Update on the National Student Situation - 1 August 2024

Last week, the presidents of all university student associations convened to discuss the formation of a new national student body to represent university students in Aotearoa. This action has been taken due to NZUSA’s inability to represent students in this space at the current time. Consequently, a group has been established to fulfill this role, comprising members from all university student associations and partner national student representative equity groups.

In light of this development, as of August 1st, 2024, VUWSA has officially withdrawn from NZUSA, effective immediately. This decision was informed by several factors, primarily the significant financial risks and liabilities associated with our continued membership.

VUWSA - Te Aka Tauira Launches Petition for Winter Energy Payment Extension to Tertiary Students

**Thursday, 11th July 2024, Wellington** — At 10 am today, VUWSA - Te Aka Tauira launched a petition urging the Government to extend the Winter Energy Payment to include tertiary students.

"Energy companies are announcing record profits while students are ending up in the hospital with respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia," said VUWSA’s Equity Officer Josh Robinson. "This experience is often seen as a rite of passage for students, but in 2024, it is untenable."

The Winter Energy Payment is crucial for those struggling with the cost of living to keep their homes warm and dry across Aotearoa. Yet, tertiary students remain ineligible for this support, despite living in some of the poorest conditions in Aotearoa, in the coldest and dampest accommodations, and on highly strained incomes. Access to the Winter Energy Payment would help end the need for students to choose between a warm home and food.

“No one should have to choose between staying warm and having food,” said VUWSA President Marcail Parkinson. “It’s completely unacceptable that in 2024 we still see students frequently end up in the hospital with preventable respiratory illnesses due to the quality of their accommodation. We know that students live in some of the worst accommodations in Aotearoa and have highly strained incomes as well as large student loans. I applaud the incredible achievements of the Winter Energy Payment so far in helping those who cannot afford to keep their homes warm. However, I urge the government to fix the student-sized hole in this support net as soon as possible if they truly want a healthy and engaged population of learners.”

Students shared their personal stories about how receiving the Winter Energy Payment would impact their lives. One student expressed, "I wouldn’t wake up shivering in my bed each morning." Another highlighted a common dilemma, saying, "I wouldn't have to choose between heating and food." The stark reality was underscored by a student who shared, "I wouldn't get hypothermia... again."

The Winter Energy Payment, introduced in 2017 by the then Labour Government, has been available to all beneficiary groups except students. This petition aims to rectify this oversight and ensure that students are not left out in the cold.

The launch of this petition coincided with VUWSA’s highly successful annual Winter Clothing Drive, an initiative coordinated with VUW Student Finance. The Clothing Drive provides donated winter clothing from staff to all students free of charge. This initiative, started in 2023, aims to alleviate student hardship during winter and provide students with clothing and bedding to keep themselves warm and healthy.

Te Aka Tauira - Victoria University Students Association is calling for the Winter Energy Payment to be extended to include tertiary students to help end student poverty, you can sign the petition on the Parliament website.

Open Letter to the TEC

Students and Staff put the Spotlight on the Tertiary Education Commission

To Tim Fowler, Chief Executive Officer, Tertiary Education Commission, Jan Tinetti, Minister of Education and the future Minister of Education, 

The 1 July 2023 Cabinet paper on risks to higher education capability due to proposed university cuts entirely downplays the severity of the tertiary education crisis. The dissonance between the Tertiary Education Commission ​​(TEC) and the concerns of staff and students nationwide has never been so palpable.

It is crucial to question whether the Tertiary Education Commission has provided reliable advice to the Minister of Education. How can we have confidence in the TEC to provide independent, high-quality advice on a problem when it has played a direct role in creating that problem? While the TEC did not establish the funding model they have been responsible for its oversight. They have watched and even encouraged the tertiary sector towards staff cuts as the natural solution. Their analysis dismissing significant risks from staff cuts, and refusal to defer university funding clawbacks from financially struggling universities, affirms this stance. 

It is even more crucial to call into question the role and purpose of the TEC. A body that merely focuses on the financing of education divorced from the purpose and goals of education reduces it into a technical exercise of balancing the books. The TEC  appears to exist to manage a failing funding model, without advocating for improvements nor a genuine commitment to supporting education as a public good. If the latter were the case, the TEC would engage with us in its proposals to the Minister of Education, and it would actively participate in the broader mission of tertiary education rather than wield ‘punish and reward’ style incentives to providers in the name of ‘learner-centrism.’ 

