In Defense of Performative Males

Okay please, let me explain myself.   I fear this is actually an unproductive trend, I fear that calling out ‘performative males’ with their tote bags and their moustaches is actually just bullying men for having a personality. I don’t know about you, but I certainly prefer to surround myself with

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Nexus Book Club: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde remains one of the most unsettling Victorian novellas. Published in 1886, it reflects contemporary anxieties about respectability, urban life, and the duality of man, while also anticipating modern debates on the unconscious, addiction, and hidden desires. Though brief in

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The Light in the Dark

Cue Beetoven, symphony No. 5.  Duuh duh duh duuhhh  Duh duh duh duuuuhhhhhhhh…   That’s the song I get when I’m standing in a gothic cathedral, staring up at the vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows shifting the light into colours not previously seen by mankind, the intricate details of every wall

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Wuthering Heights

I’m sure we’ve all watched the erotic “Wuthering Heights” trailer by Emerald Fennell. While some may have been captivated by the bearded Jacob Elordi, Charli XCX, and overall sexual manner to it, this is supposedly a “Wuthering Heights” adaptation, which this trailer doesn’t really cover. The story of “Wuthering Heights”

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Nexus Knows

Anonymous: How to survive a 9 am lecture?   Nexus: The first step is to determine whether your routine needs to/ can change. Do you need to change your sleep schedule and are you capable of doing so? If so, this is a good place to start to get more energy

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Commodifying Pop Culture (In The Form of Tattoo)

There’s something to be said about loving an idea so much that you feel the need to condemn it to permanence. We live in an age that sometimes confuses consumerism with love which means that we need to digest or embody something for our claim over it to feel valid.  

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The Reality for Reality TV: Ink Master *GONG WRONG* (Not Clickbait)

The Season 15 finale of Ink Master became a trigger-point for conversations about art, bias, and representation in traditionally masculine spaces. At its centre was Freddie, a queer finalist on the show, whose interpretation of the challenge theme “female” subverted the expected feminine form into something that sparked debate at

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Reviewing VMA Performances as a Pop Girlie

In no particular order, I was absolutely taken aback by some of the people who took the stage at the recent VMAs. My opinions are entirely biased on account of the fact that I am the biggest fan of so-called ‘basic white girl music’, so if you don’t agree with

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The Price of “Free” Kai

Written by Tawera Marsh When we gather as whānau, as hapū, as iwi, there is always kai. It flows like aroha, endless plates being filled, cups being topped up, hands busy in the kitchen, voices laughing and calling out instructions. To feed people is to manaaki them. To provide kai

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Rongoa For Uni Survival

By Temepara Smith He taonga tuku iho nā ngā tīpuna In traditional times, Māori had many different types of Rongoa for different matenga. Our rongoa practices were birthed from our environment and cultural beliefs. Today, we live in a different environment with its own challenges. Stress, burnout, and anxiety are

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Find Mana in the Small Things

Anita Taiapa Brown “Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu,” Cheesy, but a classic whakatauki that I think embodies the āhua of this article. Mana is in the small things, regardless of how cringe that might seem to you. Being Māori, being Indigenous, being a minority- your existence is a political statement,

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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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It’s Time to Invoke the 25th Amendment Against Donald Trump

The presidency of the United States demands judgment, restraint, and a fundamental respect for human life. It also demands a safeguard for those qualities fail. The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1967, provides a mechanism to remove a president who is unable to carry out the duties of the office. Under Section 4,

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Being the rainbow flying gay

Watching the news as a 11-year-old wondering why my eyes were glued to the TV as Aotearoa announced same-sex marriage was legalised. I didn’t really know what it meant, I just knew something monumental was happening. I developed allyship for these people I didn’t even know existed. By thirteen I had the first inkling I may have been different; I never cared for

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Being Sober(ish)

So much of uni culture revolves around drugs. Getting stoned before class with a mate, getting black out drunk at a house party, taking enough gear at Outback to actually enjoy dnb. Not every student is a drinker, stoner, or junkie, but for many of us that’s how we log off after a long day on Moodle

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Just Chill TF Out

When something goes wrong – a mistake at work, a poor decision, a friendship that falls apart – it can feel like proof that you’ve failed not just at a situation, but at being the person you thought you should be.  Self-criticism can feel productive. We tell ourselves that if we’re tough enough on our mistakes, we’ll never

