The Notesapp

SUNDAY Scalding at the bottom of the kettle, a bloom   I decide it’s nothing but   like the sting and the red after this   weekend getaway of sexing, fucking   the beachside’s famous vanishing act   Piss it drunk down the motel sink   SATURDAY   On Saturday morning   they confirmed the worst news   I watched the caterpillars gather, beneath

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What’s the Buzz: Winnie the Pooh wants his honey

If you pay attention to what goes on in New Zealand politics at all, you’d know the Beehive contains more drama than a high school theatre kid friend group. The politicians that we trust with our country with are… volatile, to say the least.   What’s ever-so-slightly concerning is how high-school-style drama has recently encapsulated New

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Puppets; and their connection to media and the world of Punk 

Byrne Power says, quoting Tomáš Procházka; “It’s nice to say it. Because then we can say we do Punk. We do Punk Puppetry.”  With DIY elements and a fundamental concept of alienation to the standard creativity leech that is capitalist powers, the puppet is punk, in and of itself. Through parody and

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The ultimatum: Central government x local government (sfw)

In November of 2025, Minister for Resource Management Act Reform Chris Bishop and Minister for Local Government Simon Watts announced reforms to local government. On Tuesday the 5th of May, they gave councils three months to figure out how they would do it before the New Zealand Government steps in. According to

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The Scent of Black Gold 

If you are familiar with the world of perfume and fragrance, you have probably come across the word “oud” at some point. A staple on the shelves of fragrance bros around the world, oud is a scent that is widely known but scarcely understood. In fact, oud is the Arabic name for Agarwood, a

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What’s the Buzz: The search for a new Queen Bee

What year is it? Because I thought it was 2026, three years after New Zealand’s last election, making it an election year. The behaviour of our political leaders does not seem to line up with this.  There’s no denying that as idyllic as the world would be if we all made educated votes

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Revealing Reviews #2

This educational game is excellent for teaching children about the economic state of the world right now and the oppressive system of capitalism. It starts off with an excellent metaphor in which you arrive on an island, expecting to start a new life, but the island is deserted. This is a specific

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My Sister Brought Home a Scientologist 

My sister has brought home another date. This one seems fine, but after Evan the fascist—anyone would seem fine. I look him up and down, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Mum and Dad giving him the same scanning stare.   Daniel had arrived exactly on time. He wore

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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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November Rain  

In the aftermath of 9/11, HST wrote ‘Doom is the operative ethic.’  Anyone that tells you they’ve got the handle on how things are going to go with Iran, with Fuel, with Climate, with A.I – Hell, even with our general election in November — should be treated like a

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The Sydney Sweeny Ad is That Deep 

By now, I’m sure you’ve all seen the new Novig Ad starring Sydney Sweeny, if not, honestly don’t bother.  This ad reinforces every single stereotype about the patriarchy and misogyny in sport: women are an object for sex and men watch tough sports! This ad, promoting Novig’s ‘just sports’ trading

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Nukutawhiti Editorial

He waka kotuia, kāore e tukutukua ngā mimira!  Mauri ora! Nau mai, haere mai ki Nukutawhiti 2026.  He mihi nui ki ngā ringa, ngā reo me ngā mana i whai wāhi ki tēnei putanga.Nā koutou i whai hua ai tēnei kaupapa.  Nei ka mihi, ka mihi, ka mihi!  Not to

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Opt-Out of Voting ACT 

ACT’s newest policy is giving students false hope for cheaper study costs.   Under its proposed tertiary policy, students would be able to opt out of paying Student Services Fees, which currently help everything from our health services to UniRec to this very magazine. ACT argues this would give students more

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Post-irony, AI, and Trust in the Media

Over the past decade trust in the media has declined. I think this has moved beyond postmodern scepticism, so I’ve written a bit about how technology influences culture and reminded you all that we’re getting fucked by AI.  I believe the gap between media’s representation of truth and reality itself

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Toby’s Tips 

For issue 12 I wrote an editorial telling you to use academic jargon and the language of your field of study in your assignments. Here’s more unsolicited advice for writing assignments.  There’s something I’ve noticed to be constant across my assignments, papers, and the fields I’ve studied. Virtually every assignment wants you to apply a framework to

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“I Gotta Put Me First”

The best decision I ever made as someone in their early (to mid) twenties was to stop caring what other people think. And that’s not to say I’m perfect at it but I try to focus on me and only me. I don’t care if my outfits fit the trends; here at Nexus, I write what I want to write. I take uni papers that

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The Difference Between Giving Up and Taking a Break 

University students have become experts at being busy. We juggle lectures, assignments, jobs, internships, clubs, relationships, side hustles, and somehow try to maintain a social life in between. If you’re not exhausted, it almost feels like you’re doing something wrong.  Somewhere along the way, we’ve started wearing stress like a badge of honour.  The advice we’re usually given falls into two

