and [[Chinese people|Chinese]]<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/giants/story/2018847343/episode-1-the-chinese-community-of-dunedin-giants|title=The Chinese community of Dunedin – GIANTS|publisher=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date=15 August 2022|first=Alex|last=Bradshaw}}</ref> heritage.

With an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018|Dunedin city|2=y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|2=|3=y}}, Dunedin is New Zealand's seventh-most populous metropolitan and urban area.{{NZ population data 2018|2=|3=|4=y}} For cultural, geographical, and historical reasons, the city has long been considered one of New Zealand's four main centres.{{efn|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<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |author1=David Thorns |author2=Ben Schrader|author-link1=David Thorns |title=City history and people — Towns to cities |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/city-history-and-people/page-3|access-date=18 November 2018 |date=11 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119132529/https://teara.govt.nz/en/city-history-and-people/page-3|archive-date=19 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> to scientific research institutes,<ref>{{cite web |title=September 2003 |url=http://www.niwa.co.nz/our-science/climate/publications/all/cs/monthly/mclimsum_03_09 |publisher=[[National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research]] |date=28 February 2007|access-date=9 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105172124/http://www.niwa.co.nz/our-science/climate/publications/all/cs/monthly/mclimsum_03_09|archive-date=5 January 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> the tourism industry<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dunedin.nz.com/ |title=Dunedin|access-date=9 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525205021/http://www.dunedin.nz.com/|archive-date=25 May 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> to nationwide organisations<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.plunket.org.nz/about-us/our-history/ |title=Our history |publisher=[[Plunket Society]]|access-date=13 June 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014121113/http://www.plunket.org.nz/about-us/our-history|archive-date=14 October 2008}}</ref> and government departments,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.police.govt.nz/service/yes/history.html |title=Youth Education Service history |publisher=[[New Zealand Police]]|access-date=9 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127163516/http://police.govt.nz/service/yes/history.html|archive-date=27 November 2010 }}</ref> and from the entertainment industry<ref>{{cite web |title=Flying Nun History 1980–1995 |url=http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/utr/article/UAID/3/Flying-Nun-History-1980-1995.utr |website=undertheradar.com |first=Matthew |last=Bannister|access-date=9 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014163959/http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/utr/article/UAID/3/Flying-Nun-History-1980-1995.utr|archive-date=14 October 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> to newspaper reports.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/music/33827/dunedin-jazz-stalwart-full-swing |title=Dunedin jazz stalwart in full swing |first=Nigel |last=Benson |date=29 November 2008 |work=[[Otago Daily Times]]|access-date=9 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017052310/http://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/music/33827/dunedin-jazz-stalwart-full-swing|archive-date=17 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>}} The urban area of Dunedin lies on the central-eastern coast of Otago, surrounding the head of [[Otago 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 the [[Otago 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 the [[Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900)|Free Church of Scotland]] and between 1855 and 1900 many thousands of [[Scottish New Zealanders|Scots]] 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 from [[Guangdong]] and [[Guangxi]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taonga |first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu |title=Chinese |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/chinese |access-date=2022-08-19 |website=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |language=en}}</ref> Dunedin is home to New Zealand's oldest [[Chinese New Zealanders|Chinese community]].<ref name=":0" />

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 on [[tertiary education in New Zealand|tertiary education]], with students from the [[University of Otago]], New Zealand's [[list of universities in New Zealand|oldest university]], and the [[Otago 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.<ref name="population">{{cite web |title=2013 Census QuickStats about a place: Dunedin City |url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-about-a-place.aspx?request_value=15022&tabname=Income|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208032714/http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-about-a-place.aspx?request_value=15022&tabname=Income|archive-date=8 February 2017|access-date=7 February 2017 |publisher=Statistics New Zealand}}</ref>  Dunedin is also noted for its vibrant music scene, as the 1980s birthplace of the [[Dunedin sound]] (which heavily influenced [[grunge]], [[Indie rock|indie]] and modern [[alternative rock]]).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-01-27 |title=Flying Nun Records: 10 of the best songs of the Dunedin sound |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jan/28/flying-nun-records-10-of-the-best-songs-of-the-dunedin-sound |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref> In 2014, the city was designated as a UNESCO [[City of Literature]].<ref name="UNESCO">{{Cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/creativity/creative-cities-network/ |title=28 cities join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network|access-date=4 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015134715/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/creativity/creative-cities-network|archive-date=15 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of the Dunedin urban area}}

=== Māori settlements ===

Archaeological evidence shows the first human (Māori) occupation of New Zealand occurred between 1250 and 1300 AD,<ref name=
"settled" /> with the population concentrated along the southeast coast.{{sfn|Hamel|2001}}{{sfn|Anderson|Allingham|Smith|1996}}{{sfn|Anderson|1998}} A camp site at Kaikai Beach, near [[Long Beach, New Zealand|Long Beach]] to the north of the present-day city of Dunedin, has been dated from about that time.{{sfn|Anderson|1983}} There are numerous archaic ([[moa]]-hunter) sites in what is now Dunedin, several of them large and permanently occupied, particularly in the 14th century.{{sfn|Hamel|2001}}{{sfn|Anderson|Allingham|Smith|1996}} The population contracted but expanded again with the evolution of the Classic [[Māori culture]] which saw the building of several [[Pā (Māori)|pā]], fortified settlements, notably Pukekura at ([[Taiaroa Head]]), about 1650.{{sfn|Anderson|1998}} There was a settlement in what is now central Dunedin (Ōtepoti), occupied as late as about 1785 but abandoned by 1826.<ref>Turton, Hanson "Introductory" in {{harvnb|Bathgate|1890}}</ref>{{sfn|Entwisle|2005}} There were also Māori settlements at [[Whareakeake]] (Murdering Beach), [[Pūrākaunui]], Mapoutahi (Goat Island Peninsula) and Huriawa ([[Karitane]] Peninsula) to the north, and at [[Taieri Mouth]] and Otokia ([[Henley, New Zealand|Henley]]) to the south, all inside the present boundaries of Dunedin.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}

[[File:Dunedin Museum 1 (31500865416).jpg|thumb|Dunedin Museum Māori artefact]]

[[Māori mythology|Māori tradition]] tells first of a people called Kahui Tipua living in the area, then Te Rapuwai, semi-legendary but considered{{by whom|date=June 2019}} to be historical. The next arrivals were [[Waitaha (South Island iwi)|Waitaha]],{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} followed by [[Kāti Māmoe]] late in the 16th century and then [[Kāi Tahu]] (''Ngāi Tahu'' in modern standard [[Māori language|Māori]]) who arrived in the mid-17th century.{{sfn|McLintock|1949}} 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.{{sfn|Anderson|1998}}{{sfn|Anderson|1983}}
The sealer [[John Boultbee (explorer)|John Boultbee]] recorded in the late 1820s that the 'Kaika Otargo' (settlements around and near [[Otago Harbour]]) were the oldest and largest in the south.{{sfn|Begg|Begg|1979}}

=== Early arrivals from Europe ===
[[File:Dunedin c. 1856 SLNSW FL10386954.jpg|thumb|Dunedin, New Zealand, {{circa|1856}}]]
Lieutenant [[James Cook]] stood off what is now the coast of Dunedin between 25 February 1770 and 5 March 1770, naming [[Cape Saunders]] (on the [[Otago Peninsula]]) and Saddle Hill. He reported penguins and seals in the vicinity, which led Australian, American and British [[Seal hunting|sealers]] to visit from the beginning of the 19th century.{{sfn|Beaglehole|1955–1967}} 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 (settler)|William Tucker]] became the first European to settle in the area – in 1815.{{sfn|Entwisle|2005}}

Permanent European occupation dates from 1831, when the [[Weller brothers]] of [[Colony of New South Wales|New South Wales]] founded their [[whaling station]] at Otago (present-day [[Otakou]]) 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 at [[Karitane]] in 1837 and Sydney-born [[Johnny Jones (pioneer)|Johnny Jones]] established a farming settlement and a [[mission station]] (the South Island's first) at [[Waikouaiti]] in 1840.{{sfn|Entwisle|1998}} The settlements at Karitane and Waikouaiti have endured, making modern Dunedin one of the longest-standing European-settled territories in New Zealand.

[[File:Queen Victoria statue, Dunedin, New Zealand.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Statue of [[Queen Victoria]] in Queens Gardens in Dunedin. Europeans settled in Dunedin intensively during the [[Victorian era]].]]

Early in 1844, the ''Deborah'', captained by Thomas Wing and carrying (among others) his wife Lucy and a representative of the [[New Zealand Company]], [[Frederick Tuckett]], sailed south from [[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]] to determine the location of a planned [[Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900)|Free Church]] settlement.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/DNZB/alt_essayBody.asp?essayID=1W33 |title=Wing, Thomas 1810–1888 |publisher=[[Dictionary of New Zealand Biography]] |access-date=17 March 2009 |first=T. B. |last=Byrne |quote=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). |archive-date=18 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018041505/https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1w33/wing-thomas |url-status=live }}</ref> After inspecting several areas around the eastern coast of the South Island, Tuckett selected the site which would become known as Dunedin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/DNZB/alt_essayBody.asp?essayID=1T108 |title=Tuckett, Frederick 1807? – 1876 |publisher=[[Dictionary of New Zealand Biography]] |access-date=17 March 2009 |first=Ross |last=Somerville |archive-date=18 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018041448/https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1t108/tuckett-frederick |url-status=live }}</ref> (Tuckett rejected the site of what would become [[Christchurch]], as he felt the ground around the [[Avon River / Ōtākaro]] was swampy.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Symcox |first1=Jonathan |title=Royal tour 2014: Kate Middleton and Prince William to visit Dunedin – profile of New Zealand city |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/royal-tour-2014-kate-middleton-3278508|access-date= 8 July 2017 |work=[[Daily Mirror]] |date=28 March 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140615145404/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/royal-tour-2014-kate-middleton-3278508|archive-date= 15 June 2014|url-status= live |quote=Incidentally, the site which would become Christchurch was turned down for the settlement by Frederick Tuckett, a representative of the New Zealand Company, as he felt the ground around the Avon river was swampy.}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2021}})

[[File:Cargill's Monument, Dunedin, NZ.JPG|thumb|upright|Monument to [[William Cargill (New Zealand politician)|William Cargill]] on [[Princes Street, Dunedin|Princes Street]]]]

The Lay Association of the [[Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900)|Free Church of Scotland]], through a company called the [[Otago Association]], founded Dunedin at the head of Otago Harbour in 1848 as the principal town<ref name="Campsie">{{cite news |last1=Campsie |first1=Alison |title=The Scottish origins of New Zealand city Dunedin |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/the-scottish-origins-of-new-zealand-city-dunedin-1-4398573|access-date= 8 July 2017 |work=[[The Scotsman]] |date=21 March 2017 |language=en|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170702031815/http://www.scotsman.com/news/the-scottish-origins-of-new-zealand-city-dunedin-1-4398573|archive-date= 2 July 2017|url-status= live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2021}}
of its special settlement.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}
[[File:Dunedin from Little Paisley.jpg|thumb|Dunedin from Little Paisley (1849)]]
The name "Dunedin" comes from ''Dùn Èideann'', the [[Scottish Gaelic]] name for [[Edinburgh]], the capital of [[Scotland]].{{sfn|McLintock|1949}} [[Charles Kettle]] the city's surveyor, instructed to emulate the characteristics of Edinburgh, produced a striking, "Romantic" town-planning design.{{sfn|Hocken|1898}} There resulted both grand and quirky streets, as the builders struggled and sometimes failed to construct his bold vision across the challenging landscape. Captain [[William Cargill (New Zealand politician)|William Cargill]] (1784–1860), a veteran of the [[Napoleonic Wars]], served as the secular leader of the new colony. The Reverend [[Thomas Burns (minister, born 1796)|Thomas Burns]] (1796–1871), a nephew of the poet [[Robert Burns]], provided spiritual guidance. By the end of the 1850s, around 12,000 Scots had emigrated to Dunedin, many from the industrial [[Scottish Lowlands|lowlands]].<ref name="Campsie"/>

