During the mid-year exam break, a number of VUWSA lockers within Rutherford House (Pipitea Campus) were broken into, and their contents stolen.

The lockers are located in an underground carpark/basement area underneath campus. It is suspected that at least ten lockers were broken into. 

While numerous cameras surround the area, VUW will only be sharing this footage with the police.

“This is a police investigation,” commented VUW. “The University made the security footage available to the police and an alleged offender is now before the courts.”

VUWSA is looking into improving locker security, as well as offering refunds to those whose lockers have been broken into. 

Co-ordinators around the Pipitea campus are yet to make changes to security, with Security Manager Matt Sclater saying VUW is “always looking for ways to improve our security on campus and we await the court proceedings to see if there are lessons to be learned”.

The university is providing support from the Student Interest and Conflict Resolution team, available for anyone wishing to discuss the affair further.

There are systems in place for those who have experienced a financial loss as a result of the break-in, such as the University Hardship/Emergency Fund.

The university has also advised that individuals affected by this should file a private report to the authorities.

VUWSA has stated that they have ordered “a number of new style locks for the lockers and will be test fitting these this week”.

While VUWSA has filed an official police report, VUW has commented that they have not, as reports need to be filed by victims of crimes.