Dunedin, Otago
Security guards in Dunedin
Ōtepoti
Guard Select Limited, a licensed security company, lets Dunedin businesses choose the guard they want from verified profiles and book through us, with no management markup. The guard sets the rate, you see it before you book, and the guard keeps 97% of it.
Why Dunedin businesses choose their own guard
Dunedin runs on events and nightlife. Student bars, flat parties, rugby and sports fixtures, university campus events, and a CBD nightlife scene centred on the Octagon all generate security demand that peaks hard and moves fast. Crowd work in that environment is a specific skill — it is people management far more often than it is anything physical — which is exactly why being able to pick a guard with the right experience beats being sent whoever is available.
Security services available in Dunedin
- Crowd control for bars, venues and licensed premises
- Event security for university and campus events
- Sports fixtures and stadium event support
- CBD and Octagon nightlife venue security
- Static and property guarding across Dunedin and wider Otago
- Retail and loss prevention
Licensed, verified, and accountable
Every guard on Guard Select holds a current Certificate of Approval and is verified before they can accept work. Guards build a professional profile you can read before you book — experience, training, and the work they specialise in. Training through the Guard Select Academy covers the tactical options decision-making framework used across the New Zealand security industry.
Guards are independent contractors engaged by Guard Select Limited, the licensed security company you book with. They set their own rate and availability and choose which offers to accept. Guard Select's fee is 3% from each side, so the guard keeps 97% of their rate, which is why Dunedin clients get better rates and guards get better pay from the same booking.
Guard Select Limited is itself a licensed security company, holding PSPLA company licence 26-141664 in all nine licence classes, verifiable on the Ministry of Justice public register. See our credentials.
Proud to serve Dunedin
Dunedin does heritage and youth at the same time and somehow makes it work — the country’s oldest university, the Victorian and Edwardian architecture, the wildlife on the Otago Peninsula, and a student city that gives the place its energy. Looking after that on a Saturday night takes judgement, not muscle.
Guard Select acknowledges Ngāi Tahu as mana whenua of Ōtepoti, and is committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in how we build this platform. Read our Te Tiriti commitment.
Hiring security in Dunedin — common questions
How do I hire a security guard in Dunedin?
Browse verified guard profiles for Dunedin in the Guard Select app, choose the guard whose experience fits your site, see the rate the guard has set, and confirm the booking with Guard Select Limited, the licensed provider. There is no management markup: our fee is 3% from each side.
Are Guard Select guards in Dunedin licensed?
Yes. Every guard on Guard Select holds a current Certificate of Approval issued under the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act, and their licence details are verified before their profile goes live.
Is Guard Select a licensed security company?
Yes. Guard Select Limited holds PSPLA company licence 26-141664, issued by the Ministry of Justice in all nine licence classes and current to 2 September 2031. When you book a guard in Dunedin you contract with a licensed security provider, not a technology-only booking platform. You can verify the licence on the PSPLA public register.
How much does a security guard cost in Dunedin?
Guard rates start at $34 an hour. Each guard sets their own rate and you see it before you book. Your guard is the first person on scene when something goes wrong, so we make sure they're paid like it: they keep 97% of their rate, and Guard Select's fee is 3% from each side.
Why does Guard Select pay guards more?
Because guards are first responders. They're first on scene when someone is hurt, angry or in crisis, and they make split-second calls that protect people and property. We pay them like professionals, train them in the same decision-making frameworks used by New Zealand Police and the New Zealand Army, and they keep 97% of their rate. Better-paid, better-trained guards make safer sites.
Can I book a guard in Dunedin at short notice?
Yes. Because guards set their own availability and answer offers themselves, short-notice and one-off bookings in Dunedin are often filled faster than going through a traditional roster.