=== Gold rush era ===

In 1852, Dunedin became the capital of the [[Otago Province]], the whole of New Zealand from the [[Waitaki River|Waitaki]] south. In 1861, the discovery of gold at [[Gabriel'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.{{sfn|McLintock|1949}}{{sfn|McDonald|1965}} The [[Dunedin Southern Cemetery]] was established in 1858, the [[Dunedin Northern Cemetery]] in 1872.<ref>{{cite web |last=Betteridge |first=Chris |title=Landscapes of Memory – breathing new life into old cemeteries |url=http://www.historic.org.nz/aboutus/OtagoBranch/gfx/Lawson%20Lecture%202004.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041123173155/http://www.historic.org.nz/aboutus/OtagoBranch/gfx/Lawson%20Lecture%202004.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 November 2004 |date=28 July 2004 |page=2 |work=NZ Historic Places Trust|access-date=14 May 2008 }}</ref> In the 1860s, [[Ross Creek Reservoir]] was created so as to serve Dunedin's need for water.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}

The London-owned [[Bank of Otago]] opened its doors in Dunedin in 1863, opened 12 branches throughout its region, then in 1873 merged with the new [[National Bank of New Zealand]] also based in London and also operated from Dunedin but, true to its name, it rapidly expanded throughout New Zealand.<ref name=trsfr>[https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT18730621.2.15.2 Notice. ''Otago Daily Times''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130143501/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT18730621.2.15.2 |date=30 November 2020 }} 21 June 1873 Page 2</ref> Dunedin remained the principal local source of the nation's development capital until the [[Second World War]].{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}

[[File:Dunedin Railway Station Full Exterior.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|[[Dunedin railway station]], built in 1906, is famed for its "gingerbread" architecture.]]
Dunedin and the region industrialised and consolidated, and the [[Main South Line]] connected the city with [[Christchurch]] in 1878 and Invercargill in 1879. Otago Boys' High School was founded in 1863. The [[Otago Museum]] opened in 1868. The [[University of Otago]], the oldest university in New Zealand, in 1869.{{sfn|Morrell|1969}} [[Otago Girls' High School]] was established in 1871.
[[File:New Zealand Insurance Co. Ltd, Dunedin, New Zealand.jpg|thumb|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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=King |first=Michael |title=The Penguin History of New Zealand |publisher=Penguin |year=2003 |location=New Zealand |pages=209}}</ref>

Between 1881 and 1957, Dunedin was home to [[Dunedin cable tramway system|cable 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 from [[Port Chalmers]] in 1882, saw the beginning of a later great national industry.{{sfn|McLintock|1951}} The first successful commercial shipment of frozen meat from New Zealand to the United Kingdom was on [[Dunedin (ship)|the Dunedin]] in 1881.

After ten years of gold rushes the economy slowed but [[Julius 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]] and [[public art]] gallery. The [[Dunedin Public Art Gallery]] was among these new foundations.{{sfn|McLintock|1949}}{{sfn|McDonald|1965}}{{sfn|Entwisle|1984}} It had been actively promulgated by artist [[W. M. Hodgkins|William Mathew Hodgkins]]'''.''' There was also a remarkable architectural flowering producing many substantial and ornamental buildings. [[Robert Lawson (architect)|R. A. Lawson]]'s [[First Church, Dunedin|First Church of Otago]] and [[Knox Church, Dunedin|Knox Church]] are notable examples, as are buildings by [[Maxwell Bury]] and [[Francis Petre|F. W. Petre]]. The other visual arts also flourished under the leadership of [[W. M. Hodgkins]].{{sfn|Entwisle|1984}} The city's landscape and burgeoning townscape were vividly portrayed by [[George O'Brien (painter)|George O'Brien]] (1821–1888).{{sfn|Collins|Entwisle|1986}} From the mid-1890s, the economy revived. Institutions such as the Otago Settlers Museum (now renamed as [[Toitū Otago Settlers Museum]]) and the [[Hocken Collections]]—the first of their kind in New Zealand—were founded. More notable buildings such as the [[Dunedin Railway Station|Railway Station]] and [[Olveston (house)|Olveston]] were erected. New energy in the visual arts represented by [[G. P. Nerli]] culminated in the career of [[Frances Hodgkins]].{{sfn|Entwisle|1984}}{{sfn|McCormick|1954}}{{sfn|Entwisle|Dunn|Collins|1988}}{{sfn|Dunn|2005}}

=== Early modern era ===
[[File:Historic Dunedin Botanic Gardens.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Historic panorama of the Botanical Gardens, {{circa|1900}}]]
[[File:Opoho tram, Dunedin ATLIB 289963.png|thumb|Opoho tram in Dunedin (1926)]]
[[File:Bluff - Dunedin section of South Island, New Zealand Main Trunk Railway 1928 (10469674373).jpg|thumb|Dunedin area railway map (1928)]]
[[File:The web of empire - a diary of the imperial tour of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York in 1901 (1902) (14763792702).jpg|thumb|'''Royal tour of Dunedin in 1901''']]
[[File:Railway siding for unloading coal and timber, Dunedin ATLIB 315054.png|thumb|Railway 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|date=March 2025}} with writers like E. H. McCormick pointing out its atmospheric charm.{{sfn|McCormick|1959}} In 1901 the British royals, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York toured Dunedin.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} Dunedin grew during the early 20th-century via annexation of surrounding municipalities — between 1904 and 1916 Dunedin annexed the boroughs of [[Caversham, New Zealand|Caversham]], [[South Dunedin]], [[North East Valley]], [[Maori Hill]], [[Roslyn, Dunedin|Roslyn]], and [[Mornington, Dunedin|Mornington]] as well as the [[Bay Town District]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Bloomfield | first=Gerald Taylor | title=The Evolution of Local Government Areas in Metropolitan Auckland, 1840-1971 |publisher=Auckland University Press | publication-place=Auckland | date=1973 | isbn=0-19-647714-X | page=10}}</ref> In 1963 [[West Harbour, Otago|West Harbour]] Borough was annexed by Dunedin and in 1968 it annexed the entire [[Peninsula County]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Bloomfield | first=Gerald Taylor | title=The Evolution of Local Government Areas in Metropolitan Auckland, 1840-1971 | publisher=Auckland University Press | publication-place=Auckland | date=1973 | isbn=0-19-647714-X | page=14}}</ref>

In the 1930s and early 1940s a new generation of artists such as [[Toss Woollaston|M. T. (Toss) Woollaston]], [[Doris Lusk]], Anne Hamblett, [[Colin McCahon]] and [[Patrick 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|date=March 2025}}

[[File:Cenotaph, Dunedin, New Zealand2.JPG|thumb|upright|left|[[Dunedin Cenotaph]], erected in 1927]]
Numerous large companies had been established in Dunedin, many of which became national leaders. Late among them was [[Fletcher Construction]], founded by Sir [[James Fletcher (industrialist)|James 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. [[Methven (company)|G. Methven]], a metalworking and tap manufacturer based in [[South Dunedin]], was also a leading firm, as was [[Henry Ely Shacklock|H. E. Shacklock]], an iron founder and appliance manufacturer later taken over by the Auckland concern [[Fisher and Paykel]]. The [[Mosgiel Woollens]] was another Victorian Dunedin foundation. [[Hallensteins]] was the colloquial name of a menswear manufacturer and national retail chain, while the DIC and [[Arthur Barnett (department store)|Arthur Barnett]] were department stores, the former a nationwide concern. Coulls, Somerville Wilkie—later part of the [[Whitcoulls]] group—had its origins in Dunedin in the 19th century. There were also the [[National Mortgage and Agency Company of New Zealand]], [[Wright Stephenson|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|date=March 2025}}

=== Post-war developments ===
[[File:Dunedin Botanic Gardens winter 2011 panorama.jpg|right|upright=1.25|thumb|Dunedin Botanic Gardens in winter]]
After the [[World War II|Second World War]] prosperity and population growth revived, although Dunedin trailed as the fourth 'main centre'. A generation reacting against [[Victorian architecture|Victorianism]] started demolishing its buildings and many were lost, notably [[William Mason (architect)|William Mason]]'s [[Stock exchange]] in 1969. ([[Princes Street, Dunedin|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 including [[James K. Baxter|James K Baxter]], [[Ralph Hotere]], [[Janet Frame]] and [[Hone Tuwhare]] to the city.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

[[File:Princes Street, Dunedin 1982 (35772469910).jpg|thumb|left|Princes Street in April 1982]]
During the 1980s Dunedin's [[popular music]] scene blossomed, with many acts, such as [[The Chills]], [[The Clean]], [[The Verlaines]] and [[Straitjacket Fits]], gaining national and international recognition. The term "The [[Dunedin sound]]" was coined to describe the 1960s-influenced, guitar-led music which flourished at the time.<ref>{{cite book |first=Roy |last=Shuker |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PRavFA8l2FQC&q=The+Dunedin+Sound%22+1960s+music&pg=PA210 |title=Understanding popular music |publisher=Routledge |date=2001 |isbn=9780415235099 |access-date=17 October 2020 |archive-date=18 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018041452/https://books.google.com/books?id=PRavFA8l2FQC&q=The+Dunedin+Sound%22+1960s+music&pg=PA210 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 the [[Victorian architecture|Victorian style]].<ref name="heritage buildings">[https://web.archive.org/web/20020131173317/http://www.cityofdunedin.com/city/?page=feat_heritagehousing Dunedin City council page]</ref> [[Robert Lawson (architect)|R. A. Lawson]]'s Municipal Chambers ([[Dunedin Town Hall]]) in [[the Octagon, Dunedin|the 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 the [[Art museum|art gallery]], railway station and the [[Toitū Otago Settlers Museum]]. Meanwhile, the continued blossoming of local creative writing saw the city gain UNESCO [[City of Literature]] status in 2014. 
[[File:28 High Street, Dunedin, New Zealand - Neuseeland.jpg|thumb|High Street Dunedin (2009)]]
Dunedin has flourishing niche industries including engineering, software engineering, [[biotechnology]] and fashion. [[Port Chalmers]] on the [[Otago Harbour]] provides Dunedin with deep-water facilities. It is served by the [[Port Chalmers Branch]], a [[branch line]] railway which diverges from the [[Main South Line]] and runs from [[Christchurch]] by way of Dunedin to [[Invercargill]]. Dunedin is also home to [[MTF Ltd|MTF]], the nationwide vehicle finance company.

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]] and [[Larnach Castle]] were designed by one of New Zealand's most eminent architects [[Robert Lawson (architect)|R. A. Lawson]]. Other prominent buildings include [[Olveston (house)|Olveston]] and the [[Dunedin Railway Station]]. Other unusual or memorable buildings or constructions are [[Baldwin Street]], claimed to be the world's steepest residential street;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38568889 |title=Where is England's steepest residential street? |work=[[BBC News]] |date=10 January 2017|access-date=22 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213023317/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38568889|archive-date=13 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> the Captain Cook tavern; Cadbury Chocolate Factory ([[Cadbury World, Dunedin|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 existing [[Dunedin Public Hospital]]); and the [[Speight's]] brewery.

