GAME OF PRICKS ONE 

I’m in Raglan now instead of the same couple suburbs of Hamilton and the street I live on in Cambridge which have been my only routine sights out of a sense of complacency for the past whatever.  Alsatia splashes water over herself on the front porch of her cousin’s bach and I’m leaning against the yay-high chainlink fence strangling

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Bring back Radio alarm clocks.

I’ve spent the last 10 years of my life waking up to the dreaded sound of Apple’s radar alarm sound. Dididi-dididi- dididi-dididi DIDIDI-DIDIDI. And I never stopped to think about why. Why was I torturing myself this way every morning, letting this sonic harassment continue. I decided enough was enough. I’d had it. After literally 2 minutes on Facebook

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Bacchanalia: The Human Factor. 

Bacchus is an imported god. Not only was Bacchus (under the name Dionysus) influential in the golden age of Greece and Rome he regained a great deal of popularity during the High Renaissance in Neo-Platonic and humanist artwork as a symbol of pleasure and celebration and holds an important place in modern

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Power, Grief, and the Making of the Taj Mahal

In 1606, a 15-year-old prince named Khurram returned in the city of Lahore. He did not know that this visit would become a major turning point in his life. For amid the colour and festivities of the Meena Bazaar during Nowruz, Khurram crossed paths with a young girl who would change the fate of

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Fun Things to Do at Your Flat #3: Red Cards 

This week’s boredom killer is simple, chaotic, and guaranteed to create stories you’ll be hearing about all year: Red Cards.  Here’s how it works. Every flatmate (or anyone in the group) gets one “red card.” You can play it at any time, for any reason. When you pull your card, everyone has to drop what they’re doing and commit to whatever you’ve called no questions

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Fun things to do at your flat #2 – Library Box

This one isn’t actually at your flat and you don’t need a flat to do it you just need some willing friends and some alcoholic ambition  What you need :  Method:  This is an ideal red card for study week or just whenever you’re bored, it is a good way to be productive, and also get fucked up. The rules are simple: you can’t leave

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Revealing Reviews 

This gripping, action packed show is one that touches the depth of your soul and reminds you of the importance of found family. It starts off with very high stakes, as the main character is exiled from her highly privileged society by its ruler to gain a larger fellowship. As the first episodes unfold

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sonspotter daughter  

do I have to tear my brains out   do I have to break to remember what broke me   do I have to face the broken vase of facts  I cant be a plastic bag, sacrificed for turtle’s fad of suicide  so I just cry  I will be polyethylene, I  ‘ll make you miss me,

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WHAT’S THE BUZZ? Urgenc-bee

Over the past few years, the word “urgency” has come up a few times in the news. The word invokes a sense of adrenaline, and it’s come up so often that you’d be forgiven for thinking New Zealand Parliament runs under a constant state of panic at a rate of

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Old World Tiramisù Blues

What if I was to tell you that there was nothing Italian about the tomatoes in ragu? That there was nothing Indian about the chilies in curry, or anything particularly Irish about potatoes? Before the 1500s, food in Asia, Europe, and Africa (collectively known as the “Old World”) looked verydifferent

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The Notesapp 

the untouchable  warmth barely reaches the very last cells on my fingertips  as i reach towards the glowing auburn that whisks with the wind  pull back at the rage of heat that surges to attack with its  plumes of acrid grey shoving up my nostrils watering eyes that can’t tear from the piles of glowing

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Live, Laugh, Linkin Park 

The time came where I got to experience the rush of live music once again. Linkin Park came to Auckland for the first time since 2013. After the 2017 passing of the lead vocalist, Chester Bennington, Linkin Park re-formed in 2024 with a new lead singer and drummer – Emily Armstrong from Dead Sara

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Editorial – 11/3

I have a serious question for all of you. I was watching The Babysitter (2017) last night, and there was the question of who to put in a five-member inter-galactic dream team. I want to know who you guys would choose in a team to fight a star war (hehe),

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Editorial – 26/2

It doesn’t seem right to be claiming this space as my own. For the past two years, I have worked with Jak, and it feels weird to be succeeding him in the editor’s position. Well, I suppose all there is to do is say thank you. Thanks for being awesome,

