Last week’s exec meeting was held jointly with Ngai Tauira (NT) in a bid to honour a Memorandum of Understanding signed recently between the two bodies. President Jasmine Freemantle described the first of four meetings as both “productive and constructive”, with all present politely behaving, despite only two members of the NT executive being able to attend.
The relationship between VUWSA and NT has been uneasy in the past, but Freemantle has vowed to change this in 2009, saying NT’s inclusion in the democratic process was the first “step in the right direction”.
Historically, NT has sought to be the sole representative for Maori students on campus. Legally there may only be one students’ association, and VUWSA holds this monopoly. It is the issue of funding that has created the most turbulence, as NT is considered a sub-association, therefore the exec can choose how much funding they receive each year, proportional to the enrolled Maori student population. It appears that Freemantle is attempting to shift this, however, describing the two groups as “parallel organisations”.
In opening the meeting, NT representative Matt Gifford informed the group what their role was within the university. NT aim to provide many of the same services as VUWSA, which are primarily “for their members”, including advocacy and administration. They are further in partnership with Te Herenga Waka Marae, where many of their services are based.
After sweeping through the weekly formalities, including the exec’s individual work report procedure, it was time for business. Organisation of the Hangover Hangi, a joint project, was high on the agenda, with members on both sides of the table eager to assist each other—perhaps the first example of “fostering cooperation”, which both Freemantle and NT Tumuaki Albert Tibble referred to throughout the meeting.
In parallel to VUWSA’s Orientation events, NT have been running their own similar activities, which were discussed widely as an agenda item. Although many of the VUWSA executive were mildly surprised there were alternative Orientation events organised, they again seemed keen to lend a hand.
Looking to the future, Freemantle proceeded to fulfil another of her new strategic and operational plans, by creating content for the next time the two groups meet.
What amounted to an open session of future joint ideas concluded with all agreeing to work closely together throughout the year, and further trying to involve university governance in these initiatives, “which gets hard some times,” said Freemantle. Centred on the use of the Marae, Education Officer (Education) Tim Wang put forward the idea of an overnight stay for international students. Freemantle said this sort of initiative is what they require to “make the Marae and the Memorandum [between NT and VUWSA] more accessible.”
Throughout the meeting, kept on track by the iron fist of Freemantle, it was ideas like these that kept their momentum going. For the VUWSA exec it will be interesting to see whether the momentum created from the Change Proposal and Freemantle’s own operational plan can sustain the year. With the February deadline now passed, and many Key Performance Indicators of this plan due for initial completion, we at Salient will be watching with fascination to ensure these are followed through.