The house where the overcrowded flat party was held. Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers
Sophia Crestani's father has told the inquest into her death that he hopes the young people caught up in the chaos at the party can be released from feeling guilty.
University of Otago student Sophia Crestani, 19, died during a stairwell pile-up at an overcrowded flat party.
The inquest into her death in 2019 has wrapped up in Dunedin today.
At the closing of the inquest Sophia's father, Bede Crestani, said it was difficult to hear from the witnesses who were also caught up in the pile of bodies at the party.
"It is not right for them to live through that pain, the guilt they feel that they could do more," Bede said.
"They must be released from that. They did all they can in an out-of-control situation."
He said their grief, pain and guilt was clear.
Bede said the house's tenants who boarded up doors, and covered the house's floors for the party, thought nothing about safety.
He said he now felt pain and joy at the same time on a regular basis.
"When we feel happiness and have fun we also feel devastated that our Fifi isn't with us."
Tributes left at the scene when Sophia Crestani died in 2019. Photo: RNZ
Sophia's mother, Elspeth McMillan said it was sad Sophia had to be a sacrificial lamb to open people's eyes that things needed to change.
She said Sophia was, and is, a shining light, and that was a comfort to the family.
"We are exhausted, much like when we had newborn twins 24 years ago. Nineteen-and-a-half years later we buried Sophia, and now feel we are able to let her rest in peace."
Bede said that a few weeks before Sophia's death, Elspeth's mother had died. He had travelled to Dunedin with Sophia, and they had a lovely dinner together.
"She had grown up so much in Dunedin. How can you describe how proud I was [of] a beautiful, successful daughter."
A few weeks later, he was back in Dunedin following her death.
Coroner Heather McKenzie praised Sophia's parents for their conduct after her death and at the inquest.
She said they had shown grace and courage.
"It would have been easy for you to feel hopeless, but you have always looked to the future. Your being here has given Sophia a voice into the future."
Campus Watch 'aren't there to spy'
Otago University deputy proctor Geoff Burns told the inquest that Campus Watch staff were observing the party from across the road.
Police counsel Richard Smith asked if he would expect the Campus Watch team to get closer, given there had already been concerns raised about overcrowding at a previous party at the same flat.
Burns said he would not have expected the team to act any differently than they did.
"We aren't there to spy, but more to be a visual presence for anyone coming out, not to look inside."
They did not want to be oppressive in anyway, he said.
The only exception was that if a young person was believed to be a student, a staff member could require them to provide their name and student ID number, Burns said.
Smith asked about reports of partygoers approaching the Campus Watch team, saying the party was overcrowded, that the stairs had collapsed and people were getting crushed.
A young man had told the team he had been been stuck for five to 10 minutes and had lost his shoes, and another said he had lost his pants.
Burns said the Campus Watch staff then called their control room to ask them to contact police to shut the party down.
He said from day one after Sophia died, they had looked at whether they should have done anything differently that night, but he had full confidence in the team's assessment.
"In hindsight, it would have been good for a whole lot of things to happen differently, or in a different order. If we'd looked into a crystal ball, we would have done things differently."
