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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JUDGING BLIND: YOUNG MARRIAGE 

As of February 26th, I have been engaged to my amazing fiancé. We are both 20 years old and have been together for 3 years, we have a house, two dogs, three horses and a plan for our future together. All to say I am so incredibly happy…but a lot of

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Superman, Omniman, Homelander, & Nietzche’s Ubermensch

A commentary on Nietzsche’s Ubermensch exemplified through Omni-man, Superman and Homelander If you have not read my previous column some defining is in order. First master vs slave morality, to give a brief yet incomplete summary, Master morality is exemplified in the Melian dialogue “the strong do as they can, the

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Editorial – Issue 17 2025

When Toby asked me if I’d like to write the editorial for a ‘newspaper’ theme, my first thought – and words – were ‘Yea, sure.’ And then once I’d left the office and was halfway down the motorway, I was thinking to myself…  What the fuck will that look like?

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Editorial – Issue 16 2025

Ruby I’m a history nerd. A world war junkie. An obsessor of origins. A know-it-all-about-America. Like seriously, I have a permanent space on my arm dedicated to the JFK assassination. I’m constantly seeking historical context; the who, the what, the why. But that’s not what draws me in. It’s not

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Editorial – Issue 15 2025

Admit It, Geeks Run The World Geeks, freaks, nerds and tweaks, welcome to Nexus’ Geek Culture, where I’m sure you’ll find something in these pages to tickle your deepest geeky fancies and fantasies. Somewhere in these delectable pages to come, I’m sure you’ll find something that speaks to you, whether

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Editorial – Issue 14 2025

Sex n Drugs I’m really excited for this week’s issue as it gives me an opportunity to share my story to people who have or are going through the same thing. Maybe some people can relate, and I can tell you some things I’ve learnt.  When I was 12 living

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Editorial – Issue 13 2025

The Future Is Female As you flip through the pages of this issue of Nexus, one thing is clear: to celebrate women is to celebrate possibility, perseverance, and the power behind shaping our ever-changing future.   Let’s start with something big: dismantling the patriarchy. It’s a term we hear a

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Editorial – Issue 12 2025

Love Beyond Borders Two years into my twenties, after a stretch of being single, I found the kind of romance I had only dreamed of. It was sudden, intense, and different from anything I expected. I fell in love for the first time in New York City, abruptly and fervently.

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Editorial – 2/09

We’re back! Happy September everyone- I hope you’re ready to get on with the rest of the semester and kick ass with the rest of your uni work. I want to use this space for two things, and I’ll start with a little how-to guide on staying on your game

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Editorial – 5/8

Last week was magnificent. It was epic. It was an absolute dream. It was a legendary tale I’ll tell my kids one day. It was *insert every other good adjective*. Why, you ask? Not because of the Olympics, no. But because of you. Shoutout to the readers who manifested for

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Editorial – 22/7

A lot has happened in the time between the release of our previous issue and this one. Football didn’t “come home”, Trump is talking about unity, and Daemon Targaryen had an explicit dream about his mum (?). Somehow, only one of these things surprises me (and it isn’t the last

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Editorial – 8/07

As I was writing this, the waves of Kamala beach were crashing in front of me, and I was torn between abandoning Nexus, and keeping my job (just kidding… kind of!). The water was so clear, and the weather was finally nice and sunny. I could have been swimming that

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Editorial – 20/5

The people spoke and asked for option one, which unfortunately means that everyone who didn’t pick that has to read my rambles about power-scaling… or do you? I would love to talk to you about how there is no way Gojo could beat Hashirama (bffr), however I have decided that

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Editorial – 6/5

I have been sitting at my computer for two days with absolutely no progress. I have written so many first sentences and paragraphs, but I can’t seem to finish them! So, I decided to add all of my starters here for two reasons: one, you can decide which piece you

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Blind Date – Issue 6 2026

He is a 20-year-old third year that was looking for Miss Right that he could plan his environment around. She is a 19-year-old Nursing student looking for Mr Right now. Was it a love connection? We will let you judge. PSA: Women don’t owe men anything – but they do

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Horoscopes – Issue 6 2026

Aries – Stop procrastinating, embrace your 15 deadlines and get shit done.  Taurus – Happy Birthday, also calm down, invest in a journal.  Gemini – They’re not looking at you; they don’t want you; stop being a pick me.  Cancer – It’s time to become less insufferable. It’s time for you to shine, I feel big things and more friends coming your way.  Leo – Spice

