George Street, Dunedin
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George Street is the main street of
Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...
, the second largest city in the
South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...
of New Zealand. It runs for two and a half kilometres north-northeast from
The Octagon The Octagon may refer to: *The Octagon, Christchurch, a former church in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand *The Octagon, Dunedin, the city centre of Dunedin, New Zealand *The Octagon (Egypt), the headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of ...
in the city centre to the foot of Pine Hill. It is straight and undulates gently as it skirts the edge of the hills to its northwest. South of The Octagon,
Princes Street Princes Street () is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three quar ...
continues the line of George Street south-southwest for two kilometres.


Early history

In the early years of Dunedin's settlement, much of the city's growth was on two areas of reasonably flat land close to the harbour, separated by the large Bell Hill and an area of low swampy land. The northern of these two flat areas surrounded the floodplain of the
Water of Leith The Water of Leith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Uisge Lìte'') is the main river flowing through central Edinburgh, Scotland, that starts in the Pentlands Hills and flows into the port of Leith and then into the sea via the Firth of Forth. Name The ...
, a small river that runs through Dunedin. As the city grew the swamp was drained to become the new city centre, and the hill was lowered by excavation to allow access between the two areas of settlement. A street grid was set up with the main road split in two by the city centre (now
The Octagon The Octagon may refer to: *The Octagon, Christchurch, a former church in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand *The Octagon, Dunedin, the city centre of Dunedin, New Zealand *The Octagon (Egypt), the headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of ...
) -
Princes Street Princes Street () is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three quar ...
to the south and George Street to the north. Both these names, along with many of the city's other street names, reflect those in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. In the settlement's early days, Bell Hill proved a major obstacle to travel south of the city centre, and major excavation work was carried out to provide access to the south. A cutting was made in the hill in 1858, and during the 1860s the hill was lowered by some , much of the rubble forming the start of the
Southern Endowment South Dunedin is a major inner city suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located, as its name suggests, to the south of the city centre, on part of a large plain known simply as "The Flat". The suburb is a mix of industrial, retai ...
, a large area of land reclaimed from the
Otago Harbour Otago Harbour is the harbor, natural harbour of Dunedin, New Zealand, consisting of a long, much-indented stretch of generally navigable water separating the Otago Peninsula from the mainland. They join at its southwest end, from the harbour m ...
to the southeast of the city centre. Once the cut was completed, Princes Street quickly became the city's
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
, especially the area between the original docks (now the Exchange area) and around the cutting. Increased development to the north of the Octagon saw a slow but inexorable drift of the city's business heart to George Street, a trend possibly accelerated by the growth of the city's tertiary education sector, especially the
University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...
. Much of the city's economic and retail heart now lies between the University and the Octagon in the first few blocks of George Street and in the streets which cross it (notably Hanover Street and St. Andrew Street), and the two roads which run parallel to either side of George Street (Filleul Street to the west, and Great King Street to the east).


Historic buildings

Until the early years of the 20th century, George Street stopped at the banks of the Leith at its northern end. A bridge, built in 1903, was one of few in the city to survive disastrous floods in March 1929. This bridge, simply known as George Street Bridge, is registered as a Category II historic structure by
Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...
. Numerous other buildings on George Street also have Historic Places Trust protection, notably Knox Church (Category I). Other buildings with Category I or II protection include commercial buildings at 207, 310, 398, and 412a George Street; a hotel at 619 George Street; and residential properties at 504 (now used commercially), 521, 603 607, 613, 657, 1008, and 1014 George Street, as well as
semi-detached A semi-detached house (often abbreviated to semi) is a single-family Duplex (building), duplex dwelling that shares one common party wall, wall with its neighbour. The name distinguishes this style of construction from detached houses, with no sh ...
houses at 637 and 641 George Street and a
terraced A terrace in agriculture is a flat surface that has been cut into hills or mountains to provide areas for the cultivation for crops, as a method of more effective farming. Terrace agriculture or cultivation is when these platforms are created s ...
block, 1046–1056 George Street. The former
Bank of New Zealand Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) is one of New Zealand's Big Four (banking)#New Zealand, big four banks. It has been operating since October 1861, and since 1992 has been owned by National Australia Bank (NAB), retaining local governance with a New Z ...
building (now a real estate agent's premises), adjoining George Street close to Knox Church on the corner of London and Pitt Street, is also a Category II building.


