Leader says students stand to lose

Student radio will not be the only thing silenced if Parliament approves the contentious Act New Zealand Bill requiring voluntary student membership (VSM), the New Zealand University Student Association has warned.

NZUSA co-president David Do said a recent proposal by the Otago University Students' Association to sell its independently-owned station Radio One heralded a move to undermine the voice of students as a group in society.

The OUSA move to sell Radio One is the result of a review of assets, prompted by Act New Zealand's Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill.

The Bill seeks to make university student association membership voluntary, a move which would have significant financial implications and could undermine existing services, facilities and vibrant campus environments, Mr Do said.

Associations face major cuts in revenue and their ability to maintain services, experiences, and representation for students under VSM would be severely curtailed, he said.

Student-supported radio stations had become institutional traditions and were an important and vibrant part of student life, Mr Do said.

Radio One is "off the air" this week, in protest at the OUSA proposal, and broadcasting a loop of "ambient noise" instead of normal programming.

Waikato students had lost their radio station, Contact FM, in 1998, when the Waikato Student Union, under voluntary membership, sold its assets to try to stay afloat, Mr Do said.

Other stations, such as the Massey University Students Association Radio Control, in Palmerston North, and VBC, in Wellington, would also be under threat if the Bill was passed, he said.

The possibility of voluntary student membership was already posing a threat to other student services, which otherwise would not be affected, Mr Do said.