Dunedin students have opened up about the horrifying details of some flat initiations organised by other university students.
The initiations are often organised by the second-year Otago University students and, in most cases, the students in the year below are told they must complete the initiation to secure a flat.
However, sometimes these involve disturbing tasks including students being forced to eat their own vomit, give other students lap dances and catch a live eel.
One third year student at the University of Otago, who wishes to remain anonymous, moved from Auckland to Dunedin in 2020 and said despite initiations not being compulsory, it's "not really an option to not attend because you look bad".
"The second years force them [first years] to buy alcohol beforehand and provide the second years with alcohol," she said.
She said initiations are common among young men living on Dunedin's well-known Castle Street - known for its reputation of being home to many student riots.
"They make girls pay over $300 worth of random stuff in some top flats on Castle Street and provide them with the alcohol to bring along to the initiation."
The woman said people are made to do specific things by the second-year students, they don't often want to do.
"Most of the activities are 'boat races' - where people skull drinks, or dart races" she explained. "And the first years have to fund it all."
"Some boys are forced to drink their own vomit from a bucket,” she added.
She said "heaps of guys" are made to shave their heads but women aren't immune from initiation.
"They also have to dress up usually and humiliate themselves while the current second years and their friends watch on,” she said.
"When I was in first year, my friend’s girl flat initiation were made to dress up in silly costumes, skull drinks, and then forced to give some second year boys a lap dance in front of everyone," she said.
She said the girls were extremely intoxicated, vomiting and laughed at by the older students.
"Obviously, the University doesn't support it and heaps of people don't do it anymore, but it doesn't stop some students, especially the boys," she said. "If you get caught you get in heaps of trouble."
It comes after the University of Otago is investigating a "traumatic" flat initiation involving students and a live eel.
The universities student magazine, Critic Te Ārohi, reported on a video of a flat initiation showing four male students standing in their underwear, holding a live and panicked eel above their heads like a trophy as a crowd of onlookers watched on and cheered.
A witness told the magazine other onlookers were in tears as the eel was pulled out of a drum filled with dirty water and described it as "the most traumatic initiation I've ever witnessed".
Third-year student Emma Dowell said "ritualistic hazing" had been around since she started at Otago, but it was escalating in its cruelty year-by-year.
"Every flat-signing season, the second years are trying to out-do the previous year's tenants, so it just gets more twisted and gross every year," she said. "It's so toxic and stupid.
She said "there's having a drink" and then there's being publicly humiliated in front of a crowd by a group of "sadistic strangers".
"I don't think it's a tradition that's been around for very long, so I don't know how long the year-by-year escalation can go for before someone eventually takes it too far and ends up killing someone."
"For a number of years, the University of Otago has undertaken proactive prevention and education work to curb initiation events because of the harm they can cause," University of Otago’s Director of Student Services Claire Gallop told Newshub.
"Unfortunately, this year we are aware of flat initiation events that have been held," Gallop said. "However, as a result of careful work by the Proctor’s Office, some planned events have been cancelled."
Each year, the University educates students about the harm initiations cause and encourages them not to participate.
"Proactive prevention work includes the Proctor visiting flats identified as likely to host events and providing face-to-face information, followed by specific targeted email advice," Gallop said.
She said work is also done within residential colleges, "with a particular focus on first-year students to make them aware that this is not something they should participate in".
"This is challenging work as the events are hosted by adults in their own homes, often behind closed doors or in backyards," she added.
"All students must abide by the Student Code of Conduct and anyone found to have breached the Code may be in jeopardy of expulsion."
Otago University is investigating the initiation involving the eel.
