Undie 500 Car Rally
Encyclopedia
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
and Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with multiple stops at drinking establishments along the way. The name comes from the original rule that a vehicle is purchased for less than NZ$
New Zealand dollar
The New Zealand dollar is the currency of New Zealand. It also circulates in the Cook Islands , Niue, Tokelau, and the Pitcairn Islands. It is divided into 100 cents....
500, and optionally decorated.
The event has run since the early 1980s and is organised by the University of Canterbury Engineering Society Inc. (ENSOC)
University of Canterbury Engineering Society Inc. (ENSOC)
ENSOC is a faculty based student society at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Society was established as a medium for scholars to discuss relevant engineering issues and to fraternize. Nowadays, ENSOC is the largest elective club at the University and welcomes members...
. The premise of the event is for student members of ENSOC to purchase and decorate a vehicle before rallying the cars to Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
. The vehicles are individually themed and occupants pub crawl
Pub crawl
A pub crawl is the act of one or more people drinking in multiple pubs or bars in a single night, normally walking or busing to each one between drinking.-Origin of the term:...
over the entire day of driving. This event is characterised by the high level of work performed on the entrants' cars; transforming them from normal motor vehicles into something unique.
The event was originally to coincide with the weekend of the annual Canterbury University Engineers v Otago Surveyors rugby match. At this time and well into the 1990s it was known as the "Under 500". Somewhere along the way it has been transformed into the "Undie 500", presumably to establish a similar sounding name to the more famous Indy 500.
Since 2003, the number of vehicles was limited to 150. The event used to attract more than 1,000 participants and thousands of spectators. The event was widely reported, attracting national TV news coverage, newspaper, radio and has even featured in Ralph magazine. The New Zealand Police
New Zealand Police
The New Zealand Police is the national police force of New Zealand, responsible for enforcing criminal law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout New Zealand...
accompany the convoy throughout the trip to ensure both the safety of participants and other road users.
Since 2006, when others driving cars not associated with the event began traveling to Dunedin concurrently and rioting, the event has also received much negative publicity due to rioting students and others associated with the event. Some have been charged with offenses including offensive language and breaching the liquor ban the Dunedin City Council had placed.
After the 2009 event, the head of the University of Canterbury Students' Association
University of Canterbury Students' Association
The University of Canterbury Students' Association is a student organisation associated with the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, established in 1894. All current students of the University have automatic membership. It is funded by students and is governed by a constitution through 12...
(UCSA) noted that they could not "exert authority on those hangers-on or those other students and young people that head to Dunedin to use this as an excuse for violence or anti-social behaviour.", and that it was no longer in the interest of students to be associated with those who were causing trouble after the event. Consequently, the 2009 head of the UCSA predicted ENSOC could not run a further event to Dunedin in light of the trouble that would be caused by those non-students who would use it as an excuse for violence and other anti-social behaviour, but appeared not to rule out a similar event heading to a different destination.
Many in Dunedin see the event as having been sensationalised by the media, with one local noting the "local newspaper will start printing stories a week in advance, and will continue for a week after the event, even if it runs smoothly."
Rules
Cars were expected to meet the following requirements:- Have a current Warrant of Fitness and Vehicle registrationVehicle registrationVehicle registration is the compulsory registration of a vehicle with a government authority. Vehicle registration's purpose is to establish clear ownership and to tax motorists or vehicle owners....
- Be driven by a soberSobrietySobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...
driver
In previous years it was also a requirement to have a vehicle under the price of $500, hence the name UNDIE 500. However, due to rising prices and stricter regulations this rule was later overlooked.
Prizes
Before embarking for Dunedin, cash prizes were awarded for outstanding entries including:- Best Car
- Best Dressed Team
- Best Mechanical Car
- Best Structural Car
- Best Engineered Car
- Most Politically IncorrectPolitically IncorrectPolitically Incorrect is a late-night, half-hour political talk show hosted by Bill Maher that ran from 1993 to 2002. It premiered on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997, and later on ABC in 1997, which cancelled it in 2002....
Car - Best Overall
2006
The 2006 event was marred by drunken rioting in the Castle St area of DunedinDunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
; resulting in 30 arrests and a liquor ban subsequently imposed on the main student area over the events weekend. After the incident ENSOC worked with the various local authorities in Ashburton
Ashburton, New Zealand
Ashburton is a town and district in the Canterbury Region on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the third-largest centre in Canterbury, after Christchurch and Timaru. The area around Ashburton is frequently referred to as Mid Canterbury, which is also the name of the...
