Te Tira Ahu Pae celebrates reaching 100 clubs!
As one of our core services, Te Tira Ahu Pae provides administrative support and grant funding to student clubs and groups. Last week, we officially made it to 100 affiliated clubs!
This achievement would not be possible without the hard work of our dedicated Clubs & Events staff, as well as the passionate students who have reached out to start new clubs or adopt old ones.
Clubs usually fall into one of four categories - social, academic, culture and sports – but the variety within these categories is huge. From crochet to anime, pickleball to politics – there's plenty of opportunities for students to find community within their niche interests.
The growth in clubs this year has been particularly notable on the Wellington campus, which has doubled its clubs since the beginning of the year.
Te Tira Ahu Pae's Wellington Clubs & Events Coordinator, Hannah, says that clubs help students to find their communities. “I met lifelong friends through my time in clubs at uni. If you feel lonely at university, push yourself outside of your comfort zone and join a club!” Our national Clubs & Events Lead, Ryan, echos this sentiment - “Clubs are a great way meet people you might not otherwise cross paths with in your academic journey.”
Hannah also highlights the skills students can build while working in club leadership roles: “you get lots of practical experience that sets you up for life after university. You learn how to work with others, communicate, and problem solve."
How to fund your activities tends to be one of the biggest questions asked by students interested in starting clubs. New clubs can receive upwards of $1500 in startup funding. We then have a clubs grant system, funded by the SSF, which allows student groups and clubs to access funding as they need it. “The clubs system allows for you to engage in interesting experiences and events for cheap, thanks to the funding system” says Ryan. “There are likely 10, 20, 30 other students who would all want to be a part of the club you’re thinking of starting, they’re just waiting for someone to start it and formalise it. That somebody might as well be you, it had to start somewhere. You’ll have all of the support you’ll need to find success.”
Hannah says that any students interested in a club should reach out to their Campus’ Clubs and Events Coordinator. “They can give you all the help you need. Any idea is a good idea, you only need 6 students minimum to start a club. Then you can grow from there! Yes there is a little bit of paperwork, but then you can get started on the fun stuff, like planning events, hosting activities and meeting new people.”
As for their next goals, the clubs team would love to see the space continue to grow next year – for new clubs to start and for recently affiliated clubs to further cement themselves on campus. “It would be also cool to see older clubs collaborate, challenge themselves to work with new people on unique events” says Hannah, “there is also a few gaps in the market, many clubs that I can't believe don't exist yet! I would love to see more cultural clubs and Sports/Outdoor clubs in Wellington”. Ryan says he would like to see each campus have it’s own clubs room – a dedicated space where student groups can operate – “a space that feels like their own and reflects the diverse cultures within each of those campuses.”
Congratulations to the staff and clubs on reaching this impressive milestone. We’re excited to see what happens next in the student clubs network. Watch this space!
Interested in starting a club? Reach out to the Clubs and Events Coordinator for your campus:
Albany Clubs: Katrina - k.tsoi@tetiraahupae.ac.nz
Manawatū Clubs: Josh - J.Kerr@tetiraahupae.ac.nz
Wellington Clubs: Hannah - H.Isaac@tetiraahupae.ac.nz
Distance Clubs: Victoria - v.bishop-matthews@tetiraahupae.ac.nz