Darel Hall is leaving next month after an action-packed three years and three months in the position, which involved guiding the organisation through the introduction of voluntary student membership in 2012.
In his time at OUSA, he had seen the organisation's relationship with other Dunedin organisations, including the council and police, improve to the point where it was now a ''trusted partner''.
The improved relationship meant OUSA had more influence in the city than in the past.
This came down to other organisations seeing what OUSA added to the city, in terms of the way it ran events - including O-Week - and the expertise it had on what students wanted from the city, ''If we had said the right sorts of things and done differently we would have no influence.''
For instance, OUSA's decision to take a hands-on role in organising the notorious Hyde St keg party could have gone badly wrong.
Mr Hall had a controversial view on the introduction of voluntary student membership - which meant the association was funded by the university instead of directly by students - saying it had been ''largely irrelevant'' for OUSA.
A positive outcome was the increased accountability that came with the new system.
Some associations were too focused on independence as opposed to accountability.
''The whole notion that some students' associations had that they were entirely independent of their institutions in my view is wrong because they only exist because the institutions exist.''
Mr Hall would have liked to stay longer at OUSA, but was moving because his wife, who had been working remotely for the Inland Revenue Department, had been asked to shift to its Wellington office.
''I'm quite sad to be leaving because it's a great place to work.
''There is a very short time frame between inspiration and getting things done.''
Despite being 47 (more than double the age of most students), working around students did not make him feel old, as he did not feel young to start with.
''It doesn't matter how cool you are, once you get past 21 you lose it,'' he said.
