Students Launch Campaign to Stop Transfer of Club Administration to VUWSA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Save Our Clubs campaign calls on Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) and Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) to shelve proposal entirely

A group of students at Victoria University of Wellington has launched Save Our Clubs, a campaign opposing Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA)’s proposal to take over the administration of clubs and societies from Victoria University of Wellington

The campaign, which launched today at saveourclubs.nz, includes petitions for both individual students and clubs to formally register their opposition to the proposal.

VUW has managed student clubs successfully since 2012, when VUWSA handed over the responsibility after the Voluntary Student Membership Bill cut its funding. VUWSA has since attempted to reclaim club administration twice, in 2018 and 2023, and was turned down both times.

The current proposal would see sports clubs remain with VUW while all other clubs move to VUWSA. Save Our Clubs argues this creates wasteful duplication, strips clubs of University recognition, and puts VUW jobs at risk. Staff who have supported student clubs for years could lose their positions

The Save Our Clubs campaign says the proposal is reckless. It risks the standing clubs have built under the University’s name, threatens the jobs of UniRec staff who have done this work well for over a decade, and hands responsibility to an organisation that gave it up because it could not cope. No clubs asked for this change and no one has explained what has changed since the last two attempts were turned down.

Save Our Clubs is calling on both Victoria University of Wellington and VUWSA to shelve the proposal entirely. Students and clubs can sign the petition at saveourclubs.nz.

ENDS

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