VSM

Students' associations in New Zealand - including your own association, OPSA - are under serious threat from VSM leglislation. At best VSM will seriouisly weaken OPSA's ability to deliver the services and benefits you see on this site, at worst it will destroy OPSA and see you paying more for these services and no say on how they're run.

ACT's proposed "full-blown" VSM has only ever been tried in Australia, and ended up costing students more in return for less services and representation.

 

Another effect of VSM is that students' associations will no longer be a strong voice for student issues - no one to voice students concerns about the increasing costs of education, no one to stand up for you when you have issues with your institution, and no one to complain about erosion of student support...

 

Indeed looking at the effects of VSM in Australia on most smaller associations - like OPSA -have been forced to disband. There's no reason to think that VSM won't have the same effect on OPSA; so not only will your services and voice be harmed, they'll probably be gone altogether.

Submissions to Parliament have now closed - but you can still write a letter to your MP, or even better to John Key, telling them your concerns (below are some templates from the VSM submissions that might be helpful, and some reasearch on the effects of VSM on Australian students). If you don't want to write to your MP or John Key, you could instead write a letter to the editor of a newspaper.

 

VSM submission templates

Below are some templates to help you in making a Select Committee submission (now closed - tell John Key how you feel instead). Feel free to select which points you agree with, and to add your own. You are welcome to change or modify these points to better suit your opinion.

- Basic student submission template (Word doc)

- Comprehensive submission template (Word doc)

- Make a basic submission on-line

 

 

Effects of VSM studies

VSM has had a dramatic and mostly devestating effect in Australia; here are some studies and reports that may help in making a submission or letter to an MP. A brief summary of these effects can be found here.

 

Australian Government review
The Impact of Voluntary Student Unionism on Services, Amenities and Representation for Australian University Students (Summary Report), Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2008

ACUMA/UniSport Report - effects on Services
A study on the impact of voluntary student unionism legislation at universities across Australia, ACUMA (campus service managers organisation) and UniSport, 2008

Typical effects at a large campus
The Impact of Voluntary Student Unionism on Services, Amenities
And Representation for Australian University Students, University of South Australia Students' Assoc, 2008

Effects on Women
The Impact of Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) on Services, Amenities and Representation for Australian University Students, Arc@NUS Womens Department submission

Effects on Postgrads
The Impact of Voluntary Student Unionism on Services, Amenities and Representation for Australian University Students, Council of Australia Postgrad Associations, 2008

$80M fund to implement VSM
VOLUNTARY STUDENT UNIONISM TRANSITION FUND FOR SPORTING AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES, Australian Government, 2006

Hidden Costs of VSM
The Hidden Costs of VSU Legislation, David Noble, Manager, VSU Transition Project Southern Cross University, presentation to ATEM New Zealand Branch Conference, 2006

 

 

Other resources:

Roger Douglas' VSM Bill
Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill, Roger Douglas, ACT Party