Tim Fowler, CEO of TEC said “As to whose side am I on? I’m on the side of a vibrant and sustainable university sector that has the interests of learners at its centre,”  in an article in Student Magazine Critic. But we disagree. This funding model is one that has consumers and consumer choice at the centre rather than students’ rights. We want our rights as students back, which surely includes a right to quality education that is not being culled left and right by staff cuts. If the TEC were to genuinely support students, it would not underfund universities whilst asking them to do more, such as undertaking holistic pastoral care for students and generating higher student completion rates. 

The TEC are unelected, high-ranking officials with immense power to advance austerity, competition, and staff cuts. Sure, this is the status quo which they administer - but preservation of the state of affairs is still an agenda. Moreover, it is an agenda that has no democratic public mandate, in light of how the Ministers of Education and Finance acknowledged the current funding model is unsustainable and needs a Higher Education Funding Review. 

Why has the Minister of Education not given the TEC a clear directive to cease relentless clawbacks to tertiary funding, to treat a tertiary crisis as such, to no longer allow this broken funding system to cause harm to students, staff and institutions? The delay in defining the Review’s scope to December 2023 and allowing this funding system to eat away at our institutes of higher learning until the review is completed, does not safeguard the future of tertiary education. 

We call upon the Tertiary Education Commission, political parties, the current and future Minister of Education to:

1. Commit to comprehensively review the TEC’s purpose and functions in the Higher Education Funding Review.

2. Commit to ensure the Higher Education Funding Review is led by a mixed group of independent experts, university staff, and students, as we cannot trust government officials and the Tertiary Education Commission to investigate themselves.

3. Establish accountability mechanisms to university staff and students for future TEC proposals related to staff redundancies. 

4. In acknowledgment of a tertiary education crisis, return the $51.8 million clawback to financially struggling universities and halt clawbacks until the Review’s completion.

New Zealand Union of Students Associations (NZUSA), 

Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA), 

Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA),

Te Tira Ahu Pae (Massey University Students’ Association)

Dougal McNeill Tertiary Education Union -  Victoria University of Wellington Branch President

Tertiary Education Union - Otago University Branch

*ENDS*

Media contacts:

• Jessica Ye, VUWSA President  0279267748 // president@vuwsa.org.nz

• Ellen Dixon, NZUSA President 0220784998 // president@students.org.nz

• Quintin Jane, OUSA President 0297793707 // president@ousa.org.nz

• Andrew Steele, Te Tira Ahu Pae President 0221960776 // president@tetiraahupae.ac.nz

• Dougal McNeill, TEU-VUW Branch President 0223128018 // dougal.mcneill@vuw.ac.nz

VUWSA - General Election 2023

Kia ora koutou,

As we head into the general election season, VUWSA would like to publicly state our approach to this election.

We are a non-partisan organisation, which is an organisation that will not officially affiliate with, promote nor endorse a party or candidates. We will not tell students who they should vote for; it is entirely up to them. Our interest is in encouraging students to engage in the upcoming election and vote.

At the same time, we are not a politically neutral or apolitical organisation that has no political attitudes or views. VUWSA is a representative and advocacy body for students. We hold free and fair elections to elect a VUWSA executive that campaigns on issues that students care about.

For example, we are currently campaigning on a Study Wage for All (also known as a universal student allowance, or universal education income), which has often been campaigned for by VUWSA, other student associations and NZUSA since the 1990s. We are also actively partaking in a Free Fares campaign for free public transport. These campaigns are not intended to run only during this general election but are long-term campaign efforts that predate and extend past 2023.

We understand there are natural tensions between being non-partisan and being a political organisation in a democratic society, particularly in an election year. A significant portion of our work is inherently political, and we cannot be indifferent to the needs of students as a student advocacy body.

We have the goal of encouraging students to vote for whomever they wish as well as a goal of wanting to achieve successful campaigns on student issues. To achieve the latter goal, we can work with political parties that also align with our campaign goals and in our view, can critically further the success of our campaigns. This is why we are involving the Green Party of Aotearoa in our Study Wage for All campaign, particularly on our Study Wage for All workshops.

However, this does not mean we officially endorse the Green Party as the party that students should vote for. The onus is on political parties to come to us with policies that benefit student welfare or align with our campaign goals, not on VUWSA to compromise its campaign goals to work with political parties. If other parties across the spectrum were to put forward a Study Wage for All or other policies that we are actively campaigning on, we would work with them to further our campaign as well. We urge other political parties to place a focus on student welfare and come to the table to work with us on future campaigns.

To further our other goal of students engaging in the general election and making informed decisions on voting, in Trimester Two we are hosting election debates and panels where we have invited political candidates across the spectrum to appear. This is another valuable way for parties or candidates to engage with VUWSA and students, as we understand that not all parties will share our campaign goals.

