The Commander In Chief

2006-01-29T17:53:00.000+13:00

In case you haven't noticed, I've stopped posting at the Commander In Chief. I will, however, be posting at Auckland At Large, The Has Beens Bench, and The Thorndon Bubble.

Cheers for visiting.

All Over, Red Rover

2005-12-23T11:02:00.000+13:00

That's it. It's all over. Nick has my office, email address, cell phone, and dignity.

I haven't been this relaxed in ages and ages. I don't have a cell phone or an email address that I feel obliged to check regularly. I don't start at Statistics until Jan 9, and enjoying the Auckland sunshine/wind/rain/snow (within about ten minutes) until then. I have three books to read, and that's it.

VUWSA is behind me - I'm glad I did it, but shit, if I wasn't a ginger I'd be gray now...

I'm at home and life is bloody good.

The End is Neigh...

2005-12-18T18:18:00.000+13:00

Tomorrow is my last day at VUWSA, so I've spent this afternoon cleaning out my office for Nick.

There's so much stuff here I thought I'd lost, like clothes (esp my beloved Swannie), and the Sim card from my old cell phone (which has sat on top of my computer for almost a year).

Tomorrow's going to be pretty busy - I'm going to breakfast at Epic with the VUWSA staff, cleaning up the office, cleaning up my email account (which will be closed shortly), cleaning up my home drive...

Will be having a few quiets at the Hotel Bristol if anyone is keen?

Short meeting at Statistics on Tuesday morning, then flying north for 3 weeks holiday.

Student Politics Sans Greenbrook

2005-11-27T18:01:00.000+13:00

Xavier has written a great piece (thanks largely to sleep deprivation) on his to-do list for 2006, one item of which is

To not be involved in Student Politics in any way, shape or form.

I have known Xavier for some time now, both through student politics and Young Labour. I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for him as an intelligent, passionate, talented politician. I know he will succeed in whatever he takes on. I think I first met him during the AUSA compulsory Membership campaign, and have run into each other ever since.

He states that he will not be running for AUSA President in 2007 - I can sort of understand why too. AUSA President is a completely different kettle of fish than almost every other President. For a start, they are not (ex officio) a member of University Council - one of the biggest parts of my job. They also have significant commercial responsibilities, which most other associations (with the exception of UCSA) don't - cafes, bars etc. But, perhaps most importantly, thanks to the wonders of voluntary student membership, they have to waste significant effort (not to mention money and resources) to recruit members. While all the other Presidents are working on Orientation, and getting to know their members, the AUSA President and Executive are pissing around signing members up.

This is not to say that Xavier wouldn't be a good AUSA President - he would a fantastic AUSA President, and - dare I say it - NZUSA Co-President.

He raises an interesting point, something I realized about halfway through last year, and has been re-enforced this year - AUSA (and other associations) are bigger than their current leaders. AUSA demonstrates this best of all: each year there is a gasp as another relative unknown is elected President, several people preach that the end is nigh, - and things turn out all right. Despite all the talk of Muppets, or fuckwits, I know that VUWSA will be just fine next year, and for many years to come. It has great staff, and a history as old as the University.

VUW Blackboard Review

2005-11-16T14:37:00.000+13:00

Website surveys for students and academic staff are now available on Blackboard - http://blackboard.vuw.ac.nz Log on in the usual way and the survey information and link will appear immediately below the welcome message. All students logging on to Blackboard for any reason will get a message encouraging them to complete the survey. The survey will be available until Friday 9 December.

VUWSA is currently involved in a review of the evaluations which each student fills in at the end of each semester. I'm a little annoyed about the timing of this survey. Its crucial that you put this around your networks and get students to respond ASAP - it is a very quick survey!

I have concerns about the current student evaluations, the timing of evaluations, the structure of surveys and questions, the use of information, does anything change? The graded results are sent to HOS’s and Lecturers and your written results are only viewed by the lecturer.There are issues with the effectiveness of this.

Letter to the Listener

2005-11-15T16:49:00.000+13:00

This was published in this week's Listener.

***

Dear Sir,

I find it quite fitting that the same edition of the Listener which features Professor Stuart McCutcheon ( University of Auckland Vice Chancellor) as number 34 on the "Power List" also, on page 39, features a full page advertisement for Victoria University.

When Professor McCutcheon was appointed Victoria University Vice Chancellor, he was viewed as the "Knight in Shinning Armour", and, to his credit, he did turn the University's finances and enrolment figures around. However, one regrettable legacy of McCutcheon's reign at Victoria was escalating advertising expenditure, which in his last year increased by over $200,000 (about 25%). This was despite the fact that staff were pleading for a well deserved pay rise, the university facilities are under-resourced and dilapidated, and students faced a fee increase of 4.5%. This trend has been continued by Professor Pat Walsh, McCutcheon's successor.

As an academic institution, it's mildly ironic that Victoria University has failed to acknowledge the mountain of academic literature which states that such advertising is not having its desired outcomes. It's all very well for McCutcheon to secure an extra $57million, but it's worthless if it is wasted on advertising. For the sake of the sector, I hope that the new Minister for Tertiary Education puts an end to these ludicrous spending habits.

In the mean time, I can sleep easy in the knowledge that McCutcheon, who "alienated staff by opposing union pay demands" is piped at the post on the "Power List" by Andrew Little, General Secretary of New Zealand's largest trade union (and 1987 Victoria University Students' Association President).

It makes you think.

Jeremy Greenbrook
President
Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (inc)

Lions Club of Karori

2005-11-13T22:13:00.000+13:00

Last Wednesday, I accepted an invitation to address the fortnightly meeting of the Lions Club of Karori. The Lions are interested in setting up a club on campus, and wanted to sound me out.

I initially feared the meeting, pandering to my stereotype of a Lions Club member as retired businessmen - the sort of people who don't necessarily share the same political view point as myself - but I was pleasantly surprised. It was an enjoyable evening, accompanied by a good meal.

I spoke for about ten minutes on what VUWSA does, and what it is like to be a student in the 21st Century, and fielded two questions; one on the stress levels of students, and another on management salaries.

Conor Roberts is the 2006 NZUSA Co-President

2005-11-10T11:56:00.000+13:00

He defeated Shiju easily - 52 to 20.

He will do a good job, I look forward to his being in Wellington next year.

NZUSA Co-President Election

2005-11-10T09:02:00.000+13:00

Today is the second NZUSA Co-President election. I posted about the first election here. I will be updating this post via the wonders of the 21st Century - wireless Woosh broadband!!

I'll update this as the election goes...

PS. Emily wants me to mention her - she's hanging around like a bad smell. We hold VUWSA's 11 votes. WSU are being teleconferenced in. Actually, I hold no votes - I'm media, and therefore, obviously, impartial and unbiased. Also, I'm here because Jeremy basically begged me to come with him so that we could sit next to each other and giggle. He promised me there would be Internet pornography involved. So far, no sign, but I'll keep you informed of updates in that area. - Emily

10:20 Update: Shiju Pushpamangalam (WSU President) is going first. His presentation is slightly more swept up than last time, although he seems to have missed the point (or he's taking a long time to get to it...).

10:30 Update: Ok, he's got to his vision for NZUSA. A strategic plan?? What a cliche.

To his credit, he is actually able to articulate what a strategic plan is and what his would entail, whihch beats a lot of business people - not to mention the University! - Emily.

10:33 Update: He wants to lobby NZVCC!!! Good luck buddy.

10 points for enthusiasm though... - Emily

10:38 Update: Commitment to Te Mana Akonga - define tokenism? He also wants to change the name of NZUSA - despite the fact it's 76 years old. Inerestingly, he doesn't have any ideas as to what to change it to.

He wants a website! Maybe Jeremy and I could run it, given we are clearly awesome at this. And mostly unemployable. And not really fit for outside company, so should probably work side-by-side forever. - Emily

10:43 Update: Nick Kelly has turned up. Nice of you to join us, Nick.

It could be worse, Jeremy - your successor could have fucked off to Melbourne, leaving you to come to crap like this. Oh well, at least I get to open James' mail. - Emily

10:48 Update: Shiju has just finished. Questions now...

10:50 Update: From WSU: What is your stand-point on the Te Mana Akonga MoU. He fully supports the MoU, but fails to go into any details.

10:53 Update: From ISAW: What are the 3 main issues facing politechs? Funding. Views of the polys aren't taken as seriously as other institutions.

10:54 Update: From OPSA: At what point does the value-for-money exercise get in the way of removing the barriers of education? This is a mixed issue.

10:56 Update: From ASA: How do you see yourself instituting change? You have to seperate yourself from the committees you sit on.

11:00 Update: He's laying into his Vice President now, talking about how he doesn't understand that the Student Movement isn't what it was in the 1970's.

11:04 Update: Conor Roberts is up now. Much simpler and confident than Shiju.

I think Conor would be far better with the media. Like Salient. Or, you know, 3 News. That sounds kind of glib, but it's actually a really important part of the Co-Presidents' roles to be media-savvy and quick with a soundbite. Camilla in particular has been a very public face of NZUSA this year. - Emily

11.11 Update: Just when you think you like a guy, he has to go and say something like "ordinary New Zealanders". I thought he was the President of Young Labour! Disturbing National Party rhetoric coming through here... - Emily

11:14 Update: Conor is much more in touch with the New Zealand political climate than Shiju. He's going more into details regarding polytechs, fees, loans, and allowances.

11:21 Update: "NZUSA is a hub of relations... working with our Union friends." David Farrar will love that one!

Conor is doing a much better sell of himself as an altruist who really truly cares about students and issues pertaining to them than Shiju did. He's a bit more fresh-faced and earnest. Might be a put-on, but I'm totally buying it. - Emily

11:25 Update: How could you not vote for a guy who is prepared to stand up there and say "Politics is my life"??? - Emily

11:31 Update: Conor is answering all the questions well, with wit and knowledge. He's just given us a rendition of Tu Tira Mai Nga Iwi - very good.

11:34 Update: Conor has now left and we are voting.

11:40 Update: Votes are counted, the candidates are being called back into the room. We are waiting for Waikato to get their shit together.

And Pandoro's savoury muffins are officially da bomb. - Emily

11:44 Update: The results are thus: Shiju 20, Conor 52, No vote 1. Conor is elected.

The VUWSA Has Beens' Bench

2005-11-04T15:17:00.000+13:00

A group of out-going VUWSA exec members and Salient staffers have started a blog for us to slag off the 2006 exec and Salient. It stemmed from this article in Salient.

It's called the VUWSA Has-Beens' Bench, and it's URL is http://thehasbeensbench.blogspot.com.

We welcome any contributors, but you must have served on the VUWSA exec or been a regular contributor to Salient this century...

Victoria PR Cock Up #2

2005-11-03T19:38:00.000+13:00

Fresh on the heels of the Salient fiasco, VUW has once again buggered things up PR-wise. This time, the fault is (admittedly) not entirely theirs.

Yesterday, Michelle Quirke from the Dominion Post called me regarding a press release Victoria University had supposedly put out. I hadn't see it (VUW media releases are posted here, and normally sent to me), it was posted here on Scoop, but has now been removed. Luckily, I saved a copy - it is at the end of this post.

Only two days after raising university fees, they put out a media release talking about their latest advertising campaign. Now, Public Relations 101, people - after talking about how hard up the university is, how government funding isn't cutting it, how student fees have to go up in order to maintain a quality institution, you don't go bragging about your latest purchase, do you?

My press release is here and Michelle's article is here, and was on page 9 of the DominionPost today.

I was in the Hunter Building this morning for a disciplinary hearing, and ran into the University PR (or, as they put it, "Reputation Management") manager, Jude Urlich. I get along quite well with Jude (her putting the credit card on the bar at the BackBencher at the VC's Christmas party for me and a few Salient staffers was an ideal icebreaker, I guess...), but she was fuming this morning - and, for once, not at me (although it was my press release which brought it to her attention).

It turns out that the press release wasn't actually theirs, although Scoop (and basically everybody else, including Michelle Quirke) read it as theirs. It was put out by Robbins Brandt Richter Wellington, the advertising company which is contracted to handle the VUW advertising campaign. Examples of their work can be seen in the Listener. It features MAD magazine fold-in style ads, in Victoria's "Makes You Think" style ads.

I don't know weather these advertisements were lowering Victoria University's intellectual standards, or raising Alfred E. Newmans.

However, the big question has to be: How long until someone's head rolls...?

Uni Advertising Campaign Goes To Extra Lengths
Tuesday, 1 November 2005, 5:52 pm
Press Release: Victoria University of Wellington
1 November 2005

Victoria University Press Release

Robbins Brandt Richter Wellington creates new levels of involvement in its advertising campaign for Victoria University.

The Wellington Office of integrated advertising,direct marketing and relationship management firm Robbins Brandt Richter has just launched a major new advertising campaign for client Victoria University.

The campaign continues the theme ÂIt makes you thinkÂÂ and focuses on complex issues such as cultural copyright, environment, dietary ethics amedical progressess - linking each to the specific course areas offered by the University.

While the campaign has been highly successful ovthe previousous 3 years via its use of TV, cineand busbus-back media, this year sees a major innovatiin thethe use of print media. Each magazine advertisement contains a hidden messageÂa message that is revealed only when the advertisement page is folded together. The method of folding the page has been appropriated from MAD magazine and is used to demonstrate the promise that Victoria University Âmakes you thinkÂ. It does this in a highly involving and entertaining manner that requires direct interaction with the ad by its audience.

The series of four full page magazines ads are running nationally supported with four new 15 sec TVC and cinema commercials. ÂThis campaign has been punching significantly above its media weight and has been out performing higher spending competitors. The magazine component adds a whole new level of memorability and talkablity to the overall campaign and wilto keep tokeep the campaign fresh and evolvingÂ, saysparsonn Parkyn, RBR Group Account Director respfor VictoriaVictoria UniversityÂs business.

Robbins Brandt Richter is an integrated advertising, direct marketing and relationship management firm whose goal is to provide clients with highly creative, innovative and seamlessly integrated marketing based solutions that drive tangible and mebusiness resultsssresults.

ENDS

Media Release: Advertising Campaign MAD-ness Shows Contempt for Students

2005-11-02T15:19:00.000+13:00

Advertising Campaign MAD-ness Shows Contempt for Students

Victoria University 's latest advertising campaign show management has no regard for students, says Jeremy Greenbrook, President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association.

"Only two days after the University Council voted to raise student fees, management announces that it is launching its latest highly expensive advertising campaign" says Greenbrook. "Management pleaded poverty in order to ram through an increase, yet there's obviously enough money for high-cost advertising."

Fees at Victoria will be going up by 5% across the board, with another 5% in Humanities and Education. This latest advertising campaign is in the style of MAD Magazine.

"This shows contempt for student's financial situation" says Greenbrook. "It Make's You Think? I doubt this campaign would even challenge Alfred E. Newman to think much"

Victoria Fees to Rise

2005-10-31T18:51:00.000+13:00

Victoria University voted this afternoon to raise student fees by 5% across the board, except for Humanities and Education (which will rise by 10%) and postgraduate students (which will rise by $500 per EFTS).

