Abstract
Aotearoa New Zealand has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the OECD, with university students being particularly vulnerable to experiencing harm. In response to this, students on university campuses in Aotearoa New Zealand have long engaged in protests, campaigns, and worked within student unions to raise awareness, support survivors, and demand change. This thesis examines this activism from 1980 to 2020 against the backdrop of national and international changes to tertiary institutions and the student experience. This thesis draws on a variety of sources including archival material, oral history interviews, analysis of current university policies, and international best practice research to examine this activism. It interrogates these sources using queer, decolonial, and feminist methodologies. First, I introduce a broad chronology of student activism on the issue of sexual violence on university campuses in Aotearoa New Zealand between 1980 and 2020 including the Mervyn Thompson incident and the rise and fall of Thursdays in Black. Second, I discuss the role of the media in sharing these stories through the framework of six established principles for ethical media coverage on the issue of sexual violence. Third, I provide an overview of the institutional responses to sexual violence on campus and the activism of students. Finally, I turn to recommendations. I make three recommendations of future responses universities could take: independent accountability measures, offering support services, and taking action on intersectionality. I also offer four recommendations for current student activists: coordinate, invest, use your union, and retain professionalism. These recommendations have implications for the actions of universities and student activists in Aotearoa New Zealand. Furthermore, this thesis has implications for research into histories of activism and offers a way for the field of peace and conflict studies to conduct critical, intersectional research and make forward-thinking recommendations.