Ngā mihi nui,

VUWSA Team

VUWSA Statement - $128 Million - 27/06/2023

We welcome the Government’s announcement of $128 million towards universities and review of the university funding model. Thank you, Minister Tinetti and Minister Robertson, for listening to the voices of students, staff and our Vice Chancellor, and for acknowledging that we need a more sustainable funding model.  

In response to this governmental support, we call for a moratorium on the current redundancies plan here at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington and other universities across the motu. We need time to pause, carefully reconsider and plan so that short-term decisions do not result in long-term consequences. We said it prior to today’s announcement, and we will continue to say it: Our people – educators, researchers, and support staff - are our best asset. They are essential to the lives and futures of students. 

This has been a collective campaign effort. Thank you to the VUW-TEU for their leadership and everyone who backed the #savingtertiary campaign in the last few weeks, with vocal support from across the world, including members of the New Zealand Order of Merit, former politicians, prominent members of the arts community, academics, students, staff, and ordinary New Zealanders.  

We started this campaign believing this could be a turning point in the history of tertiary education in Aotearoa. Less competition and more collaboration across universities, sustainable funding mechanisms and universities that are treated as a public good rather than businesses are an entirely possible future. This tertiary education review proves that to be true. We need the redundancy plans to be halted so we can engage in this process with our sector intact. We look forward to robust engagement during the review. 

This is only the beginning of a campaign to reform tertiary education to be a public good. We will stay persistent in the fight to save VUW and tertiary education.

VUWSA Statement - 25/5/2023

VUWSA are incredibly sad to hear about the proposed staff cuts at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington. These proposed cuts are the result of chronic government underfunding of tertiary education and damaging decisions made by previous University leadership. We have been assured that students will be able to finish their degrees. Additionally, decisions on what academic programmes and professional staffing will be cut have not been made yet, as they are still up for review.  

We understand that this is a difficult time for our staff and student community. We will be standing in solidarity alongside the Tertiary Education Union to fight for every job and programme, for the interlinked future of students, staff and universities. 

The bleeding out of the tertiary sector is not an inevitable fact, but a matter of political will. With enrolment drops across the motu and staff cuts happening at AUT, Otago University and now our own Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington, the heart of the problem lies in successive government underfunding of university education.  

This year’s 5% increase to tuition subsidies is touted as the largest increase in 20 years. This is not a victory but highlights the failure of this and previous governments to fund universities in line with inflation. Per student funding has been dropping in real terms for years—in the last decade, it has fallen 20% in real terms compared to increases in the Consumer Price Index. At the same time, costs have continued to rise. 

If the Minister of Education intends to make up for the severe underfunding of universities by increasing tuition costs to students, VUWSA will resolutely oppose this outrageous proposition. This is no solution, when student debt sits at over $16 billion and students are struggling to afford or continue with study now more than ever.  

Better financial support for students to enter and stay in tertiary education, and funding for universities to keep their staff and maintain their infrastructure are inextricably linked issues. The Vice-Chancellor has inherited a tragedy not of his making. Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington is being forced to make decisions that impact the lives and careers of staff, and the quality of education for students. If we continue down this path of inadequate cost-of-living support for students and underfunding of universities, Aotearoa will reap the detrimental consequences to our culture, society and economy for many decades.  

The government holds the fate of tertiary education in its hands. In the coming weeks, we will be fighting alongside the Tertiary Education Union to push as hard as we can. At 12pm on Friday June 2nd, we are having a student-led event in the Hub at Kelburn Campus in support of our staff and to call upon the government to properly fund universities. 

If you are a student in need of support, please contact advocate@vuwsa.org.nz; if you are a Tertiary Education Union member, please contact nicki.wilford@teu.ac.nz. 

VUWSA Statement 22/3/2023

VUWSA Statement 22/3/2023

VUWSA stands in solidarity with trans and gender diverse communities in opposing the anti-trans demonstrations led by Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull scheduled to take place in Wellington this coming weekend.

Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has a history of bigotry against the trans and gender diverse community, with her protests overseas attracting alt-right and Neo Nazi participants.

VUWSA is committed to making Wellington a safe space for all and believe that Kellie-Jay represents dangerous and hateful ideals that are not welcome in Aotearoa. We support free speech, but not hate speech.

VUWSA also stands in support with the Queer Endurance / Defiance counter-protest to be held on the 26th of March.

If any students need support during these protests or require assistance, please email our Advocacy team at advocate@vuwsa.org.nz or free text/call 1737 for support from trained counsellors.

VUWSA statement

On 26 August 2022, VUWSA released a statement referring to Dr Barbara McKenzie. The statement concerned the VUWSA Mayoral Candidates’ Debate and the decision to exclude Dr McKenzie from participating for several reasons. It has come to our attention the comments made in our statement may have been objectionable.

