Students Miss Out on US Internship Opportunity: Uni Cites Cost Reductions

By Ethan Rogacion (He/Him)

Since 2011, the University has sent post-graduate students studying political science and international relations to the United States, with the intention of placing them in internships with America’s top political brass, serving under actual American members of Congress.

This is a highly sought-after opportunity, especially given that the vast majority of Aotearoa’s political internships presumably involve sprinting down the hallways of Parliament’s library, trying to outrun the ghost of Robert Muldoon.

However, students from Te Herenga Waka have found themselves with fewer options this year, after the University’s announcement to stop funding for the programme. In a statement to Salient, Provost Prof. Bryony James explained that, “The costs of this programme are significant, and are shared between the NZUS Council and Te Herenga Waka.”

Te Herenga Waka’s decision to pull out of the programme means that the University of Auckland and the University of Canterbury are the only schools sending students on the internship.

NZUS Council Executive Director Fiona Cooper told Salient that each University involved contributes $10k per intern, while the Council covers the balance of the programme costs. Cooper also said that, “While it is disappointing that VUW was unable to participate in the programme this year, we hope they will be able to take part in future years as circumstances allow.”

One student that spoke to Salient about the issue said that the University’s decision to pull out of the programme was “extremely disappointing”. The internship programme is well-regarded in the field, they told us, and provides students with “great [opportunities] for learning, networking and promoting VUW overseas.”

They also told Salient that the decision has seemingly been kept under wraps from students by the University. “In previous years comms about the opportunity have been sent out in August,” they said, but so far, they had not received any information about the programme from the University.

The programme thrusts students into the heart of American politics on Capitol Hill, providing them with hands-on experience in the labyrinth of US politics: both physically and metaphorically. One former participant wrote on MyView, Te Herenga Waka’s student blog, about their experience, saying that, “There is only so much you can learn in a classroom.”

“The real education happens in the maze of basement corridors snaking beneath Capitol Hill as you struggle to find your way to countless meetings and committee hearings.”

Prof. James told Salient that, “We know, and understand, that students will be disappointed by this decision. We take enormous pride in the achievements of our congressional interns, and wish we could offer this opportunity this year.”

“Te Herenga Waka is continuing to maintain our relationship with the NZUS Council and is looking forward to participating in the programme again in future.”