Paying Rent in a Broken House

Phoebe Robertson (she/her)

On the afternoon of Tuesday, 5 August 2025, a glass window pane detached from the Hunter Lounge and plunged to the ground below. No one was injured, but the incident—now hidden behind a sheet of plywood—feels representative of a larger truth: the Student Union Building is falling apart, and the university is letting it happen.

In a statement, the university said no students were nearby when the window broke, attributing the failure to thermal stress—an issue that can affect glass exposed to strong sunlight. Property Services, they added, are in the “early stages of planning” window replacements to ensure continued safety.

But with panes now ejecting themselves from the building, “early stages” feels like a generous interpretation. At this rate, the Student Union might just renovate itself, one shattered window at a time.

Step inside, and the evidence piles up. Ceiling tiles are missing in bathrooms. Cracked windows are held together with strips of tape. When it rains, water seeps through the ceiling outside the level four elevator. It would be easy to dismiss these issues as the quirks of an aging campus building. But this is not just an old building—it’s a neglected one, and students are footing the bill.

Although the Joint Student Union Board (JSUB) was established under a 2006 Deed of Strategic Partnership to create a governance link between the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) and the university, its role is purely advisory and holds no authority over the operations or maintenance of the Student Union Building. 

In an interview with Salient, VUWSA’s Communication Manager Em Maguire said “this building is going full Final Destination on us all.” 

While maintenance is generally managed by the university, the funding structure varies depending on where you are in the building, with different charges applied to different areas. What is clear, however, is that students have no direct control over how this money is spent—and that the Student Services Levy contributes at least a significant portion toward these costs.

Earlier this year, previous Salient reporter Maya Field documented the state of the women’s bathroom opposite Mauri Ora: missing ceiling tiles, a vanished sink, a single working tap, and no hot water. The university confirmed the bathroom was on its maintenance schedule but noted it had not been prioritised due to “lower traffic.”

Nearby, another bathroom—SU151, located behind the Salient offices—had quietly transformed into a storage closet. It remained unlocked and disused, filled with a beer box, an abandoned cardboard Christmas tree, and a high chair. When questioned, the university said the space was “not intended for public access” and that Property Services was working to “secure” it. A few days later, the door was locked. In its place: a sticker reading, “Oops I’m not working at the moment. Sorry for the inconvenience – Property Services.”

In some rooms, the heating no longer functions. In stairwell SU271, a laminated sign warns that students who become locked inside should call Campus Care for release—a scenario the university insists is “extremely rare and not formally tracked.” But ask around, and it doesn’t sound so rare. VUWSA Receptionist Maia Moana told Salient that different Level 2 SU toilets have locked several students inside during her time as receptionist this year. On at least one occasion, she said, she had to kick the door down to get them out.

Meanwhile, Salient’s own office window has been cracked for years, patched with tape and labelled in a fading capital letters: “970x970 MIKES GLASS.”

There is a university system for logging repairs—BEIMS—but many students, and rep groups, are unaware of its existence or unable to access it. Maintenance does happen, eventually. But it is often reactive, delayed, and barely communicated. In many cases, the damage outlasts the students.

So the question stands: If students are paying for maintenance, why aren’t they seeing it? 

Pro tip: Check out our centerfold this week for a view of the SU151 bathrooms