Mawsa is a student led organisation and the mawsa Executive are the students that were nominated and successfully elected (by you) to govern mawsa. We are also the team that more often than not provide those free BBQ’s! Each Executive member has their own portfolio to represent and in turn liaises with the appropriate people on campus to make sure that the students they are representing are getting a fair deal! They generally spend around 2-3 hours in office a week so if you want to pop in and say hi, or give us some suggestions then you can, however if there is no one in office then your always welcome to talk to the VP or President!
If you are interested in joining the Executive or just generally curious then email the Vice President at vp@mawsa.org.nz and ask some questions! On the other hand, elections are coming up soon if you’d like to be involved in 2011. If this intrigues you then rock into the mawsa office and have a chat to someone, even better if you know someone who would make an awesome part of our team then come and grab a nomination form and sweet talk them into it. But hurry, Nominations close August 20th!
CURRENT EXEC FOCUSES:
The Pasifika students and I have just recently come back from a trip to palmerston north where we attended a Pasifika event. Not only was it a good break after exams but also a way to create a good and hopefully a close relationship with the students in Palmy. The focus now would be to try and improve services for both campuses and to bring about a strong and benefiting relationship with the pasifika students in Wellington and Palmerston North.
UNDER THE HOOD:
The Pasifika Exec team will be meeting soon to discuss about plans that we would like to undertake in the second semester considering it is one of the important and short semester for us. Issues will be on the activities with Palmy Pasifika Students, any fundraising and the organising of the biggest event of the year, our Pasifika Dinner. This is all part of improving the services to Pasifika students and to aid in their studies and difficulty they face at university.
Alex Hema
Mature & Postgrad students executive.
2nd year Communicatuions
I’m Alex Hema, the Mature/Post-grad student exec. I spend far too much of my time talking and drinking coffee, but in my other time I am a second year Communications student, majoring in Public Relations.
CURRENT EXEC FOCUSES:
I am new to the MAWSA exec, and very excited about properly getting into my role this semester. I will be working with Massey staff to ensure that mature and post-graduate students feel at home in the Massey community, and can come to me if they have any problems or would just like to chat.
As I am a PR major and primarily interested in events management, my aim is to hold a series of social events for post-graduate and mature students, where they can become acquainted and essentially feel a part of Massey. I would like to establish a post-grad and mature student community, with events that are catered to them, rather than the stereotypical younger student.
UNDER THE HOOD
This will be my first semester as an official exec, so I am hoping to get to know a lot of you. My contact details are available at the MAWSA office, to all of you post-grad and mature students please get in touch with me with any feedback, questions or ideas. I look forward to meeting you!
Max Busby
College of Creative Arts executive.
3rd year Design
Welcome back to a new semester. Hope you are all rested and refreshed after the holidays. You may notice, that I am not the Maori Executive anymore, instead I have changed portfolios and now am the CoCA Executive, pretty snazzy, eh?
CURRENT EXEC FOCUSES
For all you classy CoCA students, why not flick me an email at exec@mawsa.co.nz, with CoCA in the subject line and let me know what I can do for you? It would be nice if I had some things to talk about at the next CoCA board meeting (hint, hint). And also, keep an eye out for events I may be running over the semester. You never know what might happen.
UNDER THE HOOD
Recently you may have heard about Otago Uni Shutting down the Gardies Bar. The main factor behind the closing of the bar was, sadly, student apathy. If more students had advocated against the sale, it’d still be there. My point is, if you don’t get involved, whether it be Friday Funtimes at Tussock, listening to Muse Radio, reading Magneto, or popping into the office, we really don’t know what you want from us. And if we don’t know what you want from us, we can’t accurately represent you.
Cheers,
Max
Laura Munro
International & Culture Executive
1st Year Design Student (VCD)
Kia Ora! Konichiwa! Hola! Hey!
I’m Laura and I come from the awesome sunny Napier, but am loving life in Wellington. I’m a geek who loves watching movies, cartoons and playing video games. I also think Guitar and singing is awesome too.
CURRENT EXEC FOCCUSES
I am very excited about joining the executive this semester. In my role I’ll be working with the Vice President and the International Office to support international students and bring some new culture to the campus. I will also be available for international students to talk to me about any issues they have and will help or steer them in the right direction where possible.
My current focus and first big project involves a week of international food and events, to spice up life on campus! But also to celebrate the different cultures that Massey has here on campus. If your an international student and you have a cool recipe or activity that you wanna share then give me a bell!
UNDER THE HOOD
Since I’m pretty new the Executive I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible, I am in the mawsa office as often as I can be, usually Tuesday-Thursday. In my absence, I am contactable by text/phone/email, details at mawsa office.
Jason Larsen
Buisness Executive
2nd Year Buisness Student
The 2009 Annual Report of the Massey at Wellington Students Association has just been released; I would like to take a moment to recognize the strengths and weakness highlighted. Our association has close to $450,000 in member’s equity, which for an organization little more than ten years old, I consider substantial, to continue, this is back by consistent surpluses across years, on face value financially were strong.
CURRENT EXEC FOCCUSES
Take a moment to delve deeper however, and questions must be asked about the state of our operations, in particular can I point to the constant operating income deficit, something that I believe, no organization, charitable or not should hold. Were working hard to turn this deficit around, both management and governance have made significant steps forwards in establishing and implementing improved financial procedures, we have looked hard at the 2010 budget in light of the tightened financial climate the world is currently in; it’s been a balancing act between maintaining financial strength and delivering front line services, more must be done in this area.
UNDER THE HOOD
In light of budget constraints; we must take a moment to re-look at the value added to the student experience by the services provided mawsa, 2010 represents a new era, and I must ask the executive, are we continuing to provide services because tradition dictates that we should? Or do we provide services that upon cost – benefit analysis stack up to add to the student experience? I believe not in the latter, and this is something I intend to be more vocal about in the coming months.
Jason Larsen
Business Representative
Karl De Jong
Engineering And Science Rep
2nd Year Engineering Student
“Hello there, people call me Karl. I’m your engineering and science school representative. I’m currently in my 2nd year of Product Design Engineering. It’s a pretty sweet course. As you can see from the photo on the right, I’m pretty friendly looking, so just come up to me and spin some yarns. I’m here to help.
I grew up in the sunny Bay Of Plenty. I moved down to Wellington in
2008 and am loving it down
here. I started off doing mechatronics, but changed major to product design last year. I have papers in the industrial design school aswell as the engineering school, so you will see me all over the place.
I joined up with the mawsa team this year and it has been sweet so far. I’m meeting heaps of new people and doing my best for our association. I recently founded the Massey Wellington Alpine Club (MWAC) and it’s getting off the ground which is great (masseywac@gmail.com if you’re keen to join up!).
If you have any issues you want dealt with, have a chat if you see me around or you can email me at exec@mawsa.org.nz But for now, those assignments won’t finish themselves…
Karl”