[[File:Dunedin Botanic Gardens Spring 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|Botanic Gardens in Spring]]

The thriving tertiary student population has led to a vibrant [[youth culture]] (students are referred to as 'Scarfies' by people who are not students), consisting of the previously mentioned [[Indie music scene|music scene]], and more recently a burgeoning boutique fashion industry.<ref name="thread">[https://web.archive.org/web/20040103042805/http://www.thread.co.nz/article/723 Thread fashion magazine article]</ref><ref name="Fashionherald">{{cite news |first=Cathrin |last=Schaer |title=Rain fails to dampen Dunedin's fashion parade |date=3 March 2008 |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=151&objectid=10495751 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |publisher=APN Holdings}}</ref> A strong visual arts community also exists in Dunedin, notably in [[Port Chalmers]] and the other settlements which dot the coast of the [[Otago Harbour]], and also in communities such as [[Waitati]].

Sport is catered for in Dunedin by the floodlit [[Rugby Union|rugby]] and [[cricket]] venues of [[Forsyth Barr Stadium]] and [[University Oval, Dunedin]], respectively, the new [[Caledonian Ground]] football and [[Track and field athletics|athletics]] stadium near the university at [[Logan Park, Dunedin|Logan Park]], the large [[The Edgar Centre|Edgar Centre]] indoor sports centre, the [[Dunedin Ice Stadium]], and numerous golf courses and parks. There is also the [[Wingatui]] horseracing course to the south of the city. St Clair Beach is a well-known [[surfing]] venue, and the harbour basin is popular with [[windsurfing|windsurfers]] and [[kitesurfing|kitesurfers]]. Dunedin has four public swimming pools: [[Moana Pool]], Port Chalmers Pool, Mosgiel and St Clair Salt Water Pool.

In February 2021, the [[East Otago]] towns of [[Waikouaiti]] and [[Karitane]] in New Zealand [[2021 East Otago lead poisoning scare|reported 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Water in two tiny NZ towns has toxic levels of lead. Locals weren't warned for a month because staffer was on holiday |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/water-in-two-tiny-nz-towns-has-toxic-levels-of-lead-locals-werent-warned-for-a-month-because-staffer-was-on-holiday/4JZAK6BKNJJGXLINNM2ZYCVK34/|access-date=5 February 2021 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205074855/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/water-in-two-tiny-nz-towns-has-toxic-levels-of-lead-locals-werent-warned-for-a-month-because-staffer-was-on-holiday/4JZAK6BKNJJGXLINNM2ZYCVK34/|archive-date=5 February 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Elder |first1=Vaughan |title=Lead in water found at 40 times acceptable level |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/residents-offered-blood-tests-lead|access-date=5 February 2021 |work=[[Otago Daily Times]] |date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205080324/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/residents-offered-blood-tests-lead|archive-date=5 February 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Dunedin City Council providing free fruit and veg as lead water scare continues |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/435959/dunedin-city-council-providing-free-fruit-and-veg-as-lead-water-scare-continues |work=[[Radio New Zealand]]|access-date=9 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207043724/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/435959/dunedin-city-council-providing-free-fruit-and-veg-as-lead-water-scare-continues|archive-date=7 February 2021 |date=9 February 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> By early March 2021, the [[Southern 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lead scare: Long-term health problems 'unlikely' |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/lead-scare-long-term-health-problems-unlikely|access-date=12 March 2021 |work=[[Otago Daily Times]] |date=10 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312004219/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/lead-scare-long-term-health-problems-unlikely|archive-date=12 March 2021}}</ref>

In late January 2024, the [[Dunedin City Council]] and [[Otago 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dunedin prepares for 10% population increase over next 30 years |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/507992/dunedin-prepares-for-10-percent-population-increase-over-next-30-years |access-date=1 February 2024 |work=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date=31 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130180808/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/507992/dunedin-prepares-for-10-percent-population-increase-over-next-30-years |archive-date=30 January 2024}}</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:Taiaroa Head 2.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Taiaroa Head]] with lighthouse.]]
The Dunedin City territorial authority has a land area of {{convert|3314.8|km2|abbr=on}}, slightly larger than the American state of [[Rhode Island]] or the English county of [[Cambridgeshire]], and a little smaller than [[Cornwall]]. It was the largest city in land area in New Zealand until the formation of the {{convert|5600|km2|abbr=on}} [[Auckland Council]] on 1 November 2010. The Dunedin City Council boundaries since 1989 have extended to [[Middlemarch, New Zealand|Middlemarch]] in the west, [[Waikouaiti]] in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the east and south-east, and the Waipori/Taieri River and the township of [[Henley, New Zealand|Henley]] in the south-west.

Dunedin is situated at the head of [[Otago 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dunedin City |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/dunedin-city |publisher=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand|access-date=1 September 2016 |date=1966|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915042505/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/dunedin-city|archive-date=15 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> From the time of its foundation in 1848, the city has spread slowly over the low-lying [[flat (landform)|flats]] and nearby hills and across the [[isthmus]] to the slopes of the [[Otago Peninsula]].

=== Geology ===
Eastern Otago is tectonically stable, meaning that it does not experience many earthquakes. One of the few known faults near Dunedin is the [[Akatore Fault]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Adams |first=R. D. |last2=Kean |first2=R. J. |date=1974-09-30 |title=The Dunedin earthquake, 9 April 1974: Part 1: seismological studies |url=https://bulletin.nzsee.org.nz/index.php/bnzsee/article/view/1230 |journal=Bulletin of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering |language=en |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=115–122 |doi=10.5459/bnzsee.7.3.115-122 |issn=2324-1543|doi-access=free }}</ref> 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).<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Bishop |first=D. G. |date=1974-09-30 |title=The Dunedin earthquake, 9 April, 1974: Part 2: local effects |url=https://bulletin.nzsee.org.nz/index.php/bnzsee/article/view/1231 |journal=Bulletin of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering |language=en |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=123–129 |doi=10.5459/bnzsee.7.3.123-129 |issn=2324-1543|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite news |last=Littlewood |first=Matthew |date=8 April 2024 |title=Information event to commemorate earthquake |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/information-event-commemorate-earthquake |access-date=14 June 2024 |website=[[Otago Daily Times]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Inner city===
[[File:PrincesStDunedin.jpg|thumb|[[Princes Street, Dunedin|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 as [[The Octagon, Dunedin|the 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 of [[Bell Hill, New Zealand|Bell 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 of [[George Street, Dunedin|George Street]] and Princes Street meeting at The Octagon. Here they are joined by [[Stuart Street, Dunedin|Stuart Street]], which runs orthogonally to them, from the [[Dunedin Railway Station]] in the southeast, and steeply up to the suburb of [[Roslyn, Dunedin|Roslyn]] 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 as [[Maori Hill]], Pine Hill, and [[Maryhill, New Zealand|Maryhill]], rise to some {{convert|200|m|disp=sqbr}} 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, notably [[South Dunedin]] and [[St Kilda, New Zealand|St 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 from [[Ocean Beach, Otago|Ocean Beach]], which is traditionally divided into [[St. Clair Beach]] at the western end and [[Ocean Beach, Otago|St Kilda Beach]] to the east.

[[File:Dunedin from Lookout.JPG|thumb|left|Dunedin seen from Unity Park lookout in the suburb of [[Mornington, Dunedin|Mornington]]]]
[[File:Baldwin Street High Resolution Upwards Look.jpg|thumb|[[Baldwin Street]] in North East Valley is the world's steepest residential street]]

Dunedin is home to [[Baldwin Street]], which, according to the ''[[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of Records]]'', is the steepest street in the world. Its gradient is 1 in 2.9.<ref>{{cite web |title=Steepest Streets in Dunedin |url=http://www.cityofdunedin.com/city/?page=roading_steep_street|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030526004153/http://www.cityofdunedin.com/city/?page=roading_steep_street|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 May 2003 |publisher=Dunedin City Council|access-date=16 May 2008}}</ref> The long-since-abandoned Maryhill [[Cable car (railway)|Cablecar]] 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 the [[Taieri Plains]]. The modern [[State Highway 1 (New Zealand)|State Highway 1]] follows a different route, passing through [[Caversham, New Zealand|Caversham]] in the west and out past Saddle Hill. Lying between Saddle Hill and Caversham are the outer suburbs of [[Green Island, New Zealand|Green Island and Abbotsford]]. Between Green Island and Roslyn lies the steep-sided valley of the [[Kaikorai 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 are [[Portobello, New Zealand|Portobello]] and [[Macandrew Bay]], on the [[Otago Peninsula]] coast, and [[Port 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 a [[volcanic crater]]. Notable among them are [[Mount Cargill]] ({{convert|700|m|disp=sqbr|abbr=on}}), [[Flagstaff, Otago|Flagstaff]] ({{convert|680|m|disp=sqbr|abbr=on}}), [[Saddle Hill, New Zealand|Saddle Hill]] ({{convert|480|m|disp=sqbr|abbr=on}}), [[Signal Hill, New Zealand|Signal Hill]] ({{convert|390|m|disp=sqbr|abbr=on}}), and [[Harbour Cone]] ({{convert|320|m|disp=sqbr|abbr=on}}).{{sfn|Dann|Peat|1989}}

===Hinterland===
[[File:Dunedin Otago Peninsula Harbour.jpg|thumb|right|Dunedin (grey area to lower left) sits close to the isthmus of the [[Otago Peninsula]], at the end of [[Otago Harbour]]]]
Dunedin's hinterland encompasses a variety of different landforms. To the southwest lie the [[Taieri Plains]], the broad, fertile lowland floodplains of the [[Taieri River]] and its major tributary, the [[Waipori River|Waipori]]. These are moderately heavily settled, and contain the towns of [[Mosgiel]], and [[Allanton, New Zealand|Allanton]].{{sfn|Dann|Peat|1989}} They are separated from the coast by a range of low hills rising to some {{convert|300|m}}. Inland from the Taieri Plain is rough hill country. Close to the plain, much of this is forested, notably around [[Berwick, New Zealand|Berwick]] and [[Lake Mahinerangi]], and also around the [[Silverpeaks]] Range which lies northwest of the Dunedin urban area.{{sfn|Bishop|Hamel|1993}} Beyond this, the land becomes drier and opens out into grass and [[tussock grass|tussock]]-covered land. A high, broad valley, the [[Strath-Taieri]] lies in Dunedin's far northwest, containing the town of [[Middlemarch, New Zealand|Middlemarch]], 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, including [[Waitati]], [[Warrington, New Zealand|Warrington]], [[Seacliff, New Zealand|Seacliff]], and [[Waikouaiti]]. [[State Highway 1 (New Zealand)|State Highway 1]] winds steeply through a series of hills here, notably [[The Kilmog]].{{sfn|Dann|Peat|1989}} These hills can be considered a coastal extension of the Silverpeaks Range.

===Environment and ecotourism===
To the east of Dunedin lies the entirety of the [[Otago Peninsula]], a long finger of land that formed the southeastern rim of the [[Dunedin Volcano]].{{sfn|Dann|Peat|1989}} The peninsula is lightly settled, almost entirely along the harbour coast, and much of it is maintained as a [[Habitat|natural habitat]] by the [[Otago Peninsula Trust]]. The peninsula contains several fine beaches, and is home to a considerable number of [[rare species]], including [[Yellow-eyed penguin|yellow-eyed]] and [[little penguin]]s, [[pinniped|seal]]s, and [[Cormorant|shag]]s. [[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 of [[southern royal albatross|royal albatross]].

