Mornington's best-dressed scarecrow under investigation by council

A scarecrow on a Mornington front lawn is now better insulated than the five students who built it. Neighbours have been leaving clothes on the fence for three weeks, and every item has ended up on the scarecrow.

It went up in late April to guard a silverbeet patch that has since died. It started in a singlet and a pair of someone's ex's jeans. It now has a puffer jacket, two beanies, a merino scarf and a pair of Blundstones. On Tuesday it gained a vest with Dunedin City Council printed across the back. Nobody at the flat knows where the vest came from!

Flatmate Tessa Whitburn, 20, said the clothes started turning up about the same time the heat pump packed it in. "Someone left the scarf first, and we thought that was nice, like a joke. Then the jacket. Then I came home and he had boots on, and mine have a hole, so. I've been wearing his jacket to lectures. He doesn't need it at night. Well. He does, it's Dunedin, but he's not sitting an exam."

Neighbour Lorna Mackie, 71, owned up to the scarf and "possibly the second beanie". She said she'd assumed the students would take the hint. "I put it on the fence so they'd realise it was for them. They put it on the scarecrow, so, you know. I wasn't going to make a scene. He does look lovely!"

Aroha, who does the mornings at the cafe by the Mornington shops, has heard every version of this from both sides of the street. She said the property manager came through last week for the inspection. "Took a photo of the scarecrow and not the mould. Which, honestly, same." The inspection report, sighted by The Daily Yarn, lists "no issues" and one "unregistered occupant".

STATEMENT FROM COUNCIL

Dunedin City Council is aware of community concerns regarding a vest bearing Council branding, located on a structure on the road reserve in Mornington. The vest was not issued to the structure by Council. Enquiries are being made with the relevant contractor as to how it came to be released. A site visit will be scheduled in due course. The structure is not a Council asset, and its placement on the berm is a matter for the property owner, who will be written to once the appropriate process has been identified. Residents are reminded that the berm is not a suitable location for the storage of clothing, regardless of the intended recipient. Council thanks the community for its patience while this matter is progressed.