They arrived from the Ministry of Education following two years of lobbying by Campus Watch team member Annabel Cole.
Mrs Cole said the ministry was just one of many suppliers she had been liaising with, and was surprised when they contacted her to say they had changed suppliers for its schools programme and had some surplus stock to give away.
"I was delighted with that. I was only expecting a couple of pallets, but when they said, ‘have you got space for 10?’, I said yes please."
She was inspired to search for free period products because female students were sometimes ashamed and embarrassed about asking for help — especially those who were struggling financially.
University attendance did not mean that people were no longer affected by period poverty.
Period poverty was now being addressed in schools by the Ministry of Education, but once students went to tertiary education, that assistance stopped.
But the need was still there, she said.
They were being distributed to university colleges, organisations or other departments that were "forward-facing to students".
They would also be available 24-7 at the Campus Watch office.
"People can just come in and get them off the shelf — no questions asked.
"Condoms are also available for free from Campus Watch."
Having access to free sanitary period products would help students focus less on the situation, and more on their studies, she said.
Unfortunately, the donation of period products from the ministry was a "one off", and she now had her sights set on looking for a more permanent supplier.
"It would be good to be able to continue this," she said.