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The Backseat Lovers: When We Were Friends 

When we were friends is The Backseat Lovers’ 2019 debut album, an indie, slightly pop-rocky-y lyrical exploration of being 18-20, learning about people and the world, and having wonderful experiences whilst being not too sure on what to think of them.   The album opens with ‘Watch Your Mouth’, a song about wanting to help someone you love get through something, before

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COMPX202 Mobile Computing and Software Architecture 

It is the first week back at uni (yay) and I had nothing better to do. Actually that is a lie, I was assigned three practicals on my first day back that I had to complete by the end of the week but instead of doing that, I decided to attend a random lecture. You’re welcome.

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Horoscopes – Issue 16

Aries: Have you thought about cancelling that gym membership? When was the last time you actually went?  Cancer: Do not go anywhere near the library stairs this week. You will be cursed to fall down them.  Aquarius: Consider the fact that doing the readings for class might actually help you pass whatever you’re

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Playlist:

Best songs with colours in the title  Back to Black: Amy Winehouse  Black Hole Sun: Soundgarden  Brown Sugar: The Rolling Stones  Red Moon: Big Thief  Orange Show Speedway: Lizzy McAlpine  Big Yellow Taxi: Joni Mitchell  Yellow ledbetter: Pearl Jam  Green Light: Lorde  Blue Monday: New Order  Purple Rain: Prince  Pink + White: Frank Ocean 

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PSYCH101 – Social Psychology, Health and Well-being 

Do I know if someone has already done a random audit on this class? Absolutely not, and I don’t care. This dumbass, meaning me, was going to audit another class only to find out that the lecture does not exist. I won’t be taking questions on how I managed that. So, after a quick

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Horoscopes – Issue 15

Aries: Supporting Taylor Swift at your grown age is a horrible choice. Please get a hobby or something instead.   Cancer: I know you’re the asshole who overstays their welcome at the pub. Please leave so the poor staff can close.   Aquarius: Picking a gross vape flavour will not help you quit. You’ll just end up enjoying

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Sad girl music for even the good days.

Picture this, I’m in my flat on the other side of the world. No less than a month into my exchange semester in the UK. I’m making lunch and decide to play some music. Something chill, singable, slower paced, that’s what I’m needing right now.   My legendary flat mate, Ava, (I miss you, Ava) walks in with the most baffled

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Horoscopes – Issue 14

Aries: Your back is fucked from work, and it’s a responsible idea to see the physio. Think of the ACC money.  Cancer: Please continue visiting the cinema once a week. You’re keeping it alive, and we all appreciate it.   Aquarius: Bored? Crazy idea! Go clean out your car. It’s actually disgusting inside and out.  Sagitarius: How long has it

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Sound Check – Issue 13

Joe sat down with James – self professed Muso and Hamilton lover #1 – to discuss how he put on a gig in town to celebrate his birthday and the music that he loves; Rather than let culture be something that happens to him, he got stuck in and built it up

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Cosplay (Pros and) Cons Newbie to Experienced

Sarah: Semi-retired cosplayer The first time I ever cosplayed it was 2019, and I still cared about the MCU. I walked into Tauranga Armageddon in an incredibly hodgepodge crimson coat and bodice knowing full well that the cheap curtain fabric wasn’t particularly accurate to the Scarlet Witch costume I had tried

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Beating Endo

By Maya Trotman Nearly every evening I would be sitting on the couch with a heat pack on my stomach holding painkillers with a glass of water ready. One evening, the worst pain of my life arrived. I was in the bathroom, scared, because now I knew this wasn’t normal,

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Popping Pills

Prescription Abuse and The Pharmaceutical Black Market Unlike most of our writers who spend their time writing on Substack or Wattpad, turns out someone had a friend outside of our writer’s room. Some friends have different struggles to you, and some struggles have more stigma, consequences, and are harder, if

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Embracing Kinks

Destigmatising Desire and Navigating Consent Sexuality is a vast, colourful spectrum, and kinks, unconventional sexual interests or practices are a vibrant part of it. Yet, despite growing conversations about sex-positivity, many kinks remain shrouded in stigma, misunderstanding, or shame. Destigmatising kinks is not just about making sex more fun; it’s

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God Says Justice, Not Desire

Polygamy in Islam through the eyes of a young woman Having grown up in a Muslim home, I was taught that Islam is a religion founded in justice, mercy, and balance: A faith that champions the rights of women, protects the vulnerable, and demands fairness in every aspect of life.

