The story gets more outrageous as time goes on. Why are we students forced to pay this fee if we want to study? It is a cruel and unusual punishment. If the services these student unions say they provide for us are such good value let students decide - not make us fund things that only a few use. It's enough to make you want to go to Auckland Uni where the fee isn't compulsory.

Heather you are awesome to be keeping the spotlight on this issue.

Frustrated Student I am a student at Auckland University and I can tell you that the situation is not much better because while membership may be voluntary, funding is not. As such the student association there is every bit as powerful and every bit as corrupt at ensuring the information flow to and from students is slanted in the direction they want it on and the impression created by the money they are able to spend to the media and the community is that their view is the view of students.

Voluntary membership needs to include voluntary funding.

I 100 percent support your Private Member's Bill to scrap compulsory enrolment in students' associations.

I am a student at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. Thank you for taking the time to improve this situation for students. I read yesterday that students at Canterbury University are subject to a huge increase in the cost of joining their students' association - a fee of over $600 is dispicable.

Having previously studied at Canterbury University, I know the services being offered to students there nowhere near justify that cost.

Letter to CPSA (Christchurch Polytechnic Student Association) Office Manager and Student President

Hi David,

To follow on from our telephone conversation this morning I would continue to dispute that students at CPIT are getting value for money by enrolling through the compulsory membership system to the CPSA. The procedure as it currently stands does not allow for students to make an informed decision, as you say many students are not even aware that they are members and have paid to become so. This is totally appalling given the membership cost of $140 per full-time student per year.

There is no point in setting up stalls encouraging students to vote in an election they know nothing about for candidates they are not even aware exist. Firstly the overwhelming majority will not vote and secondly those that do vote are not making a decision based on the merits of the candidates who most of them do not know. In fact by doing this you are accomplishing the opposite, highlighting to students the seemingly insignificant role the CPSA plays. If you are aiming to increase transparency, stalls should be set up at the enrolment desk, you should be part of the enrolment process, every student should know that they are paying for a membership and what that entitles them to.

As in every other are of society if the individual sees the benefit and value then they will pay. Why should it be any different for students? Students should choose to become a member, this would definitely increase accountability in the CPSA. As you say this may well make the service non viable but I would respond, well perhaps then it is.

It would be very interesting to see some numbers on the percentage of student members that access the advocacy service - this appears to be one of the main benefits for student members of the CPSA. On the basis of those numbers I would harbour a guess that students are actually getting a very raw deal. As you say it can be hard for one student to make head way against an institution, I would say it is just as hard with one student and one student advocate. Support is being overpaid for by everyone for the overwhelming minority, support that many students can access from elsewhere with specific knowledge in their field, such as through the Nursing Council for nursing students.

I cringe to think of the number of students who are walking around blissfully unaware that they have paid $140 annually for nothing more than a sausage, while students who have been elected in a farcical procedure and who are totally unqualified to do so sit around a table playing at being part of bureaucratic business.

Jo Borren.

Let me be clear: I disagree with VSM. It is virtually the death-knell of Students Associations. However, I also agree that students should have both freedom of association and, more importantly, a right to have their voices heard. Currently, any student may be exempt from joining their students' association - so, in a way, this bill is pointless. For such a serious issue affecting students, would it not be better that Government lets students have their say. When did Government become a place that told its constituents what to do rather than listening to their constituents. Where is the provision for a referendum?

Voluntary membership makes no difference

Simple. It wouldn't have. VSM would have made no difference at all to this case. In fact voluntary associations have far less accountability than compulsory ones (which are all incorporated societies and as such face a reasonable audit each year). Indeed this person at CPIT was caught and prosecuted (and they got back $50G of $175G - a lot better than Bernie Mayhoff's backers will get back).

And let's remember that fraud is far from unique to students associations. There's many a corrupt businessman/lawyer/politician as well - so does this mean we should ban business/law/parliment to stop such fraud? No that would be just silly. As is the idea that student associations should be destroyed by voluntary membership simply to stop fraud.

The difference with the fraud in student associations is that the members are forced to join, the associations gain their membership fees from students each year regardless of their performance.

Just addressing what has been posted...

