University of Canterbury Christchurch Canterbury New Zealand 14/8/2015
A student and voters perspective of the UC Students Association Executive  Elections currently underway and the University of Canterbury including the Council.
1 The UCSA Executive election Returning Officer is refusing to supply contact details of the Presidential candidates for comment on the continuing voting irregularities.
2 He is refusing to allow scrutineering of the election.
3 The outgoing President of the UCSA Ms S Platt known as “President two pay packets” has been asked to resign and the Vice President has been asked to take over. The President refuses to resign and the Vice President Luke Gillespie refuses to comment.
4 The Student magazine “Canta” that has again been allowed to be printed and circulated only contains the details of one of the Presidential candidates The disadvantaged candidate has failed to comment. They acknowledge they are mates.
5 The Full Council of the University are aware of this and although recently criticising the Engineering Society they can be seen by their negligence to be complicit in the latest debacle involving the repeated allegations of racism on campus. They falsely advertise their meeting venue and neither the minutes nor the agenda on their website. So  as student I was directed to the wrong venue and had no minutes of agenda neither
6 It has taken months to finally have the opportunity to view the University’s Health and Safety Policy believing in the first instance, that the now known to be called “Operators” of the various halls of residence, Campus Living Villages (N Z ) Ltd, had their own Health and Safety Policy. Because they don’t answer correspondence then one never knew. My letter to all directors both here and Sydney is dated “1/6/2015” Not one of the 3 Directors has proved to be literate and two of them live here in Christchurch. One has a role in the direction of Canterbury rugby I believe. The proper authorities describe the issue I am trying to research as “the possibility of ignition from the element is very real”. Dated “27/5/2015” Additional information is sought and awaited. You parents with children in these halls of residence should be getting motivated about now. What does it take for a Kiwi parent to get motivated? A call from the hospital to advise you your offspring and student at U C is in hospital with third degree burns and not expected to survive? If you want more of this then get the “USCA Notice Board” and the “UC Accom” Facebook pages back open to all and contacting the three Directors of Campus Living Villages (N Z) Ltd would be a good start. Again the UCSA with its advertised “Advocacy” role should be available but is not. Council is complicit in this also.
7 The Alumni are a disgrace after having lost their voting rights to the “Court of Convocation” (was a new one to me to) and therefore have no real input into the Council anymore. Nincompoops
8 Correspondence to the Council members must also be sent to their workplaces to avoid the age old phrase of “if only I had known sooner I could have done something” This includes a former Taieri High School student and now District Court Judge Colin Docherty and possibly high profile lawyers, a CTU representative as well.
9 The UCSA cannot take issues achieved as a result of student input and then by resolution by UCSA Executive to the full Council and come back with information as the President is bound by secrecy as the Council meeting is held for most part with the “Public excluded”. The minutes are incomplete and inaccurate, they are not recorded digitally and the staff report recently, which included the word, well it is pointed and goes bang, was false, miniscule and accepted without question by the Council of around 14 persons.
10 One of the numerously titled Councillors Mr J Woods is refusing to address issues of “conflict of interest” but it is known he receives two pay packets and what would be the point of talking to this QSM etc. when you do not know which pay-packet he is speaking from. He should resign while the Minister of Tertiary Education M P Hon Stephen Joyce, well known for abandoning his office and his at least six Port Folios to swan around Northland offering election bribes to try and keep, in a failed attempt to retain which is now Winston’s seat, safe. He would only appoint another stool Pidgeon on Council.
11 Senior law staff acting as the Chair for the two UCSA election debates, despite being formally ask after the first lecture along with the head of the Law School Christopher Gallavan, to stop showing bias in favour of one candidate to the disadvantage of the others still proceeded the very next day and dominated the question time when there were more serious issue to be discussed like the racism allegations. Do the candidates support the reestablishment of the Rugby League team, better facilities for solo parents on campus including better baby/child facilities? Difficult to criticise my own lecturer but the truth is best out to avoid even more unsatisfactory repetition and observed bias. This learned Chairperson even tolerated a specifically aimed question to the clear advantage of one candidate in the presidential debate by the very gentleman whose task it was to act as an “Independent” observer and recorder of the election called “ICE”.
12 The real risk here is if any of the unknown numbers of students who attempted to vote yesterday and could not then they are unlikely to vote again and they therefore do not have their vote recorded . They have made a reasonable attempt and that is unacceptable Or well should be but this is U C. One should not have to vote twice or more to have your vote recorded.
13 The voting for the UCSA elections commenced yesterday and at least one candidate to his credit has raised the issue of not all students are able to vote on an equal basis. See Facebook page for candidate Evans
14 The Human Rights commissioner has acknowledged the expressions of concern raised with his office
15 The initial election debate that started on the UCSA Notice Board Facebook page has been curtailed by an unknown person as has the UC Accom site. No freedom of debate at U C!