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Random Audit – ENGLI200

Weekly topic: online literature.  THEY’RE STUDYING FANFICTION THIS WEEK. Granted it’s that shitty Harry Styles After one. I’d be interested in doing a census and see if people like this homework more or less than reading through a twenty page scholarly article. There are some people who have Wattpad open in this class but, unlike usual, they’re actually engaging with the lecture.  I really like the way

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Soundcheck – Issue 6 2026

Album review Bri Louise   Pōneke based, Bri Louise, brings a calm gentleness to this Album; you can hear the smile in her voice and the love she has for those she sings about. With smooth jazz and R ‘n’ B notes, the Album was recorded live, with a ~20-piece support band/choir, giving it

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Soundcheck – Issue 5 2026

The Beths – gig Review  We’re in an old church-turned-music-venue, you can feel the lingering evangelical spirit whipping up the crowd into a holy fervour, worshiping the divine power that is The Beths. It’s hot as hell, packed to bursting with students and mid-30s day-one fans alike.  My friends and I manage to push almost

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Recipe – Lazy Focaccia

Ingredients   1 cup lukewarm water   1 tablespoon of sugar   2 teaspoons active dry yeast   2 tablespoons olive oil (it wont explode if u use vegetable oil but it wont be as flavorful)   2 ½ – 3 cups standard four (for this recipe I eyeball it but its usually around 350gr)   1 teaspoon of salt   Fresh rosemary   Cherry tomatoes  

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Random Audit – Media100

As a third-year History major, I know fuck all about media. I took the subject in high school, but that was four years ago and I’m pretty certain we just watched movies. So, when I walked into a MEDIA100 tutorial at 2pm a few Fridays ago, I had absolutely no idea what

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Should English be an official language?

No:  Logically, I can see why this would be an ideal option. However, the main thing that must be understood when it comes to an official language in New Zealand is that they are often made that way out of necessity. Te reo was banned from being spoke and by the 80s less than 20% of Māori considered te reo to be their native

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Horoscopes – 30/3/26

Capricorn:   – Capricorn of the month: Sophia Laforteza   – We’re all in this together. Get your ass in gear and fix your sleep schedule. Your parents are worried.   Aquarius:   – Aquarius of the month: the Weekend   – You’re a bad actor and a bad liar. No one is falling for it. Give it up while you’re ahead.  

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Blind Date – Issue 5 2026

“She was a girl. She was also a girl. Can I make it any more obvious? Blind Date is back and we’re bringing the lesbians! (and the bisexuals no bi-erasure here).” Person 1: Before the date I was super nervous got ready hours before hand and kept checking my phone

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Long-distance…yay or nay?

Lauren – for  Lots of people say that distance makes the heart grow fonder. I wouldn’t be the first to avidly agree with that, but I have my fair share of long distance connections all over the world, so I get it. It’s hard, sure, but it’s doable and worth it in the long run. Maintaining a friendship or

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Wet Denim

We sat down with Joe, Luca, Nick and Jack from the 4-piece Pōneke based band Wet Denim on Sunday. Appearing at Homegrown the night before, the band was stoked with how Kirikiriroa came out to support and bust a boogie, commenting: “Yeah, it felt like the main stage was just

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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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Bisexual girls are allowed to have boyfriends- just accept it.

Since pride month has finally ended, it’s appropriate to talk about what’s happening to bisexual women in queer internet spaces at the moment. Since the 1980s, there has been an observable rift between bisexual women that date men and lesbians, which has been recently revived on social media. I sat down with Sonja Ellis, a professor

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The iPad Kids Aren’t Alright 

A New Plymouth primary school has phased out the use of iPads for students in years one to four.  Omata School was one of the first in the country to adopt the use of devices in the classroom, but Principal Karen Brisco is now not so convinced that they are

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Gymfluencers and the Ozempademic

Scroll through social media for five minutes and you’ll find a new body to aspire to. One creator swears by becoming a “muscle mommy,” another insists Pilates is the secret to a lean physique, while someone else claims marathon training transformed their body and life. Alongside these fitness trends come equally viral

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The Tavern – Grassroots NZ Film with Matt Hicks