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The Imposition of AI here at UoW 

The following is based on anonymous reports from teaching staff and students, my personal opinion, and a healthy helping of speculation. We cannot find any evidence this is certainly happening; there is no uni statement or policy I could find from a google search. However, if the university is mandating that teaching staff include AI in their

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Editorial – Issue 12 2026

Citing McGall’s recent work – seminal in the intersection of nexus thought and academic meta discourse – this paper outlines strategy for furthering one’s linguistic execution in the context of undergraduate scholarship. Positing a reductive angle, sharpened by a pragmatic approach, this article cuts through the academic noise and offers advice both

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The Politics of Exclusion 

The proposed Definitions of Woman and Man bill seeks to define a woman as “an adult human biological female” and a man as “an adult human biological male” in the Legislation Act (2019). Its explanatory note claims the purpose is to “protect the integrity of sex-based rights” and ensure language reflects “biological reality.”

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Fees Free Scrapped

On Friday the 8th of May New Zealand’s beacon of austerity, Nicola Willis, confirmed what NZ First gerontocrat Winston Peters had leaked on Newstalk ZB, that fees free will be scrapped in the upcoming budget. Our very own iron lady shared that “We will have more to say about this in

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5 Sporting Moments of 2026 

Unlike a lot of this magazine, sports don’t really have best and worst moments. The reality is the best moment for Spain was the worst for Argentina. The only genuinely guilt free moment was probably number one on this list. So here are what we consider to be five sporting

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10 Best People of 2026 

10. Bad Bunny  The fact that Turning Point USA programmed a counter-show for the Super Bowl shows you exactly how great Bad Bunny is. In a time of political divide, he delivered an entertaining performance highlighting love, diversity, inclusion and just good music. But because he did it in Spanish,

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50 Worst People of 2026 

50. Sydney Sweeney  Word count: 40 | Writer: Ruby  Another year, another offensive ad from everyone’s fourth favourite Euphoria cast member. She’s not supporting eugenics this time, but she is setting women back 50 years by stripping down and saying ‘sports’. Sydney, let’s be real, it’s time for a new

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5 Worst Games of 2026

5. GTA 6 (covering our asses) – We’ve done this dance with Cyberpunk, Fallout 76, Starfield, Mighty No.9, Duke Nukem Forever, Concord… Wolverine…  4. Beast of Reincarnation – The experience is like decorating a Woolworths vanilla cake with gold flakes and chocolate ganache – visually more exciting than its contents.

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5 Best Games of 2026

5. GTA 6 (Pre-emptively) – 12 years in the oven, surely Rockstar can’t miss.  4. 007 First Light – It’s not Goldeneye, but it will do.  3. Resident Evil 9 – A great new instalment in this legendary saga! I really like how much the gameplay changes when you switch

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5 Worst Movie of 2026

5. Moana – Homer waited 2700 years for his sailing epic to get a blockbuster live-action adaptation, Disney barely waited 10. Have some fucking patience.  4. Michael – Oof, you know it’s BAD! Ow! Shamone!  3. Masters of the Universe – Who was this for?   2. Melania – We don’t

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5 Best Movies of 2026

5. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma – Gillian Anderson as some weird lesbian horror fanatic and a transgender air vent? Sign me up!  4. Coyote Vs Acme – The irony of this movie being about corporate injustice when it almost didn’t make it to theatres. Tight comedic writing,

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5 Worst Television of 2026

5. Malcolm In  The Middle: Life’s still unfair  4. Off Campus – Another shitty romance novel has been made into another shitty romance show, this time with a serious lack of marginalised people. This show could use some woke propaganda.   3. Ryan Bridge Today This show has lowered the standard

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5 Best Television of 2026

5. Adults (season 2) – Comedies are back, and this time it’s made Gen Z humour palatable.  4. One Piece (live action) Season 2 – Not just a great adaptation that keeps the eccentric heart and story of the original whilst softening some of the characters garish elements (Sanji) –

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5 Worst Trends of 2026

5. Calling things chic – Are your ballet flats and Brazil t-shirt really ‘chic’ or have you just succumbed to the illusion that your algorithm is somehow unique and reflective of your ‘true spirit’   4. Hobbytok – Just stop. You’re ruining hobbies for everyone else. Honestly, most of the people

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5 Best Trends of 2026

5. Imported cigarettes – 20 dollars for a pack of Marlboro golds? Uhm, yes please! Yummy!    4. Aura Farming Battles – At least they are outside making friends    3. Vandalizing National Party signs – Just like a flag can only represent freedom if that freedom includes the ability

