The Mona Lisa is not that impressive.

At least not for the reasons that most people think. Mona Lisa has often been credited for both her beauty and mystery, unarguably one of Leonardo Da Vinci’s most famous pieces. However, visually, it’s not even one of his more provoking works. I myself am partial to his sketches (even those that remain unfinished) that greatly demonstrate his position as a polymath, rather

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FUN THINGS… TO DO IN YOUR FLAT

Super Bot   Flat getting boring? Everyone sitting around staring at their phones? It’s time to introduce a game that has existed in parts of the country for a long time: Super Bot.  This game requires equal parts skill, luck, and poor decision-making.  What you need:  How to play:  Step one is simple; everyone finishes their drinks. Once

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The Notesapp 

decorum; diaphonized  let them lave up the cerebellum with soap  build up phellum, genetic armor, mi amor!  you can cope, leave that man, but you know you never can  he’s the cylinder for worms and the cameras at cannes  w ash while you rot and pour bodies on the froth  niagra of viagra in the vice-cubes of hoth  caught

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Nexus Knows

Q: Should I change tutorials because there are no cute guys in the one I’m in?   A: Yes absolutely. Jk, but having people in your tutorial you enjoy the company of can be 50/50. The most important thing in your tutorial is of course to work on your learning and assignments, but I know the

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Whisked Through History: The Story of Matcha

Matcha mania has taken the world by storm. What was once a ritual beverage consumed exclusively at tea ceremonies has quickly become a global sensation. Across the world, matcha’s bright green colour, earth aroma, and slightly bitter taste have captured the taste buds of millions. But when have you ever stopped to ask: what exactly is

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What’s the Buzz – Questioning our Smokefree Identity

If you were at the university’s clubs day during Week 1, you may have seen the Young Nats and Labour tents staring each other down. As an avid watcher of Parliament TV, I can tell you that things got even more intense when it came to discussing smoking and vaping policies in the debating chamber.  During

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Timothee Chalamet Lost His ‘é’ 

Overnight the once “white boy of every month” turned into a filler crush no one remembers past February, a scrawny second-string Seamus Lohery knockoff with a French name and zero wattage – torched his arty girl fanbase by shitting on ballet and opera in a CNN/Variety Town Hall with Matthew McConaughey. A man who has literally fucked a

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Everyone wants a thick Latina

¿Sabes qué me rompe las bolas?   Cuando alguien me dice, seguro con tu acento tenés alto levante. Y dejando de lado si esto es verdad o no, si realmente trae algún beneficio práctico, el comentario en sí ya me está diciendo algo, porque no están hablando de mí, no están hablando de mi

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WHAT’S THE BUZZ: THE BIRDS AND THE BEEHIVE

The National Party has proposed a bill to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment. It will then merge with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Ministry of Transport.  The bill was introduced on the 16th of February and went through its first reading on the 19th.  The

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Philosophy in 600 words: Nietzsche

Nietzsche may be the most misunderstood Philosopher. His name often generates a general sense of unease and controversy. Some of said controversy is a necessary backlash which befalls all radical thinkers, a sort of conservative pearl clutching at ones own cultural values. The controversies surrounding Nietzsche often involve his sexism, link to Nazism

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Profiled: Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, Jennifer Milam

Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, Jennifer Milam, sits down with Nexus to explain her horrifically long job title, and now we think she’s too funny and cool to work for the uni.  1. What do you do at the University? As Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, I am responsible for all aspects of the student experience and

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Left vs Right: Should Hamilton Revert to Kirikiriroa

Left:  When we are asking ourselves if the name Hamilton should be reverted to its Māori name Kirikiriroa, we need to think about what it represents and who is affected by it most. Yes, the city under the name of Hamilton has a lot of history, and the name has become ingrained in

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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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Gaza and the Ongoing Reality of Survival

So far this year, international affairs has been consumed by the USA and Isreal targeting Iran, however, the genocide on Palestine hasn’t ended just because Isreal is occupied elsewhere. The scale of suffering in Gaza Strip right now demands attention to what daily life has become for Palestinians still living through the

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An Open Letter to Old People: Gen Z Don’t Like AI 

Japan is turning footsteps into energy… jk.  But that’s an example of one of the many ways AI is enclosing the internet. We, as young people, have seen its slow creep into our lives, from uncanny AI generated images to Russian bots celebrating Putin’s gains in the Donbas. But old people haven’t. They haven’t grown up

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A Rant About Humanities

Toby gave me 48 hour notice to write this editorial because he didn’t want to do it so now I’m going to convince you to study humanities:  When choosing a degree pathway, one question remains: Is the humanities dying? The rise of STEM fields being framed as practical, employable subjects intensify this narrative. Yet, beneath this rhetoric lies

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Horoscopes – Issue 18

Aries: please break up with your shitty boyfriend, he’s ruining your life dude.   Taurus: if you need life advice, refer to the lorde x jack antonoff lore slideshow. it knows all.   Leo: it’s time to confess your sins on a piece of paper in a park, and then smoke three

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Random Audit: ENGLI202 Shakespeare and Performance

Now, I will admit that even though a random audit is supposed to be going into a class you have ZERO business being in, I kind of do have a slight amount of business here. Sue me, you’re going to hear about an english paper from an english and writing