I spoke against the proposal on the grounds that it simply didn't justify any fee increase, and there were various areas of waste within the university's finances which should be trimmed back before we should be looking at a fee increase.

I did interviews with TV1, Dominion Pos t, National Radio, NewsTalk ZB, and NZPA, and are going to be on Breakfast tomorrow morning at 7am.

UPDATE: Just done an interview with the Chancellor on Breakfast.

This is how the council voted.

In support of the fee increase (14):
Chancellor, Emeritus Professor Timothy Beaglehole (Elected by the Court of Convocation)

Pro-Chancellor, Mr Ian D McKinnon (Elected by the Court of Convocation)

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Pat Walsh

Chair, Finance Committee, Mr James Ogden (Appointed by the Minister of Education)

Ms Rosemary Barrington (Elected by the Court of Convocation)

Mrs Mary Bruce (Co-opted by the Council)

Professor Charles Daugherty (Elected by the Academic Staff)

Mr Kevin T Duggan (Elected by the General Staff)

Ms Patricia McKelvey (Appointed by the Minister of Education)

Professor Paul Morris (Elected by the Academic Staff)

Dr Jock Phillips (Elected by the Court of Convocation)

Mr Gowan Pickering (Appointed by the Council after consultation with Business New Zealand)

Mr Donald B Scott (Appointed by the Minister of Education)

Mr Shaan Stevens (Appointed by the Minister of Education)

Against the fee increase (3):
Ms Cordelia Black (Appointed by the Executive of the Students' Association)

Te Mākao Bowkett (Appointed by the Council after consultation with the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions)

Mr Jeremy Greenbrook (Appointed by the Executive of the Students' Association)

Absent (2):
Dr Dolores Janiewski (Elected by the Academic Staff)

Dr Val Orchard (Elected by the Court of Convocation)

Letter from Pat Walsh

2005-10-28T14:52:00.000+13:00

Just been delivered by hand:

28 October 2005

Jeremy Greenbrook
President
VUWSA

Dear Jeremy

In previous years where the University Council has set its domestic tuition fees, incidents occurred that were unacceptable from an occupational safety and health viewpoint, such as attempts by protestors to lock doors. In addition, unlawful activity occurred such as wielding chains and other objects in ways that were potentially threatening to others, as well as damage to, and theft of, University property.

Accordingly, I wish to advise you, and ask you to advise your colleagues and the designated Protest Leader, Nick Kelly, that:

Chains, locks, other large solid objects (e.g. poles in banners), and bags will not be permitted in the Panckhurst Block or the Robert Stout/Hunter Building complex.
Locking of doors, theft of or damage to property by protestors will not be tolerated.
Disruption of University examinations will not be tolerated.
The number of members of the public admitted to the Panckhurst Seminar Room will be restricted to 30, which is a number consistent with my obligations to ensure the health and safety of Council members, staff and members of the public.

University management will respond to protests in a manner consistent with the Policy on Students Protests, a copy of which you already hold.

Yours sincerely

(signed)

Pat Walsh
Vice-Chancellor

Aucklander At Large

2005-10-24T20:01:00.000+13:00

I have started my post-VUWSA blog, titled "Aucklander At Large". It's about "love, life and politics through the eyes of an Aucklander in Wellington". The URL is http://aucklanderatlarge.blogspot.com.

I don't want any student politics posts there, so if I have anything to say about the student movement in 2006 (without becoming a bitter past President...) I will post them here.

Student Politics in Retrospect...

2005-10-18T18:10:00.000+13:00

Well, for those of you who don't know (it was in last week's Salient, Critic, Chaff and Nexis), after having said I wouldn't, I had a stab at NZUSA Co-President. And failed.

Here's how it went. I decided almost as soon as nominations opened that I would run for NZUSA. First thing I did was sit down for a coffee with current Co-President's (and good friends) Andrew Kirton and Camilla Belich and tried to nut out how I should go about this. They suggested that I get someone else to run along side (it's a Co-President as opposed to a President - very Green Party, yes?), and that if I wanted to be taken seriously, I had to visit each campus.

The first suggestion was easy to fix - Joey Randall (former AUSA EVP) had told me that he would also like to run. We formed a semi-ticket.

The second suggestion was almost as easy to fix, with Joey running, touring the country was going to be considerably cheaper with splitting of costs. We set out on a four-day tour from Albany in the north, to Otago in the south. It all went really well, especially when on the day we set off, the price of petrol dropped 3c - I took this as a tacit endorsement from the oil industry, similar to the Bush administration, I guess.

This was unfortunately the high point. It all started going downhill from here.

First of all, the VUWSA exec decided not to give me all their votes. This, alone, fucked me off, but then I found out that they were going to be giving Joey all 11 (the voting system is a little complicated - happy to explain it over a beer), despite only one exec member who was present having met him. I love Joey - he is a good friend, and he deserved 11 votes, but giving him more votes based on only one exec member's sentiment, as opposed to 8 for me, who the exec have worked with all year? That's not justice, I'm sorry.

Secondly, Salient published these details in their "Eye On Exec" column, which meant that every other students' association in the country now knew how the VUWSA exec were going to be voting, thanks to the ASPA wire. No other association had published their voting resolutions. I'm not blaming Salient; it happened in a public part of the exec meeting - they had every right to publish it, and I had no right to tell them what should and should not go to press.

So I headed to conference (which was held in Christchurch) feeling very little confidence from my own exec, let alone the rest of the delegation.

Conference was pretty average in itself, although the social activities (organized by CCESA President Giarne Clarke) were great. It was my 7th NZUSA conference, and, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't in the highest of spirits.

The election is a painful experience. I have now attended three, and they have all been pretty horrific affairs. Each candidate gets to speak/present for 10-15 minutes, and then takes questions. Prior to this, the returning officer (the NZUSA lawyer) read out a letter from three NZUSA alumni. It warned the delegation about "certain candidates" dealings with their local roopu (Maori students' associations), and basically said that these candidates should not be elected. I can only assume this was directed towards me, and the VUWSA exec's dealings with Ngai Tauira.

My presentation wasn't great, and I took a barrage of questions ranging from my working relations with women and queer students, my opinion of the Treaty of Waitangi, to weather NZUSA's levy should be lower. I was never asked anything to do with actual education issues (which I pride myself on being pretty geared up to), fees, loans, allowances, accountability etc - things I felt were pretty damn important to an organization in NZUSA's shoes.

After the first round of voting, Joey had 59 votes, I had 30, Sandy from WSU had 29. You need two-thirds of the 73 votes to be elected. Joey was elected, Sandy and I had to fight it out for another round.

Second round of questions were much the same. This time, I got 32 votes, and Sandy got 33.

Just before the third (and final round for this election), we were asked to make a short statement. I stood up and went completely blank. The whole room was looking at me, completely silent, and I had absolutely nothing to say. All I could think was, I really really really don't want to be here right now.

Xavier from AUSA jumped in, asking if those that had a problem with me, please outline why they have a problem. This was followed with further questions regarding levies, and even a question basically accessing me of personally taking steps to get rid of Ngai Tauira.

After the questions, I left the room, sat down in the lobby, and started sobbing. The election had broken me. I didn't want any more to do with it, and I certainly did not want to be NZUSA Co-President. Joey came out and gave me a hug, as did several FedEx members.

The results for the third and final round were a little more encouraging: 29 to Sandy, 40 to me. I was still 9 votes short, and I probably could have picked those up fairly smartly in the second election, but I was done - I wanted no more to do with it.

That night, I got a phone call from Salient editor Emily in Auckland saying that they hadn't won the ASPA awards - we both talked about how shit life was at that point, and how much we were going to drink when we got back to Wellington.

After conference, I took two days off and road-tripped around the South Island with Phoebe and some friends for a bit. I did what everyone said I should do - get away from it for a bit and come back and give it another go. I returned to Wellington in the middle of the Salient embargo fiasco, which basically re-enforced my decision not to run.

I have since been lobbied quite heavily to re-run. This includes a certain VUWSA exec member who advocated not giving me any votes (or so I'm told on very good authority). My message to them - go fuck yourself.

Interestingly, the Vast Right Wing Conspirasy were my biggest supporters. I don't know if this really bodes well for someone who has ambitions of one day sitting on the Labour back-benches...

It's been a long time...

2005-10-18T16:38:00.000+13:00

... Since I last posted. Sorry about that. Have been a little busy.

To bring everyone up to speed on what's been going on since my last post:

I have proposed to Phoebe, and she has accepted. We are getting married in May 2006.
Nick Kelly has been elected VUWSA President for 2006. He will be fine - he's been on exec as long as I have - but ***CENCERED BY INCOMING PRESIDENT***
I ran for NZUSA Co-President and failed.
I have moved out of Northland and into a place in Oriental Bay with Phoebe.
The university embargoed Salient for publishing details of fee setting.
We had a General Election, the result of which (ie yesterday's coalition announcement) has made me seriously question weather or not I will rejoin the Labour Party next year.

That's about it.

I am going to set up a new blog shortly (as I will soon no longer be VUWSA President), and will post the URL here.

Jeremy.

President's Column - Hot for Hoardings

2005-08-08T10:30:00.000+12:00

Last weekend, my girlfriend and I went up to Taupo to celebrate my girlfriend’s birthday with her family. It was an enjoyable weekend, highlighted perhaps by the international student from Canada who recognized me in a bar up there.

In case you have been living in a cave for the last few weeks you will have noticed that there is going to be a general election shortly. This was especially abundant on the drive from Hastings to the Wairarapa, where there are plenty of political party and candidate hoardings along the main roads, especially from one National candidate, Mr Craig Foss who seems adiment he is going to lift the Tukituki electorate off Minister of Corections, Rick Barker – Foss’s hoardings are everywhere.

Judging by the hoardings (not just Foss’s), I have draw a couple of conclusions.

The first of these is that National are starting to get the hang of MMP – something many political commentators have critised them in the past for. This was clear with their new style of hoardings which were similar to Labour hoardings. I’m not saying that Labour have mastered campaigning under MMP, but, as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Have a look – I’m sure you’ll agree.

The second is the complete dearth of third party hoardings. Apart from Winston Peter’s proclaiming to be “A Man for a Change”, and the odd real estate-sized sign from ACT, there was nothing. More precisely, there were no hoardings for third party electorate candidates. Could this perhaps be the reason they are languishing in the polls? Maybe, but probably not.

I love politics, in case you haven’t already picked up, and I hope you catch the politics bug as well.

On Monday, applications open in the 2006 VUWSA Executive elections. I would encourage anyone who gives a toss about student issues and wellbeing to give the exec ago. If you think you can do the job better than us, put your money where your mouth is and give it a go. I’m not restanding, so that’s one major barrier out of the way for you…

Application forms can be picked up from the VUWSA offices or downloaded from www.vuwsa.org.nz.

Have a good holiday, and I’ll see you back here when the campaigning begins.

UPDATE:
Sorry Graham and Gareth - mistakes have been corrected.

President's Column - Enough is Enough

2005-08-01T21:00:00.000+12:00

Late last year a good friend and I were having a quiet drink in an Auckland pub. My friend mentioned that he was going to a Destiny Church service the next day. This was not due to any new found religious affiliation (he is an active member of the New Zealand Rationalists and Humanists Society), but simply out of interest – Destiny and Brian Tamaki had been in the news a lot surrounding their opposition to the Civil Union Bill. My friend asked if I would like to go along too, mainly because I had a car and could drive him to Mount Wellington. So the next day we headed out to Destiny, sand some songs, denounced the sins of the world, and had a nice cup of coffee.

I took most of it with a grain of salt – but one phrase has stuck with me. Bishop Brian continually said of the current social environment New Zealand was in; “Enough is enough”.

I was reminded of this phrase last Wednesday. If you are follower of my columns (which I can only imagine most of you are…), you will have noticed that I am quite a big supporter of the staff industrial action. I have continually bleated on about how staff pay is directly linked to the value of students’ education and subsequent qualifications. In fact, two weeks ago I myself was standing on the AUS picket line in the cold and rain with fellow exec members, NZUSA Federation Officers, and students.

However, last Wednesday AUS had a “lightning strike” outside the library. This involved staff from the library walking off the job and picketing in the library foyer. They are perfectly entitled to do this under the Employment Relations Act 2000, and I respect this.

What I don’t respect is the tactic employed on Wednesday. Students were physically stopped from entering the library, and those that were able to force their way through the picket line were physically and verbally abuse with cries of “SHAME!”. Campus Care had to be called to escort students through the picket line and into the library – the whole scene resembled the de-segregation of universities in the Southern United States. To be perfectly honest, I was speechless to see this at Victoria University.

As this was a “lightning strike”. There was no way students could have planned ahead of time, so they wouldn’t have to go to the library. If a student had an assignment due the next day, and were (as most of us always are) doing it at the “eleventh hour”, they were screwed. Simple.

Once again students are caught in the middle of a despite between the university and staff. This is a message to AUS and University Management: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

This strike has already cost students in terms of missed classes and study time. It is now time that AUS and Pat Walsh put their differences aside and get back to the negotiating table for the good of the students and the university. The government has demonstrated that it is willing to attend tripartite talks – it is now time to resolve this issue so students, who have to pay exorbitant fees to attend classes, are no longer disadvantaged like this.

I have regular meeting with AUS Victoria, where they constantly ask for student support for their action. My message for AUS now is; they’ve got a long way to go until they’ll get it.

Happy Birthday to Me

2005-07-05T13:56:00.000+12:00

Today is my 24th birthday. I will be celebrating in JJ Murphey's on Cuba St from 6:30. This will, of course, include the rugby tonight.

Anyone who reads this is more than welcome to join me.

Boomers Should Pay

2005-06-27T09:45:00.000+12:00

Several people have asked me to post this opinion piece I wrote for the Dominion last week. They changed it around a little. The point I was trying to get across wasn't that the baby boomers should work longer, but that student debt was going to hit all of society... it was lost a little I guess...

Boomers Should Pay

I remember quite distinctly towards the end of my seventh-form year, the school’s deputy principal talking to our class about the importance of the exams we were about to sit. Our entire future was on the line, he said. If we did not commit ourselves now, we would get to middle age and regret it.

He continued on to talk about how much the system had changed since he went to university. In his day, if you got an above-average mark, you were not only guaranteed entry into university, but your bursary paid your way. And, chances are, you were lucky enough to get paid a small income while you studied.

Our generation was not going to be that lucky: an A or B bursary would equate to about the same as the cost of a first year text book (if that), only the best and brightest few would win scholarships, and only those from low income families would be eligible for an allowance.

This memory came to mind a few weeks ago when I was talking to a graduate friend of mine. He talked about how unfair the current system was: student debt was spiralling out of control, fees were going up, access to student allowances was falling, and a supposedly left-wing government appeared unwilling to do anything about it. Student leaders are always very good at making demands and accusations, claiming free education and a universal allowance are the answer to all the countries problems, but not so good at actually following this up with workable solutions. But he had a plan.

Student debt is effectively intergenerational debt. The baby boomer generation had benefited from free education, and then, during the 1980’s, cut taxes so they could save for their retirement, which effectively meant that free education was going to be out of reach for our generation. We would instead be crippled with student debt, making it difficult for us to buy a house, have children, or, eventually, save for our retirement.

