Comment:

As John Blincoe stated the purpose of the proposals was to act as a model upon which people might hang their thoughts. However, while the concept recognises the regional needs of students it puts a barrier in the way of effective student representation.

The establishment of regional councils and a National executive made up of elected officers and regional representatives means that ordinary students are four steps away from the national office, except at council meetings (only two per year).

The growth of such a large and removed bureaucracy only adds to the problems that exist now within student representatives are too far apart.

It is essential that students are able to be as close as possible to the regular decision making areas like the national executive. To leave the representation of student views in the hands of regional councils and regional representatives means that these views can go through several distortion processes before they even reach the national executive.

The other problem with the regional councils is that they are envisaged to be reasonably informal affairs, which would meet about a week before the main executive would meet.

Such a system gives no time for student to even know what is coming up on the agenda let alone formulate some views on the matter.

With such a large set up as outlined the charge of jobs for the boys would assume a greater measure of truth than it does now. It virtually requires that anybody who wishes to become involved in national student politics would be forced to serve an apprenticeship in local student politics.

Although to a certain extent that is now the case it is still possible for an ordinary student having had little or no experience in local student affairs to become an office holder in NZUSA'

The proposed structure is too bureaucratic and distant for my liking. Lack of space precludes any great analysis of the proposals. These general comments are only some that have come to mind and which have been raised by a few people.

However, the final arbiters of the scheme for a National Union of Students will be students and it is important that they discuss these and any other schemes for any merging of tertiary students in this country.