=== List of suburbs ===
{{Main|Suburbs of Dunedin}}
[[File:St Clair, New Zealand.jpg|thumb|right|Beach in the suburb of [[St Clair, New Zealand|St Clair]]]]

;Inner suburbs
''(clockwise from the city centre, starting at due north)''<br />
[[Woodhaugh]]; [[Glenleith]]; [[Leith Valley]]; [[Dalmore, New Zealand|Dalmore]]; [[Liberton, New Zealand|Liberton]]; [[Pine Hill, New Zealand|Pine Hill]]; [[Normanby, Otago|Normanby]]; [[Mt Mera]]; [[North East Valley]]; [[Opoho]]; [[Dunedin North]]; [[Ravensbourne, New Zealand|Ravensbourne]]; [[Highcliff, New Zealand|Highcliff]]; [[Shiel Hill]]; [[Challis, New Zealand|Challis]]; [[Waverley, Otago|Waverley]]; [[Vauxhall, Otago|Vauxhall]]; [[Ocean Grove, New Zealand|Ocean Grove]] (Tomahawk); [[Tainui, New Zealand|Tainui]]; [[Andersons Bay]]; [[Musselburgh, New Zealand|Musselburgh]]; [[South Dunedin]]; [[Saint Kilda, New Zealand|St Kilda]]; [[Saint Clair, New Zealand|St Clair]]; [[Corstorphine, New Zealand|Corstorphine]]; [[Kew, Otago|Kew]]; [[Forbury, New Zealand|Forbury]]; [[Caversham, New Zealand|Caversham]]; [[Concord, New Zealand|Concord]]; [[Maryhill, New Zealand|Maryhill]]; [[Kenmure]]; [[Mornington, Otago|Mornington]]; [[Kaikorai Valley]]; [[City Rise]]; [[Belleknowes]]; [[Roslyn, Dunedin|Roslyn]]; [[Kaikorai Valley|Kaikorai]]; [[Wakari]]; [[Maori Hill]].

;Outer suburbs
''(clockwise from the city centre, starting at due north)''<br />
[[Burkes, New Zealand|Burkes]]; [[Saint Leonards, Otago|Saint Leonards]]; Deborah Bay; Careys Bay; [[Port Chalmers]]; Sawyers Bay; Roseneath; [[Broad Bay, New Zealand|Broad Bay]]; [[Company Bay]]; [[Macandrew Bay]]; [[Portobello, New Zealand|Portobello]]; [[Burnside, Otago|Burnside]]; [[Green Island, New Zealand|Green Island]]; [[Waldronville]]; [[Westwood, New Zealand|Westwood]]; Saddle Hill; [[Green Island, New Zealand#Sunnyvale|Sunnyvale]]; [[Fairfield, Otago|Fairfield]]; [[Green Island, New Zealand#Abbotsford|Abbotsford]]; [[Kaikorai Valley|Bradford]]; [[Brockville, New Zealand|Brockville]]; [[Halfway Bush]]; [[Helensburgh, New Zealand|Helensburgh]].

==== Towns within city limits ====
''(clockwise from the city centre, starting at due north)''<br />
[[Waitati]]; [[Waikouaiti]]; [[Karitane]]; [[Seacliff, New Zealand|Seacliff]]; [[Warrington, New Zealand|Warrington]]; [[Pūrākaunui]]; [[Long Beach, New Zealand|Long Beach]]; [[Aramoana]]; [[Otakou]]; Mosgiel; Brighton;[[Taieri Mouth, New Zealand|Taieri Mouth]]; [[Henley, New Zealand|Henley]]; [[Allanton, New Zealand|Allanton]]; [[East Taieri]]; [[Momona]]; [[Outram, New Zealand|Outram]]; [[West Taieri]]; [[Waipori, New Zealand|Waipori]]; [[Middlemarch, New Zealand|Middlemarch]]; [[Hyde, New Zealand|Hyde]].

Since local council reorganisation in the late 1980s, these are suburbs, but are not commonly regarded as such.

=== Climate ===
The climate of Dunedin in general is temperate. Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], Dunedin features an [[oceanic 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 {{convert|30|C}}. 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 {{convert|750|mm}} 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.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Lambert|editor-first=M. |date=1988 |title=Air New Zealand almanac |location=Wellington, NZ |publisher=[[New Zealand Press Association]] |pages=394–95 |section=Long-term average, 1951–1980}}</ref> [[Prevailing wind]] in the city is mainly a sometimes cool southwesterly and during late spring will alternate with northeasterlies.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Descriptive Atlas of New Zealand|editor-first=A. H.|editor-last=McLintock |publisher=New Zealand Government Printer |date=1959 |section=Map 8}}</ref> Warmer, dry northwest winds are also characteristic [[Nor'west arch|Foehn winds from the northwest]]. The circle of hills surrounding the [[inner 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 the [[Taieri River]]'s course around [[Middlemarch, New Zealand|Middlemarch]], and in summer, the temperature occasionally reaches {{convert|30|C}}.
{{Clear}}

{{Weather box
|location = Dunedin (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1947–present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
| Jan record high C = 35.7
| Feb record high C = 34.6
| Mar record high C = 31.1
| Apr record high C = 29.5
| May record high C = 25.7
| Jun record high C = 20.6
| Jul record high C = 20.3
| Aug record high C = 21.7
| Sep record high C = 25.6
| Oct record high C = 31.0
| Nov record high C = 31.3
| Dec record high C = 34.5
| year record high C = 35.7
|Jan high C = 	18.9
|Feb high C = 	18.7
|Mar high C = 	17.6
|Apr high C = 	15.4
|May high C = 	13.2
|Jun high C = 	10.8
|Jul high C = 	10.4
|Aug high C = 	11.4
|Sep high C = 	13.3
|Oct high C = 	14.9
|Nov high C = 	16.1
|Dec high C = 	17.5
| year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 	15.2
|Feb mean C = 	15.1
|Mar mean C = 	13.9
|Apr mean C = 	11.8
|May mean C = 	9.6
|Jun mean C = 	7.4
|Jul mean C = 	6.7
|Aug mean C = 	7.8
|Sep mean C = 	9.5
|Oct mean C = 	11.0
|Nov mean C = 	12.3
|Dec mean C = 	14.0
| year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 	11.6
|Feb low C = 	11.5
|Mar low C = 	10.2
|Apr low C = 	8.2
|May low C = 	6.1
|Jun low C = 	3.9
|Jul low C = 	3.0
|Aug low C = 	4.2
|Sep low C = 	5.7
|Oct low C = 	7.0
|Nov low C = 	8.5
|Dec low C = 	10.4
| year low C = 
|Jan record low C  = 2.2
|Feb record low C  = 2.0
|Mar record low C  = 1.0
|Apr record low C  = -1.2
|May record low C  =  -4.5
|Jun record low C  = -8.0
|Jul record low C  = -3.3
|Aug record low C  = -3.7
|Sep record low C  = -6.5
|Oct record low C  = -1.1
|Nov record low C  = 0.8
|Dec record low C  = 2.9
|year record low C = -8.0
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 	70.5
|Feb rain mm = 	69.9
|Mar rain mm = 	53.9
|Apr rain mm = 	60.8
|May rain mm = 	63.6
|Jun rain mm = 	58.5
|Jul rain mm = 	51.7
|Aug rain mm = 	54.7
|Sep rain mm = 	47.1
|Oct rain mm = 	60.1
|Nov rain mm = 	62.5
|Dec rain mm = 	70.8
|year rain mm = 
| Jan rain days = 	9.1
| Feb rain days = 	7.5
| Mar rain days = 	7.6
| Apr rain days = 	8.0
| May rain days = 	9.7
| Jun rain days = 	8.5
| Jul rain days = 	7.8
| Aug rain days = 	8.7
| Sep rain days = 	8.2
| Oct rain days = 	10.5
| Nov rain days = 	9.6
| Dec rain days = 	10.4
| unit rain days = 1.0 mm
|Jan sun = 	182.1
|Feb sun = 	167.5
|Mar sun = 	165.1
|Apr sun = 	131.5
|May sun = 	112.7
|Jun sun = 	95.9
|Jul sun = 	114.8
|Aug sun = 	122.0
|Sep sun = 	147.4
|Oct sun = 	175.6
|Nov sun = 	176.3
|Dec sun = 	184.6
|year sun = 
| Jan percentsun  =38
| Feb percentsun  =42
| Mar percentsun  =43
| Apr percentsun  =41
| May percentsun  =39
| Jun percentsun  =37
| Jul percentsun  =41
| Aug percentsun  =38
| Sep percentsun  =42
| Oct percentsun  =42
| Nov percentsun  =39
| Dec percentsun  =38
| year percentsun =
| Jan light = 15.3
| Feb light = 14.0
| Mar light = 12.4
| Apr light = 10.8
| May light = 9.4
| Jun light = 8.7
| Jul light = 9.1
| Aug light = 10.3
| Sep light = 11.8
| Oct light = 13.4
| Nov light = 14.9
| Dec light = 15.7
| year light=
| Jan humidity = 	73.7
| Feb humidity = 	76.5
| Mar humidity = 	78.2
| Apr humidity = 	77.1
| May humidity = 	80.2
| Jun humidity = 	79.7
| Jul humidity = 	79.0
| Aug humidity = 	78.2
| Sep humidity = 	69.7
| Oct humidity = 	70.2
| Nov humidity = 	69.8
| Dec humidity = 	72.4
|source 1 = NIWA<ref name = NIWA>{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240520001949/https://niwa.co.nz/climate-and-weather/climate-data-and-activities
| archive-date = 20 May 2024
| url = https://niwa.co.nz/climate-and-weather/climate-data-and-activities
| title = Climate data and activities
| publisher= NIWA
| access-date = 20 May 2024}}</ref><ref name=NIWA2>{{cite web
|url = https://cliflo.niwa.co.nz/
|title = CliFlo -The National Climate Database (Agent numbers: 5402, 15752)
|publisher = NIWA
|access-date = 15 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = https://niwa.co.nz/climate-and-weather/monthly
|title = Monthly climate summaries
|publisher = NIWA
|access-date = 5 May 2025}}</ref>
|source 2 = Weather Spark<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://weatherspark.com/y/144811/Average-Weather-in-Dunedin-New-Zealand-Year-Round
|title = Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Dunedin
|publisher = Weather Spark
|access-date = 10 Dec 2024}}</ref>
}}

