Massey fights against bill

Massey University's student union is joining the fight against a Parliament bill that could spell an end to student associations.

Along with other student unions around the country, the Massey University Student Association (MUSA) said membership to student associations should remain compulsory.

The move comes as a Private Members Bill is pushed forward in Parliament by ACT MP Sir Roger Douglas, calling for student association membership to become voluntary.

The bill, initially worded by ACT MP Heather Roy in 2007, has been put back into the spotlight with the change of Government and recent shake-ups in the tertiary sector.

Student leaders say the bill could be the end for student associations, silencing the student voice in New Zealand and impacting on students' wellbeing.

At the moment, every enrolling student must pay a fee to their association apart from Auckland University, where it is voluntary.

Yesterday, Sir Roger said student associations should not be able to charge everyone for services they did not want or need.

"Students only have the capacity to voice their concerns over student representation once a year and typically few of them bother to do so. "This is often due to the poor management of elections or the limited capacity to change the nature of the organisations, which are often dominated by special interests."

Students should be free to associate with any groups, he said. But Massey University student president Matt Poucher said the student's union was invaluable.

It paid for student representation on more than 40 university councils, helped with legal and tenancy issues, events like orientation week, subsidised gym fees, as well as student newspaper Chaff and Radio Control, he said. If membership became voluntary, all that would have to go. "We would have to cut pretty much all of our services we can't afford to offer events anymore if we don't have [membership fees], we couldn't afford the recreation centre funding."

The New Zealand Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA) president Sophia King said making unions voluntary would make it difficult for students to speak out, both locally and nationally. "Students have been quite critical of the Government, and to undermine their association is basically silencing their voice."

- © Fairfax NZ News