AUTSA joins Student Union’s calls for cost-of-living support for students amid fuel crisis

NEWS | ISSUE FOUR/20 | RONGOĀ / DRUGS

Written by Liam Hansen they/them | @liamhanse.n | Associate Editor

Student presidents and representatives of various university student associations across the motu have united in their call for targeted student support amidst the cost-of-living crisis. While students have been struggling to stay afloat since the economic ramifications of the pandemic (and a good bit before then), the recent increase in fuel prices due to the US/Israel attacks on Iran and Lebanon, and the continued genocide in Palestine has led to ramifications across the cost of food, transport, and other essentials. In tandem, more students are struggling to receive part-time employment to support their studies - especially international students, and those needing to support their whanau. 

The pressure this has placed on student union food banks has been insurmountable. AUT Student Association president James Portegys spoke to RNZ, stating, "Since 2020, year-on-year we've seen an increase in our foodbanks, so we were in the 150 sort of packages a week in 2020, and we're well into the 1800s last year in 2025."

Student associations across the country, representing the majority of individual universities and subgroups like the National Disabled Students’ Association (NDSA),  New Zealand International Students’ Association (NZISA), and the Lincoln University Māori Students’ Association, shared a joint statement last month calling for “targeted relief for all tertiary students in all future cost-of-living relief packages, including, but not limited to, cost-of-fuel and transport relief.” 

“Students, particularly Māori, Pasifika, Disabled, International, and LGBTQIA+, have historically been overlooked and neglected with regards to cost of living relief. Examples of this include the Winter Energy Payment (WEP) and other recent forms of emergency financial support, despite students often also being eligible Community Services Card holders.”

With the toll taken on students in the supercity, AUTSA has also collaborated with their mates across the street at AUSA, sharing a joint statement at the end of March calling for a student relief package that implements free public transport across Tāmaki Makaurau and including students in the fuel subsidy package. With students travelling across various bus routes, trains, ferries, and motorways to get to class, the cost of fuel and public transport has made the trip too much to bear, with more lectures skipped and classes missed.