VUSWA continuously strives to ensure that Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington is a physically and emotionally safe and welcoming place for all communities, including those that are already marginalised. Often, those marginalised communities include racial/ethnic minorities and our rainbow community (specifically transsexual and transgender people in this instance). VUWSA will continue to advance that fundamentally important goal.

Occasionally, in our passion to champion inclusion and safety, we may use words/phrases that others find offensive. Here, Dr McKenzie has objected to our use of the terms; racist, transphobic, hate, extremist, bigot[ed], misinformation, disinformation and mal-information, and dangerous and harmful.

VUWSA acknowledges that Dr McKenzie is legally entitled to her own opinions and to share them (provided such sharing does not breach the Human Rights Act 1993). VUWSA does not, in any way, support or share the opinions espoused by Dr McKenzie. However, VUWSA apologises for any hurt Dr McKenzie has reported experiencing as a result of our 26 August 2022 communication.

Debt-Free Futures Open Letter

DEBT FREE FUTURE OPEN LETTER TO MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

To the Members of Parliament of Aotearoa New Zealand,
We, the elected representatives of students are asking you, the elected representatives of the people of Aotearoa New Zealand, to work together to create a Debt Free Future for all tertiary learners.

Our vision is for an Aotearoa New Zealand free of debt accrued by our tertiary students; where everyone has access to free tertiary education; where we resource all students to eliminate poverty within the community; and where we have eliminated the more than $16.3bn of debt accrued by students.

Our country has a rich history of free tertiary education, for 121 years until it was taken from us in 1990. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stated that “education is the greatest enabler in society”, and after lobbying from students and supporters across the motu, in 2017 we secured a promise of 3 years Fees Free; but in 2020 the Government broke its promise to extend the policy and took this opportunity, this right, from learners.

OUR ASK.

We want a free and accessible education system from end to end.

We accept that sustainable change can be incremental, and therefore ask that the following steps towards a Debt Free Future are immediately taken:

Implementation of the rest of the 3 years Fees Free. We would like to see this as an efts-based system to account for part time learners and those on limited full time study pathways.

Implement free Taught Postgraduate Degrees. Lincoln University instigated this initiative in 2020 and saw a significant increase in enrolments. We need to enable our workforce to be lifelong learners and supported to take opportunities to upskill and be flexible in the labour market. This would be a first step towards an end-to-end fees free tertiary education system.

Increase to the income repayment threshold. We need to let our learners keep more of their incomes before having to pay back their loans. This repayment is an additional 12% tax on any income above $20,000 per anum or if you earn over $385 per week. This holds back students from saving for their next semester of study. This holds back students from saving from a home deposit. This is a handbrake on our economy.

Implement the recommendations of the People’s Inquiry into Student Wellbeing, particularly a Universal Education Income. Students’ access to financial support should not depend on their parental income level, or how well that is hidden, or an age that the state determines they are no longer supported by their parents. Allowances should be universal and apply regardless of age or level of study.

WHY A DEBT FREE FUTURE?

Our situation

We believe that equal access to education is a public right. Māori and Pasifika learners take longer than Pākehā learners to pay off their loans. We expect that every person who wants to access tertiary education must be afforded this opportunity free from financial limitations.

Aotearoa New Zealand is entrapped in a cost-of-living crisis. We know that these crises affect our lowest income earners the most, and students certainly fit into this group. Students are also almost entirely dependent on the state for their incomes. The state therefore has a responsibility to ensure our students are afforded the support to live and study rather than spend their time looking for work to afford their rent.

The $16.3 billion of debt accrued by learners is a handbrake on our country’s economic future and this has only existed since 1990. At 30,000 debt per learner, repayment is charged at an extra tax 12% rate that our learners are burdened with despite education being regarded as an important investment in society and a necessary tool for securing our future.

Being a world leader?

Internationally there has been a move to acknowledging the importance of free education. Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and France have free, or nominal fees for students studying across the education levels. The USA debt forgiveness programme of $10,000 has been rolled out to debtors who earn less than $125,000 (ish) per year. This was to take off immediate financial burdens reflecting the cost-of living crisis in the USA.