Compulsory membership is not a fair title in the first place, you can opt-out, it is the National government who made the law so that the student assns cant give a refund to students, instead they are forced as per the education act section 229 in that they have to give it to a charity. Why blame the student assns for that? They didn't write the law.

There are many reasons for VSM, you get management in a student association who will always try to take control of the student associations. It makes me sick! I have been the president of one where I had to get rid of 2 Managers. I also put some good clauses in our constitution and policies to make sure that there remained an element of institutional knowledge so that any new President would have the right guidance from the manuals I put together, and a safe guard to prevent fraud, if you know an assn that does not have this then do something about it instead of just complaining, come up with solutions instead of doing nothing but pointing out a problem otherwise you are no better than someone making mistakes.

I was utterly disgusted to hear the phenomenal fee from Canterbury!! WTF!?

Compulsory is better anyway, who will pay $100 out of their own pockets? Currently it is made easier where your student loan can cover it. Hardly anyone, CSM means student assns have to submit an audited account to the incorporated societies and the same with rules of the assn.
Everyone likes free stuff, why pay for something when you don't have to?

You should get active, join the exec and put recommendations forwards, read the constitution, call an SGM, get rules amended, make your assn transparent and accountable. It is cheaper to get all the services from student assns than an institute, there's going to be so many funding cuts it will become user pays or no services at all. Today nz is privileged, we get things handed to us and are ungrateful for what we have until we lose it. A vote for VSM is a loss no matter how you look at it.

Freedom of association means that you are free to associate with whom ever you please, it has nothing to do with student associations, being a member of anything does not prevent you from having a freedom of association with your friends, get educated people! If you thought it had anything to do with an actual assn body then clearly you don't know anything.

VSM, in my opinion is a form of censorship. You will not have much of a say if you had to go and fight on your own but place a student body of representation and there you have back up. VSM undermines students power to have a voice. If you chose vsm then you are choosing to have no voice.

Just because there can be low voter turn out it does not mean it was not put out enough, it does not mean people don't know about it, you cant prove that. When i was a student I never voted at all, I couldn't be bothered, I didn't really care about anything other than my course, what i was going to have for lunch and who i was going to see each day. Put a survey together and get a balanced view.

Students assns do muck up sometimes, sure, I agree it sux, they need something in place to make sure they cant flop sideways, but the same should be done about government, look at all the gross mis-spending there!!

At least with a student assn if you make noise among members you get heard. You go to govt and you will soon find yourself escorted out by security or you will never get an email response.

City councils are even worse. Michael Laws is a classic example of not listening to his people. Act get on their high horse because they are the pillars of society, look at Donna who was done for fraud.

Politicians are a joke. But we still need them to help create what we are comfortable calling order. I think the whole thing is a waste of time even debating at Govt level. National better be mindful that they could end up very unpopular with student and I hope they think things through carefully. Maybe the Maori seats should not have been taken off the poly councils, and supercity seat?? Geze, whats this country coming to? Tiriti o Waitangi anyone?!!

In finishing, Australia recently went VSM, it was bad. Very bad. You're old enough to act as a responsible adult, act like it, get your own info instead of expecting people to hand it to you. Stop being lazy and complaining when you don't get all the information. Save the environment or tell Anne Tolley to stop making budget cuts to the tertiary sector and not to get rid of fee maxima so you wont have to pay $30,000 for a course. $440 million is going to be cut, $98 million was cut from scholarships, TIA cut, so if you are unfortunate and have to rely on a benefit then you are not being aided to get a degree and a job.

It amazes me that with all the crap things that Anne Tolley is doing that people are focusing on getting rid of the representation that won you interest free loans, and almost won a universal student allowance (you wouldn't have to pay it back). The very same representation that will be at the forefront of fighting for your rights to a free education.

The last comments by "balanced view" don't make sense. First you state that "who would pay $100+ out of their own pockets" for these services... and then you say students like "free" stuff.

It isn't free. You are freeloading off other students money, most likely obtained by a student loan - just so you can have cheaper services. It's selfish.

What do pro CSM supporters have to fear by allowing students to tick a box when they enrol? If services are that great surely people will be flocking to join?