Parents of Sophia Crestani, teen killed at Dunedin party, ask for street clean-up to honour daughter

A community clean-up of North Dunedin will be held on the weekend, at the request of parents of university student Sophia Crestani.

The event was being organised by the University of Otago and the Otago University Students Association, and will take place on Sunday between 12pm and 4pm.

READ MORE:
• Student party death: Sophia Crestani's parents grieving 'loss of our beautiful daughter'
• Dunedin party death: Community in shock after Sophia Crestani dies at student house
• Criminal nuisance charges will be part of police investigation into Dunedin student Sophie Crestani's death, legal experts say
• Family of Dunedin student party victim Sophia Crestani in 'deep throes of grief'

Latex gloves and rubbish bags will be provided, and food will be available.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne said she encouraged everyone to come together and honour the memory of Sophia, who died on Saturday night after an incident at an overcrowded flat party.

"I met with Sophia's parents earlier this week, and to honour her memory they requested we engage with our student community to help clean up North Dunedin. I would encourage all our students and staff to attend and help honour Sophia at this time," Prof Hayne said.

Those attending were encouraged to gather by 11.45am at a location yet to be confirmed, where OUSA will provide further detail on the clean-up operation.

Sophia, a second-year University of Otago student, died when she was reportedly crushed by crowds trying to leave a party at the student flat known as The Manor.

Her death left her family heartbroken and plunged Dunedin's student community into mourning.

"We are grieving the loss of our beautiful daughter and so is the community which Sophia knew and cared for," her parents Bede and Elspeth said in a statement yesterday.

The Dunedin City Council was providing additional kerbside rubbish and recycling pick-ups for the tertiary precinct.

DCC rubbish bags, yellow-lidded bins for general recycling and blue bins for glass recycling would be collected in the area bound by Dundas Street/Harbour Terrace/Albany Street/Leith Street on Friday 3-5pm and Saturday 12-2pm.

The normal Monday collection for the area will go ahead as usual.