David Loughrey

The pen may be mightier than the sword, but the two 48kg weights gave the pen a good run for its money yesterday.

Opponents of the Lovelock Ave realignment say they will return to annual plan hearings in May to restate their opposition to the project, but are wondering why they were not listened to the first time round.

Proposed cuts to Dunedin's libraries budget would mean customer service levels and staffing would have to be reviewed, Dunedin City Council library services manager Bernie Hawke said yesterday.

The Dunedin City Council has managed to wring some money from its budgets using a method it has been using for some time - deferring its spending on depreciation.

The Dunedin City Council is expecting best-practice governance from the Otago Rugby Football Union in return for its decision to underwrite the union's debt for the next three years.

Dunedin's council housing rents are likely to rise later this year by $9 a week for every unit, a rise the Dunedin City Council says is needed to pay for new units being built, increased rates, staff costs and contractor costs.

Dunedin's plan to develop and launch a new brand for the city has sparked a strong city-wide response, and the search is now on to find the "essence" of the Dunedin experience to promote the city to the rest of the world.

The Forsyth Barr Stadium loomed large in Dunedin's building activity figures last year, with the project pushing up the value of building consents for the year by $116 million.

Building consent figures appear to show Otago has come through the recession with only limited damage, and with some major projects in the pipeline, the region could be on the verge of significant building activity.

Mosgiel residents may have felt there was an oversupply of water coming from the sky at the weekend, but water restrictions in the area will stay in place for the next week at least.

If the rain is getting you down, and the unseasonal cold is ruining your holidays, there is good news on the horizon: the El Nino weather pattern should have faded by April or May.

Summer in Dunedin, such as it is, will not be lacking in outdoor events, as the year's annual summer festival begins.