[OPSA] Universal Allowance: Well, in 2012
Many tertiary students are today celebrating Helen Clark's announcement that Labour will deliver a universal living allowance for all full time students in 3 years time. But many others however are wondering why this won't happen until they've finished their education and are already repaying money they have borrowed simply to live. more...
13 October 2008

[OPSA] 2009 Presidents Announced
Ryan Ward and Meegan Cloughley were today provisionally re-elected Co-Presidents of OPSA for 2009, and Thomas Bloxham as Vice-President 2009. . more...
30 September 2008

[OPSA] Student Debt Cuts: What about everyone else?
OPSA believes National's policy to wipe a portion of some health professional graduates' student debt is good for those whom it will benefit -- but asks why these breaks are not also available to all hard working graduates. more...
19 September 2008

[OPSA] OPSA expels Undy 500 goers
OPSA is today warning its members that it will expel students guilty of illegal activities as part of the underground Undy 500 event. OPSA intends to expel any members guilty of violence and damage at the event, and its best recommendation to students is simply to stay away. more...
21 August 2008

[OPSA] Thanks, But Students need more
Otago Polytechnic Students' Association Co-Presidents are glad to see today's budget containing improvements to the student allowance scheme. And urge the government to continue... more...
22 May 2008

[OPSA] Much Needed Redevelopments Approved
Otago Polytechnic Students' Association is today singing the praises of the government for providing a mass cash injection to the Polytechnic for much needed redevelopments on its Dunedin campus more...
22 April 2008

[OPSA] We call it a mess, they call it life.
Around the country this Thursday, students’ associations are speaking up against growing student debt that continues to spiral out of control unchecked. more...
9 April 2008

 

2007

[OPSA] Stadium Stupidity Rules Supreme
Students are today stunned that the DCC is continuing ahead with a blatantly unviable stadium proposal, and wasting further funding that could be better spent on necessary infrastructure in the city... more...
12 Dec, 2007

[OPSA] President's Graduation Speech
Purchasing a car.  Buying a house.  Getting married.  These are all tough decisions.  The decision to embark upon tertiary education can also be a very tough decision.  For some of you this has meant leaving home for the first time... more...
7 Dec , 2007

[OPSA] Students Support Human Rights Commission
Students Support Human Rights Commission Electoral Finance Bill Flawed The Otago Polytechnic Students' Association (OPSA) supports the aims of the Electoral Finance Bill, but endorses the Human Rights Commission’s comments that the current bill ...more...
19 Oct , 2007

[OPSA] National Party Not For Students
Students at Otago Polytechnic are shocked by John Key’s announcement that there would no restrictions on fee increases if the National Party is elected into Government. more...
4 Oct , 2007

[OPSA] 2008 Presidents Announced
Ryan Ward and Meegan Cloughley were today elected Co-Presidents of OPSA for 2008. John Cannan was elected as Vice-President. more...
17 September 2007

[OPSA] OPSA calls for end to Undie 500
The only future for the Undie 500 is if it is run as a properly and effectively organised social event, including measures to lower alcohol consumption, and totally stop fires and bottle throwing. However, the organisers of the Undie 500, ENSOC, have consistently demonstrated they are unable to do this. Thus the Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association (OPSA) is taking the extreme action of calling for an end to the 19 year old Undie 500 event. more...
28 Aug, 2007

[OPSA] Rioters & Double-jeopardy punishments condemned
The Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association (OPSA) condemns the actions of any of its members involved in illegal anti-social activities on Saturday night. OPSA believes students arrested should face the law as any other person would in the same circumstance. However, OPSA does not support punishing students twice for the same behaviour and disapproves of any disciplinary action taken by the University on top of court punishment. more...
28 Aug , 2007

[OPSA] Can National really change its spots?
If National are to avoid its mistakes of the nineties it needs to change some if its policies. more...
15 June, 2007

[OPSA] Still Too Much Subsidy
The Otago Polytechnic Students' Association (OPSA) is pleased to see that DCC Councillors are favouring halving the amount the DCC is proposed to subsidise the new stadium project. However, OPSA claims that the newly proposed amount of around $50 million is still far more than the City can, or should, afford. more...
8 June, 2007

[OPSA] Dunedin Free Bus Service
Today OPSA presented its case-study for a fare-free citywide bus service at DCC and ORC draft annual plan hearings. “OPSA sees effective public transport as a key to keeping Dunedin a healthy and vibrant city...” said OPSA president, Richard Mitchell. more...
24 May, 2007

