Civics club demand student association elect all positions

The letter was shared to @masseycivics on Instagram

Massey’s civics club — a political club on in Manawatū — says the student association is “denying students their voice and their vote” in an open letter shared to Instagram on August 29th.  

But the association says they never got the letter.  

Te Tira Ahu Pae is the only student association in the country that chooses some representatives through a hiring process as opposed to elections.  

Currently, four presidents (Māori, Pasifika, General/Distance), campus vice-presidents, and disability reps are appointed. The rest are chosen through annual elections with the student body. 

The letter said, “We believe deeply that a strongly democratic society benefits everyone, which is why we are writing to request that Te Tira Ahu Pae commit to ensuring all executive positions shall be elected following the representation restructure.”  

The club claimed Te Tira Ahu Pae had not provided students with the opportunity to choose whether they wish for positions to be elected, “only a feedback form which misled students by stating all positions are currently elected”.  

The club was referring to an error spotted last month in the association's feedback survey on the upcoming representation restructuring, which has now been corrected.  

In a statement from the association it said, “To the best of our knowledge, Te Tira Ahu Pae had not received the open letter.”  

The association said the main reason for appointments was due to the high responsibilities of president's full-time jobs. “The appointment process was implemented to ensure that those in leadership roles have the required capability and experience.”  

“Vice presidents were appointed taking into consideration their skills in coordinating student representatives.”  

The association clarified that consultation on the appointments took place 2021 when all Massey student association amalgamated into one.  

Students were surveyed about the amalgamation process, including being asked how they’d like student reps to be recruited.  

With 905 students surveyed, 44% thought a mixture of elected and appointed student reps would be appropriate.  

At the time, 15% of students felt strongly that student reps should be appointed via an interview process. And 19% of students surveyed felt very strongly that the election process should be how student reps are recruited.  

More recently, the association has been gathering feedback on the representation restructure. And when that’s done, an updated process will be confirmed, with the potential for a changed voting system. 

“Students will have an opportunity to vote on the final structure at a Special General Meeting, offering them more opportunity to have their voices heard,” the association said.  

The club’s feedback would be passed on to the restructure working group.  

“We want the new structure to reflect what works best for Massey students, and for that we need students to share their thoughts.”