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5 Worst Albums of 2026

5. Reality Awaits – The Strokes: This album is disappointment in a fucking CD case, we deserved better.   4. Music, Fashion, Film – Charli XCX: Honestly, Charli slayed so hard with Brat that everything else she makes is mid.  3. Daughter From Hell – Gracie Abrams: As a species, we,

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Still Kickflipping in Gaza 

An Interview with Rajab Al-Reefi by Toby Brockelbank Nexus have been working on this interview since July as, “Communicating with the outside world is extremely difficult, because electricity is unavailable, the internet is very weak, and sometimes it cuts off for days”. We are very grateful and proud to announce

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Turn a Place to a Playground: Skating Across Kenya 

Skitty interviewed by Toby Brockelbank  Nexus are stoked to share our interview on the Kenyan skate scene and some of the crew’s recent mish skating across Kenya, from Nairobi to Lodwar – that’s over 700 km on a fucking skateboard! We reached out to the Skateboarding Society of Kenya (SSK)

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News From Uganda Skate Society 

An Interview with Gose Gerald by Toby Brockelbank and Patrick Kigongo Photography credit: Tommy Hatwell @tommyhatwell  Nexus are super stoked to have talked to Gose Gerald of Uganda Skateboard Society again. If you follow skating, you’ve probably seen them in the news recently as their super unique park has been

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Skate Ukraine, A Year Later 

An Interview with Mykhaylo Tevkun by Toby Brockelbank  Nexus are super grateful to have sat down with Mykhaylo Tevkun of Skate Ukraine for another interview. If you haven’t seen last year’s interview, Something Solid to Stand on, check it out. Mykhaylo and I decided to focus this coverage on what

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The Girls Skate Crew of Nepal 

Interview with Girls Skate Nepal by Toby Brockelbank Photos by Tirtha Lawati (@tirtharabinlawati)  Nepal has been in the news lots recently, for the recent floods which Girls Skate Nepal described as “devastating for many communities in Nepal” – there will be suggestions by the crew for supporting disaster relief at

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MADE TO BE WORN 

Who decided Māori fashion was only for special occasions?  There is this idea that Māori clothing and adornment belong in a particular category: something traditional, something formal, something you wear when the occasion calls for it. But Māori fashion has never really been that simple. We make things to wear.

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TŪ PAKARI I TŌ MANA ĀHUA AKE 

Tōku tuakiritanga  Ka whakato te kākano….  I mua rā nō i tōku hekenga mai ki te whenua. Tīramarama au i te kiko o te rangi, ko tōku wairua e kōriporipo ana i te puna wairua o ngā Rangitūhāhā. I tiro whakararo au ki te mata o te whenua. Kei te

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Who, Studying What, and From Where? Stats of our Cohort

By Andrew Lin. Nexus got a nerd to get an Official Information Act request on enrolment demographics here at UoW. Wanna see if engineering really is a sausage fest (it is) and which stereotypes our cohort might defy (a few)? Curious how 7 subjects could make up almost half of

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Active Imagination: How Protests Hold Power.

‘Protest’ falls into the lexical category of both noun and verb. The past participle is not commonly used. We say that we are ‘protesting’ but very rarely do we say that we have  ‘protested.’ This is because change and power are both results of ongoing imagination  and continual action. The

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The Good Shit Has Changed

In today’s day and age, when you step out into the public world, you’re very likely to see an array of people clutching an array of drinks that all have one thing in common: caffeine. You’re probably holding one yourself, whether it’s a hot coffee spewing steam, a cold coffee

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When the Attacker Becomes the Story

In the hours following the attack at Berlin’s Christopher Street Day Pride celebrations, the focus of public conversation shifted with remarkable speed. Before many people knew the names of those injured or understood the impact on Berlin’s LGBTIQ+ community, headlines were already highlighting one particular detail: the alleged attacker’s links

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There Is No War In Ba Sing Se West Papua

West Papua is one of the most linguistically diverse regions in the world. It’s also home to a breathtaking display of both cultural and ecological diversity, with 80% of West Papua dense with tropical rainforests, surrounded by mangroves, wetlands and alpine central highlands with their marine ecosystems hosting the highest

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Parliamentary etiquette is gone. Why?