Modern George Street

George Street is an interesting mix of different types of property. The southern kilometre is taken up by Dunedin's CBD, with the city's civic centre and library occupying much of the first block (the majority of blocks are 200 metres long). In early 2018, Barnes Dance crossings were introduced at either end of this block, at George Street's intersections with
The Octagon The Octagon may refer to: *The Octagon, Christchurch, a former church in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand *The Octagon, Dunedin, the city centre of Dunedin, New Zealand *The Octagon (Egypt), the headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of ...
and
Moray Place Moray Place is an octagonal street which surrounds the city centre of Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. The street is intersected by Stuart Street (to the east and west), Princes Street (to the south) and George Street (to the north). Like many ...
. Beyond this is a major shopping precinct, including Dunedin's largest shopping mall, the
Meridian Mall Meridian Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located in Okemos, Meridian Township, a suburb of Lansing, Michigan, United States. It opened in 1969, the same year as its main competitor, Lansing Mall, on the other end of the Lansing metro ...
. As the street approaches the northern end of its shopping area, many of the shops have a Southeast Asian flavour, in part due to the large proportion of Malaysian and Chinese students at the
University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...
, some 500 metres to the east. At the northern end of the main shopping area the skyline is dominated by the spire of Knox Church, designed by R. A. Lawson. Beyond this is a mix of older residential houses and hotels. Many of Dunedin's more attractive inner city properties are at the north end of the street, quite a number of which have been divided up as student flats. Close to the street's northern end is the entrance to Woodhaugh Gardens, a major park, which lies to the west of George Street along the south-western bank of the
Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
. Shortly after crossing the Leith, George Street ends, after passing under the Pine Hill Extension (part of
State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...
). Beyond this bridge the street becomes Bank Street, a suburban arterial road, turning to the east before reaching a major junction at The Gardens.