[OPSA] Students Bag Proposed Stadium
Today OPSA presented its survey of Otago Polytechnic student opinion on the proposed new stadium at DCC and ORC draft annual plan hearings. In the face of a postal survey that avoided student opinion, and recent attempts by ‘Our Stadium’ to misrepresent student opinion (ODT, 26 April), OPSA conducted its own informed survey of student opinion. more...
24 May, 2007

[OPSA] Students' hopeful of United
United Future today claimed they "will work to fulfil the Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Labour-led government to see lowering of the age of eligibility to a student allowance." After over a decade of 25 year olds being treated like children students are hopeful of such comments.more...
17 May, 2007

[OPSA] Students protest whopping debt
Students nationwide are rallying over ballooning student debt which has climbed to a whopping $9 billion more...
28 March, 2007

[OPSA] In some cases, it's not the size that counts
The National Student Debt has now hit a massive nine billion dollars. “Nine billion dollars in student debt is staggering. Student debt is a serious threat to our society and can no longer be ignored,” said Richard Mitchell, President of the Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association (OPSA) more...
28 March, 2007

[OPSA] Student leader challenges the government
Otago Polytechnic students are pleased at the government’s drop in student debt interest rates from 6.9% to 6.8% for 2007-2008. The drop will mean some small relief for graduates than still do pay interest on their student debt. more...
1 March, 2007

 

From the Archives:

[OPSA] Students lose interest while continuing to gain debt
By 2015, Students will have accumulated almost $13 billion dollars in debt according to the Student Loan Scheme Annual Report tabled in Parliament today. more...
17 October, 2006

[OPSA] 40th Birthday Ball and Poly is coming to the Party!
The Otago Polytechnic Student’s Association (OPSA) are pleased to announce their up and coming Masquerade Ball. The Otago Polytechnic 40th Birthday Masquerade Ball will be held at the Savoy on the 28th of October. more...
17 October, 2006

[OPSA] OPSA does it again
The Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association are ecstatic about one of their own being elected to NZUSA. Natalie Absalom, 2006 OPSA Co-President, has been elected as the National Women’s Rights Officer (NWRO) for 2007. more...
11 October, 2006

[OPSA] Surplus for Infrastructure
With the Government about to announce a record surplus, students are calling on Labour to invest the money in education and health, rather than continuing to under-fund the country’s infrastructure with unnecessary tax-cuts. more...
11 October, 2006

[OPSA] Cullen does ostrich on under-funding
Announcements made today by Tertiary Education Minister Dr. Michael Cullen are merely changing the window dressing and not addressing the on-going issue of under-funding. more...
27 July, 2006

[OPSA] Don't Watch this Space
Figures released by AC Nielson show that public tertiary institutions wasted over $28 million nationally on marketing and advertising campaigns that do not help students make decisions about their tertiary education studies. more...
4 July, 2006

[OPSA] OPSA Supports ASTE Fixed Term Campaign
The Otago Polytechnic Students' Association supports the Association of Staff in Tertiary Education (ASTE) in their campaign against improper use of fixed term appointments in Tertiary Institutions. more...
22 June, 2006

[NZUSA] Government fails to build on interest free loans
Budget 2006 has had a mixed reception from students said Conor Roberts, Co-president of the New Zealand University Students’ Association (NZUSA).“It was good to see the no interest on student loans policy feature prominently in today’s budget however we think that the government has missed a golden opportunity in today’s budget to deal with the drivers of student debt,” said Mr Roberts. more...
18 May, 2006

[OPSA] Otago Polytechnic Hit Worse
Polytechnic students suffer at the hands of the Governments Student Allowance Scheme. In 2002, 1,124 Full-time Otago Polytechnic students received a student allowance compared to 820 students in 2005. This is around a 27% drop in 3 years. more...
29 April, 2006

[OPSA] Blah Blah Blah.... Something Clever...
Otago Polytechnic Students' Association today welcomed changes to the Tertiary Funding model announced by Tertiary Education Minister, the Hon. Dr. Michael Cullen. Students and staff have been calling for a better funding model that better meets the needs of students and the community for years. more...
5 April, 2006

[OPSA] Bailing Polytechnics Won’t Stop the Sector Sinking
National's Education spokesman Bill English, yesterday criticised Labour's $3 million suspensory loan deal to bail out Whanganui UCOL. Bill English claims that these types of rescue packages will do nothing to solve the financial problems that are becoming increasingly endemic in the polytechnic sector. more...
10 Feb, 2006

[OPSA] No Interest - or No Builders
Treasury papers released by Michael Cullen yesterday emphasises that no interest on student loans is vital. With student and graduate debt reaching $8 billion dollars yesterday the proposed interest wipe off will have positive outcomes for all New Zealanders. Labour has been criticised for ignoring Treasury's costing of this policy and creating their own. However, Treasury's costing is based on a demonstrably flawed model... more...
15 Sept, 2005

[OPSA] Student Debt hits $8 Billion
Student debt today hit $8 billion dollars. OPSA will be issuing its own ‘money’ tomorrow – “redeemable Sept 17” to observe the occasion. “This debt will have an outrageous effect on the country. There will be a flow on cost to services supplied by graduates, and drive the cost of living higher. The current brain drain overseas will worsen” said OPSA President, Rachel Dibble. more...

