VUWSA Wants Clubs and Societies to Come Back Home

By Darcy Lawrey (he/him)

The Victoria University Student’s Association (VUWSA) is planning to take back the role of managing the university’s clubs system. VUWSA handed over control of the system to the university in 2012 in a bid to cut costs after the Voluntary Student Membership Bill slashed funding for student unions. 13 years on, the association wants it back.

It's a change which VUWSA President Liban Ali set himself as a commitment for his time at the helm. He says, “if we want a strong, fun space for clubs and societies, it should be done by students, for students.” 

VUWSA has previously pitched running the clubs and societies space in 2018 and 2023, but found the university wasn’t ready to make the switch. Currently, clubs and societies are run by University Recreation Wellington (UniRec). 

Ali is proposing that sports clubs will continue to be run by UniRec, while non-sports clubs and societies will be managed by VUWSA. “That just makes sense, I think, for UniRec to run [sports] because they've got all the facilities”, Ali explained. 

VUWSA plans to create unified social media channels for the network of clubs and societies which would be used to promote upcoming events and opportunities. VUWSA would also add an additional $50,000 to the funding pool available to clubs and societies for “aspirational kaupapa” in the form of a grant called the Vic Books Grant. 

Currently, clubs and societies are able to apply for up to $3,000 from a $160,000 funding pool annually. Ali says that funding gets quickly snatched up at the start of each year. As well as growing the pool, VUWSA plans to tighten up the criteria for receiving funding.

President of the Victoria University Politics Society, Zinzan Goertzen says that he has felt well supported by UniRec when he reestablished the society.  He’s found that “they’re really supportive with the smaller clubs”.

He says that his only gripe with the current club’s system is the tight rules on funding—in particular, the bar on buying alcohol. “The only thing that people will probably want to spend money on other than pizza is booze”, he said. Goertzen said he’s aware that societies at other universities are allowed to purchase alcohol with club funding. 

While he’s found the current clubs system supportive, Goertzen is open to changes under VUWSA, and thinks there is room for improvement. 

Ali says that VUWSA would not allow clubs to spend funding on alcohol. 

The association will be meeting with the university in the coming month to share their proposal.