‘Proud to be South D’: perceptions of a street festival in a marginalised community in New Zealand

Abstract

Individuals and communities may be/feel marginalised in a variety of ways and for a number of reasons, including socio-economic status, ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, family status, religion and/or age (Smith & Pitts, 2007). These are not discrete categories however, and the intersectionality of factors is acknowledged; individuals have multiple identities which may compound issues of marginalisation (Smith & Pitts, 2007). Planned events at all scales (from mega-events such as the Olympic games to small community events) may purportedly seek to include those at the margins, with varying degrees of success or inadvertently work to further marginalise individuals and/or communities. This chapter presents the findings of a research project focussed on an event in a marginalised suburb of Dunedin, a city in the South Island of New Zealand. The aim of this research is to understand how an event in a marginalised community could contribute to community celebration, pride, cohesiveness and well-being for its residents. It uses a case study approach and focusses on the South Dunedin Street Festival, held annually since 2011. South Dunedin is a low socio-economic suburb with high rates of unemployment, disability, drug use, sole parents and elderly residents, coupled with low levels of educational achievement and home ownership. Local government is perceived to have neglected the infrastructure needs of this community over the years, and a significant flood in the area in 2015 exacerbated the sense of neglect. In order to achieve the research aim, three members of the South Dunedin Street Festival organising committee were interviewed, and ‘in the moment’ conversations were had with 12 people attending the 2017 event.