Sup Matt! Tell us a bit about yourself and your time at Nexus?  I used to write a column called ‘Making living cheaper with Honest Matt’. It was dodgy (borderline criminal) financial advice for poor students. I won columnist of the year for 2012 and got really drunk at House.    Also, that

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Maiki Sherman’s resignation: more than just a controversy

Maiki Sherman has resigned from her role as political editor for 1News at TVNZ.   That’s the headline, but it’s not the full picture. The circumstances surrounding her resignation have been only one part of an ecosystem of muddied waters that now make up the relationship between Parliament, the media, and the New Zealand

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The Rise and Fall of Fees Free

The tumultuous history of deciding who pays for university  The University of Waikato opened in1964, and its students back then had a much different experience financing university than we do today. From 1962 until 1989, the government paid for tertiary tuition fees in full with the state bursary.   As the story often goes, all good things

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Red or Black? 

It’s not much of a secret that online gambling has seen a rise in popularity in the last few years, especially with the younger generation. The technology being offered today means you can gamble from anywhere you can find a connection, anytime you want, on whatever device you’re using. It’s convenient, accessible, and marketed as entertainment suited

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An Objectively Good Jawline – the Dehumanisation of Looksmaxxing

Content warning: mentions of sexual violence, drug use and suicide   The popularisation of looksmaxxing has opened a gaping glory hole in the manosphere – ironically by some of the most homophobic people on the internet.   Looksmaxxing, a portmanteau of ‘looks’ and ‘maximising’, is the idea and practice of improving one’s physical appearance through a variety of

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Metamodernism: The Feeling After Irony 

At some point in the early 21st century, it became clear that the cultural mood had shifted. The ironic detachment that defined late 20th-century art and thought – so central to postmodernism – no longer felt sufficient in a world shaped by climate anxiety, digital hyperconnectivity, and renewed political urgency. Yet a return to

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Nexus Breaks the News – Issue 17

Ariana Grande Fans Piss me off on Twitter:  These people are genuinely worse than Swifities. I feel like an insane chud having fights with people on this godforsaken app behind an anonymous profile, but their behaviour is getting out of hand.  Winston Peters is a Dick, as per usual.  In

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Grow Up and Start a Small Business

Lucky for Rotorua, PM Luxon met with their Business Chamber to discuss the state of the economy for small business owners. Unlucky for said business owners, Luxon had some not so nice things to say. After stating that small business owners need to simply “be adult” when facing rising costs

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Nexus Breaks the News – Issue 18

#FUMBLEOFTHECENTURY No, this isn’t about Penk’s failure to overthrow the government. No, this isn’t about Luxon basically giving TOP over to the left bloc right before they got kingmaker status. This is about your flatmate locking himself in his bedroom after texting “W Tits” to a woman on Hinge.   At least

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Human Ethics Committee Wait Times Leaving Students in the Lurch  

Wait times for the Human Ethics committee in Health research have left much to be desired, affecting the work of many Honours and Post-graduate students.     One student stated that in 2025, they submitted their research proposal to the ALPSS ethics committee in April, intending to start research in May. While

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Te Piringa Political Debate 

Waikato students and residents gather in te Pā to witness our very own political debate. With Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke representing Te Pāti Māori, Opportunity party leader Qiulae Wong, Dr. Parmjeet Parmar from Act, Hamilton East candidate Georgie Dansey (Labour), Hon Tama Potaka – our current Hamilton West MP with National, Dr

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Winston’s Wignats – NZFirst has a Nazi problem.

In a shock to a surprising amount of people, a senior NZFirst youth figure was revealed to have been connected to far-right messaging networks. Nicholas Newport/Wells, 26, a former Waikato University student, was linked to at least one social media account that repeatedly posted ‘Heil Hitler!’, and which expressed support

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The People of Hamilton Cannot Drive 

If you’ve driven anywhere in Hamilton in the last year, you’d notice there seems to be an epidemic of very poor drivers on our roads, making bad decisions and making our city look worse than it already does.   With a whopping 338 accidents or fatal crashes on our Hamilton roads

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CHRISPOCALYPSE NOW

…Or, Our Chrisis II… Or, Ya Feeling Lucky Penk? In Sam Neil’s breakout feature film role, the 1977 political thriller Sleeping Dogs, the New Zealand government slips into a military junta which mutates the country into a Fascist police state that eventually brings in American military advisors with rifles and

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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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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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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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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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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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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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