Dream South D Newsletter

December 2025

Kia ora koutou - welcome to Dream South D’s summer newsletter!

Kia ora koutou katoa and welcome to the quarterly update from Dream South D, a community-led development project in the heart of South Dunedin!  We hope this newsletter finds you well and that you’re enjoying the sunshine and enjoying a bit of that seasonal cheer.

At Dream South D, we’ve hosted numerous events this past year, most recently, Halloween Fright Night on Ice, the Distance Marker launch on John Wilson Ocean Drive and the Christmas window and wreath display competition along King Edward Street.

One of our very exciting collaborations' with the Dunedin City Council was to redevelop Navy Park on Oxford St - this has come together and is open for play! We will be hosting a launch celebration next year on Saturday 17th January. Watch our social media pages and see below for more details - pop along and join us on the day!

What we’ve been up to recently…

Halloween Fright Night on Ice 2025

Our Halloween event at the Dunedin Ice Stadium was a great success with two sessions, free entry, a photobooth and costume prizes 👻🎃🧟  For the second year in a row the event gave the community the chance to get together and enjoy a bit of light-hearted, spooky fun and burn off some of that trick-or-treat energy!

Distance Markers Launch

On 25th November we hosted the launch for the new Distance Markers installed along John Wilson Ocean Drive and celebrated with three local early learning centre‘s - St Kilda Kindergarten, Punavai ole Atamai Preschool, and Little Citizens Early Learning Centre.

The event was attended by Plunket who provided helmets, fitting them for the children, and sharing important messages about road safety. Dream South D was excited to be able to donated scooters, balance bikes, and baby bikes and some additional helmets to the preschools to support outdoor play and active lifestyles. We also provided some kai for the Tamariki and they had an wonderful time - riding, scooting and playing along John Wilson Ocean Drive.

Thanks to Plunket for providing the helmets, STMS who provided the event signage, Task Force Green who loaned us beanbags and mats for the children to relax on, and the wonderful volunteers who supported the tamariki to get to and from the event!

Christmas Window Competition

We had another wonderful year of our local community and store owners coming together to create amazing displays, all competing for the Best Christmas Window Display trophy.  Thank you to everyone who participated by brightening up King Edward Street and celebrating Christmas - the windows all look amazing!

This year’s winner, as voted by the people of South Dunedin, is Matthews Eyecare  - congratulations!

Navy Park launch Celebration January 2026

Dream South D is very excited to celebrate the collaboration with the Dunedin City Council to redevelop Navy Park, ensuring it remains a vibrant, accessible, and much-loved asset for our local community.

Our contribution to the upgrade includes a new BBQ and shelter, wheelchair-accessible drinking fountain, table and seating, and a sensory woodland walk created using materials repurposed from the original fort built by the Navy. We are also pleased to contribute towards the new play structure, and are thrilled to add to the park’s amenities by providing volleyball nets for community use.

To celebrate the parks redevelopment, we are hosting a community launch event on Saturday 17th January 2026 where everyone is welcome.

Watch this space

Dream South D has a lot of exciting events on the horizon, including a repeat of the Sport Reconnect event for winter sports gear. Keep an eye on our website and socials to find out more!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Christmas full of love and laughter! Here’s hoping everyone has a bit of time to relax, catch up with family, and pop your feet up! Enjoy the break—we’ll see you all in 2026n - Dream South D is open again on Monday 5th January 2026!

To find out more about any of our projects, to volunteer, or to see how Dream South D might support your kaupapa, you can:

• pop in for a chat between 9am-3.00pm, Monday-Friday at 183 King Edward St

• call 022 507 1122

• email hello@dreamsouthd.org.nz

• or click below to have a look at our Community Plan.