In our community

Home About In our community

About Port Otago

With a 150-year history in our community, we are mindful of our place alongside our neighbours and environs. We have the means to support organisations and causes within our community and we do – through financial contributions, in-kind support and our community containers.

During the 2025/26 year, we supported 60 organisations through 118 active sponsorships - many supported by income from the cruise revenue stream of our business.

Our sponsorships target:

  • Our harbour community
  • Water-based sports
  • Water safety
  • Our kaimahi

 

Flagship sponsorships

Te Rauone Beach renourishment

Value: $3 million

Joint programme with the Dunedin City Council to restore and develop the Te Rauone beach (Port Otago project) and reserve (DCC project).

Port Chalmers Volunteer Fire Brigade

Value: $100,000 (towards the $250,000 project)

First-response vehicle and garage. Sponsorship supported by our cruise partners.

Port Chalmers Maritime Museum & Historical Society

Assumed responsibility and ownership of the Port Chalmers Maritime Museum building in 2020. In October 2024, the museum was re-opened after full refurbishment and the addition of a laneway/gallery. We are also contributing $20,000 annually for 10 years, to attract young people with an interest in maritime history to join the society.

Community containers

About 70 Port Otago community containers are now nestled in and around our wider Otago community. During the 2025/26 year, 19 containers were distributed. Recipients included the Dunedin Gasworks Museum, Hikaroroa / Mt. Watkin Conservation Group and Por Chalmers School.

Warren Lewis Fishing Jetty

Value: Built in 2019 at cost of $1m

We also upgraded the associated track and parking, and installed public toilets.

Swim school

Value: $25k annually, since 2020

We pay for West Harbour primary schools’ swim lessons, involving about 300 children annually.

Iona Church

Value: $50,000

To upgrade the church's gallery balustrade.

Orokonui Ecosanctuary

Value: $20,000 annually (three-year committment)

Helping the ecosanctuary team's work with native flora and fauna is a practical way for us to boost the positive impact Orokonui is having on our immediate neighbourhood’s natural environment. Our funding is going towards Orokonui’s conservation programmes - specifically, biodiversity restoration initiatives at the sanctuary that will help wildlife thrive within Orokonui and out into the community. We also work with the ecosanctuary to facilitate its offering of tours to cruise passengers. 

AED Sponsorships

Port Otago has supplied (and maintains) nine AEDs around our harbour community. 

Map showing locations of publicly available AEDs (March 2025)

Wildlife Hospital Trust

Own and pay ongoing costs of the Trust's wildlife ambulance.

In the past year, we also:

  • Widened the very narrow footpath from Port Chalmers around towards Careys Bay, from 0.9m wide in places, to 1.8m wide for most of the way.

  • In partnership with Otago Rugy, we are supplying 3500 mouth guards to the region's junion rugby players during the 2026 and 2027 seasons.