Kia ora koutou,
Over the weekend, you may have seen media reports about an incident at Tupuānuku hall of residence early last Thursday morning.
I wanted to take the opportunity to reassure you that Tupuānuku and the UC campus are safe.
We can confirm that a student in distress was detained by Police on Ilam Road following an incident at Tupuānuku in the early hours of Thursday, 19 October. No-one was harmed and Police have confirmed no guns were involved or found on site.
As publicly discussing this matter affects an individual’s rights, and as this is an ongoing Police matter, we are unable to share any further information.
Your wellbeing and safety is important at UC and we are taking this matter very seriously. UniLodge, which manages Tupuānuku, has been supporting those directly affected by Thursday’s incident.
UC offers numerous student support services including:
- The Wellbeing Hub can be found centrally on campus at Te Pātaka.
- The UC Health Centre offers free counselling to UC students.
- The Student Care Team is available to give advice and can direct students to ongoing support if needed.
- UC Chaplains also provide help on request.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like any support.
We realise the week before exams begin can be a stressful time and students who feel their assessment performance has been affected can apply for Special Consideration here.
Ngā mihi,
Paul O’Flaherty
Kaihautū Matua Pūmanawa Tangata | Executive Director of People, Culture and Campus Life