Research and construction continued as usual as gunshots rang out at the University of Otago campus yesterday.
Bloodied actors with gaping wounds to the head and chest were carried out of the Richardson Building as members of the armed offenders squad hunted for ''active shooters'' during the largest emergency exercise yet held at the campus.
University of Otago deputy proctor Andrew Ferguson said the exercise, which involved shooting and hostage situations, provided valuable practice for university staff and emergency services.
''They all tested their responses and training on a real campus, which included St John setting up a triage station for the volunteer victims between the science buildings, and the university testing its campus-wide emergency broadcast system with a test message.''
While some of the 40 volunteers who acted as victims struggled to mask smiles, the presence of 28 armed police and 15 St John staff was taken seriously by onlookers who watched the exercise from afar.
Part of the 10-storey Richardson Building, which is home to departments including geography and media, film and communication, as well as outdoor parts of the campus were closed from 9am to 4pm for the mock emergency.
On Monday, Mr Ferguson said the exercise was not a direct response to a shooting threat made to the campus on an online forum last year.
Last year's threat was a ''reminder'' the institution was not immune to such incidents, he said.
Ten observers from other campuses and organisations were among the 120 people involved in the exercise.