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One Foot Back in the Closet

The last time you read an editorial of mine I was out as a gay man. Now, I’m bi. What changed? Well, a lot really.  It’s funny because people who have been in my life since high school weren’t really surprised by the change – like Ruby – because it was my third time coming out, lol. I was straight (by default) ’til halfway

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A love Letter to Nexus Readers

My Dearest Reader,  Permit me a moment of shameless vulnerability.  I have been noticing you – your curiosity, your late-night scrolling fatigue, your quiet suspicion that the world is louder than it is wise. And I must confess: I was made for you.  While others compete to be first, I long to be

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Horoscopes – 9/3/26

Aries: You will receive a complex and cryptic email from studylink this week. Begin gathering a group to decipher it.  Taurus: Do not give in to the temptation of watching Heated Rivalry. If you’ve already seen it, don’t watch it again.  Gemini: You will spend all of your McDonald’s points while hungover or drunk from O week. Prepare mentally

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Recipe – Chicken Patties

Alright gang, this is a snack that I grew up eating, and it is the best and easiest comfort food to make at home with minimal ingredients.  Ingredients:  Cooking Time:  2 hours  Steps:  Making the filling for the patties  Your patties are now ready to enjoy!!

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Entertainment – 2/09

Crush of the Week Jensen Ackles There’s a 99% chance this beautiful man showed up in one of our 2022 issues… but it’s 2024 now so we don’t care! You are barking mad if you don’t think that this man is the ultimate DILF. And guess what? He has always

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Entertainment – 5/8

Crush of the Week Laios Touden  Back at it again with another golden retriever himbo – Laios Touden from Dungeon Meshi aka Delicious in Dungeon.   Despite his bluntness, Laios is fully aware and respectful of other people’s opinions and boundaries… until food is in the discussion. His enthusiasm for

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Entertainment – 22/7

Crush of the Week The lil lizards in the carpark 🙂  Imagine you’re walking from the main carpark at uni towards the cafes and shops and stuff. Obviously, you’re going to be in a less-than-optimal mood because you arrived later than 9am so you had to park in Timbuktu and

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Entertainment – 8/07

Crush of the Week Heartthrob of the week: Andrew Scott  You may know him as the priest from fleabag or the best dressed at every award show! This man is potentially my favourite Irish actor too, which IFYKYK, is a big call considering just how many beautiful male actors seem

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Entertainment – 20/5

Crush of the Week Ncuti Gatwa Ncuti Gatwa, born on October 16, 1992, is a Scottish-Rwandan actor known for his breakout role as Eric Effiong in the Netflix series “Sex Education”. Raised in Edinburgh, Gatwa discovered his passion for acting early on and honed his skills at the Royal Conservatoire

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Entertainment – 6/5

Crush of the week  Kit Connor  British actor with a big heart and a big uhh… just playing! Kit Connor has charmed the audience playing Nick Nelson in Heartstopper, a coming-of-age rom-com series. Unfortunately, my man recently fell for the buzzcut crush, decreasing his charm by 1% (I’m heartbroken). Check

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Entertainment – 8/4

Crush of the Week Sabrina Carpenter You may know her as Barry Keoghan’s girlfriend (AKA the luckiest woman in the world) or the opener for Taylor Swift, but Miss Carpenter has more than earned her rights to the throne with her SKIMS campaign that dropped this week. It’s giving coquette

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Entertainment – 25/3

Crush Of The Week Brakence This man is a Bi-Icon and Hyper-Pop Emo-Rap legend. Go check him out on Spotify. (I would gatekeep him, but he’s just SO GOOD!!) I highly recommend rosier/punk2 (if you want to hear a man genuinely apologise in the most heart-wrenching love ballad ever written),

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Entertainment – 11/3

Crush of the Week Megan Thee Stallion Megan always eats when she cosplays, but when she posted herself as our blue-eyed glorious king Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen, I knew she had to be this issue’s crush. Also, if you ever happen to stumble on her TikTok, she’s actually pretty

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Drying Out

It’s a Friday night. Classes have finally – and politely – fucked off for the weekend and campus is buzzing. Typically, we would see large groups of first years heading to a friend’s room in the halls, to get ready and pre-game for town. You want evidence, brave the Outback’s bathrooms, there’s your evidence. Along with the kiddies