Kind regards and ngā mihi nui,

Debt Free Future Aotearoa

Contact:

Sam Blackmore, vp@students.org.nz

Ralph Zambrano, president@vuwsa.org.nz

List of signatories (alphabetical):

• Albany Students’ Association

• Auckland University of Technology Students’ Association

• Auckland University Students’ Association

• Disabled Students’ Association, Victoria University of Wellington

• Lincoln University Students’ Association

• Ngā Rangahautira, Māori Law Students’ Association, Victoria University of Wellington

• Ngāi Tauira, Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, Maōri Students’

Association

• National Disabled Students’ Association

• Massey at Wellington Students’ Association

• Massey University Students’ Association

• Massey University Pasifika Students’ Association

• New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations

• Otago University Students’ Association

• Pasifika Students’ Council, Victoria University of Wellington

• Postgraduate Students’ Association of Victoria University of Wellington

• Student Association of Nelson-Marlborough Institute of Technology Incorporated

• Student Association of WINTEC

• STUDiO, Victoria University of Wellington

• University of Canterbury Students’ Association

• Tauira Pasifika

• Te Mana Ākonga

• Thursdays in Black Aotearoa

• UniQ Victoria

• Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association

• Victoria University of Wellington Asian Law Students’ Association

• Victoria University of Wellington International Students’ Association

• Younited Students’ Association

Open Letter Regarding Universal Access to Lecture Recordings

To the Acting Vice-Chancellor Jennifer Windsor, Vice-Provost Academic Stuart Brock and the Provost Wendy Larner of Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.

We are writing to call on you to guarantee universal access to lecture recordings for 2023 and beyond – all lectures should be recorded, available online for the entire course, to all its students. Our petition that has over 2000 signatories demonstrates a mandate for this.

VUWSA - Te Aka Tauira, the Students’ Assembly and Student Academic Committee advocate for and represent the 22,000 students studying at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington.

During the last two and half years, the University has emphasised universal access to lecture recordings as a part of the dual delivery mandate. However, some faculties, schools and courses have moved towards diminished lecture recording access. Hardship thresholds to access recordings are loaded with stigma, so students often choose not to disclose their struggles. Recordings being available for a limited time or with a delayed upload unfairly punish students who cannot attend live lectures, and are inconsistent with course structures that have week 12 assessments which require revision of all content.

Our asks

1. A policy commitment from Tri 1 2023 onwards: Universal access to lecture recordings - that all lectures are recorded and made available for the whole length of a course. The University must also make other necessary policy changes to accommodate this.

2. An initiative to seriously invest in resource and support for staff to develop high-quality online and blended learning to engage all students and ensure student success.

3. A requirement that courses build-in direct links to studyhub resources that support students’ online learning and study skills.

4. An urgent meeting with the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Provost and Vice Provost Academic to discuss all of the above.

READ THE FULL OPEN LETTER HERE.

Petition to Guarantee Students Universal Access to Lecture Recordings

VUWSA, the Students’ Assembly, Student Academic Committee and the National Disabled Students Association are asking Te Herenga Waka to guarantee in university policy from Tri One 2023 onwards: Universal access to lecture recordings - all lectures should be recorded, available online for the entire course, to all its students.  We will have an open letter on the VUWSA website soon with more details.

As students, we know that universal access to lecture recordings enables an accessible, future-focused education for all tauira. The University has a responsibility under the Pastoral Care Code to meet the needs of diverse learners. Barring students’ access to lecture recordings undermines their agency to choose how they engage with their education, forcing engagement in-person.   

As our University moves into a post-Pandemic era without a dual delivery mandate, universal access to lecture recordings is not guaranteed. We’ve seen movement at faculty, school and individual course levels that diminishes access to recordings. Hardship thresholds to access recordings, delaying upload of recordings, recordings being available for a limited amount of time are examples.

We know that the University is concerned about dwindling live lecture attendance and participation as an engagement issue. But barriers to accessing recordings will only disproportionately disadvantage the academic success of our marginalised students. Students who can regularly show up to their lectures in-person, over attending to employment or other commitments, tend to be the ones who are privileged enough to do so.

The University needs to acknowledge and respect that modern students aren’t just students anymore. We have multifaceted identities, experiences and obligations that mean we can’t attend every single live lecture. Many students would not be able to enrol, nor complete their degrees without lecture recordings.

In 2022, looking into a post-Pandemic era of learning and teaching, the University must move beyond this binary, fearful assumption of the availability of recordings equating a lack of in-person lecture attendance. In 2019, VUWSA’s Check the Rec campaign demonstrated that over 97% of THW-VUW students felt recordings made university studies more accessible and manageable. Students pay significant fees to study at Te Herenga Waka because they deserve inclusive, modern and high-quality learning and teaching practice which includes a variety of learning options, and cannot exclude lecture recordings. 

Universal access to lecture recordings is a cornerstone of accessible education. 

Sign our petition now, and share it with your mates.

Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association - Te Aka Tauira

30 September 2022

After months of hard work, last night at the Ngāi Tauira AGM, a resolution was passed to formally gift VUWSA a new Te Reo Māori Name – Te Aka Tauira.

