Students Return, But Campus Culture Lags Behind

Ryan Cleland

It’s that time of year again here at Te Herenga Waka, where big promises are made about rebuilding student connection. Lecture theatres are filling up, tutorials are busy again, and the language of a “busy campus” is everywhere. 

But the 2025 Have Your Say Survey suggests that while students are physically back, the broader ecosystem of student life is recovering more gradually. 

Released annually and based on student feedback, the survey gives students the chance to share their opinions on all aspects of university life. Te Herenga Waka Survey Manager says the survey’s renewed focus is on “improving how we report back to students what we have heard, and what actions have been taken as a result.” 

The survey has two core aims: to use student feedback to improve services, and to ensure student voice informs long-term strategic planning. University teams have signalled that the 2026 iteration will be shorter and more streamlined, with clearer, more actionable questions. 

The headline figures show clear progress. In-person learning has continued its post-pandemic recovery, with 72% of students now studying fully on campus. Online-only enrollments have declined from 12% to 8%. 

But when it comes to clubs, recreation services, and shared social spaces, the picture is more mixed. Awareness has increased slightly. Satisfaction in some areas has improved, yet usage remains uneven. Funding pressures persist, and structural questions about governance are still unresolved. 

Students are back—but student life is rebuilding at its own pace. 

University club support awareness sits at 74% this year—a modest 1% increase from 2024. In 2023, when clubs were graded purely on awareness, the figure was recorded at 89%. 

When approached, the University told Salient that “Post-COVID, we have been focused on improving our on-campus experience for students. This resulted in a one percent increase in awareness of our clubs between 2024 and 2025.” 

Overall Te Herenga Waka seems to be satisfied with the gradual upward trend. “The promotion of Vic Uni’s club community is stronger than ever through our events, social media, and the online directory on our website,” a spokesperson said.

Clubs themselves continue to grow in number each year—rising from around 90 nine years ago to nearly 200 today. On paper, that expansion signals a thriving and diverse student culture.

But growth in numbers does not automatically mean growth in capacity. 

Clubs and Activities Officer Cam Dickson says the challenges facing clubs are not new. Reflecting on his own first-year experience at Clubs Expo, he remembers it being “overwhelming”—“there's a lot going on.”

His focus this year is on consistency. Rather than relying on a burst of engagement during O-Week he wants to see a “maintained membership drive” across the year. Clubs should be visible and accessible not just during the Expo, but in Week 3, Week 6, and beyond. 

However, he points to funding as a key limitation. According to Dickson, club funding has not increased “meaningfully” in the past few years—despite the near doubling in numbers of clubs during that time. 

“That [funding] is to allow them to run events, but that's also to allow them to have cool promotions,” he says. 

This is seconded by President Donoghue who agrees that clubs funding is not keeping up with rising costs.  

Dickson maintains his campaign promise to improve better funding guidelines, “making sure that that funding is allocated in a way that it has the most impact and also is most equitable.”

In other words, while the club landscape is expanding, the resources supporting it have not scaled at the same pace. 

Governance adds another layer to the recovery process. 

VUWSA President Aidan Donoghue says returning non-sporting clubs to VUWSA management remains a “massive priority”—an ambition also voiced by former President Liban Ali.

“We're in ongoing discussions with the university,” Aidan says. “There’s no silver bullet for these issues. If it was up to us, we would do it as soon as possible.”

Donoghue expressed his desire for  clubs to have a larger role within the University. “We've tried to really build a sense of community last year with our execs by inviting all the club executives to a gala in the Hunter Lounge, having conversations with them and getting them to know each other, so there can be more sense of collaboration and community on campus, and we'll continue to do that.”

Under any potential transition, sporting clubs would remain under UniRec, with only non-sporting clubs moving back to VUWSA oversight.

The University says “discussions around the future of the existing model are ongoing. Any changes must be well thought through, and meet the needs of all clubs, student club leaders, and ultimately our students.” 

For now, the system remains in transition. 

Clubs are not the only area reflecting uneven recovery.

The ClubHouse, run by UniRec, was used by just 13% of students who responded to the survey. Of those users, 45% reported satisfaction. While satisfaction has increased significantly from 34% in 2023, overall usage has remained largely stagnant.

The University attributes this to the space transitioning away from its original purpose. Initially designed as a dedicated area for clubs and club leaders, VUW says the model had limited appeal. “The decision was made to convert the space into a more appealing social, casual recreation space for all students.”

Lower ratings, it suggests, reflect this period of adjustment.

Still, the numbers indicate that while some improvements are being made, consistent engagement has yet to follow.

Students themselves have proposed practical solutions. One suggestion raised in the survey was the creation of a more collective social media presence, allowing all club events to be promoted in one place. “The student community could be enhanced if the events were advertised in advance on the VUW Instagram,” one student wrote.

Donoghue agrees. “I think that’s a great idea,” he says. “A single point of contact with social media, and then using our ability to be a bit more provocative and also our already established presences, would be key for us going forward—if we were to get clubs.”

Improving visibility, maintaining engagement beyond O-Week, and ensuring funding keeps pace with growth all point to the same underlying challenge: rebuilding student connection requires more than just physical presence.

The 2025 Have Your Say Survey ultimately paints a picture of gradual recovery. Lecture theatres are fuller. Club awareness has ticked upward. Satisfaction in some areas is improving. The number of clubs continues to rise.

But rebuilding the social infrastructure of campus life is slower and more complex than simply reopening classrooms.

Both the university and VUWSA agree that student connection is a priority. The difference lies in how that recovery is managed—through funding reform, governance changes, improved communication, or incremental institutional adjustments.

Next year’s survey will not just measure whether students are back on campus. It will show whether the systems designed to support them have fully caught up.