In bed the other day, I scrolled upon a reel of every stupid thing that has been said in the House of Parliament by the 54th government, and boy was some of it stupid. While yes, a large amount of it was funny, most of it was hugely inappropriate for

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ZURU ARE TRYING TO BE ELECTION GURUS

The debate around the topic of election interference reached a boiling point recently with the release of Nicky Hager’s book Dirty Work, a follow-up to the 2014 book Dirty Politics. In the book, which primarily focuses on the movements of Jordan Williams’s Taxpayers’ Union, Hager alleges that ZURU CEO and

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Nexus Breaks the News – Issue 23

POSH PROBLEMS A sudden surge in a specific Lake Weed at Lake Karapiro threatens the region’s oft-held rowing events, which is a big concern for the most out of touch and annoying rich assholes that you know.   AT LEAST THEY’VE GOT SOMETHING RIGHT, RIGHT? The Waikato region has once again proven to

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LABOUR’S LETHARGY 

Labour have sputtered out a few new commitments, if you still believe they’re capable of committing to anything.  After National came out and announced their intention to break up the supermarket duopoly, Labour has jumped on the Nats’ coattails – after the Nats jumped on the coattails of economists who

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Shark hunt begins after fatal Perth attack  

A great white shark is being hunted for destruction after a fatal attack at Perth’s Sorrento Beach, reigniting an old and uncomfortable question in Australia: when a shark kills, should the shark be killed?  Sixty-three-year-old Greg O’Neill was swimming near the shoreline on Friday when he was attacked. Witnesses reported

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Nexus Breaks the News – Issue 22 2026

(((SOUTHERN))) LINKS  Project Directors Dillon Kelliher and Robert Dol, have proposed a motion to transform a swathe of farmland south of Hamilton into a brand-new suburb development, comprised of 938 residential units across about 46ha. When asked what inspired the suburb, Kelliher said, “Well, I always wondered what Hamilton would

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Nexus Breaks the News – Issue 21

AUCKLAND’S CRL… CHRIS REALLY LIKES IT!  The people of Auckland were in absolute heat for the opening of the City Rail Link, as evidenced by a fire breaking out on the morning of it’s big day. Nexus can neither confirm nor deny that the fire was a diversion for Chris Bishop

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ACT? MORE LIKE ACTT (ACTUALLY CUTTING TE TIRITI)  

The ACT party have wheeled out another inflammatory policy. Party leader David Seymour announced on Thursday the 10th that, if elected, ACT would pursue ending the Waitangi Tribunal’s contemporary jurisdiction. It would mean that, once all cases lodged before the 1st of September 2008 had been settled, the tribunal would lose

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BETWEEN A PAK’N’SAVE & A HARD PRICE  

The Greens have unveiled a new policy, proposing the creation of a government-owned-and-run supermarket that they’re calling KiwiMart. The Greens have proposed KiwiMart as an alternative to the Foodstuffs/Woolworths supermarket duopoly also positioning it as competition that’d incentivize chains like Woolies and New World to lower prices.    The policy has

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Latest poll sees parties seeking Opportunity for redemption  

The media over the past few months has reported that Opportunity may be the kingmaker in this upcoming election, but the latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll suggests otherwise.   Previous polls put Opportunity at 8%, over the 5% of votes needed to get them into parliament. Both Labour and National would need

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Lost Weekend – Phoebe Bridgers

Rating: 4/5 Phoebe Bridgers’ new record, Lost Weekend, continues her evolution as an artist, remaining relatively mainstream, yet her music reflects an uncompromising originality we don’t see from many major artists today. The songwriting is the standout, along with the perfect tension created by the synths and drum machines that

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A Man You Can Bank On

Rating: 2/5 Do you want a story with too many characters and not enough mystery? Then A Man You Can Bank On is the book for you! Set in a small town in the Australian outback, this novel follows a cast of criminals, townspeople and police as they all try

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Attack on Titan

Rating: 5/5 Attack on Titan is an anime that starts off deceptively simple but becomes a true thriller the further you get into it. The story starts off as a story about humanity desperately trying to   survive against man-eating Titans. But as the series progresses, it develops into a much

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Wait, who’s Peter Parker? 

Rating: 4/5 Get your ass to the cinemas, Spider-man: Brand New Day is officially out. It’s a strange film to review because it assumes a history that feels just out of reach. Everyone in New York reacts to Spider-Man like he’s always been there, yet the man beneath the mask

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Season of Fear

Rating: 3/5 Season of Fear by Emily Cooper is a feminist fantasy-horror novel inspired by Bavarian folklore of Germany, and a loose adaptation of The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was by the Brothers Grimm.  The story centers around Isle Odenwald, a teen girl

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Jack Ansett: Looks Like A Bit of Me tour

Rating: 5/5 If you’re like me and are a fan of stand-up comedy or have watched Taskmaster New Zealand a few too many times, you may have heard of comedian Jack Ansett.   On the 24th of July my boyfriend and I went to watch the only Hamilton stop on his

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Taskmaster Australia Season 5

Rating: 1/5 Now, I have to admit I’m only halfway through this season, so I can’t provide a full and inclusive review, but I think with Taskmaster, that doesn’t matter so much. Australians will do Australian things, and Big Tom will make fun of Lesser Tom for simply existing. This

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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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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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