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Language with Julie

Is language the truest representation of a culture? And if not, what do you think is the truest representation?  I probably wouldn’t use the word ‘true’ or ‘truth’ in reference to culture, but I am very interested in the belief systems that underpin our cultural practices, how we express those

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Kickflipping in Palestine

Skateboarding means the world to skaters from everywhere. Skating is a radical, inclusive, and interconnected community with a philosophy of Fuck You to anyone who tells us what to do, how to live, or where we can skate.  It’s a small world in skateboarding but also a spread out one

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Stod Smash – An Interview with the Pineja Drummer

I interviewed an old mate from high school who just so happens to drum for Pineja. Super talented, smart, nice, & funny dude, but he supports Chelsea so there’s definitely room to be cooler. Stod got me into Songs for the Deaf & The Strokes so fair to say he’s

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Mondo-Motherfucking-Green

Mondogreen are a rad local band bringing a humble, funny, & mellow vibe to the local scene. Lochie & Connor are some gnarly skaters from back in my hometown. When I was learning to drop in, they were the cool seniors who actually knew how to skate. Can’t lie, with

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Borderline

Borderline is an indie pop-rock band from Auckland. Members Ben, Matt, Max, and Jackson have curated a funky, idyllic sound that’s both playful and mature. The Kiwi band is currently going global, touring in America and heading to England later this month. How did you find your “sound”?Definitely a mix

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An Eye For Music – An Interview with the Janka Volf

@___sarolta (three underscores) @___sarolta (three underscores) @___sarolta (three underscores) @___sarolta (three underscores) @___sarolta (three underscores) @___sarolta (three underscores) I never thought my first year of uni being a bcomm would amount to anything, but other than learning how to manage our laziest writer Joe, I also meet one rad human

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Signing of MOU Represents a New Commitment to Disabled Students

On 27 May 2026, a group of disabled student activists gathered in the SUB over pizza and sodas to celebrate the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Te Awa Kōtui  Waikato Students Union and the Waikato Disabled Students Association. This small but influential club is dedicated to supporting and advocating for all disabled

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Drill baby drill! 

Over the 18th and 19th of July, party leader Winston Peters stood up at the New Zealand First convention to announce the party’s proposal, if re-elected, is to invest one billion dollars into the exploration of offshore basins in order to extract oil and gas supplies. Peters claimed that this investment was

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Nexus Breaks the News – Issue 16 2026

Donald Trump unveils mathematical skills  Just over a month after bragging about his flawless cognitive examinations – Donald Trump has announced his intention on running for a Fourth Term in 2028: This is batshit in and of itself, but we’d especially like to highlight the fact that the guy is only sitting his second term right

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Use your own intelligence, Professor 

There is nothing that makes me lose faith in a lecturer than blatant and ignorant usage of AI. I write this after sitting through a lecture with so many AI generated images on the slides that it truly made me doubt whether the lecturer had even written the slides themself. I’m sorry professor, but

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MASTER DEBATERS

Te Piringa Student Events Association and Te Awa Kōtui Waikato Students’ Union are coming together to host an event very creatively named ‘The Debate’. On August 10th representatives from ACT, Labour, National, NZFirst, The Greens, TOP, & Te Pāti Māori will gather in the Pā, putting themselves under the scrutiny of tertiary-aged students the likes of which could be a serious deciding bloc in cities like Kirikiriroa if enough

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Roadworks? I sure hope it does!

