Clubs Awards 2024
The annual Clubs Awards were announced on 19 September. Find out who walked away with an award.
Supreme Club of the Year
Winner
Arts Student Association
With several wins over the night (New Club of the Year, Best in Arts, Academic Club of the Year, Wellbeing Initiative of the Year) as well as making the short lists for President, Treasurer, and Secretary of the year, Arts Student Association has shown you can be new to the scene and make an impact. Their holistic approach to club activities, and how to run a club, willingness to collaborate with others, and dedication to student community wellbeing are among the reasons they have shown themselves to be a truly supreme club in 2024.
Runner up
Ngā Tauira Māori (NTM)
NTM have held several events collaborating with different faculties and departments within the University to provide cultural performances, whakatau and pōwhiri as well as hosting their own events regularly. They have also hosted several outreach events, and hosted Huinga Tauira on UoA – which saw Māori Student Associations from all over Aotearoa travel to Auckland to compete and whanungatanga. Alongside this NTM have also created spaces in which tauira Māori can find their tūrangawaewae within the University space.
New Club of the Year
Winner
Arts Student Association
ASA had attracted over 270 paid members within six months of being a registered club. With over 1,000 social media followers, extensive collaboration within the university, and financial successes in 2024, ASA have showcased what success can look like within such a small time frame. Ka Pai!
Runner up
Rainbow Engineering
Rainbow Engineering has had a surge in growth in 2024 and doubled their online social media engagement. Alongside this, the 223% increase in external sponsorships and the extensive collaborative work they have done within the community is testament to their hard work and dedication as a new club!
Academic Club of the Year
Winner
Arts Student Association
In a short time, ASA has fostered a vibrant culture of student engagement and social activities while encompassing the various academic interests, and skills relevant for a diverse range of Arts students. ‘Class Chats’, ‘Career Bites’ ‘Midnight Club’ and the ‘Arts Hackathon’ are among a few of the achievements of this club this year.
Runner up
Robogals
Robogals have organized 55 workshops for rangatahi and tamariki across Tāmaki Makaurau to engage with STEM. In addition to this, the club have collaborated with several other clubs and had members fly to an APAC Robogals conference where they won an award for demonstrating the most growth and improvement over the last year.
| Faculty | Winner |
|---|---|
| Arts | Arts Students Association |
| Business | Biztech Society |
| Engineering | Robogals |
| Law | Debating Society |
| Medical and Health Sciences | Auckland Pharmacy Students Association |
| Science | Auckland University Women in Science |
Cause of the Year
Winner
Sustainable Future Collective (SFC)
To highlight a few of their key achievements, Sustainable Future Collective have overseen the installation of a food scraps/compost bin at the Bee Sanctuary where over 1 tonne of food scraps have been processed this year so far. They have Monthly ‘Working Bees’ inviting students to connect with nature and witness the beauty in the Bee Sanctuary. They have also collaborated with several other clubs making their cause accessible to more students. This club has demonstrated that their cause is achievable through big and small actions, and all can participate in sustainability.
Runner up
Engineering for Sustainable Development
Commitment to inclusivity and accessibility is clear within the mahi of Engineering for Sustainable Development such as in their speaker event focused on the inequity within climate liberation. This club has collaborated with several other organisations, run mentoring workshops, and worked alongside AUSA and the Arts Faculty, demonstrating their willingness to make their cause accessible to those outside of Engineering. The community engagement and focus on making their cause accessible and achievable at all levels is commendable.
Religious and Spiritual Club of the Year
Winner
The University of Auckland Muslim Students' Association (MSA)
2024 has been a year of success for MSA. They were invited to attend Eid-al-Fitr celebrations at Parliament, and have been collaborating with staff to increase inclusion on campus. Their advocacy for accessible prayer spaces across campus alongside the Muslim Chaplaincy has resulted in the establishment of Te Aumarino Prayer space on City Campus. Alongside their advocacy, the club has held numerous successful events including spiritual and cultural nights, quiz nights, speaker sessions and more.
Runner up
International Hub
International Hub have run over 40 social events this year on campus, launched two initiatives, and has seen tremendous growth to 1,189 members. Dual weekly events, with service on Thursdays and themed social events on Fridays have greatly contributed to the sense of community and belonging to the club. The dedication to planning, marketing and creating a welcome and safe space for their members is praiseworthy.
Cultural Club of the Year
Winner
Ngā Tauira Māori (NTM)
Ngā Tauira Māori have had a successful year of fostering whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and kotahitanga to their members and within the wider university community. Weekly events show casing the beauty of Māori culture, and making indigenous knowledge, culture and language accessible to all demonstrates why NTM are an essential community within the University. NTM are dedicated to creating spaces in which tauira Māori can find their tūrangawaewae within the University, and can often be found collaborating with other clubs as well as at University events.
