We're calling for the Government to extend the Winter Energy Payment to students (AGAIN).

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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. 

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.

Grand Theft Academia: Government Continues to Rob Young People of Their Futures

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Te Aka Tauira – the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) is staggered by the Government’s failure to fund tertiary education, and failure to provide any meaningful support for students struggling through with the cost of living, a lack of jobs and  gutting of public services.

VUWSA President Liban Ali says, “This Budget fails students. Costs are rising, but support isn’t. Students are working longer hours to get by. Study is harder. Life is harder. We asked for help – the Government gave us nothing. Freezing student allowance thresholds is a cut by stealth.

This Budget ignores the student cost of living crisis. It makes it harder to live, and harder to learn. Once again, students have left behind. We deserve better, we won’t forget this.”  

This year’s Budget has nothing to offer students, with bread-and-butter initiatives being underfunded by the Government. Inflation adjusted, Budget 2025 has only made room for a measly 3% increase in student allowance funding and has also made it harder for young people to access the Jobseeker Benefit by introducing means testing.  

VUWSA is also concerned by the 20% reduction in funding for essential student loan management services while, as has been recently reported, students have already been facing increased wait times to access essential funds from StudyLink.

“It is disgusting to see the Government continue to overlook student poverty.” VUWSA’s Welfare VP, Josh Robinson says, “In the aftermath of the rise of public transport fares, increased energy prices, and cost of living, the Government is both setting a price on the human right to education and robbing it from us in broad daylight.”  

VUWSA is disheartened by the Government’s continued failure to adequately fund the Tertiary Sector. “Education is a public good.” said Academic VP Ethan Rogacion, “It is time that our Government starts acting like it.” This year’s Budget allows Universities to hike fees up to 6% and sets aside some funding for some STEM subjects but still comes at significant costs to students.  

“The Government has disestablished the PM’s Scholarship for Asia and South America from June, has made University more expensive, and has pitted faculties against each other by increasing funding for STEM at the cost of humanities subjects,” Rogacion says.

“Our Government has a responsibility to its students, to ensure that all young people can get an education that helps them achieve their goals, and does not merely push them into fields they deem to be economically useful.”

In addition, Engagement VP Aidan Donoghue adds, “To give with one hand, and take with the other, is not growth, it is stagnation. I am puzzled as to who or what this goal of growth is for?  It certainly isn’t for women, students, the poor, health or education?

“It's matter of choice, and this government is making active choices that undermine decades of social investment. The average student has thousands of dollars invested in them, and all the opportunities they’ve been promised have been ripped out from under them.”

VUWSA Spokespeople:

VUWSA - Te Aka Tauira Launches Petition for Winter Energy Payment Extension to Tertiary Students

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**Thursday, 11th July 2024, Wellington** — At 10 am today, VUWSA - Te Aka Tauira launched a petition urging the Government to extend the Winter Energy Payment to include tertiary students.

"Energy companies are announcing record profits while students are ending up in the hospital with respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia," said VUWSA’s Equity Officer Josh Robinson. "This experience is often seen as a rite of passage for students, but in 2024, it is untenable."

The Winter Energy Payment is crucial for those struggling with the cost of living to keep their homes warm and dry across Aotearoa. Yet, tertiary students remain ineligible for this support, despite living in some of the poorest conditions in Aotearoa, in the coldest and dampest accommodations, and on highly strained incomes. Access to the Winter Energy Payment would help end the need for students to choose between a warm home and food.

“No one should have to choose between staying warm and having food,” said VUWSA President Marcail Parkinson. “It’s completely unacceptable that in 2024 we still see students frequently end up in the hospital with preventable respiratory illnesses due to the quality of their accommodation. We know that students live in some of the worst accommodations in Aotearoa and have highly strained incomes as well as large student loans. I applaud the incredible achievements of the Winter Energy Payment so far in helping those who cannot afford to keep their homes warm. However, I urge the government to fix the student-sized hole in this support net as soon as possible if they truly want a healthy and engaged population of learners.”

Students shared their personal stories about how receiving the Winter Energy Payment would impact their lives. One student expressed, "I wouldn’t wake up shivering in my bed each morning." Another highlighted a common dilemma, saying, "I wouldn't have to choose between heating and food." The stark reality was underscored by a student who shared, "I wouldn't get hypothermia... again."

The Winter Energy Payment, introduced in 2017 by the then Labour Government, has been available to all beneficiary groups except students. This petition aims to rectify this oversight and ensure that students are not left out in the cold.

The launch of this petition coincided with VUWSA’s highly successful annual Winter Clothing Drive, an initiative coordinated with VUW Student Finance. The Clothing Drive provides donated winter clothing from staff to all students free of charge. This initiative, started in 2023, aims to alleviate student hardship during winter and provide students with clothing and bedding to keep themselves warm and healthy.