14 Sept, 2005

[OPSA] Labour to Save Graduates Millions
Today’s tertiary policy released by Labour will provide long term relief for students and graduates struggling to repay their student debt loans. It is a policy that has been needed to address the crisis in Tertiary Education since the introduction of User Pays. more...
26 July, 2005

[NZUSA] Public hearing to be held on Govt's allowance cuts
Students are pleased that Parliament’s Regulations Review Committee has resolved to hold a public hearing about the brutal cuts to the independent circumstances and married students’ allowances this year. more...
7 July, 2005

[OPSA] Labour “Myths” the Point: PM Misleads Forum
Today in a Dunedin leaders’ forum Helen Clark was asked how a student having to borrow for rent and food and pay 7% compounding interest on graduation was supposed to save for retirement and a child’s tertiary education. more...
23 June, 2005

[OPSA] Labour Adds 'Parent Debt' to graduate-debt crisis
In a budget more reminiscent of its user-pays failures of the 1980s Labour has furthered its agenda to privatise state debt onto the backs of individual Kiwis. The Tertiary Savings scheme, as part of the KiwiSaver plan, is an admission by Labour that they have failed to combat the student debt crisis. more...
19 May, 2005

[OPSA] New Zealand's Student Shame
A recently released international study has confirmed that New Zealand is one of the most expensive places in the world to study tertiary education. “While most New Zealand graduates already know education is far too expensive here, it will be a surprise to many to find out their debts are bigger than their contemporaries in the US, UK or... more...
20 April, 2005

[OPSA] Small Step in Right Direction
Students today welcomed some changes to the living allowance entitlement thresholds (of parental income) that will see 36,000 students suffering less parental means testing on their allowances. These thresholds have not been adjusted for inflation since their introduction. Today's new thresholds are however lower than inflation*. more...
27 May, 2004

[OPSA] Budget fails Students
“Most students are very disappointed by today’s budget - it is a total reversal on Labour’s commitment to cut the cost to students of tertiary education.” said OPSA President, Michelle Watt. While today's budget takes some small steps to attack the student debt monster with some much needed tinkering with allowances and loans - it has not only failed to stabilise fees, but has opened the doors to fee increases. more...
15 May, 2003

[OPSA] Call for Immediate Govt Action
"Everyone knows about the negative impacts of debt on university graduates, the new figures show student debt is worse for many polytech graduates. This highlights one of several major problems with the student debt scheme - low income people end-up paying more for their education.” said Mr Baskerville. more...
20 August, 2002

[OPSA] Govt Challenged to Face Debt Problems
OPSA President, Phil Baskerville, today issued a warning to all political parties about the importance of dealing with student debt before it's too late. "Student debt has been likened to a monster eating away at the nation's children or a ticking time-bomb waiting to explode. No matter how you believe education should be paid for student debt will continue to balloon until the scheme is unsustainable * within my life time student debt will easily exceed the country's national debt.". more...
25 July, 2002

[OPSA] Student Allowances Real Election Winner
"In an overwhelming show of support for students 65% of the new parliament has been voted in on the promise of increasing the number of students who are entitled to a living allowance. All of Labour's potential partners want a universal student allowance. more...
31 July, 2002

[OPSA] No Confidence in 'Tech CEO - Staff
OPSA President, Phil Baskerville, today expressed support for the Association of Staff in Tertiary Education’s (ASTE) vote of no confidence in the Otago Polytechnic’s CEO, Wanda Korndorffer. At today’s meeting 97% of staff voted for the motion.. more...
25 June, 2002

[OPSA] Thanks, But No Thanks - Again
Otago Polytech students are once again disappointed with the government's budget. Despite Labour's last election promises to improve the situation of tertiary students this budget has again failed to deliver any substantial improvements to the problem of student debt. more...
23 May, 2002

[OUSA] Impact of Student Loans on Finance Raising Ability
The aim of this study was to investigate reports of people being refused finance because of their student loans, and to investigate the extent if such a problem existed. more...
22 November, 1999