Words by Janhavi Gosavi (she/her)
Weir House was first opened in 1933 and is an iconic VUW hall of residence. In 2019, it boasted over 300 residents across its three buildings. That was the last year the hall was functional in its entirety.
For the duration of 2020, Andrea Brander House ceased being a part of Weir House due to Covid-19. The James Hutchison wing was shut down at the beginning of 2021 due to earthquake safety concerns, displacing 120 students two days before they were set to move in. And in 2022, ongoing construction has caused extreme disruptions to the lives of current residents.
Residents told Salient they were “surprised to find that the exterior of the building was covered in scaffolding” and “shocked” to find their dining hall had been replaced by an external tent.
Many residents told Salient that the construction has negatively impacted their mental health and wellbeing.
Jackhammers, concrete cutters, and sanders are some of the loud power tools being used right outside resident’s rooms throughout the day. Clara, a resident, remarked that they would be “[woken] up at 7am to the beautiful melody of banging, clanking, and drilling”.
Clara told Salient that some windows were “sealed for weeks at a time in summer”, adding that residents left sticky notes on the glass for the builders, which read “please help, I need air”.
Peter, another resident, told Salient that Weir House lacked privacy because construction workers were “outside your window at all times”. Residents could either give up their privacy or keep their curtains closed and “live in eternal darkness”.
Peter said, “The noise from construction was so bad that I couldn't hear my counsellor on Zoom [...] it’s been really hard to focus for classes [...] it really caused me to spiral and my mental health is already fragile.”
Students were never informed about the construction. They were not given the opportunity to consider whether they could cope with living on a construction site.
“If there had been transparency about all the construction that was going to happen, I certainly would not have chosen to move to Weir,” said resident Angus. “I'm paying close to $500 a week to live here and I think it's really shady that we had no clue what we were getting into.”
Lack of transparency regarding construction violates the Pastoral Care Code.
Outcome 5 of the Pastoral Care Code states that student accommodation must “ensur[e] residents receive clear, sufficient, accurate, and transparent information and advice about the type and nature of student accommodation and services provided”.
If Weir House was a flat, the landlords (i.e. the University) could be in breach of the tenants’ ‘quiet enjoyment’, defined by Tenancy Services as the right to “enjoy reasonable peace, comfort and privacy”.
Peter said residents were forced to either study at campus or in the hallways of Weir House “because our rooms were far far too loud to be able to think”.
Residents told Salient they ate out of the dining tent for roughly a month and a half. The tent could not fit a large number of residents so each floor was on staggered meal times. The lack of a kitchen meant food couldn't be prepared onsite and was transported to Weir House from another hall. These meals were “often cold, and the portions were tiny”.
Clara said it was difficult to eat out of the tent at night, when “strong winds and rain” would “force” students to stay in their rooms “and have noodles”. She said the tent was especially a “hassle” when there were no seats left.
Weir House residents sent a letter of complaint to Rainsforth Dix, Director of Student and Campus Living. Dix responded by offering every resident credit equal to one week’s rent and a free ticket to the annual Weir House Hall Ball.
VUWSA Advocacy Manager Erica Schouten described the compensation as “inadequate”.
"While we are pleased the students have some credit back, we believe compensation should have been offered as soon as the university was aware of the disruption students were experiencing,” Schouten said.
Peter said the compensation from the University “feels like something just to stop us from complaining”. “It seems pretty unfair that we have to pay the same as, or more than, other halls when we are actively living in a construction site,” he added.
Salient understands an open letter was sent to VUWSA by resident Noah Hunt on 11 August, expressing their frustrations.
Other Weir House residents who would like advice on taking this matter further are welcome to contact advocate@vuwsa.org.nz.
Names have been changed