[8] Since the introduction of voluntary student membership, the financial assistance from the trust has enabled the association to reduce its deficit gradually without rapidly depleting its cash reserves.

During the presidency of Alastair Shaw between 1997 and 1998, "VUWSA re-introduced the position of women's rights' officer, made moves towards a genuine partnership with Ngai Tauira, and organised a series of mass mobilisations that brought the government's privatisation for tertiary education plans to a halt.

[10] Also in 2007, Salient revealed that acting Women's Rights Officer Clelia Opie had spent over $4,000 of VUWSA funds on psychic hotlines.

[11] In 2008, President Joel Cosgrove courted controversy by wearing a T-shirt which said "I (heart) my penis" to a graduation ceremony in an official capacity.

"[14] In October 2009, Act on Campus orchestrated a special general meeting, and successfully passed a motion "that VUWSA actively supports the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill" by 45 votes to 35.

[16] In response to the passing of the legislation, VUWSA held a Special General Meeting on 13 October[17] which approved a lowering of membership fees to $0.

President Seamus Bradie said that "VUWSA wants to ensure that there are no financial barriers that may deter students from gaining independent representation and having a voice in issues that affect them".

Our role as an independent voice suffered hugely – we lost our right to represent you on University boards and committees to a University-run Student Forum.

"[22]Despite the challenges Clark outlined, she was optimistic about the future of the association, noting that the finances are projected to be out of deficit and the relationship with the university has improved.

In response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 global pandemic in 2020, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern put the country under a Level 4 Nationwide Lockdown on March 25, 2020.

The Wellington Student Volunteer Army was a local initiative to run errands and support those who were confined to their homes during the lockdown period.

[28] 2020 also saw the rise of significant student issues, such as Victoria University's controversial decision to charge a "Hall's placeholder fee" during the lockdown period.

Other controversial issues that arose were that of a "5% grade bump", which VUWSA heavily petitioned in favour of, and the Whiria Project which has been shelved following negative responses.

With the transition to dual-delivery teaching and learning in March 2021, VUWSA successfully campaigned against the use of exam invigilation software, ProctorU; citing issues of equity, privacy, troubleshooting, reliability and cost.

[34] Alongside other student representative groups, 2021 saw VUWSA lobby on a number of social issues from pastoral care, the banning of conversion therapy in New Zealand, and the Wellington City Council spatial and long-term plan.

[39] The Collective has made submissions to the Greater Wellington Regional Council and is in ongoing conversations with the Minister for Transport, Michael Wood.

In September 2021, VUWSA, Mauri Ora, and a number of student representative groups organised a three-day COVID-19 mass vaccination event in The Hub, Kelburn Campus.

[41] Notably, in an email sent to staff and students on 9 August 2021, Vice-Chancellor Grant Guilford announced his retirement with his departure set for March 2022.

[42] The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in New Zealand led to another nationwide lockdown in August 2021, with Alert Level restrictions in effect through to October.

The decision stemmed from concerns about the effectiveness of NZUSA and the substantial $45,500 annual membership fee, which VUWSA believed could be better utilized for direct student benefits such as the community pantry and menstrual products.

Former VUWSA President Michael Turnbull and other past executive members, including Taylah Shuker, expressed their concerns in an open letter.

The university announced plans to cut up to 260 full-time equivalent positions, impacting over 10% of its total staff, as part of efforts to address a projected $33 million deficit.

This situation arose from chronic underfunding of tertiary education and declining enrolment numbers, compounded by the financial strains brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

VUWSA, led by President Jessica Ye, actively opposed these cuts, organising rallies in collaboration with the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) and other student groups.

In one notable rally on June 2, 2023, hundreds of students and staff gathered to voice their opposition and call for government intervention to properly fund universities and halt the redundancies [46] Jessica Ye emphasised the interconnectedness of student and staff welfare, arguing that the cuts were a result of long-standing underfunding issues.

She stated that while the government had announced a 5% increase in tuition subsidies, this was insufficient to cover rising costs and inflation, leading to the current crisis.

The panel included controversial right-wing figure Jonathan Ayling, which sparked significant backlash from student groups on campus.

Marcail Parkinson and other groups argued that the inclusion of such figures did not align with the university’s values and could potentially harm the campus community.