Cost of the Merger

The levy will be one dollar per student member (same as NZUSA) and will be paid by affiliated students associations on the basis of student members from the year preceding that in which the levy is paid. Naturally, given NZUSA's committment to equity, each member will only pay one levy. Training college students who are studying at university will only be counted as university members of the National Union of Students if they are full-time at university.

Of course, what is not pointed out, is that although only one dollar of each student's fee will go to the National Union, training college students doing varsity units will still pay two lots of fees. Their NUS membership will come from their training college fee, but what happens to the dollar in their university students association fee?

The merger is planned to have effect from 1st Jan 1973 at which stage the two bodies would merge as the New Zealand National Union of Students (Inc.)

All in all it sounds on the face of it that not much will change as far as the university students are concerned. Most students dont care or know about NZUSA now, so adding another few thousand members probably wont make things much worse. But even so, students are entitled to ask 'why change?'

The Report speaks of the growing communication between the various tertiary bodies, and suggests that a greater degree of integration on the student affairs level might aid this process. The Report also emphasises the large area of common concern amongst the membership of training colleges and universities. Many students, of course, attend both institutions. Concerns which are shared include education in general, bursaries, welfare, and accommodation

The emphasis in the Report is away from the political sphere in which NZUSA at least is becoming best known. The emphasis on education is all very well, but at the moment it is by no means one of NZUSA's strongest areas - perhaps the student teachers will inject a little more life into this sphere.

Students will soon be asked to vote on whether the scheme should go ahead. I rather doubt if many will be opposed to the scheme and certainly few will be wildly enthusiastic - the best commentary on NZUSA and the prospect of a National Union might be if the meeting couldnt raise a quorum.

The whole scheme is being handed down from the top, and in no way represents a reaction to demands from the local level. The ruling clique of NZUSA shunted Ex-Education Research Officer Lindsay Wright off into STANZ to infiltrate them, and now he is leading them back to the flock with their tails wagging.

There are myriads of things wrong with NZUSA and its ability (or rather inability) to relate to individual students. None of the faults are being cured by this reckless attempt at empire building.