A recent One News feature story claimed that Wellington is fast becoming the new Scarfie city for students – the best place to study and have a grand old time while you do it. The student demand is putting pressure on Victoria Universities’ accommodation facilities, with some students having to pair up in bunk beds or be sent out to less than desirable student flats. But can Wellington really be as Scarfie as Dunedin?

There’s no doubt that Wellington is a fantastic place to enjoy a night out on the town. Courtney Place and Cuba Street provide students with an array of bars, clubs, hangouts and underground music joints that keep them entertained till all hours of the morning. The Beehive too, with it’s surrounding buzzy bee bureaucrats, provide the humanities students with an array of up-to-the-minute political talking points to discuss in smoky taverns, but can this culture ever be Scarfie per se?

It all starts with the scarf, which implies the cold. While Wellington is a blustery wind filled hurricane most of the time, Dunedin is sharply colder in winter time. When your flat has never seen a Pink Batt before you know that there will be long nights spent curled up in the fetal position sporting a Kathmandu puffer jacket and several pairs of long-johns and rugby socks. Can’t see that happening in Wellington.

Implicit in being a Scarfie is the lack of personal finances to support daily life. The Cook Tavern, when it was open and thriving, used to have $3 meals – massive burgers with a side of fries or a hearty slice of steak with chips. That is Scarfie. Indeed, those obscenely cheap prices were part of the reason The Cook went under. Do Wellington businesses bend over backwards to help student finances? Perhaps, but unlikely…

The Scarfie culture is best seen in the fresher Residential Colleges of Cumberland, Uni Col, Carrington, Hayward, Arana, and more. The bizarre antics that happen between floors, dorm rooms and in common areas are uniquely Scarfie. A history of tradition, comradery, ups and downs and even a bit of academic success is what Otago University offers. This is indeed Scarfie. While Wellington has it’s own unique university culture it needs its own term. Perhaps, windshellies…don't think it will stick though. 

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