‘Student City’ Gets Political

29 July 2005

‘Student City’ Gets Political

The Association of Students @ UCOL (AS@U) has lured a good line up of politicians to represent their respective parties for ‘Talk Tertiary’ – a political event which is part of the semester 2 AS@U ReO’Week event program.

Steve Maharey (Labour), Bill English (National), Richard Orzeaki (Maori), Deborah Coddington (ACT), Lawrence O’Halloran (Greens) and Bernie Ogilvy (United Future) will participate in the debate-styled event as they look to position themselves and their parties in the lead up to the September 17 general elections.

Talk Tertiary is an event which aims to address emerging tertiary student issues and increase political awareness amongst Palmerston North’s student body in the hope that more students will make the effort to vote in 2005.

AS@U and MUSA (Massey University Students’ Association) are running the event. Parliamentary candidates will be given the chance to explain their party’s tertiary education policy.

Questions from the Palmerston North student body will also be fired at the politicians throughout the event. AS@U President, Kyle Pohe, is intrigued to hear what New Zealand’s political personalities have to say in response to the issues that are raised. “We (the students) will determine how New Zealand will prosper in the future and we aim to get our messages across to them. What they have to say in response to these issues could be a determining factor on election day.”

MUSA President, Iain Galloway expects the politicians to be tested by the variety of questions they will be confronted with. “Students are an informed group of people, but you can’t put a blanket over opinions they will express. No political party could say they have secured the student vote,” he said.

Talk Tertiary takes place on Thursday August 4th from 11.30am - 1.00pm in the UCOL Atrium, Princess Street. Some free food will be provided for all who make an effort to have their say.

ENDS

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