What began as a routine check of her inbox one September evening quickly turned into a nightmare for Victoria University student Aría Lal. In the middle of a student association election campaign, Lal received an email with the subject line: “Resign or die.”
The message, filled with expletives and explicit threats, left Lal shaken. “It clearly outlined what was going to happen to me,” they said. “I did a bit of crying, and blocking my door and making sure all the locks in the house were locked,” reported Stuff.
Running for a second term as education officer, Lal was known for a vibrant campaign featuring pink posters and humorous videos. But behind the light-hearted tone lay a deep commitment to equity in education, advocating for Māori and Pasifika peoples, women, people of colour, LGBTQI+ individuals, and students with disabilities.
That advocacy came at a cost. Two weeks after the first threat, a second email arrived from a different address, referencing Lal’s campaign posters and a café they often visited. “I've been watching @ your office… keep thinking ur safe behind glass and lanyards. But when the week ends? So do u slut,” it read, reported Stuff.
The implication of surveillance made the threats even more distressing. Lal said the emails were clearly meant to intimidate women and discourage them from leadership. “They don’t talk about my policies or what I stand for — only that I’m a bitch or a slut,” Lal said. “If I was a man, I wouldn’t be receiving this,” Stuff reported.
Though Lal did not go to the police, citing the emotional toll, they reduced campaign activity and avoided staying late on campus. Friends and university officials rallied around, offering counselling and security support.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Logan Bannister condemned the harassment, saying there was “no place for such behaviour” at the university, quoted Stuff.
The threats against Lal mirror a wider pattern of gender-based abuse faced by women in public roles, from student leaders to politicians.
Former Victoria University Student Association president Marcail Parkinson recalled facing intense online harassment after postponing a panel on free speech to ensure diversity. “It was the comments about my appearance, saying I shouldn’t be at university, that’s what got to me,” Parkinson said. She now avoids public-facing roles, describing the experience as “formative but exhausting,” Stuff quoted.
Similarly, University of Auckland student leader and filmmaker Lee Li, a transgender asylum seeker, faced targeted online backlash during her campaign. Security had to be stationed at one of her debates. “It was invalidating and scary,” she said, but the experience also strengthened her resolve to “speak for my community.”
Experts say such incidents reflect systemic issues. University of Auckland psychologist John Fenaughty, who researches youth wellbeing, said New Zealand has a longstanding problem with student bullying and urged education providers to strengthen protections for student leaders.
The growing abuse faced by women and minority voices in leadership positions, both on campus and in national politics, has reignited calls for safer spaces and stronger accountability mechanisms.
As for Lal, despite the trauma, their resolve remains firm. “It’s achieved what they wanted, they’re in my head,” Lal said. “But it’s failed because I’m still here. I’m still speaking up, still representing others. And that’s not going to stop.”
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