Massey withholds student union funds over ‘governance issues’

New Zealand’s Massey University stands accused of taking over its student association’s activities in a ploy to silence criticism, after stating it had withheld the association’s funding as an “interim measure” necessitated by widespread discontent with the body’s “representation model”.

The board of Massey University Students’ Association (Musa) said it had been “blindsided” by the decision to cut its 2025 funding, which the institution allocates from a compulsory student services fee.

Musa provides representation and advocacy for Massey’s 20,000-plus students, organises events and supports around 70 student clubs. Massey’s move sets “an alarming precedent for the future of independent student unionism”, Musa’s board said in a statement posted on its website.

“Controlling representation and advocacy will allow the university to regain control of the narrative surrounding…unpopular decisions, such as cuts, that the union campaigned against,” the statement said.

The university, meanwhile, said it has not “axed funding” to Musa but rather chosen “to not contract them for services and representation at this time”. Tere McGonagle-Daly, deputy vice-chancellor for students and global engagement, said Massey had “not made this decision lightly but felt compelled to act” after Musa’s board rejected suggestions to resolve the impasse.

They included proposals for the board to stand down and establish an “interim emergency governance committee” to fix “governance issues” highlighted by the university a month previously. “The representation model…is no longer adequately serving the student body,” Dr McGonagle-Daly said.

“This is not just our view, but the view that we’ve received from multiple students across our campuses and online. The university…has a responsibility to ensure the funds that we administer from the student services fee are used effectively and governed appropriately.”

Massey’s student services fee ranges up to NZ$1,128 (£520) a year. Its collection and use are regulated by the Tertiary Education Commission, with the university required to consult students on the fee charged, the services it funds and the procurement of those services.

Musa says the 2011 Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Act, which entitled institutions to withhold fee revenue from student associations, has allowed universities to “keep a chokehold on student unionism throughout the country”. It said Massey had previously considered holding back its funding “as a punitive measure” in 2018.

The board said it had been “meeting with Massey in good faith” about “fixing structural changes”, implementing a “membership list” and holding an election. It said the university had pressured the union to delay these changes, then cited the lack of progress as partial justification for withholding funds.

“No demands have been raised by the university and no terms for negotiation entertained,” it said.

Dr McGonagle-Daly said Musa had “failed to provide any details” about its restructure plans. He said the university proposed to consult “the wider student body” early next year on representation “options”.

“The final decision on what model suits them best will be made by students,” he said. “Just to be clear, the decision will be made by students and not the university.”

He said Massey would maintain student services “via alternative delivery methods” in the meantime. Musa’s board said the university had not revealed how it planned to “take on this complicated task”.

Dr McGonagle-Daly said Massey had invited Musa to “collaborate…regarding service delivery in 2025, but the board has not responded to multiple requests to meet since September”.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com