Her comments come as detectives launch an investigation after three people received moderate injuries during a brawl in Hyde St about 11pm on Saturday.
One of the victims received a puncture wound but it remains unclear whether he was stabbed or fell on broken glass.
Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen, of Dunedin, said the "mass brawl'' erupted during a party and the criminal investigation branch was working on the case.
The assailants remained at large yesterday as police searched through rubbish on the street.
Tamara Tawhai, who lives in the Hyde St flat named "The F Shack'',
was in no doubt what started the fight.
"It was over a girl.''
The 20-year-old tourism graduate has lived in the street for two years and said while it was worse last year, it had continued to be the source of trouble.
"There's a lot of things that go on at this flat.
"Gang members have come here before looking for one of my flatmates. I ended up kicking him out because of it.
"I'm always the one going over saying 'I'm so sorry about last night'.''
There had been several other assaults in and around the flat in her time there, including a wine glass thrown into the face of a woman, two stabbings and an incident where a man broke in and hit several female residents, she said.
"If you go and ask any of the neighbours 'what do you think of F Shack?', they'll say 'they're always starting trouble'.''
Another resident, Jennifer Gordon (20), said
"I can tell you now that most of the people on the street [on Saturday night] weren't Hyde [St] residents.''
- Dunedin police (03) 471-4800, Crimestoppers 0800 555-111.
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Comments
As an old age pensioner, I have always been very impressed with the efficiency of the entire New Zealand Justice system when it comes to following up pensioners, like myself, who have neglected to pay a parking ticket for overstaying on a meter, or managing to get my old car doing 104km/hour past a speed camera on the highway. While the fine remains unpaid one gets, what seems like daily reminders, both written and by phone, until one agrees to have he said fine docked from your pension.
Yet this same judicial system has allowed the gangs to become entrenched in Dunedin, to define areas as their patch, and the meth trade to flourish.
I do understand the judicial authorities are stretched for resources, but I for one would be happy if the money spent on chasing pensions for overdue parking tickets was diverted in scouring the south island of all gang presence.