Welcome to Locals
Your first-year community at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – offering support, connection, and a place to belong
The Locals Collegiate Community is the University of Otago’s largest student community, supporting first-year students who are not living in a residential college. Whether you’re flatting, boarding, living at home in Dunedin, or moving here from another part of Aotearoa or overseas, you are automatically part of the Locals community – no application required.
Locals students receive regular communications starting from the beginning of the year, and are invited to take part in a wide range of events and support initiatives designed to help you feel connected and confident at university.
We’re not a hall of residence, but we offer many of the same benefits – academic support, wellbeing initiatives, and a dedicated pastoral care team. Locals also competes in the Inter-College Competition alongside the residential colleges, so you still get to experience the energy and spirit of inter-college life.
We begin the year with a week of Orientation activities, including our official welcome, Inter-College Sports Day, a pre-Toga night, and other fun ways to meet people and settle in. Throughout the year, we host regular events like game nights, outdoor adventures, the annual Locals Ball, Relay for Life, and heaps more.
Our team is here to support your journey. Locals staff are based on campus and ready to help with anything from course advice to wellbeing concerns. Our volunteer leaders are senior students who’ve been through first year themselves and are passionate about helping others navigate it too.
Locals HQ, located on the first floor of the Union Building, is your on-campus space to study, relax, heat up lunch, or just hang out. It’s open weekdays from 8am–10pm, and there’s always someone from the Locals team around to answer questions or have a chat.
Inter-College Competition
Just because you’re not living in a hall doesn’t mean you miss out on the fun!
As a recognised collegiate community, Locals competes in the Inter-College Competition alongside all of Otago’s residential colleges. This means you can take part in a huge range of events – sports, gaming, cultural activities, and more – representing the Locals community with pride.
Whether you're into social netball, debating, rugby sevens, arts, or 48-hour film festival, there's something for everyone. It's a great way to meet new people, try something different, and get involved in the wider Otago experience.
It’s not about being the best – it’s about having a go, meeting others, and having fun.
We post sign-up links for upcoming events in the Locals Weekly Newsletter, so keep an eye on your inbox to get involved!
You can also check out the Inter-College Competition website for a full list of events.
Got questions or keen to participate? Email us and we’ll get you sorted:
Email locals@otago.ac.nz