Chris Morris

Three brothers who own a collection of heritage buildings in Dunedin's warehouse precinct say the area risks being ''destroyed'' by plans for a waterfront hotel.

Dunedin building contractor Russell Lund says ''height is good'' and plans for a 28-storey waterfront hotel should be welcomed.

It may not have been the largest, but it was certainly the longest.

An efficiency drive that could spell the end to days of public hearings on councils' annual plans has drawn mixed responses from within the Dunedin City Council.

Dunedin city councillors could soon be beaming in their votes by iPad and Skype if a push to increase the use of technology by local authorities finds favour.

Bar owners are bracing for higher fees, and the Dunedin City Council for a hefty increase in its workload, as a result of the Government's alcohol reforms.

Dunedin could face multimillion-dollar competition from New Zealand's largest cities if it opts for a new events fund to lure more big acts to Forsyth Barr Stadium.

Delta's decision to buy land at Jacks Point, in Queenstown, and Luggate is to be investigated by the Office of the Auditor-General, it has been confirmed.

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says the integrity of the Dunedin City Council's companies is on the line after the Office of the Auditor-general yesterday launched an inquiry into land purchases by Delta.

A former Delta board member involved in approving land purchases at Jacks Point and Luggate says an inquiry by the Office of the Auditor-general is a "storm in a teacup".

The man promoting Dunedin's proposed 28-storey hotel has unveiled plans for a "world class" pedestrian and cyclist bridge that could provide a missing link to the city's waterfront.

Plans for a 28-storey waterfront hotel towering over Dunedin have been dealt a blow by a Dunedin City Council report that criticises the design and recommends resource consent be declined.

Dunedin could secure a lucrative slice of China's expanding outbound tourism market by saying yes to a five-star, $100 million waterfront hotel, a hearings committee has heard.

Dunedin's proposed $100 million waterfront hotel would offer a ''grandstand view'' of the city, and become one of New Zealand's most spectacular venues in the process, if it is built, a Dunedin architect says.

Submitters have attacked plans for a $100 million waterfront hotel in Dunedin, including the evidence used to support its construction, at a hearing that will decide the project's fate.

A prolonged stoush between Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull and one of his councillors over claims of broken rules is to be abandoned without resolution.

The fate of Dunedin's proposed $100 million waterfront hotel could turn on a legal argument about its height.

Details of a deal under which the Dunedin City Council will spend $750,000 a year to subsidise greater community use of the Forsyth Barr Stadium have been confirmed.

Dunedin city councillors have decided to move on without resolving a complaint against Mayor Dave Cull dating back more than a year.