The tikanga of ‘Te Aka Tauira’ represents VUWSA as the strong vine which binds tauira with the different facets of student life and the student experience at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington. ‘Aka’ refers to the parent vine that Tāwhaki used to climb up to the heavens.

In partnership with Ngāi Tauira, this name was developed and proposed by our tauira Māori through a series of wānanga, workshops and consultation with the Ngāi Tauira membership.

To recognise the gifting of this taonga, the VUWSA President exchanged taonga, on behalf of the Association, with the Ngāi Tauira Tumuaki takirua, the Komiti Whakahaere, and tauira Māori. While VUWSA has more to do to properly uphold Te Tiriti and work in genuine partnership with Ngāi Tauira and tauira Māori, the exchanging of this taonga strengthens our partnership and further embed accountability. With the gifting of a new name comes the responsibility of understanding, upholding and respecting the mana and tikanga which surrounds it - and it will be on VUWSA, with the authority of the Tumuaki Tuarua, to ensure this is done, today and in the future. 

VUWSA will now begin the process to transition to the use of Te Aka Tauira and official launch will take place during O-Week 2023.

Nga mihi nui Ngāi Tauira and tauira Māori. Kia kaha Te Aka Tauira.

VUWSA Statement on Budget 2022 - 19 May 2022

Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) would like to state that the 2022 Budget has continued to condemn our national student body to poverty and debt by maintaining the status quo.

Extending half-price public transport for two months past June fails to address the systematic underlying issues that have caused the current cost of living crisis. While we do acknowledge the permanent half-price discount on public transport for Community Service Card holders will positively affect students, this is only a step in the right direction and does not go far enough. VUWSA reiterates that making public transport free is the only actual solution to end transport poverty that students and lower income earners experience.

Similarly, the $350 payment for those earning less than $70,000 will provide a benefit, albeit short, to students and is the first time in a long time that people on moderate incomes will receive payment from the Government. However, it is unclear if it excludes those who are receiving student allowance as this payment is excluded for those receiving other benefits. Clarity must be provided around the eligibility for this payment and which students are able to access it. Regardless, it is a band-aid solution that does not truly address the issues that have contributed to the rise in living costs. 

Tangible improvements to Studylink support are necessary to counter the cost of living crisis. In the past, VUWSA, alongside other national Student Unions, have called upon the Government to create a universal basic income, available to all those who study; alongside mitigations for issues with housing quantity and quality - problems that disproportionately impact students. Within Budget 2022 there is also no additional support for the tertiary sector, one of the industries hit hardest by COVID-19. 

The above issues are visibly missing from Budget 2022, and we implore the Government to put students closer to the forefront of their thinking when considering budget and policy in the future. 

Joint Pānui on the Te Herenga Waka Vaccine Mandate Review

To Acting Vice Chancellor Jennifer Windsor, COVID-19 Incident Controller Leon Bakker, and Director Student Experience and Wellbeing Kirsty McClure.  

Mabuhay and tēnā koutou Acting Vice Chancellor Jennifer Windsor, COVID-19 Incident Controller Leon Bakker, and Director Student Experience and Wellbeing Kirsty McClure.   

We, the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) and Ngāi Tauira – Victoria University Māori Students’ Association write to you today to express our position that we do not support the University’s proposal to discontinue the COVID-19 vaccine mandate from Monday April 4. 

There are significant lapses in the risk assessment and there has not been proper due diligence given for the university community to engage with the survey and effectively provide feedback on a decision which will critically impact the health and wellbeing of our tauira. Two days of consultation with the wider University body is not acceptable nor appropriate. 

Despite the Government’s announcement, we should not rush to remove our University’s vaccine mandate and undo the efforts to keep our community, particularly our most vulnerable tauira, safe.  

It is concerning the risk assessment presented ignores and does not outline the risk and impact the discontinuation of the mandate will have on three critical areas: 

• Vulnerable communities, particularly Māori and immunocompromised tauira. 

• The likelihood and implications of long COVID within our community. 

• The delivery of learning and teaching, particularly the impact on teaching staff and the continuation of dual delivery. 

We are further concerned that the risk assessment significantly relies on and refers to policy, rather than the advice of experts - namely epidemiologists. The University must address these concerns in a revised risk assessment and extend the survey timeline.  

Currently, Māori make up 19% of COVID-19 deaths, despite making up on 16% of the population. The fact that the risk report fails to consider the impact rolling back the mandates could have on Māori is a massive oversight, particularly when it is the same people who often have the most issues when it comes to studying remotely, which is the current suggestion for those wary of entering non-mandated spaces. Engaging properly with Māori health experts will be crucial to effectively assess the risks and proper support mechanisms for when the mandates are rolled back.  

