Dunedin students still keen to go to the cancelled Hyde St Party despite warnings on mass gatherings amid coronavirus fears have created event pages claiming "they can't stop us all".
The Otago University Students' Association (OUSA) made the decision to cancel this year's event due to a directive from the Ministry of Health about mass gatherings.
However, several Facebook event pages, some of which have been deleted, have been made asking students to "storm Hyde St" as "they can't stop us all".
"It may not be official, but they can't stop us from partying anyway," one event description reads.
OUSA chief executive officer Debbie Downs told the New Zealand Herald she hopes students grasp the seriousness of what is happening worldwide and the implications that their actions have on the wider community.
"We will be meeting with residents of Hyde Street to discuss the cancellation, what it means to them and how to move forward," she said.
Downs added that OUSA is working closely with city safety teams, including the police, as they usually do when it comes to planning and cancelling their events.
"The decision to cancel, while prompted by the mandate from the Government, was discussed with all safety teams as well as the implications that this could have," she said.
OUSA is also working closely with Otago University and keeping an open discourse with students and residents, she said.
Police told the New Zealand Herald they were aware of this social media activity and would monitor and respond to any events as required.