New Zealand Apart

Last year the Australian national union decided to keep sending delegates to IUS council meetings. The British National union voted in a student referendum to retain affiliate membership. The South African national union has consistently maintained its membership and close ties with IUS in spite of slight differences with certain aspects of policy. Or the Commonwealth countries Only New Zealand has cut itself off completely from this international tie.

If the majority of New Zealand students Knew the facts of the case, they would certainly support a much closer association with IUS. But the majority do not know, and the responsibility for this lies leas upon their own apathy than upon the communicativeness of NZUSA'a national officers, our local executives, and the Inquisitiveness of student newspaper staffs.

The reasons given by NZUSA for disaffiliation from IUS were so feeble as to be scarcely taken seriously. Incidentally, the statement on why we disaffiliated was not made public for over a year after the decision was taken. It includes, among others even more paltry, the chief ones of distance and cost. IUS headquarters in Europe are too far away, and affiliation fees are too high. These excuses are imbecile in view of the advantages in cultural terms of the interchange available through IUS and no other body: through it we could extend travel and exchange to other countries than just the U.S. and Australia, we could participate in world university summer and winter sports. International conferences of specialists such as, the Medical Students chinwag held in Oslo last August, help undenominational relief schemes like the students T.B. sanatorium in South East Asia, and generally improve our contact with the students of the world, and not of just part of it.

What have we got against these activities? What can the splinter Co-Sec offer that compensates in any way for the loss of this?—C.B.