A Dunedin City Council spokesman said the sinkhole in St Kilda formed because of a broken culvert and did not reflect widespread subsidence across south Dunedin suburbs.
Bellona St resident Deo Cabale said the sinkhole outside his house first came to his attention before Christmas.
He initially contacted the council and left his name and number but got no response.
At first he thought it was just clay underneath the sagging pavement but the sinkhole got bigger after Christmas, Mr Cabale said.
An initial repair was done and asphalted but on Friday he came home from work to discover a "massive hole", Mr Cabale said.
"I didn’t know what to do," he said.
Eventually, he called police, who notified Citycare.
Fencing was put up around the roughly 1.5m-deep hole about 11pm that day, he said.
While he could not use his carport due to the barricades, he was hopeful things would get back to normal soon, Mr Cabale said.
A council spokesman said it was aware of the issue, which was originally reported as minor damage to a footpath.
Council contractors responded and filled the damaged area with asphalt but subsequent heavy rain washed this away and created further damage.
The damage was later confirmed to be a sinkhole caused by a failed culvert below.
"Our contractors responded immediately once this became clear, installing cones and barriers to keep the public safe, and will carry out permanent repairs as soon as possible," the council spokesman said.
There was no evidence to suggest the issue was a widespread issue across South Dunedin or St Kilda, he said.