As such, more time needs to be given and more work needs to be done before we can begin rolling back protection measures which are critical right now. We recognize the impact the vaccine mandate has made on tauira who could not access crucial resources to engage with their education and believe there must be greater efforts and consideration by the University to support them and their participation.   

VUWSA and Ngāi Tauira recommend that the University maintains the vaccine mandate, at the very least, until the end of the Trimester One mid-trimester break and encourage the review on removing the mandate to be revisited at such point, with a revised risk assessment which includes the missed considerations, a longer submission period, and advice from experts (epidemiologists). 

While this statement reflects view of the VUWSA Executive and the Ngāi Tauira komiti, we acknowledge other student representative groups do have concerns on the continuation of the mandate and encourage the University to consider their points in coming to a decision that it is in the best interests of all tauira at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington. 

Maraming Salamat | Mā te wā 

The Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association 

Ngāi Tauira – Victoria University Māori Students’ Association 

Statement on Pipitea Campus Reopening

Today our Pipitea Campus reopens for students, staff, and the public.

For the first time since the arrival and occupation of the Freedom Convoy, thousands in our university community will be able to access the campus, facilities, and resources which they have been barred from.

While the events that unfolded on our campus premises do not represent or reflect our values and our community, the collective efforts to support students, staff, and the public do.

We are forever thankful for everyone who played a part in helping us get our campus back.

To the over 30,000 individuals who signed our petition and supported our calls, thank you.

To those in the university who helped us provide transportation, academic, and other necessary support to students, thank you.

And to authorities who worked tirelessly, peacefully, and carefully to make our campus a safe space for our community again, thank you.

Today, we reflect, celebrate, and welcome our community back to campus.

Open Letter to the Acting Vice-Chancellor on Trimester One Course Fees

9 March 2022 

To the Acting Vice Chancellor of Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington. 

Mabuhay Acting Vice Chancellor Jennifer Windsor, 

We, the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association and The Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Assembly write to you today on behalf of the 22,000 students in our university community. Together, we call for financial recourse for Trimester One course fees. 

The closure of Pipitea Campus and the unprecedented outbreak of Omicron within our community and around the country has caused disruption to learning and teaching on a scale we have never seen before.  

Since the beginning of the Trimester, thousands of students have had to manage the unfortunate reality of doing classes either online, in isolation, or in makeshift study spaces. Because of this move, we have seen the exacerbation of equity and accessibility issues. It is unfortunate and disheartening to see our students being barred from their education.  

We have been told of situations where household conditions and environments are incompatible with studying and devices or internet connections are not suitable for downloading readings, completing assignments, and watching hours of lectures. It furthers the disproportionate difficulties experienced by marginalised communities, where accessibility issues out of their control inhibit their ability to engage. 

With the need for student support at a critical high, there is greater importance and urgency for the University to not just do what is pragmatic but what is right for students. If students are unable to access the campus, the facilities, the resources, and the education for which they are currently paying top dollar, we believe they deserve and have a right to get their money back. Students are paying full price for an academic experience which they are not getting in full.  

Given the position of privilege and power, we call on you with urgency as our Acting Vice Chancellor to do what is right for students, use your discretion, and agree to our ask below: 

We ask the University to provide all students a six-week refund or rebate for Trimester One courses. 

The impact of a refund or rebate, though seemingly small to the University, will create a massive difference for our tauira. We believe the university is in a position where it can accommodate a return in course fees. An empathetic and compassionate approach to student struggles during this unprecedented time is how Te Herenga Waka will stand out as a world-leading capital city university. We believe our ask is in the best interests of students and the University and recognises the difficulties students are currently facing with their finances, academics, welfare, and engagement. 

This is not just about money but the quality of education and the welfare and wellbeing of students. Please listen to our call and do it right by us. 

Maraming salamat | Mā te wā,  

The Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association and the Te Herenga Waka Students’ Assembly. 

Open Letter on the Occupation and Closure of Pipitea Campus

22 February 2022.

To the Minister of Education, the Police Commissioner, the Mayor of Wellington, and the Vice Chancellor of Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. Kia ora and Mabuhay Minister Chris Hipkins, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, Mayor Andy Foster, and Vice Chancellor Grant Guilford.

We, the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) advocate for and represent the 22,000 students of Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington. We are responsible for standing up and speaking out for the rights of our students as they live and pursue their education. Since the arrival of the Freedom Convoy on February 8, they have spilled from Parliament Grounds across onto Bunny St, Molesworth St, the Lambton Interchange and Old Government Buildings.