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location = [[Dunedin Airport]] (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1962–present)
| Jan record high C = 35.7
| Feb record high C = 34.9
| Mar record high C = 32.2
| Apr record high C = 27.3
| May record high C = 26.5
| Jun record high C = 20.8
| Jul record high C = 21.1
| Aug record high C = 22.2
| Sep record high C = 25.0
| Oct record high C = 31.0
| Nov record high C = 31.3
| Dec record high C = 33.1
| year record high C = 35.7
| Jan avg record high C  = 30.0
| Feb avg record high C  = 29.7
| Mar avg record high C  = 28.1
| Apr avg record high C  = 24.1
| May avg record high C  = 21.2
| Jun avg record high C  = 17.3
| Jul avg record high C  = 17.0
| Aug avg record high C  = 18.8
| Sep avg record high C  = 22.1
| Oct avg record high C  = 24.9
| Nov avg record high C  = 26.2
| Dec avg record high C  = 29.0
| year avg record high C = 31.8
| Jan high C  = 21.1
| Feb high C  = 20.9
| Mar high C  = 19.5
| Apr high C  = 16.6
| May high C  = 13.7
| Jun high C  = 10.8
| Jul high C  = 10.5
| Aug high C  = 12.2
| Sep high C  = 14.6
| Oct high C  = 16.3
| Nov high C  = 17.8
| Dec high C  = 19.8
| year high C = 
| Jan mean C  = 15.3
| Feb mean C  = 15.0
| Mar mean C  = 13.3
| Apr mean C  = 10.6
| May mean C  = 8.0
| Jun mean C  = 5.5
| Jul mean C  = 4.9
| Aug mean C  = 6.5
| Sep mean C  = 8.8
| Oct mean C  = 10.4
| Nov mean C  = 12.1
| Dec mean C  = 14.2
| year mean C = 
| Jan low C  = 9.5
| Feb low C  = 9.1
| Mar low C  = 7.2
| Apr low C  = 4.7
| May low C  = 2.3
| Jun low C  = 0.2
| Jul low C  = -0.7
| Aug low C  = 0.9
| Sep low C  = 3.0
| Oct low C  = 4.6
| Nov low C  = 6.4
| Dec low C  = 8.5
| year low C = 
| Jan avg record low C  = 2.9
| Feb avg record low C  = 2.5
| Mar avg record low C  = 0.4
| Apr avg record low C  = -2.1
| May avg record low C  = -4.3
| Jun avg record low C  = -5.9
| Jul avg record low C  = -6.6
| Aug avg record low C  = -5.2
| Sep avg record low C  = -3.4
| Oct avg record low C  = -1.6
| Nov avg record low C  = 0.3
| Dec avg record low C  = 1.9
| year avg record low C = -7.0
|Jan record low C  = -0.3
|Feb record low C  = -0.9
|Mar record low C  = -1.9
|Apr record low C  = -4.5
|May record low C  =  -8.8
|Jun record low C  = -8.6
|Jul record low C  = -8.8
|Aug record low C  = -7.6
|Sep record low C  = -6.5
|Oct record low C  = -5.2
|Nov record low C  = -2.1
|Dec record low C  = -0.9
|year record low C = -8.8
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 66.8
|Feb rain mm = 64.2
|Mar rain mm = 48.4
|Apr rain mm = 50.9
|May rain mm = 59.1
|Jun rain mm = 49.4
|Jul rain mm = 39.6
|Aug rain mm = 40.8
|Sep rain mm = 40.7
|Oct rain mm = 59.5
|Nov rain mm = 54.5
|Dec rain mm = 68.5
|year rain mm = 
|source = CliFlo <ref name=NIWA3>{{cite web
|url = https://cliflo.niwa.co.nz/
|title = CliFlo -The National Climate Database (Agent numbers:5397, 7339)
|publisher = NIWA
|access-date = 20 Jul 2024}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
The Dunedin City territorial authority has a population of {{NZ population data 2018|Dunedin city|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|||y}}.{{NZ population data 2018||||y}} This comprises {{NZ population data 2018|Dunedin|y}} people in the Dunedin urban area, {{NZ population data 2018|Mosgiel|y}} people in the [[Mosgiel]] urban area, {{NZ population data 2018|Brighton|y}} people in [[Brighton, New Zealand|Brighton]], {{NZ population data 2018|Waikouaiti|y}} people in [[Waikouaiti]], and {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Dunedin city|y}}|R}}-{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Dunedin|y}}|R}}-{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Mosgiel|y}}|R}}-{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Brighton|y}}|R}}-{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Waikouaiti|y}}|R}}|0}} people in the surrounding settlements and rural area.

{{Historical populations|2006|118,683|2013|120,249|2018|126,255|2023|128,901|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for the territorial area|source=<ref name="Census 2018">{{NZ census 2018|Dunedin City (071)|dunedin-city|Dunedin City}}</ref><ref name="Census 2023"/>}}
[[File:2023 NZ Census Population Density - Dunedin City.png|thumb|Population density in the 2023 census]]
Dunedin City had a population of 128,901 in the [[2023 New Zealand census]], an increase of 2,646 people (2.1%) since the [[2018 New Zealand census|2018 census]], and an increase of 8,652 people (7.2%) since the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]]. There were 61,722 males, 66,300 females and 873 people of [[non-binary gender|other genders]] in 49,920 dwellings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_005&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=doTotal%2Bdo1.071.2023&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_DWD_003|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses}}</ref> 5.8% of people identified as [[LGBTQ|LGBTIQ+]]. 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.<ref name="Census 2023"/>

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 85.1% [[European New Zealanders|European]] ([[Pākehā]]); 10.8% [[Māori people|Māori]]; 3.9% [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pasifika]]; 9.3% [[Asian New Zealanders|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.

Religious affiliations were 27.6% [[Christianity in New Zealand|Christian]], 1.0% [[Hinduism in New Zealand|Hindu]], 1.2% [[Islam in New Zealand|Islam]], 0.3% [[Māori religious beliefs]], 0.7% [[Buddhism in New Zealand|Buddhist]], 0.6% [[New Age]], 0.1% [[Judaism in New Zealand|Jewish]],  and 1.5% other religions. People who answered that they had [[Irreligion in New Zealand|no religion]] were 60.5%, and 6.6% of people did not answer the census question.

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.<ref name="Census 2023">{{Cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_008&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=hq011%2Bhq010%2Bhq009%2Bhq008%2Bhq007%2Bhq006%2Bhq005%2Bhq004%2Bhq003%2Bhq002%2Bhq001%2Bhq000%2Bws1%2Bsp99%2Bra80%2Bra08%2Bra07%2Bra06%2Bra05%2Bra01%2Bra04%2Bra03%2Bra02%2Bra00%2Brb1%2Bls66%2Bls03%2Bls02%2Bls05%2Bls04%2Bls01%2Beg6%2Beg5%2Beg4%2Beg3%2Beg2%2Beg1%2BbiTotal%2Bbi0%2Bbi1%2BasTotalLG%2Bas4%2Bas3%2Bas2%2Bas1%2Bws4%2Bws3%2Bws2%2Bge3%2Bge2%2Bge1%2Brc%2BasMed%2BegTotal%2BlsTotal%2BgeTotal%2BrbTotal%2BraTotal%2BhqTotal%2BibTotal%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.071.2013%2B2018%2B2023&to[TIME]=false&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_IND_003&ly[cl]=CEN23_YEAR_001|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Dunedin City (071)}}</ref>

===Urban area===
The Dunedin urban area covers {{Convert|91.16|km2||abbr=on}}<ref name="Area"/> and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018|Dunedin|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Dunedin|y}}|R}}/91.16|0}} people per km<sup>2</sup>.
{{Historical populations|2013|95,901|2018|99,885|2023|100,908|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for the urban area|source=<ref name="Census 2023 UA"/>}}
The urban area had a population of 100,908 in the [[2023 New Zealand census]], an increase of 1,023 people (1.0%) since the [[2018 New Zealand census|2018 census]], and an increase of 5,007 people (5.2%) since the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]]. There were 48,096 males, 52,020 females and 792 people of [[non-binary gender|other genders]] in 38,127 dwellings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_005&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=doTotal%2Bdo1.2233.2023&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_DWD_003|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses}}</ref> 6.7% of people identified as [[LGBTQ|LGBTIQ+]]. 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.<ref name="Census 2023 UA"/>

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 83.0% [[European New Zealanders|European]] ([[Pākehā]]); 11.2% [[Māori people|Māori]]; 4.5% [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pasifika]]; 10.9% [[Asian New Zealanders|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.

Religious affiliations were 27.1% [[Christianity in New Zealand|Christian]], 1.2% [[Hinduism in New Zealand|Hindu]], 1.4% [[Islam in New Zealand|Islam]], 0.3% [[Māori religious beliefs]], 0.8% [[Buddhism in New Zealand|Buddhist]], 0.6% [[New Age]], 0.1% [[Judaism in New Zealand|Jewish]],  and 1.7% other religions. People who answered that they had [[Irreligion in New Zealand|no religion]] were 60.6%, and 6.4% of people did not answer the census question.

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.<ref name="Census 2023 UA">{{Cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_008&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=hq011%2Bhq010%2Bhq009%2Bhq008%2Bhq007%2Bhq006%2Bhq005%2Bhq004%2Bhq003%2Bhq002%2Bhq001%2Bhq000%2Bws1%2Bsp99%2Bra80%2Bra08%2Bra07%2Bra06%2Bra05%2Bra01%2Bra04%2Bra03%2Bra02%2Bra00%2Brb1%2Bls66%2Bls03%2Bls02%2Bls05%2Bls04%2Bls01%2Beg6%2Beg5%2Beg4%2Beg3%2Beg2%2Beg1%2BbiTotal%2Bbi0%2Bbi1%2BasTotalLG%2Bas4%2Bas3%2Bas2%2Bas1%2Bws4%2Bws3%2Bws2%2Bge3%2Bge2%2Bge1%2Brc%2BasMed%2BegTotal%2BlsTotal%2BgeTotal%2BrbTotal%2BraTotal%2BhqTotal%2BibTotal%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.2233.2013%2B2018%2B2023&to[TIME]=false&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_IND_003&ly[cl]=CEN23_YEAR_001|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Dunedin (2233)}}</ref>

==Culture==
[[File:First Church, Dunedin, NZ.jpg|thumb|[[First Church of Otago]]]]
[[File:Phone booths, Dunedin.jpg|thumb|Phone booths in Central Dunedin]]
{{more citations needed section|date=July 2017}}

===Literature===
In December 2014, Dunedin was designated as a [[City of Literature|UNESCO Creative City of Literature]].<ref name="UNESCO" /> 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."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofliterature.co.nz/blog/dunedin-thrilled-to-be-unesco-city-of-literature/ |title=Dunedin Thrilled to be UNESCO City of Literature|access-date=4 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113124411/http://www.cityofliterature.co.nz/blog/dunedin-thrilled-to-be-unesco-city-of-literature/|archive-date=13 January 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

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".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Theroux |first=Paul |title=The Happy Isles of Oceania Paddling the Pacific |publisher=Mariner Books |year=1992 |location=New York |pages=23}}</ref> [[Billy Connolly]] described Dunedin as "a dreary town. It's got that Scottish Presbyterian feel about it".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Connolly |first=Billy |title=Tall Tales and Wee Stories |publisher=Two Roads |year=2019 |location=Great Britain |pages=89}}</ref> [[Michael Palin]] in [[Full Circle with Michael Palin|Full 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."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Palin |first=Michael |title=Full Circle |publisher=BBC |year=1997 |location=Great Britain |pages=209}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cunliffe |first=Simon |date=2010-03-17 |title=Mark Twain, rabbits and matters of race |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/mark-twain-rabbits-and-matters-race |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=[[Otago Daily Times]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Music===

====Choirs====
Dunedin is home to many choirs. These include the following:
* The 140-member [[City of Dunedin Choir]] is Dunedin's leading performer of large-scale choral works.
* The [[Southern Consort of Voices]] is a smaller choir regularly performing Choral Works.
* The [[Royal Dunedin Male Choir]], conducted by Richard Madden, performs two concerts a year
* 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 at [[Marama 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.
* The [[University of Otago]] is home to three official choirs: the two chapel choirs (Knox and Selwyn), and the travelling [[Cantores]] choir.
* Several Dunedin Churches and Cathedrals hold choirs. Among these are [[St. Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin|St. Joseph's Catholic Cathedral]], home to two choirs: the Cathedral Choir and the Gabrieli Singers; [[Knox Church, Dunedin|Knox Church]]'s large mixed gender choir for adults and children, the Knox Church Choir; [[All Saints' Church, Dunedin]], has choral scholars from [[Selwyn College, Otago]], St. John's Church, Roslyn's small mixed-gender parish choir; and [[St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin|St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral]]'s mixed-gender adult choir.
* The Dunedin [[Red 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.

====Instrumental classical and jazz ensembles====
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 and [[City of Dunedin Pipe Band (New Zealand)|City of Dunedin Pipe Band]] are also important Dunedin musical ensembles.