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REALITY COULD – AND OUGHT TO – WAIT  

Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas holds a special place in my heart. When I was highkey fat and horrifically depressed in highschool, I mean like completely miserable – I had a nose pimple and my crush called me Rudolph – sitting in the library and letting my Spotify shuffle through Room

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Horoscopes – Issue 17

Your horoscope your pop culture moment Aries: ‘beefin’ wit my chick while I’m in jail’  Cancer: The time Charli D’amelio thought the #HereForCharli movement was about her  Aquarius: ‘she’s got… PTSD, or, whatever. Post traumatic… Downs Syndrome’  Sagitarius: ‘ninnies on the glass, ninnies on the glass’  Gemini: ‘Stop sign?? What

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Recipe: Girl Dinner 

It’s important to note that ‘girl dinner’ is extremely subjective. It is different for everyone, and varies on your levels of energy, motivation, finances, and total personal value (amongst others). That being said, let’s get into my personal dinner.  Playlist: Do not listen to any music, just open Spotify and

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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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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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Cease And Desist

Cease & Desist – a hardcore band from Hamilton, New Zealand. Koen play bass and does lead vocals, Caleb plays drums and does backing vocals and Oliver plays guitar. Per their description, they play music that makes you wanna throw hands with the person standing next to you. Photography by:

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Managing to Make Music 

Lans sat down with their cousin Jayden Keoghan, founder and managing director of August Avenue who represents artists such as Bic Runga, Borderline, Kimbra, and Sol3 Mio. Waikato raised, Keoghan talked about how you can become an artist in Aotearoa, what managers are looking for, and some inspiring words for

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Mazbou Q&A

Creatives love to claim they’re too fluid & talented to be defined by a single term, ‘producer’, ‘rapper’, ‘activist’, ‘influencer’ etc. But Mazbou Q is one of the few people who actually transcend your understanding of a defined creative. Far more than all of those terms, Mazbou Q is truly

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The Glovebox

If you ever thought our local music scene was lame, it’s because your uncultured ass hasn’t checked out @thegloveboxofficial on Instagram. Run by Logan Lewis, a musician who used to skate with me back in high school, the platform is a scuba dive into the underground of NZ music’s new

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Taking Notes

Many of us have dreamed of being a musician at some point in our lives, and some of us are or will be. But, in such a wildly competitive market, it can feel impossible to know what to do and how to get there. Where do you start? Is there

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Coast Arcade

Last week I interviewed Bella, the frontwoman and vocals, and Leo, the bass player of Coast Arcade – a 4-piece indie rock band from Auckland – who in my uneducated, groupie opinion, are the most promising new band of the 21st century. Here’s our discussion. Talk to me about Acetone,

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Is It Really Those “Damn Phones”?

Is there really a boogieman behind the screen? Amira explores this question. Disclaimer: I am not an expert. This article also contains sensitive topics, self-harm, eating disorders etc that may be triggering for some readers. Every cell phone owning adolescent/young adult has heard it at some point: cell phones are

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History of Queer Rights

Though you may know Pride Month to be in June, there are proud reasons why Aotearoa’s is in February. If you are looking for a refresher or need a full debrief, here’s a timeline of our country’s LGBTQ+ revolution. Pre-colonisation, tangata whenua were widely accepting of what we now call

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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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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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Hockey, Sex, and a Lot More Love. 

Rating: 3/5  The Long Game by Rachel Reid is a deeply emotional and satisfying sequel that proves you too, can make it out of situationship territory. Reid takes the chemistry, humour, and devotion that made Heated Rivalry beloved and pushes the relationship into more complex territory, exploring the toll of secrecy, mental health struggles, and the

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Off Campus, more like Off Script  

Rating: 2/5  Based on a series of books by Elle Kennedy, Off Campus is Prime’s newest sultry, hockey romance show that is guaranteed to fill the Heated Rivalry-shaped-hole in your heart. The show follows the unexpected romance between music major Hannah Wells and hockey captain Garrett Graham, weaving an entertaining web of friendship,

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Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream  

Rating: 5/5 I initially considered and was asked whether I wanted to review this game as part of my Revealing Reviews column. Truth be told, there is nothing more satirical I can write than the actual game itself. A sequel to the original Tomodachi Life game released by Nintendo in 2013, is

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A Cure For Wellness

Rating: 1/5 Directed by Gore Verbinski, the 2016 movie A Cure For Wellness is arguably one of the more fucked up things I’ve ever seen, and that’s coming from a horror/thriller fanatic.   The story follows Lockhart, a young businessman, who is sent to retrieve a CEO from a wellness retreat set inside a castle in the Swiss Alps. Lockhart’s task proves

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Hairy macalery 

Rating: -1/5 Brace yourselfs, spell check is OFF, Dignity is GONE and im Disylesic AF (hopefully someone makes it readable). so i picked up this book called Hairy Maclary from Donaldsons Dairy and straight away I knew I was in for something off  We start with this scruffy little lad, Hairy Maclary (already sounds like a bloke

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Practice superhuman abilities

Rating: 4/5 Did anyone else do this constantly as a kid? And when is everyone going to admit that we – yes we, I know I’m not alone in this – still do so?? There are only two types of people in this world: people who pretend they’re manipulating the elements (or actually do… I believe you),

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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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