Women ‘trampled' at Octagon bar

Otago Daily Times

15-05-2025

The Dunedin Social Club. Photo: Gregor Richardson.
Four Dunedin women were stood on, trampled and trapped under a packed crowd of dancers at a popular Dunedin nightclub.
Now the four women, all in their 20s, are calling on the Dunedin Social Club to take action.
However, the bar's owner has said on the nights the women were crushed, the club was not at capacity and the number of people inside was monitored.
On two separate Saturday nights, one during O Week and another over the Easter weekend, the women found themselves under the feet of dancers on the Dunedin Social Club floor.
When Dunedin resident Anna went to the club in O Week it was packed and extremely hot.
She fell on the dance floor and could not get back up, and found herself being "trampled on for about 30 seconds".
"Eventually, some lads managed to grab me off the floor."
She said she was "swallowed whole by the mass of people".
Anna did not return until the Saturday of Easter weekend, when she was again trampled.
"I only went because it was the only place open ... I just thought 'there's no chance this would happen again'."
She found herself on the ground and was again pulled back on to her feet.
She had not been to any Octagon nightclub since.
Her friend Olivia also found herself on the ground on the same night.
"It was so full where I was I didn't even immediately fall to the floor, but eventually I did.
"I was so dizzy I couldn't get back up."
Eventually one of her friends helped her.
Getting out of the club was also difficult — it took Olivia about 10 minutes to make it outside due to the stream of people coming in and out of the only door.
Another woman, Hayley, was trampled by the crowd on the Saturday of O Week.
"It was so hot, and so sweaty ... it seemed like they shouldn't have had so many people in there."
Hayley said the dance floor was "packed and pushy", to a level she had not seen before.
"It was really fast — one second I was up, the next second I was flat on the ground.
"I was struggling to breathe."
One of her flatmates was also pushed to the ground at the same time.
Neither has been back since.
Anna had a bruised leg and stomach, Olivia was kneed in the head several times and had bruised ribs and Hayley had a golf ball-sized lump on her head.
Alcohol harm prevention officer Sergeant Steve Jones said any issues in regards to safety should be reported to the duty manager.
However, if people did not get a good response, they could talk to police.
Cook Brothers Bars owner James Arnott said the Dunedin Social Club's maximum capacity was 250 people and the number of people inside was monitored.
He said while the dance floor was busy, there was a lot of space to the right of the bar.
"We monitor the numbers going into the venue overall and we do our best to move people around, but if people want to go right up to the front where the DJ is playing, we can't stop them going up there."
Dunedin Social Club duty manager Joe Presley said Easter Saturday was a very busy night, particularly around the dance floor and exit.
He said that area could "bottle-neck".
Due to the venue closing at midnight, everyone was leaving around the same time, which could cause congestion.
He said the bar would love to hear from the injured people to see what they could do differently or what they could rectify.
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