====Popular music====
Dunedin lends its name to the [[Dunedin sound]], a form of [[indie rock]] music which was created in the city in the 1980s. Some Dunedin bands recorded on the [[Flying Nun Records]] label, based in Christchurch.<ref>{{Cite web|date=27 January 2017|title=Flying Nun Records: 10 of the best songs of the Dunedin sound|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jan/28/flying-nun-records-10-of-the-best-songs-of-the-dunedin-sound|access-date=27 July 2021|website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en|archive-date=17 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617235617/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jan/28/flying-nun-records-10-of-the-best-songs-of-the-dunedin-sound|url-status=live}}</ref> Among the bands with Dunedin connections were [[The Chills]], [[The Clean]], [[The Verlaines]], [[The Bats (New Zealand band)|The Bats]], [[Sneaky Feelings]], [[The Dead C]] and [[Straitjacket Fits]], all of which had significant followings throughout New Zealand and on the college radio circuit in the United States and Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gibb|first=John|date=26 May 2018|title=Upcoming Chills exhibition a collaborative effort|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/upcoming-chills-exhibition-collaborative-effort|access-date=27 July 2021|website=[[Otago Daily Times]] |language=en|archive-date=27 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727033712/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/upcoming-chills-exhibition-collaborative-effort|url-status=live}}</ref>

Dunedin has been home to bands since the end of the Dunedin sound era. [[Six60]], [[Nadia Reid]] and [[Julian Temple Band]] are Dunedin artists.

===Sport===

====Major teams====
* [[Highlanders (rugby)|Highlanders]] – [[Super Rugby]] rugby union team who are the Super Rugby champions of 2015 (represents Otago, Southland and North Otago Rugby Unions)
* [[Otago Rugby Football Union]] – [[Mitre 10 Cup]] rugby union team
* [[Otago Volts]] and [[Otago Sparks]] – men's and women's [[cricket]] teams
* [[Southern Steel (netball)|Southern Steel]] – [[ANZ Championship]] [[netball]] team (represents Otago & Southland Netball – Based in [[Invercargill]])
* [[Southern United]] – association football team in the [[New Zealand Football Championship]]
* [[Otago Nuggets]] and [[Southern Hoiho]] –  Men's and Women's basketball teams competing in the [[National Basketball League (New Zealand)|National Basketball League]] and [[Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa]] 
* [[Dunedin Thunder]] – [[New Zealand Ice Hockey League]] team
* [[Otago Whalers]] – [[NZRL Men's National Competition|National Competition]] Rugby League Team

====Grounds and stadiums====
[[File:Forsyth Barr Stadium 95.JPG|thumb|[[Forsyth Barr Stadium]], [[Dunedin North]]]]
* [[Caledonian Ground]]
* [[Carisbrook]] (now defunct)
* [[Dunedin Ice Stadium]]
* [[The Edgar Centre]]
* [[Forsyth Barr Stadium]] at University Plaza
* [[Logan Park, Dunedin|Logan Park]]
* [[Moana Pool]]
* [[Tonga Park]]
* [[University Oval, Dunedin|University Oval]] – Notable for being the southernmost venue on the planet that hosts [[Test Cricket]].

===Theatre===
[[File:FortunetheatreNZ.jpg|thumb|[[Fortune Theatre, Dunedin|Fortune Theatre]] laid claim to being the world's southernmost professional theatre company]]
The city hosts a large theatre venue, the [[Regent Theatre, Dunedin|Regent Theatre]] in the Octagon. Dunedin hosted the world's southernmost professional theatre company, the [[Fortune Theatre, Dunedin|Fortune Theatre]], based in the [[Former Trinity Methodist Church, Dunedin|former Trinity Methodist Church]], until it closed in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Loughrey |first=David |date=1 May 2018 |title=Fortune Theatre closes |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/fortune-theatre-closes |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=[[Otago Daily Times]] |language=en |archive-date=1 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501093543/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/fortune-theatre-closes |url-status=live }}</ref> Smaller theatres in Dunedin include the [[Globe Theatre, Dunedin|Globe Theatre]], the [[Mayfair Theatre, Dunedin|Mayfair Theatre]], the [[Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute#New Athenaeum Theatre|New Athenaeum Theatre]], and the [[Playhouse Theatre, Dunedin|Playhouse Theatre]].

===Visual arts===
Dunedin has a substantial public art gallery, the [[Dunedin 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 along [[Princes Street, Dunedin|Princes Street]], [[Moray Place, Dunedin|Moray Place]] and Dowling Street. There are also several more experimental art spaces, notably the [[Blue Oyster Art Project Space|Blue Oyster]] in Dowling Street.

Many notable artists have strong links with Dunedin, among them [[Ralph Hotere]], [[Frances Hodgkins]], [[Grahame Sydney]], and [[Jeffrey Harris (artist)|Jeffrey Harris]].

===Marae===
Dunedin has three ''[[marae]]'' (meeting grounds) for [[Ngāi Tahu]], each with its own ''[[wharenui]]'' (meeting house). [[Āraiteuru|Ārai-te-uru]] marae in Wakari includes the  Ārai-te-uru  wharenui. [[Ōtākou Marae]] in [[Otakou]] includes the Tamatea wharenui. [[Huirapa|Huirapa / Puketeraki]] marae in [[Karitāne]] includes the Huirapa wharenui.<ref name="araiteuru">{{cite web |title=Arai te Uru |url=http://ngaitahu.iwi.nz/venue/arai-te-uru-marae/ |website=ngatitahu.iwi.nz |publisher=[[Ngāi Tahu]]|access-date=19 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614071905/http://ngaitahu.iwi.nz/venue/arai-te-uru-marae/|archive-date=14 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="tkmentry">{{cite web |title=Te Kāhui Māngai directory |url=http://www.tkm.govt.nz/ |website=tkm.govt.nz |publisher=[[Te Puni Kōkiri]]|access-date=19 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622050742/http://tkm.govt.nz/|archive-date=22 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="maorimaps">{{cite web |title=Māori Maps |url=https://maorimaps.com/map |website=maorimaps.com |publisher=Te Potiki National Trust|access-date=19 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127145329/https://www.maorimaps.com/map|archive-date=27 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Honours===
Asteroid [[101461 Dunedin]] discovered by British astronomer [[Ian P. Griffin]] in 1998, was named in honour of the city.<ref name="MPC-object" /> The official {{MoMP|101461|naming citation}} was published by the [[Minor Planet Center]] on 8 November 2019 ({{small|[[Minor Planet Circulars|M.P.C.]] 118220}}).<ref name="MPC-Circulars-Archive" />

==Government==
[[File:Town Hall, Dunedin, NZ.jpg|thumb|right|The Dunedin Town Hall]]

===Local===
{{main|Dunedin City Council}}

The Dunedin City Council (DCC) governs the Dunedin City territorial authority. It is made up of an elected [[Mayor of Dunedin|mayor]] (currently [[Sophie Barker (mayor)|Sophie Barker]] elected 17 October 2025) and fourteen additional councillors elected across three wards, one of whom gets chosen as deputy mayor.

====Coat of arms and flag====
{{Emblem table
| name = Dunedin City Council
| image =
| imagesize = 
| notes = The city's [[coat of arms]], which were granted in 1947<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/dunedin-history/dcc-history/coat-of-arms |title=Coat of Arms of Dunedin City |website=Dunedin City Council|access-date=18 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614130623/http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/dunedin-history/dcc-history/coat-of-arms|archive-date=14 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> by the [[Lord Lyon King of Arms]], are [[Blazon|emblazoned]] as:<ref name=DunedinCoA/>
| year_adopted = 
| coronet = A [[Mural Crown]].
| crest = 
| torse = 
| helm = 
| escutcheon = [[Argent]] above a [[Fess]] [[Line (heraldry)#Indented and dancetty|Dancette]] [[Vert (heraldry)|Vert]], a Castle Triple-Towered [[Sable (heraldry)|sable]] on a Rock issuing from the Fess, Masoned [[Argent]], with Windows, Vanes and Portcullis [[Gules]]. In the base a Three-Masted [[Lymphad]] with Sail Furled [[Azure (heraldry)|Azure]], Flagged of [[Scotland]], a [[Sheep#In heraldry|Ram's Head]] Affrontee Horned [[Or (heraldry)|Or]] between Two [[Sheaf (agriculture)|Garbs]] of the last.
| supporters = On the [[dexter and sinister|Dexter]] a Scotsman Habited with [[Kilt|Philabeg]] and [[Full plaid|Plaid]] of the [[Clan Cameron]], supporting in His Exterior Hand a [[Walking stick|Cromach]]; on the [[dexter and sinister|Sinister]] a [[Māori people|Māori]] Chief attired in [[Māori traditional textiles#Korowai|Korowai]], Two [[Huia]] Feathers in his hair, an Aurei and a [[Hei Matau]] and in His Exterior hand a [[Taiaha]]. All Proper.
| compartment = 
| motto = {{lang|la|Maiorum Institutis Utendo}} (By following in the steps of our forefathers)
| orders = 
| other_elements = 
| bannerimage = 
| banner = 
| badgeimage = 
| badge = 
| symbolism = The castle is taken from the [[Coat of arms of Edinburgh|arms of Edinburgh]], while the green fess and garb/animals signify regional agriculture and crops. At the base, the [[lymphad]], or ship, alludes to the arrival of [[Scotland|Scottish]] 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 a [[mural crown]], emblematic of local government. Their motto is: ''Maiorum Institutis Utendo'', or in [[English language|English]], ''By following in the steps of our forefathers''.
| previous_versions = 
| other_versions = 
}}

[[File:Dunedin City flag.png|thumb|center]]
The flag of the city of Dunedin is a [[banner of arms]] in white and green and featuring the castle, lymphad, ram's head and wheat sheafs as on the coat of arms.

===National===
Dunedin is covered by two [[New Zealand electorates#General electorates|general electorates]], [[Dunedin (New Zealand electorate)|Dunedin]] and [[Taieri (New Zealand electorate)|Taieri]], and one [[Māori electorates|Māori electorate]], [[Te Tai Tonga]].

The city in general is a stronghold of the [[New Zealand Labour Party]], having won the Dunedin-based electorate seats continuously since the [[1978 New Zealand general election|1978 election]]. As of the [[2023 New Zealand general election|2023 general election]], both general electorates are held by the party, with [[Rachel Brooking]] representing [[Dunedin (New Zealand electorate)|Dunedin]] and [[Ingrid Leary]] representing [[Taieri (New Zealand electorate)|Taieri]]. [[Te Tai Tonga]] (which covers the entire South Island and part of [[Wellington]] in the North Island) is held by [[Te Pāti Māori]] and represented by [[Tākuta Ferris]]. [[Scott Willis (politician)|Scott Willis]] and [[Mark Patterson (New Zealand politician)|Mark Patterson]] are both List MPs from the Taieri electorate.