Several solutions to student debt have been mooted recently. Using the government surplus to “pay off” student debt is one. Dr Cullen has said this is out of the question, and who could blame him? It would hardly make good fiscal sense not to be economically prepared to support the baby boomer generation in their dotage, would it? The Green Party has proposed using the Super Fund instead. This raises the same problem. With such a large demographic about to head into retirement, it is little wonder Grey Power were more than a little concerned about this.

The other edge of the sward is that as student debt gets larger, it’s going to hit society in general, with no exception given to the elderly. This is a group in society that is more dependent on our healthcare system than any other. With the average doctor’s debt estimated to be around, $65,000 they could be forgiven for charging more for their services, or heading overseas where the pay is considerably better. This translates into longer waiting lists for vital operations (like hip transplants) or forking out a greater chunk of their pension to go to a private health provider. Where’s the quality of life in that? Aren’t your golden years supposed to be just that, not spent living on a waiting list or off the smell of an oily rag?

My friend had one simple solution to curing the issue of inter generational debt: gradually raising the retirement age, over time, to 67. This would save the government enough money to give most students an allowance, to lower tuition fees to just over $1000, and to make student loans interest free, assisting those students who have already graduated. As life expectancy goes up, it would be fully plausible to work for a slightly larger length of time before you were eligible for superannuation. This is especially pertinent with a larger demographic heading towards retirement; less workers supporting more retirees, who are going to live longer is hardly a sustainable situation to be in without raising taxes or cutting the pension – two options which recent opinion polls suggest are political suicide.

I know what you’re thinking: it’s very easy for someone in their early twenties to talk about raising the retirement age. Yes; it’s going to be some time before retirement even enters my mind. But student debt is a societal problem that, left unfixed, is going to hit everyone in the next few years. That is why the system needs to be overhauled, and a sustainable solution instituted before it gets out of control.

Exam Time

2005-06-09T13:25:00.000+12:00

I'm not going to make a habit of publishing emails which get sent to me, but I found this one quite amusing...

Instructions: Read each question carefully. Answer any five questions you choose.
Time Limit: One hour. Begin immediately.

1. HISTORY - Describe the history of the papacy from its origins to the present day, concentrating especially, but not exclusively, on its social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical impact on Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. Be brief, concise, and specific.

2. MEDICINE - You have been provided with a razor blade, a piece of gauze, and a bottle of Scotch. Remove your appendix. Do not suture[stitch up] until your work has been inspected. You have 15 minutes.

3. PUBLIC SPEAKING - 2,500 riot-crazed aborigines are storming the classroom. Calm them. You may use any ancient language except Latin or Greek.

4. BIOLOGY - Create life. Estimate the differences in subsequent human culture if this form of life had developed 500 million years earlier, with special attention to its probable effect on the English parliamentary system. Prove your thesis.

5. MUSIC - Write a piano concerto. Orchestrate and perform it with flute and drum. You will find a piano under your seat.

6. PSYCHOLOGY - Based on your knowledge of their words, evaluate the emotional stability, degree of adjustment, and repressed frustrations of each of the following: Alexander of Aphrodisias, Ramses II, Gregory of Nicea, Hammurabi. Support your evaluation with quotations from each man's work, making appropriate references. It is not necessary to translate.

7. SOCIOLOGY - Estimate the sociological problems which might accompany the end of the world. Construct an experiment to test your theory.

8. ENGINEERING - The disassembled parts of a high-powered rifle have been placed in a box on your desk. You will also find an instruction manual, printed in Swahili. In ten minutes, a hungry Bengal tiger will be admitted to the room. Take whatever action you feel appropriate. Be prepared to justify your decision.

9. EPISTEMOLOGY - Take a position for or against Truth. Prove the validity of your position.

10. PHYSICS - Explain the nature of matter. Include in your answer an evaluation of the impact of the development of mathematics on science.

11. PHILOSOPHY - Sketch the development of human thought, estimate its significance. Compare with the development of any other kind of thought.

EXTRA CREDIT - Define the Universe. Give three examples.

Mars

2005-06-09T09:14:00.000+12:00

Got emailed this this morning. I don't know how true it is, but anyway...

The Red Planet is about to be spectacular! This month and next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the Last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as 60,000 years before it happens again.

The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest 75-power magnification

Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. Mars will be easy to spot. At the beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10p.m.and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.

By the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30a.m. That's pretty convenient to see something that no human being has seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at the beginning of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month.

Share this with your children, grandchildren, teachers, students, etc. etc.. NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

The Market Rulz...

2005-06-02T10:37:00.000+12:00

... or so I'm going to set out to prove in the case of Airports in New Zealand for my thesis.

Last night I went to a ISCR lecture by Auckland University economics Professor Tim Hazledine on competition on the Trans-Tasman Air Routes. Professor Hazledine used the trans-Tasman air market to prove that there is greater price discrimination for the consumer on a route which is serviced by multiple carriers as opposed to a route which a carrier has a monopoly. This doesn't necessarily mean that it is better for the consumer (although I imagine it probably is), but there is greater variation of the price of flights on routes with multiple carriers.

One point he made had specific reference to the topic of my thesis. He spoke briefly about frequency/share curves. This is where a carrier has, for example, 20% of the frequency of certain route, but is only able to capture 15% of the market, while conversely, the carrier which has 80% of the frequency captures 85% of the market. Hazledine concluded that it costs secondary carriers about 20% more to service a route than the dominant carrier.

This is not isolated to airlines. Richard de Neufville found that the same was the case with airports within the same system or region competing for market share. An airport with 80% of the flights would capture 85% of the market, and vice versa.

I plan to show that this is differentiation is more prevalent in an environment of privatized and deregulated airports, than it is in a situation where airports are municipally owned.

Law Revue

2005-05-27T14:38:00.000+12:00

Went to see the Law Revue "Law Actually" last night. It was great.

The highlight had to be LSS President James Mason and Lectuer Grant Morris doing a Rocky Horror Picture Show piece - classic!

An Announcement

2005-05-24T12:11:00.000+12:00

Not that most of you care, but:

I have no intention of seeking a second term as VUWSA President.

This leaves the door open for other possible candidates...

Keith Ng on the Budget

2005-05-24T12:10:00.000+12:00

Keith (at Poll Dancer) has a really good piece on the budget (if you can get past the *fucking job* that jumps out at you...).

President's Column - Big Huge Ups

2005-05-23T18:45:00.000+12:00

I would like to use this week’s President’s Column to say something to all those students and staff who marched on Parliament last Tuesday.

FUCKING AYE!

Students and staff united, opposing fee increases, allowance ineligibility, and low staff pay. The turn out was awesome. It was, by far, the biggest student protest at Victoria this century. There are a number of people that deserve thanks.

First and foremost, those that put in the hard yards before, with lecture speaking, leafleting and the like: Andrew Kirton, Camilla Belich, Karen Price and Lisa Woods from the New Zealand University Students’ Association, Michael Gilchrist and David Weatherburn of the Association of University Staff, Mary-Jane Waru from Ngai Tauira, Cormack Denton from the Commerce Students Assocaition, and James Mason from the Law Students’ Society.

Chris Knox for playing in the Quad beforehand, and Joel Cosgrove for organising Chris to play.

Those clubs and Rep Groups that helped drum up support: Vic Greens, the Fijian Students’ Association, Campus Left, the Geology Society, and Vic Rowing, to name but a few.

People from other Associations and Unions who showed up on the day: Students’ Associations from Massey University (Palmerston North and Wellington), Whitirea, and WelTech, as well as FinSec, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, and the Public Service Association.

And, most of all, all those Vic students and staff that showed up on the day. It wouldn’t have been a success without you all.It was a huge effort. No one let the weather or the proximity of exams get in their way. Stuff.co.nz estimated there were as many as 1,000 people there, but I think the true number rests at somewhere around 650.

It doesn’t end here, though. This is an election year, and we have to let the Government know that we will not rest until fees have stopped rising, the number of students receiving an allowance is going up, and staff are being paid a decent wage.

Later this year, student debt will hit $8 billion. This is yet another example of the Government not following through on their promise to make tertiary education more affordable. We will be protesting this again, closer to the date (which is currently undisclosed). Students and staff have to unite again and make this as big an event as, if not bigger than, last Tuesday.

In the mean time, congratulations to all those that graduated last week. I was immensely proud to sit on stage and clap for all 1,500 graduates in the five ceremonies.

Also, all the very best with your exams. If you’ve put in the hard yards, you’ll surely come out on top. If you haven’t, I hope you’re lucky.

Have a good holiday, and I look forward to seeing you all back here for Re-Orientation in July.

Dons 1, John Hood 0

2005-05-21T16:13:00.000+12:00

Former University of Auckland Vice Chancellor, John Hood has been beaten down by the Dons at Oxford, after proposing a number of radical changes, including amalgamating the world famous libraries, centralizing the authority of the University's colleges, and assessing the work output of the Dons. The proposals were lost 351 votes to 153 votes in Oxford's Congregation.

At the same time, Auckland Vice Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon faces legal action by the Association of University Staff.

I can confidently report that Pat Walsh has done very little to upset anyone at Victoria yet...

Quote from Blumsky

2005-05-21T16:05:00.000+12:00

In this week's Western News (local community newspaper):

"... Philosophically, there is little difference between National and United Future"

MARCH ON PARLIAMENT

2005-05-17T00:29:00.000+12:00

Tuesday 17 May, leaving the Kelburn Quad at 12:30.

Protesting for an end to fee increases, greater access to student allowances, and a pay increase for University staff.

Chris Knox will be playing in the Quad from 12 noon.

Nat's Key Seats

2005-05-16T09:36:00.000+12:00

The Dom (via David Farrar) has an article regarding National's target seats in the South Island. It lists Invercargill, Otago, and, interestingly, Aoraki. I've never given the later of these much thought (although I picked Invercargill and Otago here).

Aoraki is a strange target; despite the fact it's a rural seat, the vast majority of the electorate live in Timaru - the demographics of which put it well within Labour's territory. I would say the Nats have more chance lifting Wellington Central, than Aoraki.

However, you can't under estimate an angry electorate, I guess...

President's Column - The squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease

2005-05-16T08:27:00.000+12:00

Last week I was rallying support for next weeks protest in the Quad, and Michael Gilchrist (organizer for the Association of University Staff) used the alliteration the squeaky wheel gets the grease to describe conflicting issues in an election year. Those causes which are the most vocal and best organized are the causes which influence what parties put in their manifestos, and who voters vote for on election day (whenever that might be).

This is particularly the case for student issues. Students are viewed by politicians and the general public as apathetic; a group that are either too busy or too lazy to care. This could be a determining factor in explaining why students have been effectively ignored by the government for so long. Other than a few small advances (thanks for the letter, Jim), students are in no better position now than they were ten years ago.

It is time to change this, and the time is next Tuesday. VUWSA (in conjunction with the Association of University Staff) will be marching from the Kelburn Quad and Bunny Street to Parliament. This is the beginning of VUWSAs election campaign, and coincidently falls two days before Dr Cullen delivers the 2005 Government Budget. Our message to the Government is that students and staff are not going to stand for an under-funded Tertiary Education system any longer. More specifically, this can be broken into two categories that affect all students.

The first of these is an end to fee increases. Labour pledged in 1999 to make tertiary education more affordable. Despite this, in 2003 Steve Maharey (then Minister of Tertiary Education) announced a system of fee maxima. This allowed institutions to raise fees to a set level at Victoria this resulted in a 3% and 4.5% fee increase in 3004 and 2005 respectively. According to NZUSA research, as much as 60% (or $4.4 billion) of student debt is from fees. The fact that institutions have been able to raise fees shows that the Government is not concerned with fixing this generational debt.

The second category is a decent pay increase for university staff. If you dont think staff pay affects students, think again. New Zealand academics are amongst the lowest paid in the OECD. Unless their pay is increased, the best and brightest academics, researchers and lecturers will head overseas where they will be paid more. This will deprive you (the student) of the best research and teaching, and degrade the academic quality of Victoria University, and, ultimately the degrees that you worked so hard to gain.

There is a perception that protesters are arrested and not allowed to leave the country (or deported). This couldnt be further from the truth. New Zealand has a strong tradition of freedom of speech. As a nation we have taken to the streets over contentious issues such as the Vietnam War, the 1981 Springbok Tour, and the Civil Union Bill. Students have to uphold this tradition.

I strongly encourage you to come along to Tuesdays protest. Classic kiwi muso Chris Knox will be playing in the Quad from 12 noon, and we will head to Parliament at about 12:30.

If you only take part in one political action while your at University, regardless of your political believes or allegiances, there will be no better opportunity than next Tuesday.

Come along and show the government that students arent going to take it any longer.

President's Column - The Good, The Bad, and the Politics

2005-05-09T08:37:00.000+12:00

The 1999 General Election seems like a long time ago, but I remember it quite clearly. Shipley’s National Government was on the rocks following the implosion of New Zealand First, and a very-public falling out between Prime Minister Shipley, and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. It seemed certain that Labour were going to win, and that Jim Anderton’s Alliance Party would be supporting them. I remember this election as it was the first election I voted in. I had turned 18 only a few months earlier, and the day after my last bursary exam I trotted off to the Helensville Primary School hall and voted.

I was heading to the University of Auckland the next year to study law, and looked forward to the free education that the Alliance promised in their manifesto. Needless to say, I voted for Laila Haire (living in the Waitakere electorate), and the Alliance. Sure enough, days later, pictures of Jim Anderton and Helen Clark shaking hands (and thus forming a coalition) graced the front page of the New Zealand Herald. Students were saved from the strangle-hold of Max Bradford and his band of marry men.

Two things never came true: Firstly, despite a kick arse score in Graphics (top in my school, no less), I bombed out in Geography (mildly ironic?) and didn’t get a good enough bursary score to get into law – this drove me to write fucked up letters as a pseudonym to Salient. Secondly, the free education that the Alliance promised never eventuated.

Things started out on the right track for the Labour-Alliance coalition. On their much-heralded “pledge card”, Labour stated that they would make tertiary education more affordable. Tuition fees were frozen, so institutions couldn’t crank them up on a whim. Interest was not charged on student loans for all students while they were studying. All this happened before I had my first lecture four months after the election, so it would be fair to say it was a high priority.

However, after an initial spurt of action, nothing else really happened. There were rumours of a universal allowance (of some sort), and the abolition of fees in favour of a graduate tax (which I’m in two minds about), but nothing ever came of it. In the 2003 budget, a “fee maxima” scheme was announced. This meant that most institutions were able to raise their fees within a certain range, to allow for “correction” of fee levels. Admittedly, this was not as bad as the free-for-all free increases of the 1990’s, but it was still against Labour’s 1999 pledge. Even this turned out to be a little bit of a joke really, as all applications to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) for an increase above the maxima were approved, including 10% fee increases for medical students at Auckland and Otago.

Even things which the government are proclaiming victories for students are turning sour. Last year, there was the much-publicized raising of the parental income threshold for students on allowances. Even NZUSA put out a press release in support of this (and they’re hard to please). It turned out that this was at the expense of almost all students who were on independent circumstances. And now it turns out that 23% less students claimed the student allowance in the first quarter of 2005 compared to the first quarter of 2004 (hat tip to Keith Ng – nice way to make yourself famous).

