WILL IRVINE (HE/HIM)
The minority of students who follow the VUWSA electoral race each year may have noticed a particularly uneventful campaign trail in 2024. There was no real animosity between candidates, and many positions—including that of the President—went completely uncontested. Whether or not you’re entirely happy with the new duly-elected VUWSA executive, it’s hard not to wonder what it’d be like if more students took to the campaign trail. In the spirit of democracy, Salient spoke to three candidates in the race.
Liban Ali ran uncontested for President. While he campaigned nevertheless, using glossy posters, banners in the Hub, and online digital content, Liban told Salient that the absence of a real opponent seriously altered the nature of his campaign. Appearing solo at the VUWSA debate, he felt that he had to “overstate what [he] wanted to do. Basically just a really really good elevator pitch”.
Ethan Rogacion, who ran for Education Officer, was one of few to face a contested election. Despite this, he relied on the tried-and-true methods of postering and word-of-mouth. It seemed to work in his favour. When people had approached him about his campaign, “the conversations have been really productive… I’m trying to learn where the gaps are.” Rogacion also engaged in consultation with a number of student representative groups, including VUWLSS and Nga Tauira. While an unconventional campaign method, Rogacion said the conversations were “very insightful”.
So why even run? For Ali, who has been a VUWSA executive member for two years now, it was about representation. “I want to set a foundation for students to feel more empowered to come into VUWSA spaces. VUWSA has gotten a lot more diverse… it’s great to see new voices coming into that space”. As an immigrant himself, Ali felt that diversity at the top was crucial to ensuring representation at the student level. “I’m really grateful to my parents for even giving me the opportunity to see University.”
For Rogacion, who is a first-time VUWSA executive member, running for office was a response to things he found lacking throughout the university. A current Salient writer, Rogacion was inspired to run when he saw the University’s lack of transparency when it came to international students.
When he first campaigned, in 2022, Ali described “serious impostor syndrome”.This time around, though, he felt much more supported. “I took the time over the mid-tri break to sit down with my family and plan it out… When people within the exec were having that conversation, a lot of people were really encouraging about me going for it”. Rogacion, too, said he felt supported by his friends, who made and distributed pro-Ethan posters with the dolphin meme on it.
Rogacion’s contested race meant that he had to compete with the message of Ben Young, a candidate he described as “a great guy, and very intelligent”. Ethan tried to differentiate himself on the basis of how clearly he could convey a policy message to students. “Your average student doesn’t read VUWSA policy briefs.” When Salient spoke to Young, he described his message as about “demanding the very best from the University, from Wellington, and ourselves”. Both candidates showed one another a tremendous amount of respect, with Young calling Rogacion “a brilliant guy. I would be happy to have him as my Academic VP”.
For Young, “deciding to run was a last minute decision. Win or lose, I thought the campaign would be a great experience. And it has been!” Rogacion echoed those comments, describing the campaign as “really enjoyable”. Finally, for the newly-elected President, the campaign was enlightening. Ali’s highlight was simple: “Getting to speak to students on campus, getting an understanding of what normal students want from VUWSA”.
Results:
(1115 votes cast)
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