== Media ==
The major daily newspaper is the ''[[Otago Daily Times]]'', which is also the country's oldest daily newspaper and part of the [[Allied Media]] (formerly Allied Press) group.<ref name="ODT 31 July 2025">{{Cite news |date=31 July 2025 |title=Allied Press' evolution leads to rebrand as Allied Media |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/business/allied-press%E2%80%99-evolution-leads-rebrand-allied-media |access-date=30 July 2025 |work=[[Otago Daily Times]] |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730213708/https://www.odt.co.nz/business/allied-press%E2%80%99-evolution-leads-rebrand-allied-media|archive-date=30 July 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> Weekly and bi-weekly community newspapers include ''[[The Star (Dunedin)|The Star]]'',<ref name="Papers Past">{{cite web |title=The Evening Star |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/evening-star |website=Papers Past |publisher=[[National Library of New Zealand]] |access-date=18 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413123616/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/evening-star |archive-date=13 April 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the university student magazine ''[[Critic Te Ārohi]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=MacLean |first1=Hamish |title=Book to mark century of 'Critic' |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/campus/book-mark-century-%E2%80%98critic%E2%80%99 |access-date=27 February 2025 |work=[[Otago Daily Times]] |date=27 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227095502/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/campus/book-mark-century-%E2%80%98critic%E2%80%99 |archive-date=27 February 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city is served by all major national radio and television stations. The city's main terrestrial television and FM radio transmitter sits atop [[Mount Cargill]], north of the city,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gorman |first1=Paul |title=Transmitting more details about towed |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/whats-with-that/transmitting-more-details-about-tower |access-date=11 August 2025|work=[[Otago Daily Times]] |date=14 May 2018 }}</ref> while the city's main AM transmitter is located at [[Shiel Hill#Highcliff|Highcliff]], east of the city centre on the Otago Peninsula.<ref>{{cite news |title=Highcliff Transmitter Site|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/none/galleries/highcliff-transmitter-site  |access-date=11 August 2025|work=[[Radio New Zealand]] }}</ref>  Local radio stations include [[Radio Dunedin]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/new-zealands-oldest-running-radio-station-in-dunedin-subject-quirky-documentary-film|title=''New Zealand's oldest running radio station in Dunedin subject of quirky documentary film''|date=21 September 2017|work=[[1News]]|accessdate=21 May 2020}}</ref> community station [[Otago Access Radio]] (formerly Hills AM, then Toroa Radio), and the university radio station, [[Radio One (New Zealand)|Radio One]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

Television broadcasts began in Dunedin on 31 July 1962 with the launch of channel [[DNTV2]], 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 as [[TVNZ 1|Television One]] (now TVNZ 1) while Auckland and Christchurch studios launched [[TVNZ 2|Television Two]] (now TVNZ 2).{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

The city had one local television station called [[Channel 39 (New Zealand)|Channel 39]], which was owned by Allied Press.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McAvinue |first1=Shawn |title=Channel 9 going digital next week |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/channel-9-going-digital-next-week|access-date=23 May 2021 |work=[[Otago Daily Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523031223/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/channel-9-going-digital-next-week|archive-date=23 May 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> It closed on Christmas 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McNeilly |first1=Hamish |title=Long-running local TV station to shut down by Christmas |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/133443871/longrunning-local-tv-station-to-shut-down-by-christmas |access-date=14 December 2023 |work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |date=13 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213100807/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/133443871/longrunning-local-tv-station-to-shut-down-by-christmas |archive-date=13 December 2023}}</ref>

The television news broadcaster [[1News]] along with [[Radio New Zealand]] and [[New Zealand Media and Entertainment|NZME]] also have bureaus in Dunedin. In May 2021, the former television news broadcaster [[Newshub]]'s owner [[Discovery, Inc.]] announced that it would be closing down its Dunedin bureau as part of a restructuring process.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Peacock |first1=Colin |title=Shocking news reveals southern reporting cutbacks |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018795483/shocking-news-reveals-southern-reporting-cutbacks|access-date=21 May 2021 |work=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date=16 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516113015/https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018795483/shocking-news-reveals-southern-reporting-cutbacks|archive-date=16 May 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city is home to several prominent media-related production companies, notably [[Natural History New Zealand]] and [[Taylormade Media]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

The city was once home to the head offices of [[Radio Otago]]—now called [[RadioWorks]] (part of [[MediaWorks New Zealand|Mediaworks]]) and based in Auckland. It was also formerly the home to several now-defunct newspapers, prominent among which were the ''[[Otago Witness]]'' and the ''[[Evening Star (Dunedin)|Evening Star]]''.{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

== Education ==
[[File:University of Otago in Dunedin, NZ.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.25|The [[University of Otago]], considered one of the world's most beautiful university campuses<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/education-and-family/beautiful-universities-around-the-world/otago-university-in-new-zealand/ |title=Otago University in New Zealand – Beautiful universities around the world |work=The Daily Telegraph (UK) |date=16 August 2012|access-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311131554/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/education-and-family/beautiful-universities-around-the-world/otago-university-in-new-zealand/|archive-date=11 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/11/worlds-most-beautiful-universities_n_3578402.html#slide=2682402 |title=World's most beautiful universities |work=[[Huffington Post]] (UK) |date=2012|access-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403200227/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/11/worlds-most-beautiful-universities_n_3578402.html#slide=2682402|archive-date=3 April 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
[[File:Otago Boys School, Dunedin.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Otago Boys' High School]]
{{See also|List of schools in the Otago region#Dunedin_City}}

=== Secondary ===
Dunedin is home to 12 secondary schools: eight state and four [[state-integrated school|state-integrated]]. The oldest secondary school is state-run [[Otago 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.

Other state schools include [[Bayfield High School, Dunedin|Bayfield High School]], [[Kaikorai Valley College]] and [[Logan Park High School]]. [[King's High School, Dunedin|King's High School]] and [[Queen's High School, Dunedin|Queen's High School]] are single-sex schools based in [[St Clair, New Zealand|St Clair]], and [[Taieri College]] in Mosgiel. The four state-integrated schools are [[Columba College]], a Presbyterian girls' school; [[St. Hilda's Collegiate School]], an Anglican girls' school; [[John McGlashan College]], a Presbyterian boys' school; and [[Trinity Catholic College, Dunedin|Trinity Catholic College]], a Catholic coeducational school.

=== Tertiary ===
* [[University of Otago]]
** [[University of Otago College of Education|Dunedin College of Education]]
* [[Otago Polytechnic]]

==Infrastructure and services==
=== Public health and hospitals ===

[[Dunedin Hospital]] is the main public hospital in Dunedin. Other hospitals include:
* Mercy Hospital – a private non-profit hospital opened in 1936 and relocated to Maori Hill in 1969<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mercyhospital.org.nz/about-us/mercy-hospital/overview |title=Welcome to Mercy Hospital|access-date=26 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526180832/https://www.mercyhospital.org.nz/about-us/mercy-hospital/overview|archive-date=26 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>{{importance inline|date=May 2019}}
* [[Wakari Hospital]]

The Dunedin Hospital and the Wakari Hospital, which are closely related, are operated by [[Te Whatu Ora]]. Ambulance services are provided by [[St John New Zealand]].

=== Utilities ===
[[Aurora Energy (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 from [[Transpower New Zealand|Transpower]]'s national grid at two substations: Halfway Bush and South Dunedin, with part to the OtagoNet network also supplied from Transpower's [[Naseby, New Zealand|Naseby]] substation in central Otago.

== Transport ==
===Road===
The Dunedin urban area is served by two [[New Zealand state highway network|state highways]], with an additional two state highways and one tourist route serving other parts of the district. The main state highway in Dunedin is [[State Highway 1 (New Zealand)|State 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-kilometre [[Dunedin Southern Motorway]]. [[New Zealand State Highway 88|State Highway 88]] connects central Dunedin to the city's port facilities at [[Port Chalmers]].

Other State Highways in the city are: [[New Zealand State Highway 86|State Highway 86]] connecting SH 1 at Allanton with Dunedin International Airport, [[New Zealand State Highway 87|State Highway 87]] connecting SH 1 at Kinmont with [[New Zealand State Highway 85|SH 85]] at Kyeburn via Middlemarch, serving the Dunedin city hinterland.

Dunedin is the northeastern terminus of the [[Southern Scenic Route]], a tourist highway connecting Dunedin to Te Anau via [[The Catlins]], [[Invercargill]] and [[Fiordland]].

[[File:Dunedinbussy.jpg|thumb|left|Orbus in Dunedin.]]

===Bus===
{{main|Buses in Dunedin}}
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 operator [[Citibus (New Zealand)|Citibus]] 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.

===Rail===
[[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, [[Southerner (New Zealand train)|The Southerner]], was cancelled in February 2002. The [[Taieri 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 former [[Otago Central Railway]] through the scenic [[Taieri Gorge]]. Taieri Gorge Railway also operates to [[Palmerston, New Zealand|Palmerston]] once weekly. The station is also sometimes visited by excursions organised by other [[heritage railway]] societies, and by trains chartered by [[cruise ship]]s docking at Port Chalmers.

===Air===
[[File:Dunedin International Airport3.jpg|thumb|right|[[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 {{convert|22|km|2|abbr=on}} southwest of the city, on the [[Taieri Plains]] at [[Momona]]. The airport operates a single terminal and {{convert|1900|m|adj=on}} 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 from [[Auckland]], [[Christchurch]], [[Wellington]] and charter flights to and from [[Queenstown, New Zealand|Queenstown]], [[Wānaka]], and [[Invercargill]], but it also has international flights arriving from and departing to [[Brisbane]] year round. In recent years, a decline in international passengers can be attributed to fewer international flights operating direct to the airport.

===Sea===
As of 2018,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.porttoport.co.nz/|title=Port to Port Cruises & Wildlife Tours|website=www.porttoport.co.nz|access-date=2018-12-11}}</ref> a ferry operates between [[Port Chalmers]] and [[Portobello, New Zealand|Portobello]] it started in 2018 and is the first since the early 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thecommunityarchive.org.nz/node/72326/description |website=Community archive|access-date=2 November 2009 |title=PORTOBELLO Railway Ferry Company Ltd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525040730/http://thecommunityarchive.org.nz/node/72326/description|archive-date=25 May 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ferry.portobello.net.nz/ |title=Otago Ferries Inc.|access-date=2 November 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525091157/http://ferry.portobello.net.nz/|archive-date=25 May 2010 }}</ref>

In 1866, plans were made for a bridge across the [[Otago Harbour]] between Port Chalmers and Portobello,{{sfn|Hayward|1998|p=65}} 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 at [[Tomahawk, New Zealand|Tomahawk]] and [[Andersons Bay]], close to the head of the harbour.{{sfn|Hayward|1998|p=66}} This scheme also never came to fruition.

== Panoramas ==
{{wide image|Dunedin Panorama.jpg|800px|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}}

{{wide image|Mount Cargill 2.jpg|800px|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}}

{{wide image|Mount Cargill.jpg|800px|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}}

{{wide image|Flagstaff Hill.jpg|800px|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}}

{{wide image|Dunedin_pano_from_signal_hill.jpg|800px|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}}

== Events ==

=== Annual events ===
* January – [[Whare Flat Folk Festival]] ends
* February – [[New Zealand Masters Games]] (Biennial event)
* February – Otago University Students' Association & Otago Polytechnic [[Student orientation|Orientation]] Weeks
* February – Dunedin Summer Festival
* March – [[Dunedin Fringe Festival]]
* March/April – [[iD Dunedin Fashion Week]]
* May – [[Capping week]] (University of Otago) including the [[Capping Show]] run by the [[Otago University Students' Association]]
* May – International Rally of Otago
* May – [[Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival]]
* May – [[Regent Theatre, Dunedin|Regent Theatre 24-hour book sale]] (reputedly the southern hemisphere's largest regularly held [[Used book|second-hand book]] sale)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0505/S00062.htm |title=NZ's biggest book sale reaches 25-year milestone |publisher=Scoop |date=9 May 2005|access-date=25 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216141153/http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0505/S00062.htm|archive-date=16 December 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>
* June – Dunedin Midwinter Carnival
* June – St. Clair [[Polar plunge|Polar Plunge]]
* July – [[Student orientation|University Reorientation]]
* July – New Zealand International Science Festival (every second year)
* July – Taste Otago Dunedin Food and Wine Festival
* July – [[New Zealand International Film Festivals#International Film Festival, Dunedin|Dunedin International Film Festival]]
* September – Dunedin City Marathon
* September – Dunedin Beer Festival
* October – Dunedin Arts Festival – every second year (even numbered years)
* October – [[Dunedin Botanic Garden|Rhododendron Week]]
* December – Samstock Music Festival
* December – [[Santa Parade]]
* December – [[Whare Flat Folk Festival]] begins
* December – New Year's Eve Party Octagon

=== Past events ===
* 1865 – [[New Zealand Exhibition]]
* 1889 – [[New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition (1889)]]
* 1898 – [[Otago Jubilee Industrial Exhibition (1898)]]
* 1925 – [[New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition (1925)]]

