The Undie 500, originally named the Under 500, was an annual student-run car rally between Christchurch and Dunedin, New Zealand 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$500, and optionally decorated.
The event has run since the early 1980s and is organised by the University of Canterbury Engineering Society Inc. (ENSOC). The premise of the event is for student members of ENSOC to purchase and decorate a vehicle before rallying the cars to Dunedin. The vehicles are individually themed and occupants pub crawl 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 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 (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."