Undie 500 Press Conference Fails To Cause Riots
by Johnny Weasel // September 28 2009
Organisers of the the Undie 500 car rally have announced that the event will not be returning to Dunedin in the foreseeable future.
In a joint statement, Canterbury University’s engineering society (ENSOC) and students’ association (UCSA) said the event would no longer run in its current form.
“The importance of our member’s futures means we need to secure them a safe event,” said University of Canterbury Students’ Association (UCSA) president Steve Jukes.
“We cannot control every element in that environment, and as a responsible organisation we have resolved to not run the Undie.”
“The risks are far too great to continue to Dunedin.”
ENSOC president Carl Shrimpton said the society was very disappointed that the Undie 500, ENSOC, and the wider student body had been brought into disrepute by the actions of a small minority.
He said an event would replace the Undie next year, but that it was too early to speculate on what form it would take or where it would be held.
“We will replace the Undie with an event of the same calibre,” he said.
He said completely scrapping the event would only drive it underground as was the case in 2008, and that ENSOC had no control over such an event.
“Doing nothing is not an option.”
Mr Shrimpton said it was hard to say what student reaction to the news would be, but that he hoped that they would be supportive.
He said thet the 2010 engineering society executive would be given a brief and they would come up with an alternate event.
Mr Jukes said the UCSA and ENSOC exerted as much authority as possible over the Undie, but that they could not control hangers-on.
University of Canterbury Vice-Chancellor Rod Carr said the university supported the decision.
“It’s a wise decision. Especially weighing up the risks – personal and professional – of participating or organising such an event,” he said.
This year six Canterbury students and 61 Otago students were arrested after violence marred the Undie for the third year in a row.
A total of 600 people drove from Canterbury to Otago as part of the Undie in 90 vehicles.