Wellington  - Students at New Zealand's Lincoln University who dressed as Nazis and concentration camp inmates at an Oktoberfest party will be "exposed to the horrors of the Holocaust" as punishment, news reports said on Saturday.

Some wore Nazi Party apparel bearing the words "Sieg Heil!" at a campus party and one had a white top emblazoned with swastikas.

Roger Field, vice-chancellor of the university in Christchurch, said Friday the 15 students involved would be made to visit the Holocaust Research and Education Centre in the capital Wellington.

They would have to write a 2,000-word essay "on a suitable topic" and would not be allowed to register for study next year until it was assessed as being of an acceptable standard.

They will also be fined 200 New Zealand dollars (150 US dollars.) The two students who wore the most offensive T-shirts would do 150 hours of community service for the university.

Field said all were guilty of "completely inappropriate behaviour." Dpa