What will it cost me?

A short summary of what is provided by Students’ Associations in New Zealand

• Welfare
• Advocacy
• Representation
• Recreation & Leisure
• Publications and Media
Entertainment & Social 

Introduction

Students’ associations in New Zealand at both Universities and Institutes of Technology & Polytechnics provide a wide range of services and representation that are an essential part of the tertiary education experience. These include welfare and advocacy services, representation on a plethora of institution committees, recreation & leisure facilities, student publications, and a wide range of entertainment and social activities.

Due to space restraints we have included a very brief overview of what is most commonly provided by students’ associations for your information. We note that a full summary of service provision would run to considerably more pages than would be helpful. In light of this we would be more than happy to provide further information and answer any related questions should you require a more in depth picture of what is put at risk by this Bill.

Welfare & Advocacy

Welfare and advocacy services are an important part of what students’ associations provide. Many associations provide direct welfare assistance in the form of welfare grant schemes, food banks, as well as support liaising with agencies such as StudyLink and Work & Income should a student require assistance accessing their entitlements, or are in need of emergency assistance.

Further to this - associations provide free, independent advocacy services for students on internal institutional matters (such as harassment cases, enrolment issues, accusations of plagiarism, etc) as well as external matters that impact on student welfare (tenancy advice, International student support, Student Job Search services, health/counselling referrals, etc).

Associations also provide a wide range of other welfare and advocacy services like ‘Campus Angels’ (ensuring students get home safe at night during study periods), production and distribution of welfare and education related publications (such as international student guides, and health and safety information etc), subsidised Influenza shots, and subsidized bus travel for students needing to travel to between two campuses.

Representation

Student Associations also play a representative role and provide student representation on a range of committees throughout tertiary institutions. Students’ Associations facilitate the appointment, training, and support of student representatives on Institution Committees and through this ensure that reps feel competent and supported in their role. This enables students to have an informed say regarding the development of courses and qualifications, institution regulations, disciplinary matters, and also the wider educational and social context of their place of study.

Further to this, associations maintain their own representative structures independent to that of an Institution in order to provide independent feedback to Institutions on the needs and requirements of the student body. Examples of these include running ‘class rep’ systems that allow one or more students in a particular course to be the point of contact for other students should an academic issue arise, Post-Grad Student Committees, Law Students’ Societies, Medical Students’ Societies, International Students’ Councils, Pasifika Students’ Councils, Students’ with disabilities committees, as well as financial and administrative support for Maori Roopu on campus.

Students’ Associations also represent their students at a national level through organisations such as Student Job Search to ensure students can find and access employment, and University Sport New Zealand which for over fifty years has facilitated cross campus sports activities for athletes undertaking tertiary study.

Recreation and leisure

Student Associations often provide the recreational and leisure facilities on campus for students, often either free, or at a substantially reduced rate. Student Associations also coordinate clubs on campus – social, cultural and sporting clubs. These services offer a sense of community for students studying on campus and add greatly to the student life and campus experiences that many students value.

By way of example – Students’ Associations like the Victoria University Wellington Student Association support over 80 affiliated sports and cultural clubs, and coordinates teams to attend important annual events, such as University and Snow Games, and the Australs Debating Tournaments.

Many associations also provide Gym & Leisure facilities at a subsidised rate, student cafes/ bars that represent a safe environment for students to socialise within, and also provides spaces for the wide range of sporting and cultural clubs to meet and host events.

Entertainment and Social

Students’ Associations provide a large chunk of the entertainment and social side of campus, often through orientation activities and graduation functions. These events have often become institutionalised traditions and make up a huge aspect of campus and student life. As research has shown, the first six weeks of a first year student are the most crucial in relation to student retention. Events such as orientation are thus crucial aspects of the tertiary education experience and serve to induct many students into the campus community and onto educational success.

The social side of campus life is a crucial part of the tertiary education experience, and the role students’ associations play in making campus life exciting, fun, and vibrant is immeasurable.

Media and Publications

Student Associations also publish a variety of media that inform, entertain, and most importantly foster debate and critical thinking that informally enhances formal academic study.

Student magazines, for example, go along way in creating a sense of community on campus. Some publications such as Critic, Craccum, or Salienthave existed for close to a century and are part of the traditions of our public universities. Publications such as these provide opportunities for debate on campus issues, avenues for reaching and communicating to students and act as the critical watchdog of student associations. Student associations also provide wall planners and handbook diaries with information about campus life.