If you ever wanted to watch the OUSA President live in a literal cage for a week, unfortunately your dreams have been locked away. From the 25th to the 29th of August, OUSA President Liam White had planned to live in a cage to raise awareness of poor student housing. Critic Te Ārohi has a scoop on the cage that never happened.
When not being trashed by freshers at the annual Toga Party or peppered with sun-soaking lunch-timers on that rare Dunner stunner, Union Lawn generally stays pretty empty. Inspired by past actions of a past OUSA President, Logan Edgar, Liam soon cooked up his own stunt. Protesting the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Act 2011, Edgar lived in a cage (a flat-deck trailer with a cage) for 48-hours to protest voluntary membership of student associations – an Act Party bill whose consequences President Liam is still dealing with over a decade later.
But Liam’s fight is different. He chose to focus on poor student housing in Ōtepoti, a topic he is truly passionate about. “Consistently talking both to students and the wider community, housing is continually noted as one of the biggest challenges to students,” he told Critic (prompting flashbacks to black mould lined windowsills and visible clouds of breath).
As an example, Liam noted a recent story from his good mate Vice Chancellor Grant Robertston who, whilst on a tour with Campus Watch, didn’t reckon his flat had changed in 50 years. “Which [is a] funny story, but for the students who live there every day poses a serious challenge now [...] the quality has always been poor,” said Liam. It’s obviously a close story to Grant’s heart too, being aware of The Cage stunt itself. If it were to go ahead, Critic was looking forward to witnessing their regular meeting being held on Union Lawn.
Another pipe dream of the project was the idea of mailing the only key to the cage to the Chrises at the seat of housing power: Prime Minister Chris Luxon and Minister of Housing Chris Bishop. Included would be a letter inviting Christopher Luxton to address Otago’s student housing concerns (and give Liam his freedom). The letter reads, “Students are paying increasingly high rents for homes that are too often cold, damp, and unsafe. Our members tell us of black mould, broken heat sources, persistent leaks, and a fear of speaking up to landlords for fear of eviction or blacklisting.”
Liam had four key asks of the Government: 1) Introduce a mandatory Rental Warrant of Fitness; 2) Extend the Winter Energy Payment to all full-time students in New Zealand; 3) Launch a Parliamentary Inquiry into student accommodation in Aotearoa; and 4) To pretty please let him out of the cage so he could finally pee. “We welcome you kindly to come enjoy a cold Speight’s Summit Ultra 0 with us and discuss the issues facing students,” the letter concluded. Unfortunately, for many practical reasons, this aspect of the stunt was abandoned.
As planning began, it soon became evident that living in a cage was a complex undertaking, one requiring months of prep. Building the cage itself (or the ‘The Igloo’) was just the start, which was essentially some pieces of wood whacked together by Residential Rep Callum, with progress pictures sparking Saw trap comparisons – not too glamorous for the president.
And then there’s the health and safety plan. Written by Liam himself with help from the OUSA Events team, the hazards register is thorough and extensive, to say the least. It’s 29 pages long. Liam described the amount of risks as "comparable to the Six60 concert” earlier in the year. Every potential hazard has been thought of – hypothermia, sunstroke, terrorism (a real consideration if the Prime Minister were to show up), darkness, and intoxicated participants. You name it, it’s probably featured. If anything, the cage is a masterclass in event planning (future career pivot, Liam?).
With health and safety risks continuing to build and a busy few weeks for OUSA (including the biggest Student General Meeting in the association’s recent history), Liam’s time in The Cage never came to fruition. And as OUSA enters its Executive election period, spanning from Monday September 8th until Thursday September 25th, stunts like these are not allowed. For now, then, the advocacy will have to continue from the safety of his warm office.
While Liam’s cage is on an indefinite hiatus, he leaves some parting advice as tauira are preparing for flat signings and moving dates. The “big advice” he'd give to students (“and it's a bit lame”) is to take your tenancy agreement to OUSA Student Support before signing, who can help to spot any shady clauses or failure to meet healthy homes standards, and document every aspect of your flat on move-in day, like taking pictures of an existing crack in a window to prove you’re not responsible. For any issues that crop up during tenancy, Liam encourages you to go through Student Support’s purple door.
Until then, keep an eye out for the OUSA President’s next cunning plan.