Why should you care? The generation that is currently in Parliament (with a few exceptions) all got an education for free – including the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education and most of Cabinet.

This election, student have got to unite and show the politicians that we are not going to stand for this sort of treatment any more. There are 200,000 students in New Zealand (give or take) – that’s enough to put any party in power. Hell, if we all voted for the Natural Law Party, we’d have a Prime Minister who believed that New Zealand’s energy problems could be cured by the untapped power of rainbows…

This starts next Tuesday. Just before everyone (well, everyone that’s completed their degrees) graduates, and two days before Dr Cullen announces his budget, students will be marching from the Kelburn Quad to Parliament. We will be presenting a list of demands, including a stop to fee increases, and more funding for the tertiary sector. Chris Knox is going to be playing in the quad before hand, and we’ll have a sausage sizzle and all that jazz from around 12pm onwards.

If you only come on one protest while you’re at University, I would recommend you come in this one. The more people we get, the more seriously we are taken, and the better deal students get.

Moving "Up" in the World...

2005-05-06T10:47:00.000+12:00

Kate from About Town has posted about the University of Auckland Dean of Law (presumably) being poached by Oxford (and former Auckland) Vice Chancellor John Hood.

Interestingly, Auckland VC Stuart McCutcheon has poached Victoria University Director of Facilities Management, Peter Fehl (say that fast, and, well, you get it I'm sure). Fehl claims he applied for the job before McCutcheon announced his move, but we all know the truth.

If AUSA was worried about their Union Building with McCutcheon, then they should be petrified with Fehl. The two of them are as thick as thieves...

Gay Marriage in Springfield

2005-05-05T12:14:00.000+12:00

After finding out that the gay marriage episode of the Simpsons (episode 1610) was going to be on last night, I made sure I would be home in time to see it (even if this meant walking home in the rain).

A little bit of a let down, as I knew it was Patty that was going to get married, but it didn't actually happen in the end.

It would have been so much better if it had been Lenny and Karl...

2005-05-03T18:24:00.000+12:00

Abbey Road

Which Beatles Album Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Debate on Student Allowance Numbers

2005-05-03T13:31:00.000+12:00

Apparently, there's going to be a debate on student allowance numbers in Parliament this afternoon. This is along the lines of Kieth's post on Poll Dancer and his Salient article.

Political Poetry Entry 2

2005-05-02T18:47:00.000+12:00

The Real Key to Political Success! By Matt McGrath

Some have said that success in this game,
Is due to certain elements of political fame,

Things like beauty, and cunning and smarts,
And qualifications beyond a Bachelor of Arts,

Prime Minister Lange got by on his wit,
While John Tamihere acts like a twit,

But for fame there can be no substitute to
Having a somebody who looks just like you,

Clem Simich seems like one of a kind
But take a look closer and soon you will find,
He doesn’t get by on political will
He only gets by cos he’s like Dr Phil,

Rod Donald may seem pretty and handsome
But he stole that whole look from Dr Johnasson,

Mr Hide is a member who is nasty and loud,
He barracks, and scoffs and he laughs out aloud
Some say he gets attention cos he’s a buffoon
But I say its cos he’s a taller Muldoon,

Mr Tony Ryall has funny shaped ears
Most people can’t help but laugh when he sneers
So where did he get this look that could kill
He borrowed it from our wee friend Blinky Bill,

But Tony’s not alone to this end
Our venerable leader has an animated friend
Just put on some ears, and its really quite funny
Dr Don Brash is what’s up with Bugs Bunny!

I’ve come near the end now, but something’s not right,
I can not have finished, not now, well not quite!
There’s just one more face that one could never forget
And you’re all scared to death of this face, I bet

Its one that original - no, its never been done,
But you can’t look straight at it, it’s a bit like the sun,

This personality is a sight for sore eyes,
A face whose popularity is quite a surprise,

A face that can be both frightening and sinister,
The face of our Right Honourable Prime-Minister.

No time to post

2005-05-02T10:50:00.000+12:00

Been tied up with other stuff at the moment - Uni Games last week, and university council today. Will post something later on this week.

President's Column - Sporting Good Time

2005-04-25T09:51:00.000+12:00

My high school testimonial says that I played for the Kaipara College First XI cricket team in 1995 and 1996. I even opened the batting line up several times in 1995. If this doesn’t impress you, then this will: 1995 was my first year at high school. Yes, THIRD FORM. I was the opening batsman for the Kaipara College First XI when I was thirteen. Not a word of this is incorrect. Didn’t expect that from me, did you? I believe that Martin Crowe achieved the same thing at Auckland Grammar.

What I fail to mention (well, on most occasions) is that there was only one cricket team at Kaipara College in 1995 – the third form team. I did open the batting, but apart from a well-timed boundary against Westlake Boys, there was very little to write home about. My high school principal (for some unknown reason) felt compelled to make me look a lot better than I actually am.

So, this is the “University Games Salient President’s Column” from your exceptionally un-athletic President. Read carefully as I pretend to know what I’m talking about…
As you read this issue of Salient, the 210-strong Team Vic will be competing at the 2005 New Zealand University Games on the North Shore in Auckland. This year’s competition is being hosted by the Auckland University Student Movement at AUT. Hopefully, all going according to plan, Victoria will be hosting the 2006 games.

Our rugby league, rock climbing, basketball and debating teams (to name but a few) will be competing with the best of them in Auckland. We have regularly punched above our weight at University Games: we came fourth in Dunedin in 2004 and third in Palmerston North in 2003. Not bad considering we are the fifth largest university (take that Auckland!).

University Games (or, as they used to be called “Easter Tourny”) are more than just drunken debauchery. At Dunedin a few years ago they also had a riot – fun times all round. No, but seriously; they are a chance for students to get away from their studies for a little while, and compete on the national stage with others from around the country. They are an opportunity for students to test their skills at one of the highest levels, while still in a good-natured environment – after all, chances are you will be having a beer with your opponent afterwards.

Last year, VUWSA established “Team Vic Ltd”, an entity created wholly to assist clubs (both sporting and cultural) with sponsorship and merchandise. VUWSA also employs a sponsorship and advertising manager who can assist with seeking external sponsorship. There; that’s my token VUWSA plug for the week.

If you ever get a chance to go to University Games, I recommend it. I attended the 2003 games in Palmerston North and had a great time. Not only is it one of the highest levels of sporting competition, but it’s also a change to meet and socialise with students from other universities from around the country.

Oh, and before you ask, I didn’t think debating was a sport either, but the powers-that-be [that’d be me – Ed.] ensure me it is. How about that, eh?

Computer Problems

2005-04-21T10:02:00.000+12:00

My computer profile died yesterday. I lost all my old emails, my contacts, and my Outlook calendar appointments. Fortunatly, they were backed-up by our IT guys to Sunday night. This means that if you emailed me between 6pm Sunday and 9am this morning, chances are, I didn't get it.

I am told that the problem was in my PST file. Apparently, these only opperate if you keep it below 2gb. Mine was close to 5gb, as I hadn't archived Outlook since I started at VUWSA in 2003. Heh. I'm archiving now.

It is a little scary how reliant on computers we have become. Not only was I late to almost every appointment I had yesterday (have since reverted back to a paper diary), but I could do very little work on anything. I kept on thinking "I'll just take care of that, oh, wait, no I won't."

Political Poetry Entry 1

2005-04-20T11:06:00.000+12:00

Don Brash by Greg Stephens

Don slowly arose,

With a comb in hand,

To strike up a pose,

To face the land.

Gerry walked in

He showed Don the poll,

That had National at the mini

Since that fateful roll.

Don started to cry,

Just as Helen walked passed,

He tried to be sly,

But he could not last.

He cried to Helen,

‘How are you popular?’,

She smiled while eating a melon,

And said ‘Don you are in dire’.

Don wiped away a tear,

Only to find,

The media glare,

Looking through the blind.

Don looked at himself,

Saw his combover undone,

Wished he was an elf,

And proclaimed himself dumb.

Political Poetry

2005-04-20T03:02:00.000+12:00

This takes the cake.

Boris's constituency
Henley on Thames; May; two thousand and five

Elections are looming: do you still want to thrive?

Parliament's sleeping: no Government now

Each qualified voter should vote; and here's how:

Surrender your card to confirm that it's you,
Then pencil your cross; in the space for the BLUE

_______________
With this as a guide, I am going to run a NZ Election Poetry Competition.

The rules are thus:

It has to make reference to a New Zealand political party or personality.
It has to take the piss out of one of the above.
It must not be serious.
It must be topical.
All entries must be emailed to me (president(@)vuwsa.org.nz) and I will post them on my blog. I will only post poems that are clever and funny, not abusive or offensive poems.

The prize will be a jug of beer at Eastside and the honour of being the first winner of the

President Greenbrook Award for
Services to International Literature.

I will endevour to have the best right and left poems published in my President's column in Salient (providing Emily lets me).

"Yobs"

2005-04-19T22:13:00.000+12:00

I've just seen a UK Conservative Party leader Michael Howard news conference on the British "Yob Culture" on Sky News. I didn't realize people still used words like "yob", but maybe it's just the Tories... read this guy's blog. Iain Dale strikes me as a frightfully sterling chap, of fine upbringing, what. He doesn't, however, want you to leave comments. Bugger.

The news conference was truly moving stuff, really. My particular favourite moment (trust me, there were many of them) was when Howard's accomplice (the name of whom I have forgotten - if anyone saw the news conference please post the guy's name in comments) was asked what would he be after the election "Conservative Party leader, or a former Member of Parliament". The Tory didn't dignify it with an answer, funnily enough. The whole news conference smacks of "we know how to fix these young whipersnappers; a swift kick up the backside is what they need" (Howard's speech can be read here). It's a concept that is foreign to me. National don't even come close to that sort of cynicism, in my opinion.

And what is with the Tories slogan: Are you thinking what we're thinking? Simple answer: probably not. Labour's slogan seems much better to me (not that I'm at all baised...): Britain forward, not back. Interestingly, you can read the entire Labour manifesto online.

The British election is of considerable interest to me. I have never studied British politics, basing my entire knowledge on one Blackadder episode, the complete series of House of Cards, and what Jordan has told me of his experiences working in the Prime Minister's strategy unit. I don't think it will be a considerably close race for Tony Blair and the Labour Party, but it'll be interesting just the same.

President's Column - It's Easy Being Green

2005-04-18T21:25:00.000+12:00

Universities occupy the role of being the “critic and conscience of society”. This means that academics have traditionally lead the way in social trends and movements. In the past this has included such movements as the Anti-Vietnam War movement, the Springbok Tour, and, more recently, homosexual law reform and the Civil Union Bill.

One movement which has over arched all of these is the environmental movement. This is one which is once again rearing it’s head at Victoria University.

The environmental movement was (debatably) started by Rachel Carson’s “ground breaking” book The Silent Spring. In this, Carson claims that the use of insecticides and pesticides has led to a decline in the number of songbirds in the United States. Carsen states:

“What happens in nature is not allowed to happen in the modern, chemical-drenched world where spraying destroys not only the insects but also their principal enemy, the birds. When later there is a resurgence of the insect population, as almost always happens, the birds are not there to keep their numbers in check.”

The Silent Spring started a wave of environmental legislation and activism around the world, including here in New Zealand.

This week, the VUWSA environmental group “Gecko” will be running a localized campaign on campus to raise awareness of environmental issues, and their link to the global context. Gecko is has grown from “a tiny but committed group who wanted to get involved in environmental matters”, to a large, well organised, and passionate group of activists.

Their campaign – code named “WastED” – is centred around educating students about the environment. There will be activities all week, including workshops and speakers. Green MP Nandor Tanzcos will be speaking at the Student Representative Council on Wednesday (12:50 in the Quad). I urge you get involved.

The main push for WastED is for Victoria University to institute a recycling policy for it’s four campuses. This builds on work done by a group of students from Environmental Studies 104 last year who begun such a project.

There is currently no uniform policy for recycling on campus, just sporadic practices in different schools and faculties. This is disappointing, as there is no incentive for staff and students to use the few recycling facilities on campus.

Vice Chancellor Pat Walsh said at the Student Representative Council just before the break that a recycling policy is something he would be willing to support. I will be working with Gecko, University Management and University Council to make sure this comes to fruition.

Recycling is common place in most work places and education establishments. There is no reason why it shouldn’t be part of Victoria University. It is important that the university re-took it’s place as the critic and conscience of society.

Wellington Central Candidate Literature Post #1

2005-04-17T19:55:00.000+12:00

During the past 48 hours, most residents in Wellington Central will have received two candidate promotional flyers - the first for the election. Here is my (slightly biased) analysis of both of them.

The first was from National candidate Mark Blumksy.

This was a folded 1/3-A3 glossy leaflet entitled "A Voice For Wellington Central". Inside, there is an extensive biography of Blumsky, although the only mention of policy is:

"Mark believes National's policies of lower taxes, better roads, and more favourable conditions for small and medium businesses will be great for Wellington."

There is also an indication that National still doesn't fully understand MMP. Granted, the leaflet is National Party-blue, but there is a division between National branding and Blumsky branding. Let me elaborate.

The front has no mention of Blumsky, except for a photo (ie no name). It does, however, have a small National logo, and even smaller URL on the front. The leaflet folds out with a picture of Don Brash, and the same photo of Blumsky from the front. Three columns of writing is headed (at the bottom) with [tick] Mark Blumksy; Voice for Wellington. It is not until you turn to the back that there is any mention of party votes. There is a clear division between Blumsky and National - perhaps Mr Blumksy is running for Mr Blumsky, rather than National? Considering the importance of the Party Vote under MMP, this does seem very strange. Similar sentiments are made by Rodney Hide here. There is also no tie in with the "Eyebrows" logo Blumsky is using on a billboard at the Mount Victoria tunnel, which would have provided some branding for Blumsky.

The second piece of literature arrived today (yes, Sunday). This was "The Hobbs Herald; Marian Hobbs MP Reports...", a newsletter from sitting MP, Marian Hobbs.

In almost complete contrast to Blumsky's leaflet, the Hobbs Herald is an A3, 8-page, newspaper format newsprint leaflet. It is full of feel-good photos of Hobbs with several of her constituents, doing thinks like helping out at a volunteer centre, and interacting with students in the Victoria University quad. The information is quite topical, with the front page dedicated to Tuesday night's public meeting regarding the V8 race. There is a distinct link between national politics and the Wellington Central environment. The Labour logo is at the bottom of every page. Some of the data is presented in graph-format - these are not only misleading (the base of the graphs is not zero, making them look considerably more favourable for Labour than they possibly should), but also a little patronising (with big arrows spelling out trends for those not intelligent enough to work it out for themselves).

A direct comparison is not entirely fair: Blumsky's leaflet is clearly electionaring, while Hobbs' is more of a newsletter (which - judging by the House of Representatives logo accompanying every Labour logo - is probably funded by Parliamentary Service). However, as they arrived at around the same time, most residents with minimal political knowledge will not make such a distinction. Therefore, will compare them directly.

