Elections begin for Massey's student association following chaos

Nominations are open for elected positions in Te Tira Ahu Pae, following a chaotic year being defunded and then refunded by the university.  

The association faced turmoil last year, with complaints of a toxic culture and eight staff resignations, resulting in the university pulling their funding.  

However, after negotiations, the association has entered into a funding agreement for 2025.

Hennessey Wilson, the current general president said, "Following the events of 2024 we acknowledge that our current Representation structure is not fit for purpose." 

The representation structure will be reviewed this year with student consultation, and changes will likely be made towards the end of this year.  

“In the meantime, we will be running elections under our current structure to ensure we can continue to provide independent student voice during this process.”  

While some roles are elected, some are appointed. This has been historically controversial, with some believing all roles should be elected through votes of the student body. 

Appointed roles available include all three presidents: General, Māori, and Pasifika. As well as the vice-president positions for each campus: Wellington, Auckland, Manawatū, and distance.

Elected positions available included five different student representative jobs.  

Elections were cancelled in September last year due to the representation model being "not fit for purpose", said the association at the time.  

Massey deputy vice-chancellor, Tere McGonagle-Daly said, “Our recent engagement with Te Tira Ahu Pae has focused on addressing governance concerns and developing a sustainable pathway for student representation.” 

He said a student representation restructuring group will be established.

“This group will support a comprehensive consultation process with the wider student body about the representation model and support the production of a report and recommendations that will be tabled for consideration by students at an association Special General Meeting." 

Led by an external facilitator, this group will include both students and university representatives. 

A 'caretaker’ board is currently in place until April, when elections and appointments finish up.