Runner up
JAM+
JAM+ have offered a diverse range of events in 2024 making the club accessible to all. Alongside their bi-weekly social events, the club offered 11 Japanese events highlighting the beauty of Japanese culture in a variety of different ways. The club also have collaborated with several other clubs this year and overall have fostered inclusive and safe environments where all can come together to have fun.
Sports Club of the Year
Winner
Auckland Uni Tramping Club
AU Tramping Club have had one of the most successful years in the history of the club, with over 70 trips organised, over 850 active members, and an increase in the diversity of the events they have offered. From tramping to caving, health and safety, flora and fauna workshops to cricket matches! The club has really shown how diverse and inclusive our sports clubs can be.
Runner up
Auckland University Ultimate Club
Auckland University Ultimate Club have gone above and beyond to bring awareness of the sport to different communities in 2024, making the sport more accessible to beginners and people from diverse backgrounds. The club executives also actively volunteer within the university community and are present at various events alongside Sport and Recreation.
Special Interest Club of the Year
Winner
University of Auckland Photography Society (PhotoSoc)
With an event every week, multiple colabs with clubs and the university and opportunities for photographers at every skill level, it is no surprise that Photography Society has seen a 193.5% increase in their memberships this year. PhotoSoc has offered a diverse range of events including workshops, photowalks, skills based events, as well as volunteer opportunities for their members. PhotoSoc have demonstrated willingness to connect with different university communities, a testament to their openness and inclusion.
Runner up
ARYA
After rebranding the club at the start of 2024 Arya have had a hugely successful year. They have collaborated with several clubs, hosting a successful cultural day in the quad, co-hosted and funded an Ethnic Rainbow Speaker panel with many distinguished speakers joining the discussions, and a Sexual Harm awareness campaign with TiB. Alongside these meaningful events and initiatives Arya has also overseen networking programmes, and have volunteered at bake sales, and in community projects.
Club Event of the Year
Winner
ARYA
Arya’s Campus Cultural Day brought together many different cultural groups to offer students an opportunity to learn more about various cultures, through visibility and open conversation. This event demonstrated the ability to coordinate and lead a diverse event with leaders from different backgrounds.
Runner up
Ngā Tauira Māori (NTM)
Māori Graduation, hosted by Ngā Tauira Māori once a semester, is a completely student run event open to all Māori graduands. The budgeting, planning, and execution of the event demonstrated attention to detail, and meticulous event planning and coordination, as well as dedication to health and safety. This event had over 600 Māori tauira and their whānau, allowing Māori tauira to celebrate their tohu with their whānau in an open space for cultural practice.
Wellbeing Initiative of the Year
Winner
Arts Student Association
The Breakfast and Midnight Club initiative is an ongoing series designed to improve student wellbeing through small but meaningful acts of kindness. With the rising cost of living, such as food costs, and students feeling isolated on campus impacting overall wellbeing, ASA's initiative primarily sought to offer students a solution to these difficulties. In creating a space where students could meet others while grabbing breakfast or dinner or could grab some food and study, ASA has demonstrated how sometimes it is the simple things that can have meaningful impacts. ASA have also held collaborations within these events to further extend the community outreach and inclusivity of this initiative.
Runner up
Auckland University Women in Law
Women in Law enabled students to participate in a run where $700 was raised for Shakti Women’s Refuge to promote physical activity and wellbeing, healthy lifestyle choices and to support and raise awareness for Shakti Women’s refuge supporting those impacted by domestic violence. Connecting with external running groups in the community, and obtaining the maximum number of signups as allowed by the marathon organisers for a group entry shows how their dedication, organisation and communication led to success.
Alumni Engagement Initiative of the Year
Winner
New Zealand Chinese Student Association (NZCSA)
NZCSA’s Alumni Night enriched students' knowledge of the job market in Aotearoa, career prospects and employment and workplace culture. 28 Alumni representatives offered these insights to the over 200 students in attendance, as well as offering mentoring opportunities with students 1:1. Collaboration with the Alumni Relations team and use of the platform Connect, ensured a safe and inclusive event for students in attendance.
Runner up
Auckland University Women in Science
The Alumni Mentoring Programme coordinated by AUWS provided students in their final year an opportunity to network with Alumni to ease transition from university into professional employment. Partnership with the Alumni Relations team led to the involvement of 15 Alumni who upheld AUWS values of empowering and advocating for women in science.
Individual Awards
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| President of the Year - Winner | Adam Wong Toi (SavY) |
| President of the Year - Runner up | Lachlan Markovina (Auckland University Medical Students' Association) |
| Treasurer of the Year - Winner | Renzo Ubaldo (Auckland University Medical Students' Association) |
| Treasurer of the Year - Runner up | Knight Sakadklang (JAM+) |
| Secretary of the Year - Winner | Emily Caldelari-Hume (Women in Science) |
| Secretary of the Year - Runner up | Clover Huang (Han Cultural Club) |