Te Tira Ahu Pae slammed on Massey Confessions page

The student association’s sausage sizzles, pizza parties, logo and advertising are called “corporate” on the Massey confessions Facebook page.  

Since O-Week, there were at least 10 confessions mentioning Te Tira Ahu Pae, many confused as to what the association is and how it works.  

“I thought they were a private business aimed to put on BBQs for students. That might as well be what they are. I see no democracy in the student union. The way in which they operate is not visible to the student community”, said one confession.  

Te Tira Ahu Pae provides representation and services to Massey University students, as well as advocacy, events and clubs. The association was created last year, as an amalgamation of 10 student associations at Massey. 

Some felt the association’s information and advocating around staff and course cuts at Massey was “poor”.  

“Can’t remember the last time they openly said something about the cuts… I’m a bit tired of the glorified ‘company pizza parties’ as an excuse for student unionism.” 

The association took a stance against the cuts in September last year, attending their first cuts protest that month.  

While the association is funded through the university, it remains independent. 

Some confessions said more blame should be put on the university, “If you want more events, blame Massey for their finances and stingy budget.” 

One person wondered if the reps and presidents were elected democratically, “Is that a democratic process or are they just picked by the higher ups?”  

In the association, twenty student reps are elected, and seven presidents and vice presidents are appointed.  

The four presidents, Hennessey Wilson, Cameron McCausland-Taylor, Sosefina Filo-Masoe and Wesley Peters, said they had inherited a half-done system and were still working to improve it. 

They said the intention behind events like pizza parties and sausage sizzles was to give students a platform to voice their opinions. 

They acknowledged the gaps in their feedback loop regarding the cuts.  

“However, looking back to when the cuts first emerged last year, we as an association were active in this space through protesting alongside the Tertiary Education Union and students.” 

They said they don’t have information about cuts until the general Massey population is also informed. 

Moving forward, they planned to ensure students are updated with information as it comes from the university. 

The association is currently focused on advocating around land sales at the Oteha campus, transparent information from Massey, the student services fee, combating period poverty, disability access and online supervised exams to name a few.