The Waikato Students’ Union has been around since the mid 1970s and is a Students’ Union as the result of a merger between an existing Students’ Association and the Teaching Student Association. All of this seldom matters unless you are in a really quirky trivia round at a Union at the Don Quiz Night. What does matter is that the Students’ Union is an independent voice by students, for students. It is an elected body of 12 students who are on the board each year and represent you at the highest level. These students are known as The Exec or The Board.  While the Exec serves as a governance body, the day-to-day operation of the WSU is handled by a team of well-meaning and underpaid staff. This WSU Team below takes care of student support, advocacy, hardship, academic integrity, class rep training, and tenancy issues but if you are reading this you probably know them more for BBQs and telling you to calm down and breathe on an O’Week Bus home from town. 

The WSU can be found in the Student Union Building (SUB) in Hamilton,or the Student Hub at our Tauranga Campus. The organisation operates in four major sections The Exec, Communications, Engagement and Support.

The Engagement Team creates and runs a full programme of student experiences, supports and manages clubs and Rōpū Māori events and activities, gives out club grants and helps with gear and equipment. Communications not only maintains this website, making them the hardest-working team, but they are also chiefly responsible for resourcing and offering support to Nexus Media which largely extends to repeating, “That will get everyone cancelled, but if you are going to do it, then we won’t stop you.”    

As previously stated, our Support Team is the most important work we do. It comprises Student Advocacy and Student Voice. You can find out more in our I Need Help section, but the quick version is they are like having a big brother or sister on campus. They are paid to be on your side, to advocate for the things you need, and to ensure you get the support you require.