, Timaru
Timaru
TimaruUrban AreaPopulation:27,200Extent:Former Timaru City CouncilTerritorial AuthorityName:Timaru District CouncilPopulation:42,867 Land area:2,736.54 km² Mayor:Janie AnnearWebsite:...
, Oamaru
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
and Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
to minimise any possible disruption caused to local residents, including paying the Dunedin City Council to tow away any abandoned vehicles.
2007
In 2007 the event saw further drunken rioting in which 69 people were arrested, on a night which one student involved described it as "a usual Dunedin Saturday night", while Dunedin emergency service workers said it was the city's worst trouble for many years. Crowd estimates were 1,000 - 2,000 at the height of the riots. Couches, a mattress and at least two Undie 500 cars were torched on Castle, Dundas, Hyde, Grange, and Leith streets, and police and fire-fighters were pelted with bottles. 9 of the 24 University of Canterbury students arrested were officially registered on the Undie 500, along with 30 Dunedin students and 15 non-students. Subsequently there has been calls for an end to the event, with the Mayor of DunedinMayor of Dunedin
The Mayor of Dunedin is the head of the municipal government of Dunedin, New Zealand, and presides over the Dunedin City Council. The Mayor is directly elected, using the Single Transferable Vote system in 2007....
Peter Chin
Peter Chin (mayor)
Peter Wing Ho Chin CNZM is a lawyer and was the 56th Mayor of Dunedin, New Zealand. He served two terms as Mayor from 2004 to 2010....
calling the event 'history'.
In response to the rioting, police upgraded charges from disorderly behaviour to the more serious crime of rioting for 21 of the 69 arrested people, which could have resulted in up to 2 years in prison. These charges were later dropped by the police, with ten offenders pleading guilty and six pleading not guilty to lesser offences, resulting in at least one conviction for fifteen people. Furthermore, University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
students involved in the rioting also risked being expelled from the university. 31 people were charged at the Dunedin District Court, 22 being convicted (9 on two charges), and 5 receiving diversion. One charge of disorderly likely to cause violence was upheld on appeal to the High Court. The people convicted were forced to pay fines, reparations, donations and court costs exceeding $16,500 (up to $2,000 for some individuals), and received 250 hours community service, in addition to lawyers fees estimated at up to $1,000 to $5,000 each.
2008
Chin later said he expected the event would go ahead for 2008, though he soon pulled out of meetings with ENSOC and emergency services. ENSOC had submitted a management plan with bonds and behavioural guarantees for participants, and had planned for a concert for the Saturday night after the official event, which has been the scene of the rioting in recent years. Meetings had been held with concert promoters with the aim of organizing a large event with a budget of over $100,000. Without approval, ENSOC are refusing to condone the 'underground' Undie 500 that they expect to occur.In 2008 the official event was cancelled, but around 100 students from the University of Canterbury travelled to Dunedin in about 40 cars and vans. More than 100 police were rostered on for the event, and had placed checkpoints on the out skirts of Rolleston and the entrance to Dunedin city. The media once again reported the event sparked violence, with police in full riot gear three times charging a group of around 500 students throwing rocks and bottles, before dispersing the crowd in the early hours of 24 August 2008. While police Inspector Dave Campbell noted that the event was not a catalyst for the trouble, with most of those arrested from Otago University or non-students, he also said that to those persons "It's quite clear that it [the Undie 500] is seen as a magnet." Around 30 arrests were made, in addition to 3 University of Canterbury and 2 University of Otago students from the previous night.
2009
An official ENSOC charity event ran in 2009, after Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin refused to negotiate with the University of Canterbury Students Association and ENSOC to organise events after the main Undie rally to minimise disorder afterwards. About 600 students from Canterbury participated, bringing more than 1000 cans of food for Dunedin food banks. The "Undie Charity Drive" has been criticised by Chin as "no matter how it is dressed up it is just a pub crawl." While the rally featured decorated cars, costumes and alcohol, new measures such as a good behaviour bond were introduced to address previous concerns. These measures, could, however, only be used to control behaviour by Canterbury University students, not Otago University students or the unemployed.Oamaru
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
, through which the event passes, was "proactive" (according to their community constable), and organised to deal with any increased littering or other anti-social behaviour as a result of the event. The town experienced no major problems, with only two arrests.
