VUWLSS $120 Ball Tickets “Out of Touch” and “Hypocritical”

Words by Zoe Mills (they/she)

Law students are doing what they do best: arguing. VUWLSS have announced the prices to the annual Law Ball event, and the steep ticket prices are causing havoc in the Law faculty.

A series of anonymous complaints posted by VuW: Meaningful Confessions have called out the society for steep ball ticket prices.

“How are these ticket prices justified?” wrote a disgruntled student. “So tone deaf given the cost of living crisis and that not everybody in law school is privileged enough to be able to spend that kind of money on one ticket.” 

The event is a staple in an annual VUWLSS social calendar, and is set to take place later in the month at Te Wharewaka o Pōneke. Tickets range from $88-$120, an increase from the previous year’s prices.

Madison*, a fifth-year law student, said that VUWLSS was “so fucking hypocritical” for raising prices whilst seeking to promote inclusion within the Law school. She says the society has instead made the biggest event of the year “super exclusive and inaccessible”.

Madison explained to Salient that she felt that the pricing was reinforcing negative stereotypes about Law students, and that ticket prices should have been shared earlier so students had time to set money aside. “There’s just a sheer lack of understanding that a lot of money and students don't just have that at their disposal,” Madison said. 

VUWLSS President Tom Simmonds told Salient that while it was a “difficult decision” to raise ticket prices, prices reflect added inclusions such as an alcohol-inclusive ticket covering four drinks. Simmonds said that lowering the ticket prices would also affect the quality of other initiatives by the society, and that the cost of the event was already putting VUWLSS into a deficit. 

“We understand the effects that the cost of living crisis has had on students and know how difficult it can be, and we don’t want any student to be missing out because of financial reasons,” wrote Simmonds. “We have tried to keep ticket prices as low as possible for all of our events this year to make them as accessible as they can be.” Afterpay and other payment plans are available for the ball tickets.