A once notorious student street party appears to have notched up another year with little incident amid a heavy security presence.
More than 40 security guards were visible at the annual Hyde St Party in Dunedin on Saturday, including at least one guard positioned outside each property.
About 4100 tickets were sold for the Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) event, and as well as students and security guards — about 10 were stationed on the entrance to the event — there was a highly visible presence of police, Hato Hone St John, Red Frogs, Fire and Emergency New Zealand and university and student union staff.
Party-goers started entering the street about 11am, and it was still relatively quiet when media were allowed to visit, about 11.30am.
University of Otago vice-chancellor Grant Robertson, who was swamped by students wherever he went down the street, said it was important to have such an event in a ‘‘controlled’’ environment.
He was impressed by band One Day at the ‘‘Come 4 Hydeings [sic]’’ flat, as well as how little glass there was on the street.
The tenants at the flat said it took about a month to get everything done right, from the logistics of setting up the stage to keeping the whole experience within budget.
The party was once a notorious event, but harm minimisation has been a feature since the roof of a flat collapsed in 2012, after which it became a ticketed event organised by the OUSA.
OUSA president Daniel Leamy, wearing a monkey costume, said events such as Hyde St were at the forefront of harm minimisation in the student quarter.
‘‘While Otago as much as everyone wants to change the culture of drinking, there’s also an acceptance that you can’t just not expect students to drink.
‘‘Events such as Hyde St are a way to make students be able to drink safely.
‘‘It’s about harm reduction, it’s about drinking safely and you can see with the amount of support and the security and things around that this is the best place for students to be today so it’s great to see.’’
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said the incident happened about 3pm, in Albany St.
The 20-year-old man was ‘‘assaultive’’ and attempted to punch and kick officers while being restrained, Snr Sgt Bond said.
The man was bailed to appear in the Dunedin District Court on Thursday, charged with assaulting police, resisting arrest and disorderly behaviour likely to cause violence.
Otherwise the crowd was well-behaved, Snr Sgt Bond said. No arrests were made at the event.
