Editorial

[unclear: Student] around the country must really start to wonder about the calibre of the people [unclear: hey] elect to represent them at NZUSA meetings following the latest debacle. The meet[unclear: ng] confirmed the 'rush job' nature of the NUS proposals, but even following the virtual [unclear: lefeat] of those proposals the delegates should have been able to settle down and conduct [unclear: he] rest of their business. Who ever is eventually elected President will have a tough job [unclear: head] of him CO restore confidence in student leadership.

[unclear: Victotia] may have started the ball rolling with its successful opposition to the NUS, but [unclear: hat] row only showed up more deep-seated problems. It seems as thoughthe whole meeting [unclear: legenerated] on the final afternoon into bitter recrimination, For the average student these [unclear: nter-necine] struggles, more often based on personality than principle, must seem a [unclear: tremendous] waste of time.

The irony of it all is that this same organisation which lacks cohesion to the extent of [unclear: being] unable to elect a President, was proposing to merge into a wider national body. STANZ [unclear: must] be glad the whole deal has been dela yed.

[unclear: Dissension] can prove in the end to be productive, but until more students are involved in [unclear: the] affairs of NZUSA there is little hope for this. The student bureaucrats at a nation [unclear: and] local level have for too long regarded student participation as stopping at standby [unclear: ares] and cheap insurance. These 'student welfare' aspects of NZUSA's activities have [unclear: ought] time for NZUSA. But as the latest bursary increases recede further into history [unclear: and] NZUSA's role in fighting for them is forgotten, new directions and new methods of [unclear: enolvement] must be looked for.

[unclear: Delegates] to the Winter council talked of 'selling NZUSA to the students'. That should [unclear: never] necessary- NZUSA is the student's own organisation. We need a new leadership [unclear: at] the national body - someone with the ability to ride above these petty squabbles and to [unclear: get] something done for students. David Cuthbert has managed to do this for the last two [unclear: years] and even now there seems no-one capable of adequately filling his place with [unclear: anything] like the determination and energy that Cuthbert put into his job