Top 10 Misrepresentations By Students' Associations
"ACT on Campus congratulates the ACT, National and United Future parties in supporting the first reading of the
Education (Freedom of Associaton) Amendment Bill.
"Students don't speak with only one voice, as student associations claim, in fact students have varying views on all
issues, just as the rest of New Zealand does. Forcing students to join an association that claims to represent them only
leads to them being misrepresented", says ACT on Campus Vice President, Peter McCaffrey.
"Therefore, ACT on Campus presents the Top 10 misrepresentations by student associations in the last few years:
10. NZUSA endorsement of Labour in 2008, despite more students voting National than Labour.
9. Student associations claim students oppose Free Trade, depsite it being supported by all parties in Parliament,
except the Greens.
8. AUSA calling Labour's 2008 budget a "bad joke."
7. NZUSA opposing the increases in Tertiary Education funding in National's 2009 budget.
6. Student association opposition to university service fee rises, while simultaneously increasing their own fees by 20%
or more.
5. Offering a $10,000 reward for the citizens' arrest of Condoleezza Rice.
4. NZUSA funding and endorsement of the Alliance party in the 2002 general election campaign. The Alliance gained fewer
than 26,000 votes, despite this 'endorsement' by over 250,000 students.
3. Refusal by VUWSA to lay a wreath at the 2009 ANZAC Day ceremony, because 'students didn't support it'.
2. Burning of the New Zealand flag by the 2008 VUWSA president during a VUWSA meeting.
1. NZUSA opposition to the Education (Freedom of Associaton) Amendment Bill and using compulsorily aquired fees to fund
campaign material to oppose the bill.
All students' voices deserve to be heard, and voluntary membership of student associations will prevent student
associations from speaking on behalf of students who choose not to join, said "Peter McCaffrey".
ENDS