Blumsky's leaflet looks a lot more professional than Hobbs', although the format is similar to the countless real estate agent leaflets that arrive almost daily. This could be detrimental in two respects: the leaflet could be dismissed and thrown away on arrival, and could also associate Blumsky with real estate agents (no offence to any real estate agents, but hardly a profession someone running for office would like to be associated with). It was also delivered by the postie which meant that it was folded up within the Wellingtonian and Western News (I almost overlooked it as I was about to light a fire with one of the newspapers). Blumsky's leaflet comes across more personable than the lecture-format of Hobbs'.

Hobbs' leaflet looks more like a community newspaper, which could mean it is dismissed slightly less than Blumsky's leaflet. It was also delivered today - a non-mail day - it didn't have to compete with other junk mail. This also gives the impression (correct or not) that Labour have more volunteers on the ground than National, and don't have to rely on paid deliveries. Hobbs' does, however, give indirect coverage to Blumsky by wading into the V8 road-race debate - an event that is widely associated with Blumsky, yet he makes no mention of it. Maybe Hobbs' is running scared?

I imagine the respective campaign managers will refute almost everything I've written here.

In the end, I think Hobbs' will have got slightly more coverage than Blumsky, for (I'm guessing) slightly less money, but it's early days yet. Very early days indeed, but it is looking to be a fiercely fought out election in the Capital.

SRC Tax Debate

2005-04-13T17:28:00.000+12:00

We had Rodney Hide and Matt Robson at Victoria today debating tax policy. I think it was a huge success, with at least 100 active participants (ie not including those sitting eating their lunch).

My verdict was that both had their strengths and weaknesses.

Hide is a great speaker, an old school politician, who stood up there and bellowed into the mic. He moved around, and engaged with the crowd (and the crowd engaged back). I was less impressive with his "playing the player rather than the ball" tactic, which he engaged in a number of times. He benefited greatly by the large group of supporters he had there. He was, however, sidetracked by a number of interruptions.

Robson is a slightly more passive politician. He didn't engage with the crowd as much as Hide did, but still held his own, to a certain extent. He also played the player (his comment on Hide being a Frankistein-like figure was disappointing), but not as much as Hide.

The winner on the day was Hide, who stole the show.

As far as policy goes, I don't agree with either, but would be leaning more towards Robson's than Hides (I don't imagine that would suprise a great deal of you).

Both MP's may, however, be looking for jobs come September.

Hide's post on his blog is here. I'm the red-haired guy in between them (in case you didn't know).

Say NO to the Black-Caps Tour of Zimbabwe

2005-04-13T14:18:00.000+12:00

Found this on goNZo Freakpower 's blog. I urge everyone to sign it.

President's Column - Sermon on the Hill

2005-04-11T09:25:00.000+12:00

I’m sure most of you have your favourate drunken story. A time when you have drunk so much that you have lost all comprehension of what you are doing. A time when you lost all inhabitations and acted in a way that was completely out of character. A time when you may have even put your life, or maybe someone else’s, at risk.

My personal favourate was before I moved to Wellington, and was attending a 21^st at a bar on the Auckland waterfront. Someone thought it would be a great idea to buy a bottle of Bacardi for the ferry trip from Devonport. Of course, I drank more than my fair share and ended up passing out during the speeches. I was dragged out of the bar by the bouncer, apparently putting up little resistance. Obviously not in my best frame of mind, I decided that I would try and sleep it off, so lay down underneath KZ-7, and fell asleep. In the rain. I was woken up shortly after by some friends and two members of the local constabulary, and bundled into a taxi home – all before about 9:30pm.

I have certainly learnt my lesson, and haven’t touched Bacardi since. Even the smell of it make me sick (this made 18 months working behind the bar at the Backbencher difficult).

I was lucky that night. Most of my friends looked after me, and I know I have returned the favour for many of them. I have bundled drunken friends into taxis, hidden friend’s car keys, and cleaned up several ill-timed vomits in the early hours of the morning.

Some people, unfortunately, aren’t so lucky. Many people are left to fend for themselves, often ending up passed out on the side of the road, behind the wheel of a car, or doing something equally regrettable and damaging.

Last year the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) released a report on student drinking habits. The report concluded that:

“University life may actually promote drinking among students. Drinking has been described as intrinsic to the student culture and more defining feature of tertiary study academic work itself.”

Alright, hands up whose surprised? I certainly wasn’t. I don’t think anything has really changed from when my parents were university aged (neither my father or mother attended university, as such, but you catch my drift). Maybe slightly more students drink because the drinking age have since been lowered, but, to be honest, I found it more difficult to buy alcohol legally as an 18 year old, than I did illegally as a 17 year old.

However, it is a different story with a report released this year regarding the drinking patterns of New Zealand. As you have probably seen from the television advertisements, drinking in New Zealand is a major problem. You may think the advertisements are almost as lame at the Victoria University “Makes You Think” ads, but how many of you have thought “shit, I’ve been in that situation. I know what that feels like”.

According to the later ALAC study, “450,000 of us were binge drinking on our last drinking occasion”. That’s the population of the Wellington Region (that’s everyone between Island Bay and Paikakariki). This costs between $1 billion and $4 billion worth of harm. This costs the public health sector $655 million. This costs $1.17 billion in lost productivity. That’s real figures.

ALAC is not proclaiming that everyone stop drinking and preach “any tub-thumping evangelism about the evils of drink or the perils of getting drunk”. It simply asks that people own up to their drinking habits and take responsibility. To watch out for their friends, and keep them out of harms way. To not drink so much that they don’t remember what happened the next day.

Next Wednesday night, I will be joining the Mayor, and members of the University Management on a “Tertiary Alcohol Trek”, organized by the Hutt Valley District Health Board. This will start at midnight, and head down the paths that students take to and from town. We will be trying to highlight areas which could be harmful for students who are drunk.

We don’t want to frighten you out of having a good time. We simply want to make it safer for you to have a good time.

ANZAC Essay Winner

2005-04-08T08:53:00.000+12:00

Yesterday I briefly attended a function for carrier advisors at Victoria. This is the regular sort of "Victoria is the greatest university on the face of the planet, send your students here" function. They wine them, they dine them, and they send them home with good feelings about the university.

One interesting observation; they held this during the university holidays, to give the impression that facilities are plentiful, not crowded like they are during term. Students may be in for a short, shard shook when they turn up only to find you have to queue for virtually everything.

But I digress. I was surprised to see the carriers advisor from Kaipara College in attendance. I went to Kaipara 1995-1999. When I was there, I knew nothing of Victoria University - the only universities which visited were Auckland, Otago and Massey, which was where the vast majority of the seventh formers went.

I was quickly informed that a Kaipara College student had, for the third time, won a place to travel with the Prime Minister to the ANZAC commemorations at Gallipoli. I'm not entirely certain, but I think Alice Krzanich may be the daughter of my high school geography teacher.

Thing from Kate at Aboutown

2005-04-06T02:00:00.000+12:00

From Span to Xavier to Kate to me and now I have to answer the questions and pass it on - so I will.

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?
"1984" by George Orwell

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
Alex in Tessa Duder's "Alex". We had to read it at primary school.

The last book you bought is?
"Muldoon: His Way" by Barry Gustaffson. A great (if not the best) political history of New Zealand ever written.

The last book you finished is?
"The Fatherland" by Robert Harris. Not quite as good as "Enigma" but still very good.

What are you currently reading?
I have begun "Stalingrad" by Antony Beever, but have stalled with other commitments.

Five Books you would take to a deserted Island?
Five copies of "The Holy Bible" because you never know when you'll need rice paper.

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?
Greg Stevens - Becuase he's been getting a lot of stick from the VRWC lately.
Kakariki and Resistant Soy - Becuase you should always keep left.

The Real David Farrar...

2005-04-04T09:33:00.000+12:00

I got sent the link to this anonymously through the VUWSA website. Rest assured DPF looks nothing like this guy...

First SJS National Council

2005-04-03T15:29:00.000+12:00

I attended my first Student Job Search National Council meeting as Wellington/Northern South Island Chair yesterday. The papers for the meeting would have given the Wellington Telephone directory an inferiority complex, and most of the meeting was taken up with operational proposals from various regions, which I will not go into in detail here.

However, at the end of the meeting we defined the regional boundaries for 2005. Most remained unchanged, however the Wellington/Northern South Island region no longer includes the Wairarapa (for practical reasons - UCol has a campus in Masterton, so it was decided that it would be more appropriate to come under the Manawatu/Central North Island region), or the Buller District (it was decided that Caturbury/Westland would include the entire West Coast).

On the lighter side, Wellington/Northern South Island does include the Chatham Islands (based on the fact that Wellington Airport is the main access way to the Islands, a similar basis as Rongatai Electorate), and Otago/Southland now includes Kurow, as it is on the southern banks of the Waitaki River.

Help Wanted

2005-03-31T09:16:00.000+12:00

About Town is advertising for a new contributor, after Conor (of Constar fame) has found that he has too much on his plate with the AUSA Vice Presidentancy and Labour Party activities (which, after this weekend, will probably be greatly expanded). I assume the pre-requisite would be a member (or former member) of the AUSA Exec, and a member of the Labour Party?

Quite a few bloggers have recently blogged-out. SageNZ posted in February that several blogs had fallen in the month. Since then, Nick Kelly has posted that he is a failed blogger, and will not be posting any more. Several other blogs haven't posted in over a month, including Constar, and Jules - two long standing bloggers.

Where is everyone going?

Modern Graduation Attire

2005-03-30T13:18:00.000+12:00

Thanks to Dorking Labs for this one.

Media Release - VUWSA Praises Efforts of VUW Cricket Team

2005-03-30T10:56:00.000+12:00

Victoria University students can be proud of the efforts of the VUW men’s cricket team, which won the NZ Universities Championship on Monday, said Jeremy Greenbrook, President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association. Victoria won all 3 of their matches including a win in the final over a very strong Otago team.

“University life is more than just study” says Greenbrook. “The VUW Cricket team has shown this, with a last-ball victory over Otago in the final.”

“An innings of 117 not out in the final by team captain, Stephen Murdoch, is outstanding, and was rewarded with the National Bank Player of the Championship” said Greenbrook.

Five members of the Victoria team (including Murdoch) were named in the Tournament Team.

Match card:
Otago vs Victoria, Mon 28 March, Kelburn Park, Wellington,
Toss won by Victoria;
Otago 243 all out, 49.1 overs, J. Hogg 86, C. Smith 60, S. Murdoch 3-24, N. Earl 3-51;
Victoria 244-9, 50 overs, S. Murdoch 117*, H. Templeton 24, S. Murley 3-45;

For further details, contact:
Jeremy Greenbrook
President - Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association
021 899 430 – 04 463 6986
jeremy.greenbrook@vuwsa.org.nz

Happy Easter Everyone

2005-03-25T10:33:00.000+12:00

State of the Parties - National

2005-03-24T09:15:00.000+12:00

The Dominion Post has published a profile of the National Party, focusing on their state under MMP. I agree with DPF - this is a very balanced account of the Party.

The concept of a "natural party of government" is something that interests me. I wrote a paper on Labour's state under MMP for Jon Johannson's 300-level Politics paper in 2003, a passage of which was reprodused in the Young Labour Newsletter. Things have changed since 2003...

NZLP and the Changing Party System

Often termed the 'natural party of opposition' the New Zealand Labour Party has a somewhat mixed record both in government and in opposition since losing the 1975 election. Originally established as the political wing of the West Coast trade unions, Labour has gone through a period of Neo-Liberalism, broken with its traditional union affiliates, and spawned breakaway parties as diverse as the Alliance and ACT. In the meantime, the change of the electoral system from First Past the Post (FPP) to a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system has severely altered New Zealand's political landscape, effecting significant changes on the New Zealand Labour Party.

Commentators such as Jonathon Boston claimed that New Zealand's move to a proportional representation system would be to the detriment of Labour and National, as a first-past-the-post election paves the way for a two party system. Indeed, between 1945 and 1996 all but 9 seats were won by either of the major parties. While Social Credit, and Bob Jones' New Zealand Party challenged this two party dominance, they did so with only limited electoral success. MMP has seen the formation of numerous smaller 'third' parties. Political Scientist Raymond Miller refers to this as the 'flaking process', where by, a number of current MP's, concerned with their position under MMP, left their parties to form, or join existing smaller parties. This is certainly the situation relating to the formation of most of the parties in the current Parliament, namely New Zealand First, United (now United Future), and Jim Anderton's Progressive Coalition Party.

A survey of Labour's election hoardings in the 1999 and 2002 elections show how Labour has adapted to the MMP electoral system. In 1999 Labour issued two differing types of hoarding: a generic Labour party hoarding featuring Helen Clark, and, in anticipation of victory, stating "THE FUTURE IS WITH LABOUR"; and a second electorate-specific hoarding, promoting the local electorate candidate, either with or without a photograph of the candidate, and, to a lesser extent, promoting the Labour party. Neither made any specific reference to the party vote, until an attachment was nailed to the hoardings late in the campaign, when the party realised that many voters were going to split their vote.

In contrast, generic National hoardings featured a photograph of leader Jenny Shipley, and were specifically aimed at the party votes, clearly asking voters to give National their party vote, while in key electorates, such as Wellington Central, the Alliance asked voters to split their vote with Labour's candidate, Marian Hobbs (to unseat ACT MP Richard Prebble), a precursor to the imminent Labour - Alliance. In his post election analysis of the 1999 campaign, Labour's campaign manager Mike Williams stated that many centre-left voters tend to ignore mainstream media, tending not to watch televised news, listen to news radio, or read any of the major daily newspapers that "they have to pay for". This effectively made the local candidate the centre of the party vote campaign, hence the late realisation of the importance of the Party vote in Labour's 1999 campaign.

By 2002, Labour had changed its tact somewhat, and, as a general strategy specifically campaigned for the party vote ahead of the electorate vote. Once again, two differing hoardings were issued, however, unlike in 1999, both made reference to the party vote over the electorate vote. The generic Labour hoarding stated clearly: "Party Vote Labour [Tick]", with a photo of Helen Clark, while the electorate hoardings simply said "[Tick] Labour", and below in smaller writing the same with the candidates family name. Late into the campaign, Labour employed a similar tactic as 1999, this time however, emphasising Labour's stability in government with "VOTE: Stable Government" plastered across hoardings.

Labour's Rakaia candidate in 2002, Tony Milne, points out that campaigning in Canterbury had a two-way regional approach to it. Rakaia activists contributed to the region's party vote (which included both safe Labour seats, such as Christchurch Central, and safe National seats, like Rakaia and Ilam), while activists from around Canterbury were recruited to campaign for party votes in un-winnable seats like Rakaia. A similar approach was taken in the Wellington region, with Wellington Central's abundant supply of young activists recruited to help raise the party vote in opposition held seats of Ohariu-Belmont and Rangitikei.