Te Aka Tauira - Victoria University Students Association is calling for the Winter Energy Payment to be extended to include tertiary students to help end student poverty, you can sign the petition on the Parliament website.

VUWSA Statement - $128 Million - 27/06/2023

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We welcome the Government’s announcement of $128 million towards universities and review of the university funding model. Thank you, Minister Tinetti and Minister Robertson, for listening to the voices of students, staff and our Vice Chancellor, and for acknowledging that we need a more sustainable funding model.  

In response to this governmental support, we call for a moratorium on the current redundancies plan here at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington and other universities across the motu. We need time to pause, carefully reconsider and plan so that short-term decisions do not result in long-term consequences. We said it prior to today’s announcement, and we will continue to say it: Our people – educators, researchers, and support staff - are our best asset. They are essential to the lives and futures of students. 

This has been a collective campaign effort. Thank you to the VUW-TEU for their leadership and everyone who backed the #savingtertiary campaign in the last few weeks, with vocal support from across the world, including members of the New Zealand Order of Merit, former politicians, prominent members of the arts community, academics, students, staff, and ordinary New Zealanders.  

We started this campaign believing this could be a turning point in the history of tertiary education in Aotearoa. Less competition and more collaboration across universities, sustainable funding mechanisms and universities that are treated as a public good rather than businesses are an entirely possible future. This tertiary education review proves that to be true. We need the redundancy plans to be halted so we can engage in this process with our sector intact. We look forward to robust engagement during the review. 

This is only the beginning of a campaign to reform tertiary education to be a public good. We will stay persistent in the fight to save VUW and tertiary education.

VUWSA Statement - 25/5/2023

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VUWSA are incredibly sad to hear about the proposed staff cuts at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington. These proposed cuts are the result of chronic government underfunding of tertiary education and damaging decisions made by previous University leadership. We have been assured that students will be able to finish their degrees. Additionally, decisions on what academic programmes and professional staffing will be cut have not been made yet, as they are still up for review.  

We understand that this is a difficult time for our staff and student community. We will be standing in solidarity alongside the Tertiary Education Union to fight for every job and programme, for the interlinked future of students, staff and universities. 

The bleeding out of the tertiary sector is not an inevitable fact, but a matter of political will. With enrolment drops across the motu and staff cuts happening at AUT, Otago University and now our own Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington, the heart of the problem lies in successive government underfunding of university education.  

This year’s 5% increase to tuition subsidies is touted as the largest increase in 20 years. This is not a victory but highlights the failure of this and previous governments to fund universities in line with inflation. Per student funding has been dropping in real terms for years—in the last decade, it has fallen 20% in real terms compared to increases in the Consumer Price Index. At the same time, costs have continued to rise. 

If the Minister of Education intends to make up for the severe underfunding of universities by increasing tuition costs to students, VUWSA will resolutely oppose this outrageous proposition. This is no solution, when student debt sits at over $16 billion and students are struggling to afford or continue with study now more than ever.  

Better financial support for students to enter and stay in tertiary education, and funding for universities to keep their staff and maintain their infrastructure are inextricably linked issues. The Vice-Chancellor has inherited a tragedy not of his making. Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington is being forced to make decisions that impact the lives and careers of staff, and the quality of education for students. If we continue down this path of inadequate cost-of-living support for students and underfunding of universities, Aotearoa will reap the detrimental consequences to our culture, society and economy for many decades.  

The government holds the fate of tertiary education in its hands. In the coming weeks, we will be fighting alongside the Tertiary Education Union to push as hard as we can. At 12pm on Friday June 2nd, we are having a student-led event in the Hub at Kelburn Campus in support of our staff and to call upon the government to properly fund universities. 

If you are a student in need of support, please contact advocate@vuwsa.org.nz; if you are a Tertiary Education Union member, please contact nicki.wilford@teu.ac.nz. 

VUWSA Statement 22/3/2023

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VUWSA Statement 22/3/2023

VUWSA stands in solidarity with trans and gender diverse communities in opposing the anti-trans demonstrations led by Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull scheduled to take place in Wellington this coming weekend.

Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has a history of bigotry against the trans and gender diverse community, with her protests overseas attracting alt-right and Neo Nazi participants.

VUWSA is committed to making Wellington a safe space for all and believe that Kellie-Jay represents dangerous and hateful ideals that are not welcome in Aotearoa. We support free speech, but not hate speech.

VUWSA also stands in support with the Queer Endurance / Defiance counter-protest to be held on the 26th of March.

If any students need support during these protests or require assistance, please email our Advocacy team at advocate@vuwsa.org.nz or free text/call 1737 for support from trained counsellors.