Their occupation of Pipitea Campus has caused significant disruption and obstruction, making it impossible for students and staff to access campus and utilise campus facilities currently, and especially so when classes resume on February 28. While VUWSA are firm advocates of the right to protest peacefully and believe in the importance of organising and speaking out, our students have a right to safely access their campus and education. Thousands of students, paying thousands of dollars in fees, are now being forced to learn online, are unable to access critical academic, health, and community services, and have been subject to harassment, intimidation, and threats of harm.

In 5 days, our petition has received over 27,000 signatures and continues to grow. We believe more should have been done to avoid the occupation of Pipitea Campus and more needs to be done now to support our community and secure our campus again. We have a clear mandate.

We call on you to act and respond to our three asks below.

1. We urgently request a hui with you to discuss and develop a clear action plan to safely reopen Pipitea Campus. We invite you to lay out a plan of action with VUWSA, mana whenua, and other student leaders for peacefully relocating the Freedom Convoy protesters from their occupation of Bunny Street and Old Government Buildings. This plan should outline when and how Pipitea campus can safely reopen. We want a proactive effort, not a game of wait and see.

2. We ask for the creation of an accessible transport response network to Kelburn Campus to support and reconnect students impacted by the disruption of critical bus services. The journey from the Bus Interchange and the Wellington Railway Station to Kelburn Campus is currently unsafe and inaccessible, which will prevent many from attending classes that have been relocated. We want to see the provision of additional modes of accessible transport to Kelburn Campus - such as shuttles - made available to students until the occupation ends.

3. We urge the University to open pathways for course refunds or rebates and to increase the accessibility and availability of technological, resource, and financial support to impacted students. We ask for the withdrawal period to be extended further than two weeks and for students to be eligible to apply for a course refund or a rebate. We also call for an increase in support to recognise the inequities of online learning and the barriers students will now face as they navigate online classes and assignments.

A lack of preparation and proactive response has been to the detriment of our students. Many now face uncertainty and dissatisfaction as to the lack of consideration and support they have been offered as the 2022 academic year begins. We are asking for you to do right by us.

The privilege and power sit in your hands. We recognize the complexities and difficulties of the situation; however, inaction will further harm, disadvantage, and impair the lives of everyone in our community.

For the wellbeing and livelihood of our students, staff, and our city, please take this opportunity to act on our call and give us our campus back.

Maraming salamat | Mā te wā, Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association.

Give VUW Students Their Campus Back Petition

18 Feb 2022

The Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) urgently call upon the Government, Police, Wellington City Council and the University to work together to relocate the protestors from Pipitea Campus grounds and free up critical bus routes, including the 22, before the start of Trimester 1 on Monday February 28, 2022.

A petition started by VUWSA on February 17, 2022 in support of this cause has garnered over 2500 signatures in twelve hours.

It is clear that students, staff and the Wellington community want control of our campus back. While VUWSA are firm advocates of the right to protest peacefully and believe in the importance of organising and speaking out - our students have a right to safely access their campus and education.

There is no place for the harassment and intimidation which have been directed at students, staff, and the public - this is not peaceful protesting. During a time of such COVID-19 crisis it is important that our university community can utilise our facilities and the bus routes in this city safely. We want to see action now. Not complacency.

The petition can be viewed and signed here.

VUWSA Statement on Freedom Convoy Protest

VUWSA STATEMENT ON FREEDOM CONVOY PROTEST

14 Feb 2022

VUWSA are firm advocates of the right to protest and believe in the importance of organizing and speaking out, but we stand against the Freedom Convoy and their occupation of Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington grounds.

We do not support their kaupapa and their way of protesting. Their actions have gone beyond peaceful protest. Since the arrival of the Convoy on February 8th, the Convoy has spilled from Parliament grounds across onto Bunny St, Molesworth St, the Lambton Bus Terminal and the Old Government Building lawns, forcing the closure of the university’s Pipitea campus for safety reasons, alongside the disruption of bus services to other campuses. There have also been notable incidences of harassment and vandalism towards those who live and work in the area.

There is no place for intimidation and harassment which puts the safety and wellbeing of the public, students and staff at risk. Our university community has a right to access campus - our place of work and study - safely. In uncertain times like these, we should be standing together to protect our community; not against.

We believe the situation could and should have been handled better by the University, Wellington City Council, and law enforcement. Out of safety and caution, students and staff are now being directed to stay home. It should not have reached the point where the protest has overflowed from Parliament grounds to directly impact campus premises, and the safety and wellbeing of our community has been put at risk. VUWSA calls for the University, Wellington City Council and law enforcement to take action against the dangerous and unwelcome gridlock of campus thoroughfare and occupation of university premises.