Looking into the performance of Labour candidates during the last 3 elections, one could come to the conclusion that Labour was relatively slow with the transition across to MMP. In the 1996 campaign, Labour experienced first hand the rough end of MMP, when Winston Peters and New Zealand First held the balance of power, and subsequently formed an ill-fated government with National. During the election campaign, other parties (particularly National and ACT) showed that they had a better - although some would argue, badly executed - grasp of MMP than Labour did, exhibited with Jim Bolger's support for Richard Prebble in Wellington Central, at a time when ACT was hovering just below the 5% threshold, much to the publicly displayed annoyance of local National candidate, Mark Thomas. This effectively gave National a guaranteed coalition partner in ACT, at a time when New Zealand First looked unlikely to join with National.

Ten years after New Zealand voted for MMP, election results suggest that Labour has been the least adaptive to the change of the new electoral system. Labour is the only party represented in parliament that has never won a greater percentage of party votes than electorate votes, and this is reflected in the proportionately low number of list MPs Labour gets, in comparison with other parties. David Benson-Pope regards this as a trust issue: rather than give both votes to Labour, voters preferred to find "us a coalition partner". I personally will never forget being told by a middle aged women in Karori during the 2002 campaign, that she will "vote for Marian, but I'll never trust Labour after '84" (something to that effect). The painful reform period of the fourth Labour government still gives the party an unwelcome stigma, which it is finding very difficult to shake.

However, it would seem that Labour is in a much better position under MMP than National, due to the electoral system's lack of favouritism towards the traditional National-voting elites. Under first-past-the-post, unless you voted for the winning electorate candidate, your vote was effectively worth nothing. Also, the smaller rural seats (which were predominantly Labour held) were worth as much when it came to forming a government, as larger urban seats. However, under MMP, voters in rural electorates, with little real chance of having a Labour MP, do have an incentive to give at least one of their votes to Labour.

While parts of the electorate still hold a grudge against the Labour Party for the reformist period of the Fourth Labour Government, the election results of 1999 and 2002 indicate that the Labour Party is no longer the natural government of opposition, instead, it is the 'long term party of government'. Under Helen Clark's leadership, and a more favourable electoral system, the New Zealand Party system is falling into a Norwegian model, with a dominant leftwing party (Labour), and a largely fragmented rightwing.

Media Whore

2005-03-23T13:21:00.000+12:00

I was qouted in the Dominion Post three times today (but who's counting, ah?).

First was in regards to Pat Walsh speaking to the Student Representative Council today.

Second was a letter to the editor regarding advertising spending (where they spelt my last name "Greenbook").

Third was in regards to Pat Walsh's appointment as Vice Chancellor (although they didn't credit me with the qoute).

The Fog has Cleared

2005-03-23T11:50:00.000+12:00

For the first time in over a week, I can see blue sky out my office window.

Social Conservitism at It's Best

2005-03-23T10:21:00.000+12:00

Gary has posted that he will not vote for National if Don Brash peddles his youth crime policy. Not a bad post by Gaz's standards. I favourate passage has to be:

I do think something should be done about controlling the little shits of this world, but sometimes punishing the parents does not work, especially if the pinkos have their way and don’t let us whack them. If a kid does a serious crime he should be sent to health camp or a correction centre like they used to, not fine the parents.

He then goes on to say that we should have them working in sweat shops, because "that'll learn 'em". Nice one Gaz - I'm glad someone in our generation wants to take New Zealand back to the 1950's...

Gaz fails to actually point out the flaws of Brash's plan. If the parents are present (and, therefore presumably available to be "punished"), then they are taking some responsibility for their children's actions. If the parents are not present (for whatever reason), it is going to be rather difficult to punishment them, even though it is probably more their fault than in the previous case. You are, therefore, punishing parents for taking responsibility.

Media Release - VUW Vice Chancellor to Address Students

2005-03-22T11:11:00.000+12:00

An unprecedented gesture of good faith, is how Jeremy Greenbrook, President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) is describing Vice Chancellor Pat Walsh’s decision to address the Student Representative Council (SRC).

“Professor Walsh is clearly showing that he is interested in what students have to say” said Greenbrook. “This is a remarkable turn around, considering the SRC moved numerous motions of no confidence and burned in effigy his predecessor, Professor Stuart McCutcheon.”

Professor Pat Walsh will be addressing the Student Representative Council in the Victoria University Quad at 12:50 on Wednesday 23 March.

“For so long, students have been seen as an annoyance by university management. At last we have a Vice Chancellor who is willing to take us seriously”, said Greenbrook.

For further details, contact:
Jeremy Greenbrook
President - Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association
021 899 430 – 04 463 6986
jeremy.greenbrook@vuwsa.org.nz

Gunning for My Job

2005-03-21T18:52:00.000+12:00

Gareth Robinson has annouced that he will be running for VUWSA President next year.

I'm not entirely certain what has motivated this, but one cannot help but think that this is a rather ambitious goal, considering Gareth has run for General Exec in almost every election and by-election since the 2003 General Election (I believe the 2003 Welfare Vice President by-election, and 2004 Treasurer/General Exec - where he was returning officer - were the only exceptions), and has yet to get elected to anything other than Publications Committee (which he was unopposed).

I have yet to decide weather to seek a second term, but I would say it is highly unlikely.

Labour Releases List

2005-03-21T16:14:00.000+12:00

Labour have just announced their list for the election. The (e) or (l) incicate weather they will have an electorate or list seat after the election, according to my earlier election prediction.

1 Rt. Hon Helen Clark (e)
2 Hon Michael Cullen (l)
3 Hon Margaret Wilson (l)
4 Hon Steve Maharey (e)
5 Hon Parekura Horomia (e)
6 Hon Phil Goff (e)
7 Hon Annette King (e)
8 Hon Trevor Mallard (e)
9 Hon Marian Hobbs (e)
10 Hon Dover Samuels (e)
11 Hon Jim Sutton (e)
12 Hon Pete Hodgson (e)
13 Hon Taito Phillip Field (e)
14 Hon Ruth Dyson (e)
15 Hon Mita Ririnui (l)
16 Hon Mark Burton (e)
17 Hon Paul Swain (e)
18 Hon Judith Tizard (e)
19 Hon Chris Carter (e)
20 Luamanuvao Winnie Laban (e)
21 Hon Rick Barker (e)
22 Mahara Okeroa (l)
23 Hon David Benson-Pope (e)
24 Jill Pettis (e)
25 Ashraf Choudhary (l)
26 Lianne Dalziel (e)
27 Shane Jones (l)
28 Dianne Yates (l)
29 Hon Mark Gosche (e)
30 Ann Hartley (e)
31 Hon David Cunliffe (e)
32 Martin Gallagher (e)
33 Steve Chadwick (e)
34 Darren Hughes (e)
35 Georgina Beyer (l)
36 Maryan Street (l)
37 David Parker (l)
38 Russell Fairbrother (e)
39 Dave Hereora (l)
40 Lynne Pillay (e)
41 Moana Mackey (e)
42 Steven Ching (l)
43 Sue Moroney (l)
44 Darien Fenton (l)
45 Charles Chauvel (l)
46 Lesley Soper (l)
47 Louisa Wall (l)
48 Su'a William Sio
49 Brendon Burns
50 Hamish McCracken
51 Denise MacKenzie
52 Max Purnell
53 Wayne Harpur
54 Leila Boyle
55 Dinesh Tailor
56 Philip Twyford
57 Jennifer McCutcheon
58 Chris Yoo
59 Michael Wood
60 Linda Hudson
61 Stuart Nash
62 Tony Milne
63 David Talbot
64 Marilyn Brown
65 Anjum Rahman
66 Eamon Daly
67 Grant Duffy
68 Judy Lawley
69 Mike Mora
70 Erin Ebborn-Gillespie
71 Ai Lian Su
72 Ghazala Anwar
73 Paul Gibson
74 Kelly-Ann Harvey
75 Camille Nakhid

In reserve
76 Nathan Saminathan
77 Ola Kamel
78 Andrea Bather

Calls for Salient Editor's Resignation

2005-03-21T14:36:00.000+12:00

I have deleted this post due to unforeseen employment issues.

President's Column - Evolution, Creationism and Academic Integrity

2005-03-21T10:20:00.000+12:00

Well, if you read Salient from cover-to-cover, you will have read Emily’s column on censorship. Here’s my column on academic integrity.

Earlier this week I was doing the dishes with my flat-mate Ray, who’s an ecology student. Ray’s a fairly switched on character, and our flat conversations are often over my head, leaving me with a semi-glazed look on my face. The dishes conversation that night turned to the evolution / creationism debate in American schools, and the flaws in each of the arguments. As the conversation progressed, and Ray explained each side of the argument to me, the more I realized how much academic integrity and freedom had been impinged upon.

In 1831 Charles Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle for a five-year voyage around the world, as an unpaid naturalist and companion to the ship’s captain, Robert Fitzroy. During this voyage, Darwin visited the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, 1000 kilometres off the coast of South America. It was on these Islands that Darwin noticed there were slight variations in Finches on different islands, while there should have only been one specie, originating from South America. All in all, Darwin identified 13 different species of the bird, differing most markedly in their beak shape. Darwin concluded that the variance in beaks stemmed from the differences in the diet and eating patterns of the different Finches on the different Islands. All the Finches had come from the same origin (South America) and were the same specie, but had been separated for a significant period of time. Rather than the environment changing the characteristics of the Finches, Darwin concluded that only those with the specific characteristics were able to survive in the environment they had been faced with, and the rest simply died out - hence the “survival of the fittest”.

This all seems to me to be fairly plausible, from a scientific perspective. However, there is a significant school of thought which is governed by the biblical book of Gensis, which violently disagrees:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
(Gensis 1:1-2)

This school of thought (known as “Creationism”) believes that God created the earth and all that is on it in a perfect form (including man that was made in an image of Himself). Since God’s creation is perfect there would be no reason to believe that it would need to evolve to improve it’s standing in it’s environment (as the Darwinist school of thought would lead us to believe). Creationism goes one step further, in linking “the truth about science” to god’s word, as revealed to us through scripture. Subsequently, the importance of studying the bible is paramount, as it cannot be divorced from true science.

OK, granted that’s a very simple and rough explanation, but there is significant debate in the United States as to weather each of these theories can be or should be taught in public schools. The Darwinists site numerous scientific flaws in the creationist argument (such as those raised by Darwin), while the Creationists site the fact that evolution has never been indisputably proved beyond a theory (similar to, say, the theory of gravity, for example).

Does this fly? I’m neither a biologist, nor a theologian, but this is not a peer-reviewed academic journal, so I can basically spout on about whatever the hell I want (within reason of course). I would say there is very little evidence outside of the bible to support the Creationist argument, although Creationists would argue that that would suffice. There is, however, significant research to show a natural evolution of different species. However, this does not mean that I think only evolution should be taught in schools.

If academics (or teachers or religious leaders) were to say that one theory is right, and all other theories should be destined to the dustbin of time, then students of whatever discipline are never going to be able to learn from other’s mistakes. In order for a theory such as evolution to be taught comprehensively, one most also understand the conflicting theories (this is not to say anything bad about any of the academic staff in the School of Biological Sciences) – this gives a more well rounded education, and makes students more apt at handling everyday life.

Of course there is one ultimate irony in all of this: Darwin was originally trained as a theologian.

Heh

2005-03-18T09:39:00.000+13:00

There are so many emails flying around the VUWSA office that it sometimes becomes a little surreal (with all due credit to Kate from About Town).

Activities Officer, Brendan Jarvis got a little frustrated with all the mass emails he received and replied with this:

I've given up all hope that humans will be able to realise that capitalism is the obvious answer to all of the worlds problems and have resorted to extreme anarchism.
*gets gasoline and matches*
Brendan

To which Nick Kelly replied with:

I had some bloody anarchist siphon [sic] petrol out of the starlet tank just over a year ago. Fucking was due at work at 6:30am and it was 6:15am when I went down to the car and saw it. Swear I've never been so pissed off in my life...
Nick
P.S They stol [sic] the fucking cap too. To this day the replacement isn't as good as the old one :-(

Fun times in the VUWSA Office...

And I'm Not Even Irish...

2005-03-18T08:51:00.000+13:00

Yesterday I woke up and put on the first shirt I layed my hands on. It happened to be green.

Firstly, The First Lady and I met up with some freinds at Syn Bar for beer and pizza. I ended up in a very involved conversation on the merits of funding tertiary education with a Labour list MP. Moana was confident about Labour's state in the Maori seats in the upcoming election.

Accompanied by Greg, we headed to JJ Murphey's on Cuba Mall. The place was packed, but we spotted a former Cabinet Minister having a quiet one, and had to have a chat to him. Interesting conversation, to say the very least...

Ended up drinking with Andrew Kirton in the mist (I think Wellington Airport is closed today - there is certainly very little to see out of my office window) on the deck at JJ's, above Cuba Mall.

My head hurts today...

AUS Dispute At Auckland University

2005-03-15T23:51:00.000+13:00

Xavier from About Town has written a great piece on University of Auckland (and former Victoria) Vice Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon's refusal to participate in a Multi-Employer Collective Agreement (MECA) - the piece is aptly named "Stuart McCutcheon is a Fucktard"

My analysis of Stuart McCutcheon and his time at Victoria is thus (please correct any inaccuracies):

McCutcheon came to Victoria when we were in dire financial circumstances. Previous Vice Chancellor Michael Irving had seriously fucked things up big time (including, but not limited to, my personal favourate: an expensive (and unsuccessful) advertising campaign involving Robert Rakete, a cactus suit, and the phrase "Victoria takes all comers"), and the university was not only loosing students, but loosing money. Irving was "asked" to leave, and was offered an undisclosed goldern handshake - rumours range from a six-figure payment, to a BBQ and a chilly-bin full of beer.

So out with Irving, and in with the Knight in Shining Armour - Massey University Deputy Vice Chancellor, Stuart McCutcheon. The students stopped leaving, and the books balanced. However, McCutcheon took it a little further, building Victoria University into the corporate entity that it is. I am mixed on my feelings about this, but it did invlove expensive corporate marketing, staff salaries stagnating, and student fees going up (it also involved other factors which we are currently in legal action over).

I currently have a lot of respect for the new Vice Chancellor Pat Walsh, and we enjoy a civil and prefessional working relationship. Walsh's area of expertise is industrial relations, and he has a strong record of union membership (which, admitedly is much higher at Victoria than Auckland) so AUS would also have reason to be optomistic this year.

Interestingly Irving (who is now Professor of Biomedical Science at Bond University in Australia) is a bio-chemist, and McCutcheon a vetenerian, two subjects which are not especially strong at Victoria.

Wellington - The New Zealand Blog Capital?

2005-03-14T23:07:00.000+13:00

Came across these two blogs - Miramar Mike (named after the mightly suberb in the east, and home of Peter Jackson) and wellingtonist. Both good blogs with a distinctly Wellington spin on them. Made me think - is Wellington the New Zealand Blog Capital?

I had a look at the links on my blog. 25 out of 35 are based in Wellington. The debatable kings of blogging (Jordan on the left and David on the right) are both Wellington based (in fact, they are campaign managers for Labour and National candidates in Wellington Central).

I can feel another bloggers drinks at the BackBencher coming on...

Only In America

2005-03-14T22:54:00.000+13:00

Every night, on channel E! they have re-enactments of the Michael Jackson trial. This is an indication of the totally fucked up world we live in.

