The Otago University Students Association needs to retain a strong independent voice and students should continue to speak out over social injustice.
Those comments were made by several speakers attending social functions on the University of Otago campus at the weekend to mark the association's 125th anniversary.
More than 80 people celebrated the anniversary of the association's founding, on May 20, 1890.
The main anniversary activities were held on Saturday, including a debate involving current and former students.
About 60 association life members later dined at the university Staff Club, and were addressed by several speakers, including association president Paul Hunt and university vice chancellor Prof Harlene Hayne.
Renee Riddell Garner, who was OUSA president in 1998 and is a public law practitioner in Wellington, later emphasised the importance of students continuing to engage in protest over injustice.
After voluntary student membership of the country's students associations had become law, Otago students now paid the university, instead of OUSA, to undertake student support activities.
And the association now undertakes some of this work for the university.
Ms Garner Riddell said the challenge was for OUSA to retain an independent voice. Former Dunedin mayor Sukhi Turner, a Wanaka resident and also an OUSA life member, stressed the importance of students and the association continuing to speak up over justice issues including social inequity.
OUSA secretary Donna Jones said the weekend celebrations had been successful, with people coming from throughout the country. Mr Hunt said the association had had a long history of providing a ''strong voice'' for social change, including over environmental issues.