Since the 20th of January the offramp delivering commuters from SH1’s pothole-laden post-work-and-school traffic towards the Cambridge Velodrome has been closed, not because of any particular work on the ramp itself but because the whole southbound part of the road has been cordoned off, drivers detoured with an excess of

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I’m fucking broke because of a dead tree

TELL ME WHY. Seriously, tell me why I walk into Campus Books needing three – may I stress, only three – texts for an English course I’m currently taking, and I walk out $134.25 poorer. For THREE fiction books. One of which was almost sixty dollars, which sure, it’s a fairly chunky book, but most of the paper isn’t used

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Hamilton’s 2026 Election Guide (So Far)

For many students, the 2026 general election will be the first time they have the opportunity to directly influence who represents their community in Parliament. While national debates often focus on party leaders, electorate MPs have an important role in advocating for local issues – including the challenges many students face

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Nexus Breaks the News – Issue 14 2026

ROADS OF MAYBE SORT OF POTENTIALLY NOT REALLY NATIONAL INTEREST    The Chris Bishop humiliation ritual will continue until house prices improve.   MONEYBALL(s)  Sunday Star sportswriter Tony Smith has had an opinion article published. In the article, Smith argues that we should put ‘smart corporate money’ on the All Whites just as much

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STRAIT… UP ‘N CLOSED (AGAIN) (YES LIKE FOR A SECOND TIME) (SORRY)

Long queues for slightly promising gas prices might be looming beyond the windscreen once again. After tense ceasefire negotiations with Iran on June 17th, the United States saw some gaudy jackboot phonk edits get thrown up by official White House accounts, there was a period of snails pace, closely monitored travel through the strait of Hormuz.   Before any of us regular folk

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MODI’S GREAT KIWI HOLIDAY

Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi arrived in Auckland on July 10th to a wave of fanfare from Kiwi-Indians and our bald Prime Minister for talks of bilateral partnership by way of a Free Trade Agreement. India’s understanding of the agreement, though, seems to be a little flopsided; With Modi thanking us for a ‘commitment’ to investing

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New Zealand’s Road Toll: A Systematic Failure. 

Sunday nights are usually the same in my household; something nice for dinner, chilling out with my flatmate, and the compulsory viewing of One News Live at 6. The news was the same as usual last Sunday, with some World Cup updates, something about the United States, and a report on

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Heartstopper Forever

Rating: -1/5 After a six volume graphic novel series, one novella, and three series of a Netflix show, Heartstopper came to a close with a feature length film Heartstopper Forever. These loved characters ended their highschool chapters, and it was clear the actors were dying to do so.  The actors have been linked to said teen drama

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If We Were Villains

Rating: -3/5 It never ceases to amaze me how this travesty of Donna Tart’s The Secret History ever managed to become so popular.  If We Were Villains tells the story of a group of Shakespearean drama students as they try to cover up the death of friend. However, the fact that the students study

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Gracie Abrams — Daughter From Hell

Rating: 3/5 My favourite nepo-baby is back with a new album, titled Daughter from Hell. This time, she and Aaron Dessner, Gracie’s longtime producer, are picking up the piano a lot more, rather than her trademark plucky fingerstyle acoustic, popular on her album The Secret of Us.   This album, though still filled lyrically with her personal

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Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga 

Rating: 3/5 This movie had never been anywhere close to being on my radar, but I’ve got some theatre-kid friends, so I ended up falling in love with a hundred and twenty minutes of Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams singing very badly. Well, Will sang badly. Rachel’s character was actually incredible, and he

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Toy Story 5 

Rating: 1/5 I went into this movie thinking they’d seriously fuck up the series, since let’s be real, how many movies can you make before it starts to go downhill? Apparently, five isn’t too many. I left the theatre with two of my best friends, all of us pretending like we hadn’t just bawled our eyes out at an

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Where are the Fish-Flakes?

Rating: 4/5 First day back in Semester B, and there’s something new in the library! It looks so cozy and inviting, and kind of reminds me of a fishbowl. Cute!   I forget everything every three seconds, and I’m insanely sensitive to changes in my environment, so I think I‘ll belong there. That’s right folks, I’m talking about the glass study boxes that

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Elle Fanning: She’s All Grown Up 

Rating: 5/5  Elle Fanning hit AppleTV+ with her boobs out shocking screens everywhere with her new TV series Margo’s Got Money Troubles and honestly, I’m impressed.  This show has the most stacked cast I’ve ever seen and for the first time in a long time, I have no notes. The title character, Margo (Elle Fanning) gets her

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Do That Again by Malcolm Todd 