John Banks to (maybe) run in Tamaki

2005-03-13T13:14:00.000+13:00

Interesting development this weekend, with former National cabinet minsiter and former mayor of Auckland City stating that he would like to run for ACT in Rob Muldoon and Bob Tizard's old seat of Tamaki. This is an interesting development to my earlier election prediction.

Let's step back to 2002. Tamaki was the most maginal seat in the country, with Clem Simich winning with a slim 1,200 vote majority over Labour's Leila Boyle, while ACT MP, Ken Shirley came in a distant third with 4,577 votes. Labour won the party vote in Tamaki, and Shirley punched above his weight, taking more party votes than electorate votes.

If Banks were to stand, it would be highly unlikely he would win, and it would displace Ken Shirley (something that could cause divisions in the ACT caucus). I would predict that Hide would have a better chance in Epsom than Banks in Tamaki. It also looks unlikely that the National Party are going to do ACT any favours after the recent speight of outbursts from both sides.

I beleive ACT would be foolish to bow down to the wants and needs of John Banks. The guy is a loose cannon, and hardly the liberal ACT are trying to brand themselves. It simply wouldn't be worth it.

President's Column - Bluffers Guide to the Te Wananga o Aotearoa Scandal

2005-03-11T10:33:00.000+13:00

Unfortunatly, it was not as good as I hoped, due mainly to the time I had to complete it in the end. However, here it is.

************************

Unless you have had your head in the sand (or prefer to watch Neighbours and Friends), you will have noticed a considerable amount of coverage in the media over the past few months the Te Wananga o Aotearoa ‘scandal’. At the beginning of the week I was asked my opinion on this, and I realized that I know very little about it. So you don’t get caught in the same dilemma, here is the “Bluffer’s Guide to Te Wananga o Aotearoa Scandal”.

Te Wananga o Aotearoa was set up in 1983 in a “corrugated-iron shed on a former rubbish dump in Te Awamutu”, offering courses in Te Reo and trade. It grew slowly to 1000 students on 5 sites in 1999, and then took off, with some 64,000 enrollments (or 34,000 effective-full-time-students) in 2004, 13 campuses, and 1200 staff. CEO Rongo Wetere credits the growth to a “move to provide free courses and mixed modes of delivery,… a direct response to student preference and demand”, although offering an education beyond high school to a group that this was previously perceived to be out of reach undoubtedly had something to do with it also.

This little-known institution (despite being the largest tertiary institution in New Zealand) initially hit the headlines earlier this year when it was accused by the New Zealand Vice Chancellor’s Committee of miss-using the term “university” – it’s name directly translates as “The University of New Zealand”. While this has been resolved (to a certain extent), the Wananga came under further fire when ACT MP, Ken Shirley, drip-fed allegations of worthless government-funded courses, extravagant use of tax payer money, and non-tendered contracts going to family members of the management.

Unfortunately, the water has been muddied a little of late with personality politics getting in the way, including linking Wetere with the National Party (of which, it has been revealed, he is a member), and as a personal friend of National leader Don Brash (which turned out to be untrue), Maori Party leader Tariana Turia justifying it by claiming that “its not unusual for [Maori} to employ our own people” as Whanaungatanga or “kinship”, and general accusations of Maori-bashing and special treatment for Maori from respective sides of the house.

So what is at the crux of this issue? What are the main points of conflict?

Firstly, there’s the abuse of the per-EFTS funding model. This is where by an institution is funded according to the number of full-time students it enrolls. Subsequently, it would be in the institution’s best financial interests to enroll as many students as possible, through whatever means possible (god bless Capitalism). Once again, this is why 200-level law students have to sit in the aisle, and the School of Information Management are giving out yoyo’s. This pales in comparison to Te Wananga’s allegations. Students are alleged to have been offered laptops, cell phones, and even international flights as an incentive to enroll, clearly abusing the per-ETFS funding system.

Secondly, there’s allegations that a number of Wananga contracts were not put out to tender, but were awarded to companies associated with Wananga management. This includes buying a Cuban literacy and numeracy course off Wetere’s fiancé for “over a million dollars”, awarding a $7 million migrant course to a company directed by Wetere’s daughter, and that a car-cleaning contract went un-tendered and was awarded to a company owned by the partner of the deputy chief executive.

Finally, there’s the extravagant spending of tax payer money on seemingly justifiable and accountable purchases. This includes a fleet of over 120 cars, an apartment at the Whanagaparoa resort town of Gulf Harbour, two pubs; one in Hamilton, the other in Te Rapa; and a half-million dollar golf driving range for 25 students. The apartment was, apparently, the base for the captain of the Wananga waka, and, according to Wetere, was a “working office” not a holiday home, despite being on the other side of Auckland to the nearest Wananga campus in Manukau City. The pub in Hamilton – the Glenview International Hotel – was to be converted into a management training facility, but is still open to the public two years after purchase.

So, to return to the original question: what do I think?

Te Wananga o Aotearoa has lifted Maori participation in tertiary education to new heights. 40% of all Maori tertiary students are enrolled there. These are certainly admirable figures, however, unless they are getting a worthwhile education (which is debatable), is there really any point in them attending?

There is absolutely no way any institution can justify the use of public money to fund enrollment incentives. $2 million spent on cell phones so students can contact their tutors is a waste of money, but, is this the Wananga’s fault? They are, after all, simply operating within the parameters set by the government funding model – a model which has to be destroyed.

To quote a New Zealand Herald editorial (as much as it pains me to do so) “Whanaungatanga, of course, does not make nepotism right.” No one should be reliant on family connections for an unfair advantage in any field. Relating to the extravagant spending also; if a public institution wants to be funded through taxpayer money, they must be account able and transparent with how they spend it.

There is room for Wananga in the New Zealand tertiary education sector. Maybe it’s a yet another victim of Maori bashing. Maybe not. Maybe I’m naïve. Maybe not. But I hope Te Wananga works through this, and comes out the other end an even more reputable institution.

Michael Collins to Stand for ACT in Mana

2005-03-11T10:19:00.000+13:00

I was interested to read on DPF's blog that my old foe, Michael Collins is standing for ACT in Mana. Michael stood against me for VUWSA President, and ran an admirable campaign, which subsequently got 4 of his ticket elected to exec.

Although our politics are chalk-and-cheese different, I hold a high level of respect for Michael, and wish him well. Standing for a neo-liberal (or what ever label ACT use nowdays) in Porirua - a city hit hard, but recovering slowly from factory closures and the like - takes a certain amount of guts.

Letter to the Editor

2005-03-10T18:03:00.000+13:00

Dear Sir,

I read with some interest your article “Advertising to lure students a shameful ‘waste of money’” (Dominion Post 9 March). Your publication’s coverage of student issues demonstrates not only an extensive knowledge of the tertiary sector, but journalistic integrity when it comes to covering the generation of debt.

Unfortunately, the comments of Professor David MacKay (Victoria University Deputy Vice Chancellor) in regards to the institution’s marketing budget are not nearly of the same calibre.

Professor MacKay states they are working to build the Victoria University “brand” in Auckland. As someone who was attracted to Victoria from the University of Auckland, I can personally assure Professor MacKey that the “brand” had absolutely nothing to do with my decision – it was based on the academic reputation of the institution and the opportunity to live in the vibrant Wellington urban environment (for the record, I was not disappointed with either).

Victoria University should be letting their relatively strong 2004 Performance Based Research Funding (PBRF) rating speak for it’s self, and stop wasting $895,000 of student money on intelligence-insulting advertising. This money would be better spent on improving the academic facilities of the institution, further improving the institution’s PBRF rating – or not putting university fees up for 2006.

Makes you think, doesn’t it Professor MacKay?

Jeremy Greenbrook
President
Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association

Blogging and Other Forms Of Procrastination

2005-03-08T14:37:00.000+13:00

Having been struck down with a flu-like (I say flu-like as I don't actually beleive it to be the flu, rather a bad cold, which I imagine will go away in the next 24 hours - I hope) illness, I have ventured little beyond the warm comfort of my bed (in fact, as I blog, I am lying in bed with my laptop beside me). My time is filled with a combination of snoozing, looking out the window at suberban Northland, surfing the internet, watching House of Cards (the dvd box set was kindly lent to me by Greame), and doing a little VUWSA/university work.

House of Cards is a great series. I came across it late one night while channel surfing on UKTV. Ian Richardson does so well as Francis Urquhart. It's just a great shame that some of the parts are so horribly over acted (the American owner of the Conservitive-friendly newspaper is a case in point). The Shakepearian confide with the audience works so well, even if it is just Urquhart grinning at the camera. I have just begun the second series, which has Urquhart as the Prime Minister, and have to say that it is not nearly as good as his climb to the top in the first series.

I gave my first lecture yesturday. No, I have not gained a Certificate of Tertiary Teaching from Te Wanaga O Aoteatroa. I was merely presenting a guest lecture for my supervisor, Tim Vowles. It was Geography 216, and, I have to say, the class were rather unreceptive to say the very least. I presented the same lecture in an honours seminer last year, and there were plenty of questions, but this group of second years seemed to understand it perfectly. Strange. I enjoyed giving the lecture, even if I was coughly and spluttering all the way through it, and wouldn't mind exploring it as a carrier path (which, unfortunatly, would mean even longer at univeristy, but probably not at Victoria). The lecture was on retail geography, particularly Christaller's Central Place Theory and Hotelling's Stability in Competition Theory, both of which are of considerable interest to me. I am giving a second lecture tomorrow afternoon (hence why I want to be better) on the world city hypothosis. I should be preparing for that now, really.

A Salient Tradition

2005-03-07T15:53:00.000+13:00

It was brought to my attention a few years back by then VUWSA Treasurer Robert Whitaker, that every issue 3 of Salient since 2000 has had a cat (in one form or other) on the front cover.

Today's issue continued this fine tradition.

I am told (as I wasn't at Victoria in 2000) that this started as an accident, and now the editor's pass this on from year to year.

President's Column - It Makes You Think

2005-03-07T10:34:00.000+13:00

A few years back I was sitting in a movie theatre, about to watch the latest Hollywood release. As always, they started off with a number of trailers for up-coming movies, followed by a few television commercials. The first commercial was the Coke ad filmed at the beach, boarding down a ski ramp made of the frostings from a freezer. Despite being a commercial, the quadraphonic sound (or whatever they call it) made Neasin Mystik sound great.

Unfortunately, it didn’t do as much credit for the next advertisement. This one started off with a black and white silhouette of a rather plump woman, and a dollar value beside her. As the women lost weight, the dollar value went up.

What on earth could this be advertising?, I thought. A plastic surgeon? A local brothel? Recruiting the Singapore Girl? No, those ideas were miles too logical – it was a commercial for the fine institution that is the Victoria University of Wellington.

I may not have a degree in marketing, but even I can tell you that the campaign is misguided and vague. It says very little about what is available to study at Victoria. It says absolutely nothing about life at Victoria. And it says nothing about the academic standards at Victoria (except, perhaps, the impression that, like the commercials, Victoria University is somewhat simple).

It is also exceptionally expensive. According to AC Neilson figures (released by the New Zealand University Students’ Association last week) television advertising in 2004 cost Victoria University some $364,000. Out of a total university budget of over $200 million, that’s not a hell of a lot, really but it breaks down to $24 per full time student, $242 per fulltime staff member, $7000 per week, or just under $1000 per day. This is out of a total marketing budget of $895,000. (I wonder if a better marketing strategy would be to do away with television advertising, and instead simply give each student a cheque for $24? That’s 4 jugs of beer at Eastside…).

It makes you think, doesn’t it? Why does the university – a public institution - have to market itself in order to attract students? Why are New Zealand universities forced to operate within a market environment?

The answer to this is the same as if you are taking a 200-level law paper, and asking why you have to sit in the isle – the university is funded by the government on a bums-on-seats basis. The more students they attract, the more funding they get, the bigger their surplus is, and the better the university looks as a commercial enterprise. This model pegs institutions against institutions, faculties against faculties, and courses against courses in order to attract the greatest number of students, and, subsequently, the greatest amount of funding (hence the massive push by the School of Information Management for students to enroll in INFO 101 – which I ranted about a few weeks ago).

There is significant research to show that this advertising doesn’t actually work. The NZUSA Income and Expenditure Survey 2004 states that only 6% of students regard advertising as a source of information when choosing where to study. More important sources of information are course advice, school advisors, and friends and family.

Why should you care about this? Well, becuase it's your money they're spending. In 2004, tuition fees went up by 3%, and advertising expenditure went up 33%. What that means is that the money you spend in good faith - for the library, for computing services, for quality lecturers, for all of the resources to help you get the best education possible - is instead being spent on an inefficient advertising campaign.

The Joys of Cable Internet

2005-03-06T12:29:00.000+13:00

My flat has finally caved in and got cable internet through Satern. Updating your blog at 100 mbps is great...

Lindsay Wright (1943-2005)

2005-03-03T16:09:00.000+13:00

This obituary is being published in Salient this week.

*****************
Lindsay Gemmell Wright was born in Central Otago July 6 1943 into an Open Brethren family. Lindsay attended Dunedin Teachers College, Otago University, and Canterbury University (where he served on the student association executive), before graduating with a Masters of Philosophy in 1969. He was a dominant figure of the Christchurch gay subculture at a time long before the homosexual law reform bill. Soon after graduating, he moved to Wellington as Educational Research Officer for the New Zealand University Students Association (of which he was voted life membership in the 1970s). Lindsay was heavily involved in anti-Vietnam War movement, the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, Halt All Racist Tours, and the Aids Foundation. After NZUSA, Lindsay held several posts, including public relations officer for the Historic Places Trust, and Public Relations Officer for Victoria University. He also sat on the Victoria University council for one term. In 1989, he was appointed National Director of Student Job Search, a position he held for 15 years.

After a two year fight against cancer, Lindsay died on Friday 25 February.

He will be dearly missed by all that knew him.

Funnys

2005-03-03T09:36:00.000+13:00

Here (thanks Bloggreen) and

Media Release - VUW Marketing Budget "Makes You Think"

2005-03-02T12:15:00.000+13:00

Victoria University spent an extra $200,000 of student money on marketing in 2004 compared to 2003, money needlessly raised out of increased student fees, according to Jeremy Greenbrook, President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA)

“According to AC Neilson figures released by the New Zealand University Students’ Association, Victoria spent more that $895,000 on marketing in 2004. This includes $364,000 on television and $267,000 on newspaper advertising” said Greenbrook. “Research shows that very few students pay any attention to this sort of advertising.”

The NZUSA Income and Expenditure Survey 2004 showed that only 6% of students regard advertising as a major source of information when deciding where to study, favouring one-on-one course advice information received through high schools, course advise, friends and family.

“Students are questioning the spending priorities of the management of Victoria University, and will not stand for a continuation of this level of spending in 2005” said Greenbrook.

For further details, contact:
Jeremy Greenbrook
President - Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association
021 899 430 – 04 463 6986
jeremy.greenbrook@vuwsa.org.nz

First 59 Days of the Administration

2005-03-01T20:03:00.000+13:00

It's been two months now since I took office. Things have got slightly more rocky, but there have been some great rewards (such as Orientation). We have had two resignations, and a few personality clashes on exec (not me, as I don't really have a personality - gets in the way).

