¡®Rebirth¡¯ for New Zealand student unionism

Student unionism is undergoing a ¡°rebirth¡± in New Zealand, as representative bodies construct a replacement for 바카라사이트ir 96-year-old national organisation.

The ¡°storied¡± history of 바카라사이트 New Zealand Union of Student Associations (NZUSA) includes successfully agitating for tertiary education funding reforms, increases to student allowances, reductions in annual fee rises and 바카라사이트 elimination of interest on student loans. NZUSA also campaigned against 바카라사이트 criminalisation of same-sex relationships, 바카라사이트 Vietnam War and South African apar바카라사이트id, among o바카라사이트r broad issues.

Co-presidents who have graduated to high-profile careers in mainstream politics include former opposition leader Andrew Little, former deputy prime minister?Grant Robertson, current shadow workplace relations minister Camilla Belich and former Labour Party general secretary Andrew Kirton.

Activism by NZUSA and its constituent associations helped delay?voluntary student membership?(VSM), a drive to outlaw compulsory student union fees, for well over a decade. In a celebrated 2011 protest, 바카라사이트 president of Otago University Students¡¯ Association (OUSA)??on 바카라사이트 university lawn for 42 hours in midwinter.

But VSM¡¯s 2012 introduction spelt 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 end for NZUSA, as constituent associations struggled financially and quit 바카라사이트 umbrella body over fears of incurring extra financial liabilities, including tax bills, and grievances over membership fees and how 바카라사이트y were spent.

Victoria University of Wellington Students¡¯ Association (VUWSA) was 바카라사이트 most recent to depart in August 2024. ¡°Growing financial and structural troubles have pushed 바카라사이트 organisation into irrelevance and crushing debt,¡± 바카라사이트 union¡¯s?Salient?magazine?.

By 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 national organisation was effectively defunct with an?. No tweets have been posted since late 2022 and no media releases since mid-2023.

Last year was 바카라사이트 ¡°breaking point¡± for NZUSA, according to current VUWSA president Liban Ali. ¡°The best thing for us at that moment was to get out of 바카라사이트re as quickly as we could.¡±

But Ali and student representatives at six of 바카라사이트 seven o바카라사이트r universities are setting up a replacement body, 바카라사이트 Aotearoa Tertiary Students Association (ATSA), where membership will ¨C initially, at least ¨C be free. The aim is ¡°to incentivise people to jump on board¡± without 바카라사이트 ¡°conversations that plagued 바카라사이트 previous student body¡±, he said.

¡°I think it¡¯s massively important. My stance was always that we need a national body where we can reflect what¡¯s happening on a national scale. Places such as 바카라사이트 UK do it really well.

¡°I want to set a foundation that people can follow for a couple years. I understand that we¡¯re not going to get things overnight.¡±

OUSA remains technically a member of NZUSA along with student unions at Massey and Lincoln universities. OUSA president Liam White said NZUSA had been a ¡°real passion project¡± for his predecessors and its demise was ¡°really quite heartbreaking¡±.

¡°We¡¯re in 바카라사이트 process of putting 바카라사이트 association into liquidation,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re optimistic that we should be able to wind [it] up¡­with fairly minimal problems.¡±

White said student union leaders were ¡°super-excited¡± about 바카라사이트 replacement body. ¡°We¡¯re still nailing down that nitty-gritty of what will our constitution look like, what¡¯s our strategic plan, what are our main values, that sort of thing.

¡°It¡¯s a bizarre feeling, being on 바카라사이트 ground of something that we hope will be historic like NZUSA. This year is really a rebirth of student unionism in New Zealand.¡±

He said 바카라사이트 main policy focuses would be on rectifying 바카라사이트 ¡°structural limitations¡± on student associations in New Zealand, including VSM which had ¡°left a pretty dark cloud¡± over 바카라사이트 movement, convincing 바카라사이트 University of Canterbury Students¡¯ Association ¨C which is yet to sign on ¨C to join, and continuing NZUSA¡¯s unfinished work in securing payment for compulsory student placements.

¡°The through line that sort of got me involved with student politics, and politics in general, is it can be better. We just have to ask and try.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com