Students dismayed at Select Committee's failure

Students dismayed at Select Committee's failure to listen

Students at the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology are dismayed with the news that the Education and Science Select Committee has recommended the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill be passed into law. In doing so, the Committee has failed to listen to the voices of students, tertiary institutes, community organisations and other New Zealanders, who submitted en masse against the Bill.

National promised they would "listen to the submissions" and approach consideration of this Bill with an open mind. To receive over 4000 submissions against the bill, which is a total of 98 per cent of the submissions, and then recommend it go through without any changes is a massive broken promise on the part of the National Party.

Students are also questioning why an ideologically-driven Bill in the name of Heather Roy is being supported, at a time when the public have completely lost faith with the ACT Party. Rachel Boyack, President of the Student Association at Nelson-Marlborough Institute of Technology Inc. (SANITI) said: "this bill is extreme and suggests a level of influence held by the ACT Party that all New Zealanders should be concerned with."

Students at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology voted overwhelmingly in 2002 for Universal membership of their students association. Earlier this year at a General Meeting of students, a unanimous motion was passed supporting the status quo.

"What this bill does, is force a membership system upon our students, that they clearly do not want" Rachel Boyack said.

SANITI provides essential students to students studying at NMIT, including advocacy, representation on NMIT committees, orientation events, student discounts, jobs and accommodation services and the New Zealand Student Pilot Conference. All of these services will be at risk from 2012 under a Voluntary membership model.

SANITI are urging the National Party to reconsider their stance and request that conversations begin again to seek a positive resolution for tertiary students.

ENDS