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Beware The Goth Youth

The ‘90s were a time of both optimism and unease. The internet promised connection, the economy was booming, and pop culture was fueled by irony and rebellion. Yet, beneath the surface of society lay the growing fears of youth, violence, and alternative identity. Defined by its moody aesthetic, introspective sound,

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Spooky Moons, Spooky Moods

It’s a windswept October’s night; a long howl echoes through the night, curling and searching its way through the misty streets. The clouds scud across the sky, flitting in and out of the shadows. Hanging in the sky, gazing over the world gone mad, sits a shining celestial body: the

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Lans and Ruby’s Very Official Tattoo Placement Pain Scale

Welcome to the ultimate tattoo placement pain guide where Ruby Tocker and Lans McGall professionally and seriously rate (most) body placements for tattoos. Below is a detailed map accompanied by very formal blurbs about each spot. Sternum: ouch ouch ouch ouch OUCHY You’re gonna want to rip the tattoo machine

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Under the Needle: A Conversation with Kaleb Satherley

Interview by Ruby Tocker – Photopraghy by Lans Mcgall Kaleb Satherley, or gypsy_tattooer, is a local tattoo artist who’s known for his clean blackwork. While his subject matter ranges from ornamental flora to a spider wrapped in chains, his pieces are consistently intentional and precise, showcasing both his versatile artistry

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Finance Bro Advice for Rangatahi

By Maraea Gowens Real talk: talking about money can be awkward as. For many of us, it is easier to talk about who is hot or not at Te Matatini than to talk about investing, savings and all the financial jargon… But here is the secret: our tīpuna were investors

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The Right Move

Dance can be many different things: exercise, fun, enjoyment, a form of expression and so on. It can also mean many different things to people, and as dance is such a universal art form everyone has varied experiences, ideas, and motivations. I chatted to three dancers to learn what dance

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Head? Is it tapu?

Part 1: Ripeka Paapu The notion that receiving or giving oral sex while wearing moko kanohi is tapu reflects a modern discomfort, not the lived realities of our tipuna. To understand moko is to understand that it has always been part of the totality of our humanity, not a restriction

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Reindigenising & Decolonising

Written By Manasseh Cowley We had just finished presenting at one of Bogotá’s most prestigious universities and it was now time for whakawhanaungatanga and kai. Seated to my left was a professor of law. Although not Indigenous herself, she shared her hopes for a future that saw the integration of

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Te Tiriti For Dummies (ew david)

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is not some ancient, dusty relic. Hell, it’s barely 185 years old – younger than the first working camera! It is the foundation document of Niu Tīreni, intended to set up a relationship between Māori and the Crown built on the three P’s: partnership, participation, and

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When Uni RegulationsClash With Tikanga,Who Wins?

Written By Naianga Tapiata If you’ve ever been to any uni, you’ll know the vibe, there’s ALWAYS a policy for everything. Missed an exam? There’s a form. Late assignment, that’ll be 10% off. Now imagine that you are a Māori student and your world doesn’t just run on timetables and

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“Feeling The Skateboard” Uganda Skate Society

by Toby Brockelbank & Patrick Kigongo Nexus are stoked to have the chance to interview Uganda Skate Society. Absolute shredders with one of the gnarliest parks we’ve ever seen. Massive shoutout to Gose Gerald for his kindness and being so keen to work with us. Nexus also thank Patrick Kigongo

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Budget 2026: Show Me the Money.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered Budget 2026without any election-year giveaways. The Government has spent months preparing New Zealanders for what is one of the tightest budgets in years. Rather than major new spending programmes, the focus was on controlling government debt, returning the books to surplus, and funding a small number of priority areas. For students, that may

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Nexus Breaks the News – Issue 12 2026

Max Verstappen takes a podium in Montreal:  No one understands how much this means to me. The battle between him and Hamilton was class, and we got a podium out of it too. The Red Bull comeback might be coming sooner than we thought.  Crusaders horse spooks at home game:  Look,

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POLITICAL VIRGINS – Housing and Rentals

Four people who’ve never voted or voted but didn’t care sit in a room and learn about politics, so you don’t have to. This week: Housing and Rentals. Labour ACT National Greens NZ First Te Pāti Māori Opportunity Party Responses: Lauren:   Filly: Due to my current situation, what Labour is proposing sounds really good to me, one of my end goals has always been buying a house for my fam, so any support to help me

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Nexus Breaks The News – Issue 11 2026

