Christchurch kids missing out on UC halls experience

Campus view from floor ten of Puaka-James Hight library. Source: Hariklia Nicola.

Christchurch kids feel disappointed and “lost” being denied spots in UC halls to make room for outside newcomers due to overwhelming demand for accommodation. 

In recent years UC has had record-setting enrolment numbers, exceeding other competing universities in Aotearoa. At 100% occupancy with lengthy waiting lists, Canterbury student accommodation has been overwhelmed with demand.

As a result, large numbers of Christchurch kids have been denied spots in UC halls and feel it is largely due to them being from within the region.

After choosing to stay in Christchurch for degree opportunities and work stability, an 18-year-old Ōtautahi local applied for UC halls to gain independence, meet new people, get amongst university culture, and have a significant change of environment as they weren’t moving cities.

When she missed out on a spot, she said achieving great academic results and holding school leadership roles felt like it was all for nothing. “Knowing that one of the reasons was purely due to me being from Christchurch was bittersweet,” she said. “I understand the reasoning behind it but it still felt unfair.” 

“If I knew that I'd have a better chance of getting into halls at a different university, then I would have gone to Auckland.”

Although it is a big challenge for the university to accommodate everyone, the soon-to-be fresher feels excluding students based on whether they live within the region is not thought out well enough by the Halls or the university. The over-45-minute commute is the main reason she applied to live near campus. 

“Only prioritizing out-of-Canterbury students feels like a poor way of attracting more students to the university […] people who do not live close to the university should also be a priority.”

Another 18-year-old in this year’s UC intake felt “devastated, stressed out and lost,” when accommodation services were unable to offer anything. 

“I chose to stay in Canterbury because I genuinely love it,” she said. “I feel like everything I need is here and I liked the sound of my course at UC.”

However, without university accommodation, the soon-to-be student is disheartened at having to stay at home and commute from further suburbs. 

The fresher experience is something that everyone should be able to experience as a hub for the people you meet, the food you eat, academic support and a roof over your head, transitioning high schoolers from home living into young adulthood.

However, with not enough space to house students, the university's lack of accommodation might prove to be the downfall to their enrolment success.