Te Aka Tauira – Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) has re-launched a petition calling on the Government to extend the Winter Energy Payment to include tertiary students.

“Energy companies are announcing record profits whilst students are ending up sick in the hospital with respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia,” said VUWSA Welfare Vice-President Josh Robinson. “This is whilst the added pressure of the cost of living, and increased transport costs continue to mount.”

The Winter Energy Payment is designed to help those struggling with rising living costs to keep their homes warm and dry during the coldest months in Aotearoa. Yet, tertiary students remain ineligible for this vital support — despite often living in some of the coldest, dampest, and poorest housing, and surviving on deeply strained incomes. Access to the Winter Energy Payment would ease the impossible choice students currently face; a warm home or affording the necessities.

According to the People’s Inquiry into Student Wellbeing, two-thirds of students regularly go without enough money for basic necessities like food, clothing, power bills, and healthcare. Meanwhile, annual electricity prices have climbed by $120 since April 2024, and Aotearoa’s four largest energy companies reported a staggering $2.7 billion in combined profits last year.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

In 2024, nearly 1,000 students applied for Victoria University’s Winter Energy Grant, with the most common concerns listed being financial hardship and cold accommodation.

The Winter Energy Payment, introduced in 2017 by the Labour Government, currently supports most beneficiary groups — except students. VUWSA believes this is an unjust oversight and is urging the Government to correct it. “Students deserve to live in warm, dry homes without sacrificing their health or skipping meals,” Robinson added.

Te Aka Tauira is calling on all students, whānau, and supporters to sign the petition and support the push to end student poverty and energy hardship.

Sign the petition now on the ActionStation website: https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/winter-energy-payment-for-students

© Scoop Media