Pedestrianisation

In 2019, the
Dunedin City Council The Dunedin City Council () is the Local government in New Zealand, local government authority for Dunedin in New Zealand. It is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority elected to represent the people of Dunedin. Since O ...
(DCC) approved a preliminary plan to turn the portion of George Street between
Moray Place Moray Place is an octagonal street which surrounds the city centre of Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. The street is intersected by Stuart Street (to the east and west), Princes Street (to the south) and George Street (to the north). Like many ...
and Frederick Street into a southbound one-way street as part of planned NZ$60million upgrade of the Dunedin city centre. In response, George Street jeweller Brent Weatherall organised a petition opposing the proposed upgrade, which attracted several thousand signatures by December 2019. Weatherall argued that the proposed one-way traffic zone would be catastrophic for local businesses.
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
Aaron Hawkins confirmed that a public consultation on the proposed upgrade would be held in early 2020. In early May 2020, Weatherall and fellow retailer John Bezett submitted a 6,000-strong petition requesting that George Street remain two-way with ample parking. In addition, Weatherall submitted a submission on behalf of 40 businesses opposing the proposed one-way zone. Bezett also expressed concerns about the Council's lack of consultation with businesses. Opposition to the Council's proposed changes to George Councillor
Lee Vandervis Lee Vandervis (born 1955) is a New Zealand local-body politician who was first elected to the Dunedin City Council in the 2004 local elections. Vandervis has run for mayor in 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2022; finishing second in 2007 ...
and Property Council New Zealand Otago chapter executive member and Oakwood Properties director David Marsh, with the former claiming that Council staff were promoting an anti-car agenda. In late September 2021, the DCC voted by a margin of nine to five to establish a one-way traffic zone in George Street between Frederick Street and Moray Place in order to increase space for pedestrians and cyclists. While councillors Carmen Houlahan and
Lee Vandervis Lee Vandervis (born 1955) is a New Zealand local-body politician who was first elected to the Dunedin City Council in the 2004 local elections. Vandervis has run for mayor in 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2022; finishing second in 2007 ...
, local businesses and the Automobile Association Otago criticised the proposal on the grounds that it would lead to increased traffic congestion, this was supported by the
Otago University Students' Association The Otago University Students' Association (OUSA) is the students' association of the University of Otago, New Zealand. OUSA was founded in 1890 to advance student interests on campus. Today, OUSA provides a combination of representation, wel ...
, CCS Disability Action Otago, and Generation Zero. In response to Mayor Hawkins' support for the traffic zone, Dunedin retailer Brent Weatherall barred Hawkins from his George St premises. By early October 2022, paving was under way in the
Farmers A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...
block of George Street. The Council also began planting nine tree species including
field maple ''Acer campestre'', known as the field maple, is a flowering plant species in the family Sapindaceae. It is native to much of continental Europe, Britain, southwest Asia from Turkey to the Caucasus, and north Africa in the Atlas Mountains. It has ...
, Japanese elm, sourgum,
tōtara ''Podocarpus totara'' (), commonly known as the , is a species of Podocarpus, podocarp tree endemism, endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island, South Island and rarely on Stewart Island, Stewart Island / Rakiura in lowland, ...
,
kōwhai Kōwhai ( or ) are small woody legume trees within the genus '' Sophora'', in the family Fabaceae, that are native to New Zealand. There are eight species, with '' Sophora microphylla'' and '' Sophora tetraptera'' being large trees. Their natu ...
, maidenhair,
tulip tree ''Liriodendron'' () is a genus of two species of characteristically large trees, deciduous over most of their populations, in the magnolia family (Magnoliaceae). These trees are widely known by the common name tulip tree or tuliptree for their ...
,
European beech ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech, is a large, graceful deciduous tree in the beech family with smooth silvery-gray bark, large leaf area, and a short trunk with low branches. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large ...
, and mountain beech trees. In addition, quotes by Merekihereke Hape and
Hone Tuwhare Hone Peneamine Anatipa Te Pona Tuwhare (21 October 1922 – 16 January 2008) was a noted Māori people, Māori New Zealand poet. He is closely associated with The Catlins in the Southland region of New Zealand, where he lived for the latter ...
were inscribed into concrete pavers on the corner of George and St Andrew streets. Further inscriptions were added elsewhere in the project later during the work, with words by Dunedin writers ranging from poets
Ruth Dallas Ruth Minnie Mumford (29 September 1919 – 18 March 2008), better known by her pen name Ruth Dallas, was a New Zealand poet and children's author. Biography Dallas was born in Invercargill, the daughter of Frank and Minnie Mumford. She became ...
and Peter Olds to local rock band
The Clean The Clean was a New Zealand indie rock band formed in Dunedin in 1978. They have been described as the most influential band to come from the Flying Nun label, which recorded many artists associated with the "Dunedin sound", and one of the fir ...
. By 11 November, the Farmers block of the development was completed with a small ceremony held celebrate the milestone. Former critic Weatherall, who had been elected the previous month as a Dunedin City councillor, praised the redevelopment as a "vast improvement on what was there before" but questioned the 10km speed limit. The Council also announced that redevelopment would begin in the Knox block of George Street between Frederick and Albany Streets, with completion due in January 2023. In response to a planned review of the George Street redevelopment by newly-elected Mayor
Jules Radich Jules Vincent Radich (born 1954) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the 59th mayor of Dunedin, New Zealand since 2022. He has also served as councillor for the Dunedin City Council since 2019. Radich also serves as deputy Chair of In ...
, Disabled Persons Assembly coordinator Chris Ford urged the Council not to go ahead with a review, stating that redevelopment changes made it easier for wheelchair users to cross the street. In early December 2022, Radich proposed a review at the next Council meeting to maintain two-way traffic along George Street. On 10 February, DCC staff warned that redesigning George Street to incorporate "two-way design" could delay further construction by four to eight months, potentially costing $1 million. The proposal was rejected. According to the ''
Otago Daily Times The ''Otago Daily Times'' (''ODT'') is a newspaper published by Allied Press Ltd in Dunedin, New Zealand. The ''ODT'' is one of the country's four main daily newspapers, serving the southern South Island with a circulation of around 26,000 and ...
'', the George Street redevelopment (including replacing pipes) was estimated to cost about NZ$40 million. Work to complete the project concluded in early 2024.


See also

*
George Street, Edinburgh George Street is the central thoroughfare of the First New Town, Edinburgh, New Town of Edinburgh, planned in the 18th century by James Craig (architect), James Craig. The street takes its name from George III of the United Kingdom, King Geor ...
* Elizabeth Dreaver


References


External links


World War I-era photograph
of George Street, looking north from the Octagon. The modern view at the top of this Wikipedia article is from only one block further up the street. {{coord, -45.86403, 170.50928, region:NZ-OTA_type:landmark, display=title Streets in Dunedin Shopping districts and streets in New Zealand Central Dunedin