Enterprise Dunedin’s new ‘Dunedin Works Better’ campaign offers Dunedin as a solution to professionals from Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown who are tired of spending their salaries on rent, lives stuck in traffic and on the edge of burnout.
The campaign suggests the Dunedin lifestyle gives more time to take the dog out for a walk and play with children before dinner.
Dunedin City Council Economic Development Committee chairman Andrew Wiley said Dunedin was fast becoming a hub for entrepreneurs, cutting edge companies and innovative startups.
“Exciting things are happening in the fields of technology, health, game development, manufacturing, engineering, and design. We are looking to attract the next generation of talent in these areas and beyond."
He said Dunedin also had stunning natural beauty, an amazing food scene, and outdoor activities that offered the perfect work-life balance.
“Ōtepoti is known for its high quality of life and the compact nature of the city means you have everything you need in terms of facilities for a place to live, without any of the hassles that come with living in a metropolitan city.
“Life’s too short to be stuck in traffic, spending more time commuting than with the family, and paying for the privilege."
The campaign also suggested it cost less to live in Dunedin than in the bigger cities.
It encouraged people to reconsider what they should be spending their time doing ‘‘to reprioritise, and to reclaim that time wasted sitting in traffic, commuting to and from work, or waiting for the axe to fall in the next cabinet reshuffle’’.
The tongue-in-cheek campaign used statistics "that may or may not be from reputable sources" to take aim at Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown where people might be feeling the squeeze on housing prices and free time.
Adverts would be placed on bus backs in CBD routes in these centres, on a digital billboard on the Embassy Theatre in Wellington, and would be accompanied by a digital campaign.
