The Long View: 1988

• Fees were $125 a year
• Allowances had just been extended to everyone and a 20 year old student was eligible to receive $108 ($199 adjusted) a week if they were living away from home

Tangible Benefits

• 2002: Student rep added to Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) Board
• 2005: Interest-free student loans
• 2005: Applications to have 10% fee increases rejected by TEC
• 2010: Controls added to charge of the Compulsory Student Services Levy (CSSF)
• 2012: Application for 8% exceptional fee increase rejected by TEC

NZUSA Lobby Gains

• 1988 allowances were themselves the result of 1985-1988 lobbying with officials
• In 1992 alone NZUSA achieved $10 million in benefits for students by getting Community Service Cards for all students in face of Ministerial opposition
• Prevented student loan repayments being applied to all jobs attracting secondary tax
• 2000: Freeze on fees
• 2010: Restrictions on increases in CSSFs
• 2012: Collaborative partnership for utilizing the Student Voice

Gains though engagement

• 2000: Review of loan scheme massively improves student experience and efficiency of delivery
• 1929 - 2013: Constant involvement with government over regulations and procedures
• 1996-2000: Students added to CUAP (committee of university academic programmes), AAU (academic audit unit), TEC Board and Learners' Advisory Committee
• Expansion of the categories covered by the Ministerial Direction in 2011 and defending that in December 2012
• 2012: enthusiastic support for learner panels and best practice Student Voice principles project 

Gains though Elections

• 1999: Education number two issue; change of government
• 2005: Interest-free loans policy assists re-election of Labour Government
• 2008: Interest-free loans adopted as National Party policy
• 2011: Labour Party commits to universal allowance policy (joining Greens)

Held VSM off for 15 years

• 1996: Michael Laws VSM Bill dies in Select Committee
• 1998: VSM Bill converted from imposing individual membership to requiring referendums
• 2000: WSU returns to universal membership through a student vote
• 2001: AuSM, WITSA and SAWIT return to universal membership
• 2006: USU returns to universal membership
• Activists from other associations assisted in all of these campaigns

Wins for the Tertiary Sector

• 1989: prevented a privatized loan-scheme by scaring off the banks
• 1994: Todd Taskforce plan for increasing fees from $1500 to $7000 per year defeated
• 1999: White Paper proposing privatization dropped by National Government after massive student protests
• 2003: Introduction of fee maxima
• 2009: National Party also adopts fee maxima policy
• 2011: 120 of 121 MPs from parties supporting interest-free student loan policy.