Thousands of public servants to lose their jobs, saving the government billions.  Good to see that the government’s solution to being in crippling debt is to fire the people that literally operate the country. Another great example of why they are a one term government.  Couple Devastated after uninsured pirate ship catches on fire and sinks 

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CHAOS BY DESIGN: Restructures, tears and panic at the Design School  

By Nexus Magazine – additional reporting done by Nexus Interns Tomas Richly and Hailey Reece   Mid-Trimester restructures at the Waikato School of Design have led to tears, panic and at least ten students scrambling to find 100-hour internships in the last three weeks of the Trimester.    According to a University spokesperson the

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Nexus Breaks the News – Issue 10 2026

Missing Hotel Guest found inside huge crocodile airlifted from river  Oh so this is a real thing that happens? You can actually get swallowed whole by a creature? Thank god we don’t have crocodiles here, because if we did I’d never touch a body of water again in my life.  Pierre Gasly dramatically flips after a crash with Liam Lawson  I’m not religious, but thank

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GENERATION Zzzz… ‘Cuz they’re sleeping on us. 

There was a twinkle of optimism drifting through the air just a week ago, it seems. Greens MP Francisco Hernandez put forward a Private Members’ bill that would see students receiving support during winter under the pretense that, like our country’s old, students are particularly at risk during the colder months of the year.   But Fees Free is getting canned, continuing

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Cost of Learning Crisis: Quiet Questions with Quigley

Fees Free is gone! Winston Peters let it slip on the eighth that one of the outcomes of the upcoming budget would be the end of Fees Free, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis confirmed it. The policy has had a short and, to put it bluntly, awkward life.   Introduced by Labour in 2018, the policy made

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Political Virgins – Issue 10 2026

Four people who’ve never voted, 25 weeks and 4 days until the election, and a whole lot of issues on everyone’s mind. It’s a simple set-up, and this week’s been made a lot simpler with the buh-byeing of Fees Free.   LABOUR  ACT  NATIONAL  GREENS  NZFirst  Te Pāti Māori  Opportunity Party   Response:  Lauren: Green party is definitely the one I agree with the most at the

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You Are Sightseeing

Ah, travelling. Something so many of us want to do but can’t afford to. But regardless of whether you have booked your flights to your dream destination or are currently fantasising through your TikTok feed, buckle up. Because today I want to rant about the difference between travelling and sightseeing. By the end of this piece, you will hopefully be

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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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Have an interview with yourself in the mirror

Rating: 3/5 Highly recommend. I find myself doing this all the time, and I have done so since I was a kid. Not only is it an imagination exercise, but it can be grounding and help you get to know yourself just a bit better! And let’s be real, who doesn’t like pretending to be

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Hamilton Gardens

Rating: 5/5 Hamilton gardens are free! Wes free, and while you kinda need a car to get there, it is a pretty good spot to wander around pretending your degree still has a ROI. When people ask “what’s there to do in Hamilton” I often say the gardens are nice, having only been there twice

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Auckland Tattoo Studio

Rating: 2/5 As a girly with, now, thirteen tattoos, I have been in tattoo studios of all sorts. I have had tattoos done by apprentices, senior artists, drunk artists looking for a bit of fun, pop up market artists, and – as of recently – a very posh, incredibly professional, and extra expensive studio in Auckland

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GENER8TION & YUNG LEAN – STORM

Rating: -3/5 Yung Lean’s new song is trite shit. Fantano was right. I knew this for sure when, lashed by the sun and staving off offerings of gear, I watched him & Bladee project themselves in AI Generated Dragonball Z style form at Laneway.   Now, I can’t blame Lean for trying to divorce himself from shit he was making when

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The Anarchy by William Dalrymple

Rating: 5/5 William Dalrymple’s The Anarchy is a cautionary tale about what happens when a corporation is left dangerously unregulated. Set in the distant east, the book navigates the story of the British East India Company, a trading corporation accountable to only its shareholders, as it rises to overthrow one of the

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Pretty… Lame

Rating: 3/5 Pretty Lethal, the action thriller starring Uma Therman and Maddie Ziegler is pretty damn lethal to the eyes. The plot has great potential – five ballerinas travel to Istanbul but TRAGICALLY ARE TRAPPED IN A SCARY HOTEL. I’m sure you can see where this is going: 1. Someone important dies 2. The ballerinas freak out 3. All five

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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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