Noise appeared to be a bigger issue than intoxication at some recent University of Otago Orientation Week, a report from Public Health South staff suggests.
A report to this week's Otago and Southland district health boards' community and public health committee meeting said public health staff had been working closely with other agencies to ensure the week was managed as safely as possible.
Monitoring of some events during the week found that, in general, the students seemed to be enjoying themselves and intoxication, while present, "was not too overt, with noise being the biggest issue", the report said.
In licensed premises there were some issues with a lack of food being available, but generally the environments appeared well controlled.
The report noted that members of the student union were assisting licensees and working together to ensure events held were as safe as possible.
Committee member Kaye Crowther said she was "chuffed" to read of the involvement of public health staff in planning for the week.
Committee chairman Errol Millar agreed, saying Orientation seemed to have proceeded much better than last year.
He recalled the "debacle" of last year's toga parade and his last year's comments that he felt embarrassed to be a University of Otago graduate when he viewed the aftermath a day later.
