Students clean partying mess as memorial event

North Dunedin has been given a facelift by students in memory of one student tragically killed at a flat party, amid concerns bad behaviour was making a comeback.

Yesterday more than 100 students tackled some of North Dunedin’s most notorious party streets to take part in an annual cleanup organised by the Otago University Students Association (OUSA) in memory of Sophia Crestani.

OUSA president Melissa Lama said the Sophia Charter, put in place after Ms Crestani’s death in a party stairwell pile-up, was a good foundation for making the student experience safer but there was still progress to be made.

The majority of students had been responsible during a tough few years with Covid-19 and the OUSA was looking forward to doing more events later in the year, Ms Lama said.

"We can only do so much", she said about a recent increase in couch burning.

It was ultimately the responsibility of students to keep themselves and others safe.

The cleanup came after the University of Otago hit headlines over out-of-control St Patrick’s Day festivities during which two young men were taken to hospital in a serious condition after a couch was set alight at an early morning party in Castle St.

In the wake of that, Ms Crestani’s mother, Elspeth McMillan, said she was appalled at the "carnage" which had brought back memories of when she lost her daughter.

It came as couch fires seemed to be on the rise. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) put out two couch fires in the student quarter in the early hours before volunteers came to clean up.

Senior Station Officer Mark Leonard, of Dunedin, said Fenz had noticed more couch fires compared to the past few years.

Fires could cause serious harm to life, limb and property, while tying up crews needed for more serious incidents, he said.

University of Otago deputy vice-chancellor Professor Helen Nicholson said it would have been Sophia’s birthday on Wednesday.

The annual event was important for promoting the safety and wellbeing of students and connecting them to the wider community.

Conversations were ongoing with the Dunedin City Council about limiting the sale of alcohol in glass containers and the Hyde St party demonstrated a glass ban would effectively reduce harm, she said.

Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins said he was happy with the turnout and that an opportunity for engaged citizenship had come of the 2019 tragedy.

Campus cop Snr Const John Woodhouse said the turnout for the event was spectacular and he hoped it would lead to students taking pride in their environment for the rest of the year.

Students Ruby Riley and Isabella Pennington went to the same school as Ms Crestani, Queen Margaret College, Wellington. She had been a leader looked up to by peers and the cleanup was a way they could pay respects to her.

More than 100 students joined the event to remove of rubbish and broken glass.

Some helped police remove the charred frames of couches in Castle St. A university spokeswoman said about six skips had been filled.

oscar.francis@odt.co.nz