PHOEBE ROBERTSON (SHE/HER)
According to the Living Wage Movement Aeoteraroa's website, Victoria University Students
Association (VUWSA) is a living wage employer. This means that all of its employees, including
those on the Salient team, are paid a living wage.
VUWSA Executives are not employees, as they are elected into their positions and paid through
honoraria. As such, they do not receive the same protections under employment law and must
have their rights and benefits voted on and included in the VUWSA constitution. Currently, the
constitution states that Executives will be paid minimum wage for a specific number of hours,
with the President receiving a living wage for 40 hours per week.
In response to questions about the ethicality of advertising VUWSA as a living wage employer
while the Executives do not receive a living wage, CEO Matthew Tucker explains that they are
transparent about this issue and all funding decisions can be found online. He also mentions
that the minimum wage can potentially be changed through a proposal brought forward by an
Executive and voted on at the next VUWSA Annual General Meeting (AGM). Which would need
to be approved by 2/3rds of students in attendance.
However, he warns that any change would come at a cost and could impact the organization's
ability to provide other services to students.
