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May Council 1981

In more than four days at the end of Victoria's vacation, and poking into our second term, the New Zealand University Students Association held its May Council at Massey University in Palmerston North.

From Friday until Tuesday, Salient's two intrepid reporters and fearless photographer joined another 80 students from New Zealand's seven universities to witness the association attempt to give itself a thorough check up, and debate policy with an eye towards second term activities.

NZUSA councils are held twice a year (August Council 1981 will be held at Lincoln College) and they are the association's most important policy making body. May Council is technically the AGM of NZUSA; August Council has the additional task of electing the national officers of NZUSA for the following year. Basically, there are three functions of council: first, to asess the performances of the national officers, and of NZUSA as a whole, and to make the changes deemed necessary.

Secondly, the delegates must go through the whole list of about 500 policy motions that are on NZUSA's books and decide whether (on the basis of campus policy) they will be affirmed, amended or rescinded. After this comes a process of raising new policy motions that individual campuses want to become NZUSA policy. After debate and voting, NZUSA goes armed into the future (well, until the next council), bound by this policy and the priorities for action the delegates have also set.

The third important function of a council is to examine NZUSA's overall financial position, and to approve spending allocations in the various areas of activity until the next council. August Council has the additional task of setting the following year's budget.

Not unnaturally, the structure of council is designed to achieve these aims with the smallest possible hassle. The way it works is that each constituent students asociation elects or appoints delegates to the specific areas of Education, National, International, Women's Rights, Welfare and Finance and Administration. The delegates in each area then race off into groups (or "commissions") and do the things required of them to meet the tasks outlined above. Each campus, according to their student numbers, has a number of votes to cast in the manner their campus policy dictates on any motion. At the end of it all, NZUSA policy is therefore as closely representative of student opinion as possible.

The various voting strengths of the campuses are: Auckland 9, Waikato 4, Massey 6, Victoria 6, Canterbury 7, Lincoln 4, and Otago 6.

In addition to the commissions, there are times when the council meets in full session. These are called plenaries. There is a Budget Plenary, when the accounts are approved and changes to the budget are made; and a Ratification Plenary, where the whole list of policy and priorities of work are gone through and constituents given the chance to amend motions or change their vote.

Finally, there are four standing committees of NZUSA which meet during term as well as at councils to plan specific action (based on council policy). They are composed of relevant campus officers and activists, and national office reps. They are: the Women's Rights Action Committee (WRAC), the National Overseas Students Action Committee (NOSAC), the Stop the Tour Action Committee (STAC), and the National Education Action Committee (NEAC).

National Officers

• President Deryck Shaw.
• Education and Welfare Vice President Brian Small
• General Vice President Colin McFadzean.
• Research Officers lan Powell and Mike Waghorne.
• WRAC Co-ordinator Denese Black
• NOSAC Co-ordinator Johnny Dakuvulu (elected at this council).
• Administrative Secretary Christine McLean.

Constituents

• Auckland (AUSA)
• Waikato (WSU)
• Massey (MUSA)
• Victoria (VUWSA)
• Lincoln (LCSA)
• Canterbury (UCSA)
• Otago (OUSA).

Victoria's Delegation

• Chief Delegates Virginia Adams, Helen Aikman.
• Finance & Administration Richard Hellyer, Grant Liddell.
• Education Paul Wiggins, Paulette Keating.
• National Campbell Duignan, Kate O'Malley.
• International Roger Tobin, David Murray.
• Women's Sue Bond, Lesley Huffam.
• Welfare Chris Brodie, Tori Quade.
• NOSAC Simon Ng.