Timaru-based Aoraki student Shannon Paratene has led the initiative, and said the students hoped forming an association would improve the student experience and ''give our students a voice in any merger'' with CPIT.
Aoraki had a students' association until 15 years ago, when it was jettisoned.
Since then, students have been represented by student reps, including Mr Paratene.
Aoraki chief executive Alex Cabrera said while he did not ''personally ... have a view'' on the formation of a students' association, ''students' continued learning is paramount and will remain so through any changes''.
In a joint press release yesterday, CPIT and Aoraki announced the business case for the merger had been submitted to tertiary education minister Steven Joyce.
The ''highest priority'' in the merger would be ''minimising impacts of student learning'', it said.
Tertiary Education Union president Dr Sandra Grey said while the union was not opposed to the merger, the business case for it should be made public.
''There's no point in sitting back and saying, we have to wait to see what the minister says,'' she said.
''Tell us what you've told him. We're crucial to this picture - tell students what you've told him, tell the community.''
The union's position on the merger was dependent on what the business case revealed, she said.
''We will oppose any cut in provision that gives students in the region fewer education opportunities. We need to know straight away if the business case proposes any cuts that will affect our members' jobs or students' education.''
Dr Grey also emphatically supported Aoraki students' efforts to form an association.
''I think it's absolutely crucial that we have a students' association,'' she said.
''Certainly as a union, we always found that students' associations are really important in these moments of change for making sure that the changes are going to be good for students, rather than negative.''
Mr Paratene agreed with Dr Grey, saying Aoraki students felt ''in the dark concerning the details of the proposal as they have gone to the minister''.
''We would have appreciated being more informed during this process.''
Mr Paratene said there had not yet been talks between CPIT students - who recently formed a student union with 24 representatives - and Aoraki students.
''As no merger has been agreed, we are concentrating on improving our student representative systems,'' he said.
''The needs of Aoraki students ... are specific and need their own voice.''
And CPIT student voice representative Jo Carter said CPIT students ''[did] not have plans to form a student association at this time''.
''There have been some preliminary discussions at CPIT about how the student councils of Aoraki Polytechnic and CPIT could be aligned, should the proposed new organisation go ahead,'' she said.
Mr Paratene said he would be attending a New Zealand Union of Students' Associations meeting this week in Wellington, and hoped more-established associations - such as the Otago University Students' Association - would also attend.
''I think it's important that the stronger associations help the ones just starting,'' he said.
OUSA president Paul Hunt said the association ''won't be attending the meeting, as we have withdrawn our membership [from NZUSA]''.
But OUSA did have a responsibility to support new students' associations, and would be ''very happy to assist where possible'', he said.
Mr Paratene was planning on sending a survey to Aoraki students to ''gauge whether [they] are interested in having an independent students' association''.
He hoped the association would be established within the next month.
The story so far
November 2013
Aoraki Polytechnic and Otago Polytechnic explore having ''closer ties'' as Aoraki's deficit hovers around $2million.
December 2014
Aoraki and CPIT announce they are ''exploring'' a merger to create a ''Canterbury-wide polytechnic''.
June 2015
Both polytechnics open student and staff consultation on a proposed merger.
August 13, 2015
CPIT and Aoraki announce they have submitted a joint business case for the merger to tertiary education minister Steven Joyce.