A few things that I am proud of:

Still on talking terms with the Vice Chancellor and University Council (although the Chief Financial Officer - Wayne Morgan - and I had a small run in at Audit committee). I stood along side Pat Walsh (putting politics and personalities aside) when there was a death in the university library. Also, still have a working relationship with the Student Union (the people who run our building).
Orientation went off. It was great. There was a strong VUWSA presence at all events. There was even a small ori event at Rutherford House.
Visited all (but one) of the first year hostels.
Built relationships with Student Services.
I have met with representatives of all the Education Rep Groups, and will be meeting with reps from the Welfare Rep Groups this month,

Some statistics:
4 - Exec meetings (2 this month)
2 - NZUSA FedEx meetings (1 this month)
3 - Salient President's columns (all this month)
0 - Exec resignations
2 - Staff resignations
0 - Exec members who are not talking to me
2.5 - Press releases (none this month)
1 - Television appearances (None this month)
4 - Radio appearances (2 Newstalk ZB)
7 - Newspaper quotes (None this month)
2 - Days off (None this month)
6 - Official functions (5 this month)
45 - Average number of emails per hour
35 - Average number of spam emails per hour
0 - Effigies burnt
0 - Defimation suits
1 - Meetings with the Vice Chancellor (although his secretary reads my blog - hi Christine)
0 - Words written on my thesis
1 - Run-ins with former Presidents
2 - Bridges burnt

I have enrolled in my thesis, and may take some time out to begin work on that. I'm also lecturing in GEOG 216 next week.

All the exec have really come on board this month, with stuff like orientation. The death of John Darden on Feb 16 cast a shadow over the month, and knocked the wind out of both Pat Walsh and I for a while (both being new to our respective jobs).

My Thaughts Exactly....

2005-02-25T12:19:00.000+13:00

President's Column - Politics etc

2005-02-25T09:56:00.000+13:00

Last Wednesday was Cultural Clubs Day. You may have seen me hovering around with a camcorder, capturing the spirit of the day. Everyone I spoke to was up-beat and full of enthusiasm for the year ahead. A good day was had by all.

I also took the opportunity to meet all the clubs on campus, particularly the branches of the political parties. As student president, I believe it is important that I am not only politically neutral, but I have a good working relationship with each of the parties on campus. National, Labour, Greens, United Future, ACT, Campus Left (formerly the Alliance) and the Libertarianz were all out in force at clubs day – Victoria was living up to it’s reputation as the most political campus in the country.

In case you have had your head stuck in the sand for the last few months, there is a general election this year. Many of the parties will be vying for the student vote with “an offer you can’t refuse”.

Labour will be trying to do what they have never done before – serve three consecutive terms in government. On current polling, it would be understandable to assume that this election is really theirs for the loosing; however, there is a long time until polling day. Almost as soon as Labour came to office, they froze tuition fees and removed interest on student loans while studying, and last year’s budget saw in increase in the parental threshold of allowances. However, student debt has continued to rise under Labour, by about a $1 billion a year; in 2003 the fee freeze was replaced with a fee maxima, which saw fees at Victoria rise by 3% and 4.5% in 2004 and 2005 respectively; and in 2005 abolished the 96-week, independent circumstances rule, cutting some 6,000 students off the student allowance. According to Tertiary Education Minister, Trevor Mallard, there won’t be any great changes for students before the election.

After six years in opposition, National will be chomping at the bit to get back into power. They will have learnt their lesson from the 2002 21% trouncing, and will be back in 2005 with a renewed campaign strategy and policy. When 2004 VUWSA President Amanda Hill and I met with National Education Spokesperson Bill English last year, he said that they would not be using the “You Stay, We Pay” policy of 2002, and instead will be focusing on the living costs of students. Earlier this year, English said that National would be re-introducing the 96-week rule, to “encourage students to be independent”.

The Greens are the most likely coalition partners for Labour after the election (should the numbers add up), but on current polling won’t even be back in parliament (unless they were to win an electorate, which is unlikely). They are the one of the only parties in parliament who are proclaiming free tertiary education as a policy point. The Greens have positioned themselves as a party for youth, with Nandor Tanczos as their Tertiary Education spokesperson – hate to break it to you kids, Nandor turns 40 next year, and he stood me up last Monday.

United Future rode into parliament on the bad of the worm in 2002, giving lone ranger leader Peter Dunne some friends in parliament. On Tuesday, they released a 10-point plan for tertiary education, including increased access to allowances, accommodation support and a voluntary saving scheme. There is also provision for student (and former students) who wish to start a family. Dunne claims that all the good things Labour have done for students is due to pressure from United Future (who have a confidence and supply agreement with the government) – naturally, Mallard refuted this when I brought it up with him.

ACT are proclaiming that the best way for students to pay off their student debt is through tax cuts (actually, almost all of their policies come back to tax cuts), and bonding for students who stay in New Zealand. There will be significant encouragement of high achievers through bursaries and scholarships. ACT will be keen to become the first minor party to successfully change leaders, although they would need an electorate seat to stay in parliament in

The Progressives will be lucky to get two seats after the election, and are almost guaranteed to go into coalition with Labour. They also proclaim free tertiary education, but, at the NZUSA January conference, Jim Anderton also stated that 72% tax rate would not be out of the question – even my most socialist tendencies had to baulk at that one.

The only mention of Tertiary Education on the Maori Party’s website is in regards to Te Wananga o Aotearoa. And not even I'm going to go there.

So, who’s going to win? Who’s going to be in government? Who’s going to disappear? Who should you vote for? The “best” party for students? The “best” party for New Zealand? That’s up to you, but make sure your vote is an educated decision, and you take everything into consideration, not just the tertiary education policy.

But, most importantly, make sure you enroll and vote.

University Council Meeting Monday

2005-02-24T09:40:00.000+13:00

If you've got nothing better to do on Monday afternoon, the first full University Council meeting is being held in the Hunter Council Chamber at 2pm.

Come along - full for the whole family!

Gay Simpsons Charactor Revealed

2005-02-23T09:17:00.000+13:00

After months of speculation, it has been announced that Marge's sister Patty is gay. BBC article on it here.

Concerned about the closure of the campus pharmacy?

2005-02-22T14:38:00.000+13:00

So is VUWSA. Come to a meeting, Monday the 28th of February in the Boardroom (which is the site of the old pharmacy).
This is an opportunity to voice your concerns. Also to try and work out a way for the university to re-gain a pharmacy service on the main Victoria University Campus.

Nick Kelly
Welfare Vice-President
VUWSA

Only Joking

2005-02-22T12:39:00.000+13:00

My President's column this week was supposed to be a bit of a piss take. Instead, several people have asked me weather INFO 101 can be credited to my masters degree - some seriously.

For the record - I am not actually enrolling in INFO 101.

It Has Begun!

2005-02-21T16:41:00.000+13:00

Everything has been so quiet at Victoria since the beginning of the year. I couldn't quite put a finger on what was different.

Today it dawned on me - there have been no students around.

It all changed today when the students arrived back. Those of you who know Victoria will know that my office is almost directly below Eastside, the student bar - all the scinanagins can be clearly heard from my office.

Maybe I should go and join them...

Open Candidate Invite

2005-02-21T13:18:00.000+13:00

I have been approached by two political parties about meeting with MP's and discussing their tertiary education policy (Labour was not one of them, for those that care). Both parties indicated that this would be a little bit of a media event, and that they would be using it for publicity.

In the name of political neutrality (well, as best a Labour-sympathizer is ever going to get), I am extending an invite to all political parties and candidates to meet with me and the VUWSA exec (at my place or yours) over the next few weeks - probably more likely to be after . I am about to send an invite out about this.

President's Column - Why I’m Enrolling in INFO 101.

2005-02-21T09:28:00.000+13:00

I’ve decided this year to enroll in Information Management 101 – “Foundations of Information Systems”, affectionately known by those of us in the tertiary sector as simply “INFO 101”.

Why, I hear you ask? The President isn’t required to enroll as a student (although, I have enrolled this year). I haven’t done a 100-level paper since 2003. It doesn’t really relate to my masters thesis or either of my undergraduate degrees. It doesn’t even really interest me, to be honest.

However, it does have a kick arse advertising campaign going on. If you were in the quad last Wednesday, you may have noticed the Hell pizza (hmmmmm pizza), cans of Coke, and chrome yo-yos the lovely INFO 101 crew were giving out. The yo-yos are pretty cool, I must admit – the one that I picked up provides a regular distraction to doing real work, like, for example, writing this column. I’m trying to master “Walking the Dog”, as I am led to believe it will be assessed in my first INFO 101 test.

According to its website, INFO 101 is:

“An examination of the role of information systems in the business operations, managerial decision-making, and strategy of modern organisations. The course introduces the fundamental concepts of computer-based information systems
acquisition and use.”

If you understand what that means, you’re more intelligent than I am (actually, I don’t doubt that at all – almost everyone at Victoria University is more intelligent than I am, otherwise I wouldn’t still be here after 6 years).

While it was all very cool, the yo-yo says nothing about what the course actually is. Nor did the pizza. Nor did the Coke.

I don’t actually blame the School of Information Management for trying to market INFO 101, although I have my doubts about how effective it will actually be. In the competitive environment that is the modern tertiary education sector, universities departments, and, ultimately, courses, have to compete in order to attract students and, subsequently, funding. (If you’re still reading this – come down to my office and get a free can of V – first 5 only) The role of universities as a “critic and conscience of society” is being eroded in favour of the all mighty dollar. Actual informational material is being substituted for glossy brochures. Instead of spending money on replenishing the dilapidated library, the university is investing in lame television advertisements.

My advise to all students, first year right through to post-graduate: think before you enroll. Make sure you find out everything you can about courses before you hand over a small fortune in tuition fees. The last thing you want to do is enroll in a course that turns out to be nothing like what the promotional material said – not only will you get disillusioned with the subject, but you will get sick of university study. And no one wants that.

If you need to speak to someone, there are plenty of course advisors in each faculty – also, most course coordinators are happy to help you out. If they’re no good, come and have a talk to the VUWSA Education Coordinators, Sandra and Nicki, at the VUWSA office, Ground Floor of the Student Union Building.

Anyway, I’m off to my first INFO 101 lecture, 9am Tuesday morning in Maclaurin 103.

Death On Campus

2005-02-18T10:57:00.000+13:00

A student was killed on campus yesterday afternoon. Details and nature of the death are not public yet.

There will be a mermorial service in the quad at 11:30. I will briefly be speaking on behalf of students.

At times like this the VUW community needs to put any differences behind them and come together to support each other.

It Makes You Think

2005-02-16T13:23:00.000+13:00

I've just got back from running VUWSA's stall in the quad. Good times - everyone is really excited about Orientation next week.

Many of the other stalls (many of which were corporates) gave away free stuff. This is fair enough, I guess. Small stuff like lollypops, pens, fridge magnets and the like. VUWSA bought into this in a small way, giving away pens and Dave and Hannah hovered with cases of V (kindly donated by StudentCard and Varsity.co.nz).

However, in my humble opinion, the School of Infomation Systems went a little over board. They hired about half a dozen students in smart tee-shirts to give away crome yo-yo's, Hell pizza, and Coke to promote one of their 100-level papers. There was little to no information about the course. I asked one of the student-promoters what the course was all about, and they replied "nothing really - it's an easy 18 points". I would be very interested as to how effective the advertising was.

The irony - the course was INFO 101.

Don Brash has a Blog

2005-02-15T18:27:00.000+13:00

Slightly amusing...

Salient Formatting

2005-02-15T18:00:00.000+13:00

Some people have commented to me about the formatting of this week's Salient.

This was due to an issue with the fonts, which was only discovered after it had been sent to the print.

Editor Emily Braunstein and Designer Dave Batt assure me that this is a teething problem and will be ironed out next week.

St Valentines Day Massacre

2005-02-15T10:10:00.000+13:00

One of my many rolls as VUWSA President is to sit on the University Council. This is the one job that Amanda said she never enjoyed - in fact, she hated it.

So, I went along to my first sub committee meeting yesterday afternoon - Audit.

For a starter; I didn't even know what the Audit committee actually did until about an hour before the meeting (well, anything more specific than auditing the University). Not good.

I've never sat in a room where everyone violently disagreed with everything I stand for. It was like being at a Young Nat's conference, only middle aged. Actually, scrub that, it was exactly like being at a Young Nats conference. :-)

While I can not devolve the actual details of the meeting (as it was based around the Annual Report, which still needs to be passed by Council before it is made public), I did pick up a few issues, which, to me, seemed to be glaringly obvious. One of which left our new Vice Chancellor speechless, and I will elaborate on when I can.

President's Column - Orientation Issue

2005-02-14T09:27:00.000+13:00

“I have much pleasure in welcoming you as a member of the Students’ Association…
… in wishing you well for your years at Victoria as a member of the Association, I would urge you not to bury your talents here.”

That is how my predecessor, Doug J White, welcomed students to Victoria University in 1968. I prefer something a little simpler, and slightly less formal:

Gidday, Kia Ora, Welcome

Quite a bit has changed in 37 years: there were only some 4000 students here then, and all based on the Kelburn campus, now there’s close to 20,000 on four campuses and a few studying via distance; international students didn’t even figure in 1968, but make up over 11% of the student body in 2005; and in 1968 men easily out-numbered women, but now there are 5 female students to every 4 males.

A 2003 marketing study at Otago University concluded that Victoria University is perceived by school leavers as “the cool university”. VUWSA is planning to uphold this reputation in 2005.

If you live in a Hall of Residence, there’s the Halls Party this Friday night. There’s a huge Orientation next week, with some massive gigs right here on campus, including The Violent Femmes, The Cat Empire, and The Shins. You are never going to be able to see these bands again for so cheap - simple as that really.

There will also be plenty happening during the day, such as Wellington Pro Wrestling, Clubs Days, and Market Days.

Wellington is a great place to live. Make sure you visit Te Papa, The New Zealand Film Archive, and climb up Mount Victoria or up to the Brooklyn Wind Turbine. If politics floats your boat, Parliament is just down the road – this year is an election year, and the race for Wellington Central is going to be close, between sitting Labour Cabinet Minister, Marian Hobbs, and former Mayor and National candidate, Mark Blumsky.

Have plenty of fun, but some advise from someone whose been around for a while:

Lecturers and tutors don’t buy the “but I got wasted the night before” excuse.
Cramming at the last minute is about as much fun as a cold meat pie.
Don’t skip lectures and go to the pub unless you want to fail. Go afterwards by all means.
Don’t turn up to lectures drunk – you’ll make a goose of yourself.
Keep up with your readings because you’ll never catch up otherwise.
A Google search is not the same as academic research.
Most importantly, keep safe – look out for yourself and your friends.

Your university years will be some of the most enjoyable and fulfilling of your life. Make the most of it while you can.

All the very best with your studies.

Jeremy Greenbrook
Student President.

Long Time, No Blog

2005-02-10T13:16:00.000+13:00

Sorry for not blogging for almost a week. It's been caotic this week, and I simply haven't had a chance.