Students nationwide urge ‘National to be Rational
Students around the country are today urging National to be ‘rational’ and stop supporting ACT’s Bill to end universal
membership of student’s associations. Rallies were scheduled to coincide with an originally scheduled Member’s Day in
Parliament when the Bill was due to be debated further. “Students' associations are vital community institutions, and
are important in ensuring a fair deal for students, quality teaching, and a great student experience. ACT’s Bill is set
to undermine and devastate everything good that these institutions do. The Bill will remove the right of students to
ensure that there is a mandated student representative organization on their campus,” says NZUSA co-President Max Hardy.
National should look at ways to strengthen associations and their work, but instead National is supporting an ACT Party
Bill that will do the opposite,” says Hardy.
“Students care about the quality of their education, the services they receive, and the independent representation they
need and deserve. If passed, this Bill will wreck services for students on campus, take the heart out of student life,
undermine an independent representative voice, and downgrade the quality of New Zealand’s tertiary education system,”
says NZUSA co-President David Do. Today’s events [1] will follow various rallies around the country [2]
Hundreds of students protested Nationals continuing support of the Bill when the Prime Minister visited Otago University
on the 5th Hundreds of students rallied at Lincoln University against the Bill on the 11th, and students at Auckland
University protested the Prime Minister there.
Students also rallied outside the National party conference in Wellington this past Saturday “National still has an
opportunity to put forward a reasonable and more enduring alternative to ACT's extreme Bill, so that freedom of
association is ensured and associations can continue the valuable services and representation they provide for students
everyday,” says Do.
“Students are urging National to listen to the 98% of submissions opposing the Bill and put forward a better alternative
to ACT’s Bill. Lets work together on what students want, not what ACT wants,” concludes Do.
ends