The event ran successfully, with partying afterwards becoming chaotic as police in riot gear moved in to be pelted with bottles, bricks and bicycle parts. Over two nights 80 arrests were made - around 80% University of Otago students, 10% University of Canterbury students, and 10% not students. In response to the disorder, Chin blamed Christchurch students. Police charged 67 people with a range of offences including breaching the temporary liquor ban, disorderly behaviour, obstruction and burning couches. Prime Minister John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....
described the incident as "madness" and pointed out some students would consequently graduate with criminal convictions.
In the aftermath, OUSA
Otago University Students' Association
The Otago University Students' Association is the Students' Association of the University of Otago, New Zealand.OUSA provides "representation, welfare, advocacy, recreation, fun events and media" for its members...
president Edwin Darlow pointed out that as there was no way to stop the event, the council should consider alternative events over the weekend to reduce disorder after it finishes, though Chin has consistently refused to consider options ENSOC has proposed. Bystanders complained of being pepper sprayed by police in their own doorways. An 18-year-old Telford Rural Polytechnic
Telford Rural Polytechnic
Telford Rural Polytechnic is a public Tertiary Education Institution. Its campus is in Otanomomo, just south of Balclutha, South Otago in the South Island of New Zealand.In 2010, a merger of the Polytechnic with Lincoln University was proposed...
student who travelled from Balclutha
Balclutha, New Zealand
Balclutha is a town in Otago, it lies towards the end of the Clutha River on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is about halfway between Dunedin and Invercargill on the Main South Line railway, State Highway 1 and the Southern Scenic Route...
, specifically to be part of the "Undie 500 weekend", fell onto a burning couch while trying to jump over it. He was taken to Dunedin Public Hospital
Dunedin Public Hospital
Dunedin Hospital is the main public hospital in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is the largest hospital south of Christchurch and serves as the major hospital for the Otago and Southland regions...
suffering burns, and required surgery.
In response to the event police minister Judith Collins
Judith Collins
Judith Anne Collins is a New Zealand National Party politician and a lawyer. She is a front bench Cabinet minister with the portfolios of Police, Corrections and Veterans' Affairs in the Fifth National Government....
said on 3 News
3 News
3 News is the television, internet and radio news service of New Zealand's TV3. Its flagship bulletin, which airs every evening at 6:00pm, is anchored by Hilary Barry and Mike McRoberts. Carolyn Robinson and Simon Shepherd are weekend and substitute anchors...
the rioters were "spoilt little rich kids, who think that they are going to be the future leaders of our country, and frankly if they are, God help us".
Charges against two of those arrested were withdrawn because police lacked valid evidence. On 14 September, the first three of those arrested appeared in court; one a Dunedin student, and two unemployed and employed persons respectively from Dunedin. The day after, a mill-hand and a process worker were convicted of breaching the liquor ban. Of those facing charges, 43 are tertiary students. The largest group was of 27 Otago University students, followed by 18 who are not tertiary students, six of whom were unemployed. On the 18th, one Otago student was convicted of theft for grabbing a police officers hat, valued at $80, for which he would later apologise to the officer. He was fined $500 with court costs of $130. Also convicted were two unemployed men and a shearer.
The harshest penalty imposed has been on a 41 year old unemployed Dunedin man for breaching the City Council liquor ban. Eight people have had charges against them dropped for lack of evidence against them, and two discharged without conviction. One Dunedin student was suspended from the University for swearing at Dunedin University security staff, outside the University property, outside his flat.
2010
In the year 2010 the Undie 500 Charity Drive was denied a liquor licence for a event that included a concert in Seddon. This was a blow to the event as it eventually led to the charity drive being cancelled in 2010. The committee ended up spending funds set asides on helping relief efforts for the Canterbury earthquake.See also
- Little 500Little 500The Little 500 , is a bicycle race held annually at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana...
- the original party weekend at Indiana University - Indy 500Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
- Engineering SocietyEngineering societyAn engineering society is a professional organization for engineers of various disciplines. Some are umbrella type organizations which accept many different disciplines, while others are discipline-specific. Many award professional designations, such as European Engineer, Professional Engineer,...