DARCY LAWREY (HE/HIM)
As you may not have heard, VUWSA held its election debate on Wednesday in the Hunter Lounge. A modest number of students turned out to hear what the prospective candidates had to say, with renters rights, AI, and uni clubs highlighted as key themes.
Here’s a run-down of your candidates for 2025.
Standing for Engagement VP are Aiden Donoghue and Ethan Reille. Donoghue commentated on the low turnout seen at the Hunter Lounge. He credited this to the fact that “people don’t feel comfortable being in the space” that VUWSA holds. one group’s reasons for leaving the debate: “boring” and “no beer”.
A curve-ball question to the Engagement VP’s was how they would make conservative students feel heard at Te Herenga Waka. Donoghue was unphased, saying “conservative people are just like us.”
Reille said he “won’t be a dick” when it comes to conservative students. He also said he wants Ngai Tauira, the Māori students association, to have the same, if not more, resourcing than VUWSA.
Josh Robinson, who is running uncontested for Welfare Vice President, highlighted his focus on renter’s rights. Robinson, described his experience with black mold, and declared “a vote for me is a vote to get shit done”.
Liban Ali is standing for President and faces the tough opponent of “no confidence” on the ballot. One of the sticking points in the presidential candidacy is the potential for an all male VUWSA exec for next year.
When approached by adjudicator Jessica Ye, VUWSA President in 2023, he stated that he would spend time actively listening to different perspectives from individuals external to the VUWSA exec. He noted that he would reach out to student groups focusing on women and gender minorities. When further pushed for concrete examples, Liban went to use the “women's collective” as an example, before quickly correcting himself that they were no longer operating as a club, and mentioning the “feminist law society” instead.
Candidates Ben Young, Rangimarie Mckay-Maxwell, and Aspen Jackman all made noise about the cost of transport to get students to university. However, all three of these candidates failed to state concrete steps which they would take to lower the cost of transport for students.
Likewise, Equity Vice President candidates Mckay-Maxwell and Jackman both struggled when asked what their biggest priorities for students would be when the Local Body Elections came up in 2025.
On top of both of them settling with transport as a priority, Jackman stated that she wanted to further the council's plan to “reduce rent through zoning changes.” Closer to home, she wanted to improve accessibility to bathrooms on campus, noting that “doors are weird”, and proposed introducing warnings for loud or flashing content in lectures.
She also said she plans on “upholding Te Triti and all of that”.
Mckay-Maxwell, when asked about tangible steps towards making the university more inclusive suggested equitable grading, saying “one thing about equity is not everyone has it equal”.
Standing for Academic Vice President are Ben Young and Ethan Rogacion. Young highlighted a need for clear AI use guidelines at the university, with Young suggesting that AI should be “integrated into degrees”. When asked about the environmental and ethical issues presented in AI, he said that these issues should be dealt with on a “case-by-case” basis across faculties.
Young also proposed incorporating printing and software costs into student services fees, but was unsure how he would deal with a push back against increased fees.
Rogacion presented a four point plan which included increasing student representation on faculty boards, improving the relationship between VUWSA and Ngāi Tauira, fostering a collaboration between faculty rep groups, and improving training for class reps, which he called “outdated”.
Sole candidate for Education Officer, Aría Lal, like Young, recognises the importance of AI and the need for clearer guidelines on its use at VUW, and acknowledged the environmental impact of generative AI. She also proposed requiring closed captions on all recorded lectures.
Three candidates are standing for the role of Treasurer, William Bui, Vipul Patel, and Sanjukta Dey. Reminiscent of National’s election campaign, Bui wants to focus on fixing the budget deficit VUWSA has found itself in, but he recognised the importance of maintaining essential services. When asked how he plans on maintaining services while cutting costs, he suggested consulting with student rep groups. On the other hand, Patel wants to advocate for more funding from the university by showcasing the benefits of VUWSA.
Standing for Clubs and Activities Officer are Hawwa Niyaz, Avi Barpande, and George Baker. When asked how she plans on meeting with all 160 clubs at the university, Niyaz says she “doesn’t have a plan per se” but is “going to try”. Barpande wasn’t to be found at the debate but he says he is “ambitious” about making 2025 a great year and plans on supporting the Women’s Fest and Pride Week. Baker put forward his ideas of a Clubs newsletter and Instagram to bring awareness to the clubs on offer at VUW, and says that there is room for improving the clubs system with better communication.
Hugh Acton is the sole candidate for Sustainability Officer, and he’s keen on starting a community garden on campus, as well as improving composting at the university. When faced with the challenge that compost can be stinky by moderator Ye, Acton was sure he could find a solution. He also proposed a campaign to get VUW divested from fossil fuels, which the university failed to go through with in 2014.
Finally, standing for Postgraduate Officer are Craig Stansfield and Aishwarya Vyas. Only Stansfield made it to the event, who told a crowd severely lacking in post-grad students that he wants to see a “loving embrace” between the post-grad society and VUWSA in the future. Vyas says she is committed to practical solutions for postgraduate students, including improving mental health services”
Voting opens on Monday 23rd and closes Thursday 26th.