16 The illiterate styled directors of Campus Living Villages (N Z) Ltd not to be confused with the international operations of a similar name, have now resorted to hiding behind their night staff instead of proving they are literate and have a voice. There has been enough discussion and court cases on the subject of directors after the Global Financial Crisis. Our former Minister of Treaty Settlements is shown on the Campus in photographs in the company of the most senior Ngai Tahu person Sir Tipene O’Regan This director has been in high profile court cases.
Whilst on the subject of Sir Tipene. Recently Sir Tipene O’Regan came to campus and at the end of his poorly attended but enlightening speech on the Treaty of Waitangi he “dare”d anyone to ask questions I so dared I invited him to come back and to his credit he accepted. This invitation has been formally extended to him. Given the recent controversy involving the 5 legislatively protected dead native pidgeons (Kereru) within Ngai Tahu boundaries it seems a good time to debate with Sir Tipene and his team here on Campus where freedom or expression is frequently advocated. I would be able to lean forward and in David Lange style see if I could smell what is known in some parts as the “illegaltegal” on his breath. Strange how the media aren’t asking senior Maori leaders about this and enable them to deny that they have  dinned on Kereru. Maori Council Chairpersons perhaps? I am confident the Sir Tipene is up to the challenge. Time will provide the answer. USCA could host such a debate and sell tickets as I am sure there are lots of people out there including Forest and Bird who would partake in such an event and pay “handsomely”. I herein invite prominent Maori Law Lecturer on the Treaty here at U C Moka Ritchie to join my team. That way we could see the law is paramount/sacrosanct in the eyes of the University of Canterbury Law School. Thanks in anticipation my “lecturer” on the Treaty of Waitangi. Imagine my “lecturer” hurriedly and surreptitiously passing some dental floss to Sir Tipene on the other debating team to enable any possible remnants of the debate topic being the “Illegaltegal” to be consumed and concealed in perpetuity. Humour only for the last sentence. Let the debate roll. I was going to ask the presidential candidates about this but others occupied the question time as can be seen from above. I am the student we should have preference at question time. Not U C law faculty staff.
17 Femsoc have made allegations of gender discrimination being practiced by the University of Canterbury and the Council at its head are digging their collective head in the sand as usual.
18 Simple requests for information from the University of Canterbury have to go by the Ombudsman and the Privacy Commissioner which has a delay time of 6 weeks before an officer can be appointed let alone investigated. Requests involving the Council that should be handled by the Registrar Jeffery Field are now being handled by junior staff.
19 The University of Canterbury and Riccarton Community Constable “Kenneth” has been asked to stay of Campus whilst the complaint against him involving the Police Commissioner Michael Bush and the Independent Police Complaints Authority (which consists of one Judge Sir D J Carruthers acting alone and in isolation- read those words again please) Police cannot deny they are involved in at least of two acts of intimidation towards a student on Campus. Can you Constabulary member Pryor?
20 There is correspondence commenced with the Minister of Tertiary Education that goes to the very heart and worth of the word “Degree” from the University of Canterbury. His letter of acknowledgement has been received but his response of detail is still awaited. At least he is no longer denying there was political bias displayed at the last election by one of the Universities in Canterbury. Councillor “two pay packets” Woods who sits on both Councils at the same time is ideally placed to defend the Minister whom appointed him but is surrounded by silence and supported by the balance of Council which includes the current University of Canterbury Students Association “President two pay packets” whom supposedly represents the 12,000 UCSA members at the same time?????????
21 Eventually this debate will get to the real issues of bribery and corruption at U C but lets see if we can get the election rerun and properly this time.
22 “Huntsoc” This issue of requiring the Executive of approximately ten persons (of the Hunting Society) to hold drug free meetings and claiming by contacting the membership via email to discuss this is a breach of the other members “privacy” This has been formally with the UCSA executive for months now. Now the N Z Mountain Safety Council members are failing their membership by refusing to comment. Official Information Act request acknowledged from the Director General of Conservation this morning
23 As to the replacement hub of student activities the “Foundry” It does not take over 8 years to knock down and replace a two storeyed building of which 62% is owned by the U C S A. Why aren’t the local demolition contractors climbing all over the slow and ponderous consultants. At least the demolition contract should have been let by now. . Was thinking of dry hiring a large excavator and a “bath tub” and getting started myself? Completion is expected to take “four more years” Sounds familiar doesn’t it
24 The recent decision by the University of Canterbury not to tell the constabulary about the theft of large quantities of chemicals with the potential for being used in the manufacture of Heroin and Amphetamines for “four days” after the event is another example of disgraceful behaviour In effect this helped the perpetrators evade capture. Akin to aiding and abetting in my view. It will be the same next time.
Do you agree that “UCSA” should re run the election?
“No Nukes” UCSA Executive elections “undecided voter” & U C Student #86829284
E & O E