Student fee protest possible

University of Otago students may consider protesting if domestic course fees are hiked for next year, although student association president Logan Edgar says he is unsure whether any move would match the disruptive scale of recent Auckland demonstrations.

The University of Otago is scheduled to consider its course fees for domestic students at a council meeting, which has been pushed back from November 8 to November 22, after university exams finish on November 12.

About 80 students disrupted a University of Auckland council meeting on Monday when they stormed in through a side door to demonstrate against a proposed fee hike of 4% for course costs.

About 60 activists then occupied the registry clock tower building on the Auckland campus while other protesters waved flags and shouted slogans outside - until three police vans and 35 officers turned up.

Auckland University Students Association (AUSA) president Joe McCrory said the move to hike student fees reflected a system which encouraged "institutional underfunding", which leaves students paying for ever-increasing course fees.

Auckland chancellor Roger France moved the meeting to a closed session in a new location, where council members subsequently approved a 4% fee increase for domestic students and a 5% hike for internationals.

AUSA was appalled at the fee rise and disappointed by the chancellor's decision to move the council session behind closed doors "citing reasons of public safety", Mr McCrory said.

The university council had adopted the highest fee increases allowable by law, he said.

Increasing study costs were being pushed on to students, which were in turn contributing to escalating student debt levels of more than $11 billion, Mr McCrory said.

Mr Edgar rejected a suggestion Auckland students were more reactive than their Otago counterparts, given the recent demonstrations at New Zealand's largest university against other contentious moves such as voluntary student membership.

Auckland students occupied their registry building last month - a demonstration which led to one arrest - in protest against a legislation change adopted by Parliament to introduce VSM for student associations.

Mr Edgar said Auckland University did not have as good a relationship with its student body as Otago had with its students.

"It's not the most student-friendly place. We have a much better relationship here," he said.

Otago increased its fees for international students by up to 5% for some courses at a council meeting in June.

OUSA always opposed fee increases on the student body, Mr Edgar said.

"It's part of our mandate. Sometimes we might protest ... We certainly wouldn't let our relationship with the university get in the way of that, if push came to shove," he said.

- Additional reporting John Weekes/APNZ