Fourteen candidates are contesting one seat on the Dunedin City Council, left vacant after the death of councillor and former mayor Jules Radich in January. The Otago Daily Times asked candidates what they saw as the biggest issue facing Dunedin. Bill Acklin said the biggest issue was the scale of projected rates rises and debt increases. Richard Knights said the city needed to determine how to continue infrastructure and service investment, while keeping rates rises as low as possible. ‘‘When fuel becomes more expensive or harder to access, it affects every part of our local economy.’’For Garreth Ottley the biggest issue the city faced was ‘‘rising costs and debt management’’.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 06, 2026 18:01 UTC