Constructed in 1914, the Dunedin Botanic Garden Bandstand-Soundshell is situated on the flat at the northern end of the picturesque Botanic Garden between the children’s playground and duck pond. The Garden is bounded by Great King Street North, Cumberland Street, Ōpoho Road, and Lovelock Avenue. The bandstand has architectural and aesthetic significance.

Both iwi history and archaeological evidence show Māori occupation in the Ōtākou / Otago region since the 12th century. Today, Kāi Tahu mana whenua is recognised over a large part of Te Wai Pounamu. Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha shared occupation are always acknowledged. The hapū Kai Te Pahi, Kāti Moki, and Kāti Taoka still maintain their presence and responsibility as kaitiaki in this region. While there were no permanent settlements around the Botanic Garden, place names indicate the area was known to Māori. Ōwheo / Water of Leith was named for Kāti Mamoe chief Wheo and his kāik was located a block south of the confluence of Ōwheo and Puke Hau Kea / Lindsay Creek. The wooded ridge that extends northwards towards Ōpoho to the East of Leith Street was known as Te Mana Kapakapa a Tiki.

The Dunedin Botanic Garden is Aotearoa / New Zealand’s oldest Botanic Garden. It was established in 1863 by the Otago Provincial Government on the land bounded by Castle, Leith, St David and Albany Streets. Devastating floods in February 1868 prompted the move to their present site at the northern end of the Town Belt in 1869. A bandstand had been situated in the gardens prior to the Council taking control in 1884. It required constant repair and in 1901 was replaced with a pavilion that had been erected ‘for ceremonies associated with the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall in June 1901’ in the Octagon. The need for a new bandstand had been under discussion since 1906 but hadn’t progressed until 1914. Designed by Mr G.W Gough, the City Council’s Building Surveyor, representatives from local bands were consulted on and approved of the plans. Gough himself described the building as,
‘The performers are all arranged facing the audience as in a theatre … I have endeavoured to treat the building in oriental design. The proscenium is flanked on each end with a domed tower … side walls and ceilings being well shaped to allow the volume of sound free egress.’

Tenders for the construction were advertised in June 1914. It was officially opened by the Mayor, Mr J.B. Shacklock, in December 1914, and described as, ‘splendidly adapted for the holding of open-air concerts.’ The ‘kiosk’ was jointly funded by Council and the Garden Fete Committee. Mr J. Rennie, the president of the Garden Fete Committee, said it, ‘… occupied an ideal position, facing the lawn and the hillside, where many thousands of people could assemble and listen to the music of the bands.’ David Tannock (1873-1952) the Superintendent of Reserves and initially against the ‘rotunda’, acknowledged it was, ‘quite an ornament to the Gardens and proved most suitable for the purpose for which it was intended.’

In the past the bandstand was used every Sunday for live music. In 1988 restoration work was undertaken to the cost of $15700 ($32,518). A plaque on the building reads, ‘Restoration of this bandstand was made possible by a grant from AMP Perpetual Trustee Company N.Z. Ltd. 1989’. The bandstand is a prominent feature in the Garden which is enjoyed year-round by the public. Sunday Bandstand was introduced in 2000 and has remained a regular fixture in the city’s calendar of events.