== Main sights ==
* [[Dunedin Railway Station]]
* [[Dunedin Town Hall]]
* [[Larnach Castle]]
* [[Cargill's Castle]]
* [[List of historic places in Dunedin]]
* [[Olveston (house)|Olveston]]
* [[Speight's|Speight's Brewery]]
* [[University of Otago Registry Building]]
* [[University of Otago Clocktower complex]]
* [[Regent Theatre, Dunedin|Regent Theatre]]
* [[Fortune Theatre (New Zealand)|Fortune Theatre]]
* [[Dunedin Hospital]]
* [[The Octagon, Dunedin|The Octagon]]
* [[Orokonui Ecosanctuary]]
* [[Royal Albatross Centre]]
* [[St. Clair Beach]]
* [[Forsyth Barr Stadium]]

=== Museums, art galleries, and libraries ===
* [[Otago Museum]]
* [[Toitū Otago Settlers Museum]]
* [[Dunedin Public Art Gallery]]
* [[Dunedin Public Libraries]]
* [[Hocken Collections]]
* [[Port Chalmers Maritime Museum]]

=== Churches ===
* [[All Saints' Church, Dunedin|All Saints' Church]]
* [[First Church of Otago|First Church]]
* Hanover Street Baptist Church – now [[Hanover Hall]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hanover Hall opens with PM's tributes |last=Lewis |first=John |work=[[Otago Daily Times]] |date=3 November 2018 |url= https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/hanover-hall-opens-pms-tributes |access-date=1 June 2022 }}</ref>
* [[Kaikorai Presbyterian Church]]
* [[Knox Church, Dunedin|Knox Church]]
* [[St. Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin|St. Joseph's Cathedral]]
* [[St Michael's Antiochian Orthodox Church]]
* [[St. Matthew's Church, Dunedin|St. Matthew's Church]]
* [[St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin|St. Paul's Cathedral]]
* Trinity Wesleyan Church – now the [[Fortune Theatre (New Zealand)|Fortune Theatre]] (presently not in use)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/fortune-theatre-closes|title=Fortune Theatre closes|date=1 May 2018|work=[[Otago Daily Times]] |access-date=30 April 2018|archive-date=1 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501093543/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/fortune-theatre-closes|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Parks and gardens===
* [[Dunedin Botanic Gardens|Botanic Garden]]
* [[Dunedin Chinese Garden]]
* [[Woodhaugh Gardens]]

== International relations ==

=== Sister cities ===
Dunedin is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with several cities throughout the world. These include:
* [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]] (1974)<ref>{{cite web |title=Sister cities – Edinburgh – Scotland |url=https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/council/sister-cities/edinburgh-scotland |work=[[Dunedin City Council]]|access-date=27 May 2022 }}</ref><ref name="Edinburgh twinning">{{cite web |url=http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/695/council_information_performance_and_statistics/685/european_international_and_parliamentary_relations/3 |title=Twin and Partner Cities |publisher=City of Edinburgh Council|access-date=16 January 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614133841/http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/695/council_information_performance_and_statistics/685/european_international_and_parliamentary_relations/3|archive-date=14 June 2012 }}</ref>
* [[Otaru, Hokkaidō|Otaru]], [[Shiribeshi Subprefecture]], [[Hokkaido]], Japan (1980)<ref>{{cite web |title=Sister cities – Otaru – Japan |url=http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/council/sister-cities/otaru-japan |work=[[Dunedin City Council]]|access-date=27 May 2022 }}</ref>
* [[Portsmouth, Virginia|Portsmouth]], [[Virginia]], United States of America (1962)<ref>{{cite web |title=Sister cities – Portsmouth – USA |url=http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/council/sister-cities/portsmouth-usa |work=[[Dunedin City Council]]|access-date=27 May 2022 }}</ref>
* [[Shanghai]], China (1994)<ref>{{cite web |title=Sister cities – Shanghai – China |url=https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/council/sister-cities/shanghai-china |work=[[Dunedin City Council]]|access-date=27 May 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Dunedin Study]]
* [[List of people from Dunedin]]

==Footnotes==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="MPC-object">{{cite web |title=(101461) Dunedin |work=Minor Planet Center |url=https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=101461 |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-date=18 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018041441/https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=101461 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="MPC-Circulars-Archive">{{cite web |title=MPC/MPO/MPS Archive |work=Minor Planet Center |url=https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-date=7 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007190852/https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

=== General sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Citation |last=Anderson |first=Atholl |author-link=Atholl Anderson |year=1983 |title=When All the Moa-Ovens Grew Cold: nine centuries of changing fortune for the southern Maori |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Otago Heritage Books}}
* {{Citation |last=Anderson |first=Atholl |author-link=Atholl Anderson |year=1998 |title=The Welcome of Strangers: an ethnohistory of southern Maori A.D. 1650–1850 |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=University of Otago Press with Dunedin City Council |isbn=1-877133-41-8}}
* {{Citation |last1=Anderson |first1=Atholl |author1-link=Atholl Anderson |last2=Allingham |first2=Brian |last3=Smith |first3=Ian W G |year=1996 |title=Shag River Mouth: the archaeology of an early southern Maori village |location=Canberra, Australia |publisher=Australian National University |id={{Listed Invalid ISBN|0-7315-0342-1}}|oclc =34751263}}
* {{Citation|editor-last =Bathgate|editor-first =Alexander |year=1890 |title=Picturesque Dunedin |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Mills, Dick & Co. |oclc=154535977}}
* {{Citation|editor-last =Beaglehole|editor-first =J C|editor-link=John Beaglehole |year=1955–1967 |title=The Journals of Captain James Cook |location=London, UK |publisher=The Hakluyt Society}}
* {{Citation |last1=Begg |first1=A. Charles |last2=Begg |first2=Neil Colquhoun|author-link1=Alexander Charles Begg|author-link2=Neil Begg |year=1979 |title=The world of John Boultbee: including an account of sealing in Australia and New Zealand |location=Christchurch, NZ |publisher=Whitcoulls |isbn=0-7233-0604-4}}
* {{Citation |last1=Bishop |first1=Graham |last2=Hamel |first2=Antony |year=1993 |title=From sea to silver peaks |location=Dunedin |publisher=John McIndoe |isbn=0-86868-149-0}}
* {{Citation |last1=Collins |first1=Roger|author2-link =Peter Entwisle |last2=Entwisle |first2=Peter |year=1986 |title=Pavilioned in Splendour, George O'Brien's Vision of Colonial New Zealand |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Dunedin Public Art Gallery |isbn=0-9597758-1-1}}
* {{Citation |last1=Dann |first1=Christine |last2=Peat |first2=Neville |year=1989 |title=Dunedin, North and South Otago |location=Wellington |publisher=GP Books |isbn=0-477-01438-0}}
* {{Citation |last=Dunn |first=Michael |year=2005 |title=Nerli an Italian Painter in the South Pacific |publisher=Auckland University Press. |isbn=1-86940-335-5}}
* {{Citation |last=[[Peter Entwisle|Entwisle]] |first=Peter |year=1984 |title=William Mathew Hodgkins & his Circle |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Dunedin Public Art Gallery |isbn=0-473-00263-9}}
* {{Citation |last=[[Peter Entwisle|Entwisle]] |first=Peter |year=1998 |title=Behold the Moon, the European Occupation of the Dunedin District 1770–1848 |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Port Daniel Press. |isbn=0-473-05591-0}}
* {{Citation |last=[[Peter Entwisle|Entwisle]] |first=Peter |year=2005 |title=Taka, a Vignette Life of William Tucker 1784–1817 |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Port Daniel Press. |isbn=0-473-10098-3}}
* {{Citation |last1=Entwisle |first1=Peter |last2=Dunn |first2=Michael |last3=Collins |first3=Roger |year=1988 |title=Nerli An Exhibition of Paintings & Drawings |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Dunedin Public Art Gallery |isbn=0-9597758-4-6|author1-link =Peter Entwisle}}
* {{Citation |last=Hamel |first=J |year=2001 |title=The Archaeology of Otago |location=Wellington, NZ |publisher=Department of Conservation |isbn=0-478-22016-2}}
* {{Citation |last=Hayward |first=Paul |year=1998 |title=Intriguing Dunedin Street Walks |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Express Office Services}}
* {{Citation |last=Hocken |first=Thomas Moreland |year=1898 |title=Contributions to the Early History of New Zealand (Settlement of Otago) |location=London, UK |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston and Company |oclc=3804372}}
* {{Citation |last=McCormick |first=E H |year=1954 |title=The Expatriate, a Study of Frances Hodgkins |location=Wellington, NZ |publisher=New Zealand University Press. |oclc=6276263}}
* {{Citation |last=McCormick |first=E H |year=1959 |title=The Inland Eye, a Sketch in Visual Autobiography |location=Auckland, NZ |publisher=Auckland Gallery Associates |oclc=11777388}}
* {{Citation |last=McDonald |first=K C |year=1965 |title=City of Dunedin, a Century of Civic Enterprise |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Dunedin City Corporation |oclc=10563910}}
* {{Citation |last=McLintock |first=A H |year=1949 |title=The History of Otago; the origins and growth of a Wakefield class settlement |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Otago Centennial Historical Publications |oclc=154645934}}
* {{Citation |last=McLintock |first=A H |year=1951 |title=The Port of Otago |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Otago Harbour Board}}
* {{Citation |last=Morrell |first=W P |year=1969 |title=The University of Otago, a Centennial History |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=University of Otago Press. |oclc=71676}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* Fox-Davies,  A. C. (1909). '' A Complete Guide to Heraldry''.
* Herd, J. & Griffiths, G. J. (1980). ''Discovering Dunedin''. Dunedin: John McIndoe. {{ISBN|0-86868-030-3}}.
*{{cite thesis |type=BA(Hons) |last=McCarthy |first=M. P. |title=A city in transition: Diversification in the social life of Dunedin, 1860–1864 |publisher=University of Otago |place=Dunedin |year=1977 |hdl=10523/2683 |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10523/2683}}
* McCoy, E. & Blackman, J. (1968). ''Victorian City of New Zealand: Photographs of the Earlier Buildings of Dunedin''. Dunedin: John McIndoe. {{OCLC|16481}}. (E. McCoy was New Zealand architect.)
* McFarlane, S. (1970). ''Dunedin, Portrait of a City''. Whitcombe & Tombs. {{ISBN|0-7233-0171-9}}.
*{{cite book |last1=Peat |first1=Neville |last2=Patrick |first2=Brian |title=Wild Dunedin: The Natural History of New Zealand's Wildlife Capital |location=Dunedin, NZ |publisher=Otago University Press |date=2014 |type=Paperback |isbn=978-18-7757-862-5}}
* Smallfield, J. & Heenan, B. (2006). ''Above the belt: A history of the suburb of Maori Hill''. Dunedin: Maori Hill History Charitable Trust. {{ISBN|1-877139-98-X}}.

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Dunedin}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/ Dunedin City Council official website]
* [http://www.dunedinnz.com/ Tourism Dunedin]

{{Adjacent communities
 | title = Adjacent cities and districts
 | Centre = Dunedin
 | N = [[Waitaki District|Waitaki]]
 | E = ''[[Pacific Ocean]]''
 | S = [[Clutha District|Clutha]]
 | W = [[Central Otago District|Central Otago]]
}}
{{Dunedin navbox}}
{{Cities and districts of New Zealand}}
{{New Zealand topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Dunedin]]
[[Category:Populated places in Otago]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1848]]
[[Category:Scottish-New Zealand culture]]
[[Category:Former provincial capitals of New Zealand]]
[[Category:1848 establishments in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Populated places around the Otago Harbour]]
[[Category:Localities in the Dunedin City territory]]