Candidate: Ethan Collard

Hi there, my name is Ethan Collard, a first year Bachelor of Urban Planning (Honours) Student at the University of Auckland.

A little background on me, I went to Macleans college (I can hear all the sighs right now), I am a part of the LGBTQ+ community, being gay, and honestly I just feel the student voice is under-represented at UoA, and within the Auckland Council itself.

While I am a first year student, I feel as though I have more lived experiences than a person my age should've had to go through. I won’t go deep into what I experienced as I don’t want to trauma dump, however just know that because of those experiences, I have become extremely empathetic to all situations and like seeing all angles of a topic before making a decision. This is why I think I would be a great candidate for this position as I can effectively voice concerns to the likes of the Auckland Council, on students behalf.

Because of my degree, I am also versed in a lot of physical policy to do with zoning, land restrictions and laws, which could help me argue cases to the council which might need further backing. For example, a facility building needs a renovation as it has been deemed structurally unsound, due to my degree i can help the council understand these issues better. 

One of the biggest issues I have found when analysing the University was its glaring hole in student voice. While AUSA seems good on paper, its power over the years to ACTUALLY help students has been diminishing. Pre-existing students are often shoved under the rug while the University tries to attract new students (both national and international) with extravagant open days, new student acom, and new builds. I would like to try and mend that by creating a safe place for students to come forward with ideas that can be put to someone to make them happen, or at the very least, just be someone which students can talk to, as they can be listened to and heard out without judgement.

This is not to say that staff are exempt from this too, as I know teaching a room full of hundreds if not thousands of students can be draining, and if any ideas are brought to light about anything I would love to listen to them.

I know there might be stuff that can’t physically be done, but that will never stop me trying to voice the concerns of students and staff alike. 

Thank you for your time!       

Ethan Collard