Rating: -2/5  Released on June 5th, Malcolm Todd’s newest album Do That Again is good but not great. While his last album included a host of unique yet nostalgic, genre-blurring tracks, this one feels like the same mellow tune done 13 ways.   Featuring singles “Breathe” and “I Saw Your Face”, the release follows a pattern

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The Boys Season 5 

Rating: -3/5 With a cast that has been absolutely phenomenal performing their characters through all five seasons (Shoutout to Kiwi actors Antony Starr as Homelander and Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, two men I’d call daddy any day), The Boys began as a contender for being one of the greatest superhero TV

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Hooked 

Rating: 3/5 Hooked by Asako Yuzuki is a perfect example of how interesting it can be to read a work initially written in a different language, for a completely different audience.  The novel follows two women plagued by the ailment of loneliness. They become each other’s only female friends, but for

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The Neighbourhood World Tour 

Rating: 4/5 Bisexuals and depressed 20-something-year-olds all found themselves at Spark Arena to join The Neighbourhood on their first show in Aotearoa. And the American alt-rock band did not disappoint.   The biggest let down of the night was the crowd, they just did not catch the vibe. You always get the popular songs

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BLADEE’S SULFUR SURPHER  

Rating: -3 Anybody with a smidgen of foresight might have come to the conclusion ages ago that a group of teenage Swedes, hopped off on codeine and zombie-marching (complimentary) through the snow, almost single-handedly carving out a new direction for sound totally full of childish wonder were always going to lose

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Kōrero Mai – Issue 10 2026

I’ll just come right out and say it. If there were no extra financial support for education, I would not be attending university right now. Many tauira don’t have the luxury of a safety net or financial stability. Many come from homes that don’t have an extra $20 to spare.  Back in the dark ages, in

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Kōrero Mai – Issue 7 2026

Tauira Māori on campus   Māne (Monday)  Tūrei (Tuesday)  Wenerei (Wednesday)  Hoki atu ki tō kāinga – Just go home   Nā Elyse Rahiri   Only a quarter of the way through the year and already most of us are feeling a bit pau te hau. Getting back into the swing of study can be overwhelming and even worse if you have people pleasing tendencies, don’t say

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Kōrero Mai

Tauira Māori on campus   Tūrei (Tuesday)  Wenerei (Wednesday)  Taite (Thursday)  Te Waiora – Rā Hākinakina | Gate 2b – 4:30 pm  Reo Māori Phrases of the Week  Kia ora koutou! Here are some useful everyday Reo Māori phrases to help you talk about holidays, whānau, and what you’ve been up to.  COLUMN  I tōku whānau tokorua ōku kuia, noho tahi ai. Arā, ko tōku kuia a toto nei, me te kuia o tōku ngākau. Ko te rongo o te aroha, kāore i rerekē. He tirohanga Māori tēnei. Ahakoa te momo aroha,

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Kōrero Mai

By now you’ve probably heard we’ve got a new name. We’re still WSU, but now we also carry our ingoa Māori, Te Awa Kōtui.  This didn’t happen overnight. WSU has been working towards an ingoa Māori that truly reflects us and our tauira for a long time, across multiple boards. I also want to acknowledge the presidents, vice presidents, VP Māori, and life members who contributed

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He Kura Tūroa

Kia ora, my name is Anaia Rua, and I am from Ngāi Tūhoe & Ngāti Awa. In the following piece, I reflect on the profound connection shared between Aotearoa and our relatives from Hawai’i during the “He Kura Tūroa” wānanga.    He Kura Tūroa: Relatives Across the Pacific  He ahurea te taiao, he taiao te ahurea. The environment is the culture, the culture is the

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Tikanga: Does It Evolve in a Modern World? 

A question I heard recently has been sitting with me: can tikanga evolve in a modern world? It came up during a kōrero between a group of tauira, and it sparked a lot of reflection for me about what I’ve been taught and how I understand tikanga today. For many people, tikanga is

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Tauira Māori on campus

There’s a strong Māori presence on campus and plenty happening this week, from Cultural Hour to weekly wānanga and study spaces. If you want to meet other tauira, build your reo, or spend time in a Māori space between classes, there are kaupapa running across campus. Keep an eye on…  Te whakahiapo – Maori law students association – @te_whakahiapo 

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