UCPols (University of Canterbury Political Science Society Inc.)

Last Monday UCPOLS had the privilege of hosting former Prime Minister and Current Leader of the Opposition & Labour Party Chris Hipkins at the University of Canterbury Students' Association. It was a great turnout, with over 130 students in attendance. The interview, conducted by Tarek Patchett, involved topics on student issues such as mental health, education, and housing, followed by 20 minutes of open floor Q&A. Chris also discussed the possibility of politics as a future career path. For POLS students, this was a valuable insight into the realities of the job and the personal sacrifices required to be a representative in Parliament. Thank you to Chris for giving up your time to talk to students, and thank you to the Labour Party team for helping to make this event possible. 

On Monday, UCPOLS had the privilege of hosting UC’s local Ilam & National Party MP Hamish Campbell at the University of Canterbury Students' Association. We had another excellent turnout of students who came ready with some great questions. Andrew Wormald conducted the interview, delving into Hamish’s extensive medical background and positions on the Health and Environment Select Committees. Issues such as student flat quality and public transportation were discussed, followed by a 30-minute open-floor Q&A. Hamish also talked about the importance of being the local Ilam MP. With the University of Canterbury situated in the heart of Ilam, this was a valuable insight into his efforts to improve an area many students call home. Thank you to Hamish for allowing time to talk to students and the New Zealand National Party team for helping make this event possible.

Kia Ora UC Community, With term 3 in full swing, we figured it was a good time to recap the last 12 months of UCPOLS. In essence, UCPOLS is a non-partisan political club that aims to promote political participation and awareness on campus. In recent times, we have held: The 2023 Ilam electorate debate. We want to thank Raf Manji, Sarah Pallett, Mike Davidson, and Hamish Campbell for attending the day. We had an impressive turnout and hope to continue this format in next year's local elections. Our 2024 May Christchurch City Council Submission Workshop with Mayor Phil Mauger and local councillors Tyla Harrison-Hunt and Sam MacDonald allowed students to have their say on Christchurch’s 10-year long-term plan. This was a great opportunity to meet local councillors and network with other students interested in local government. We thank the Christchurch City Council for working with us to organise this event. In April, we had our politically themed Quiz night with our local Ilam MP, Hamish Campbell, as MC. This was another great opportunity for students to meet and interact with their local MP. It was a good mixture of fun and competition between colleagues! Thank you to Hamish Campell and his team for coming along. We hope to continue this annually. The UCPOLS Speaker Series has been our longest consecutively run event, with speakers nationwide giving up their time to interact with students in a more informal and intimate discussion. So far this year, we have had Labour MP Dr. Duncan Webb of Christchurch Central in May and Reuben Davidson of Christchurch East just recently in July. We had some great feedback from students following these events, emphasizing how this format offered a greater understanding of government operation and how the individuals representing us in government think. We thank both of you for giving up your time to talk with students. That said, we would also like to thank the UC POLS Faculty for continuing to work with us to provide University of Canterbury Students with free access to our events. Going forward, UCPOLS will post more frequently on LinkedIn to help promote our message of student engagement in politics.