The Finnish line is a column series by Martta Tikka, an exchange student from Finland. In this column series, they talk about their experiences about Aotearoa, its people and events. After a careful consideration I have come to the conclusion that Finnish people don’t feed each other nearly as often
I fell in love with the moon the darkness swallowed a pale silver glow on pink blush cheeks lay awake with the stars where in the week-long nights there was company I fell in love with the sun shining on ocean waves with my feet in the shallows sinking into the sand golden
I Miss You You were waiting for me, The sun met your skin, Absorbing rays like they were yours to take. I almost skimmed past, But you caught my attention, The right moment – our moment. Golden locks settled inside you. There was something clean about you, with the smell
Many people think of Hindi and Urdu as two distinct languages. Others believe the exact opposite. In my experience, few debates get as heated as those concerning the relationship of Hindi and Urdu. Open the comment section of any video discussing this question, and you will find Hindi and Urdu
Welcome back to the $50 Date, the column where a broke Uni student tries to have fun somewhere near to Hamilton without breaking the bank. The rules of the activity haven’t changed; We get $50 (Each or total, it’s not specified), we find something to do fairly close to Hamilton,
It’s almost pyrrhic that Artificial Intelligence struggles to replicate the way hands look, when some of the first pieces of evidence regarding human creativity are handprints branded on the walls of caves. Located in Indonesia are what is believed to be the oldest known handprint stencils, dated around 67,800 years
I think we bullied Christopher Luxon a bit too hard. I never thought I’d say that, but after all the jokes about him avoiding questions, he’s really started to speak his mind. If you think that’s a good thing, then what I’d say to you is that what’s going on
By Timothy Townshend.This first paragraph is largely introducing the lineage that Brushtail Possums inhabit, if that does not interest you skip it. Brushtail Possums are a member of the the clade Diprotodontia, a ~25 Million Year old group ranging in diversity from the extinct Hippo-sized Diprotodont to the Tasmanian pygmy
About Understanding / Ymmärryksestä I’ve been training how to speak English for over a decade now. In Finland, most people have learnt English since elementary school as a mandatory part of the curriculum. We learnt proper UK pronunciation, we watched The Simpsons, we did everything in school and outside of
To skateboarders, where we skate matters. AI will harm our connection to the places we skate. This may seem like a small concern in the scheme of things, but that might be the point. Maybe you don’t care about skateboarders, but something as specific as this shows us just how all-consuming AI’s effects
Content warning: this review discusses themes of graphic violence and feet This informative film acts as a metaphor for the exploration of one man and his weird obsession with women’s feet. While this review is non-kink shaming, it will explore how the director’s action film is an intertextual expression across
The sun casts down onto the water that decorates the grass beneath me, a million tiny prisms littering the strands that intertwine like lovers. My feet are white, bleached by the winter of shoes and the endless torrent of rain. Gross. The bottoms of my jeans and the shoulders of my shirt are
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?
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Aries: Money is coming your way, idk how, but it is, I swear. Taurus: Stop worrying about all the why’s in the world. Who caressss, most of the time the answer is right in front of you. Gemini: It’s time to step out into the world. Scream from the roof tops. Cancer: It’s about damn time you heal from all the shit bothering you, because it happened years
Something that I never enjoyed in high school was design. The process of going over something over and over again until you eventually circle back to the original idea anyway was unbelievably painful to me, and so I have vehemently avoided it at university. However, it did seem like a great idea
Noah Kahan’s new album The Great Divide has hit the top of the charts in 9 different countries, and it’s easy to see why. Kahan’s fourth studio album combines the folk atmosphere of previous albums with themes exploring what it means to leave behind the relationships and experiences you once knew, and the internal controversy that
Stepping up from four letter words After a lot of suspense, June 12th 2026 is set to be the date for the release of Olivia Rodrigo’s third studio album, ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’. In the past, she’s been known for titling her previous albums with four letters and no more;
There are two ways to read the story of the missing and dead American scientists. The first is the official version: a series of unrelated tragedies involving researchers working in high-level fields like aerospace, nuclear science, and defence. The second – far more entertaining – is that something deeply suspicious is
Whilst I was under the impression that afternoon lectures started at ten past the hour, when I walked into L.G.01 at eight minutes past twelve, the class was already a few slides deep into what looked like colourful alien language. Those guys just seem to be really keen on learning their programming,
This recipe is a personal favourite, it’s super easy if you’re lazy and doesn’t suck shit like most of the other despair meals that have been in this magazine. Ingredients are pretty simple, its cheap (kinda) and you can throw it into the mix every once in a while so the people around you don’t worry about the person you have become
Aries-How are those SSRI’s working out… you’ve forgotten to take them again, haven’t you Taurus- Happy Taurus season queen! Make sure all your non Taurus friends give you 50 bucks as they are legally required to Gemini- If you like Noah Kahan’s new album, you’ll love: going to therapy (me too) Cancer: I am unable to provide you with a horoscope
Aries: Having a good day? Cool! Listen to Sun Bleached Flies by Ethel Cain to make it way better. I promise. Taurus: That green Macbook neo is not calling your name. It’s actually really fucking ugly, not cute and nostalgic. You don’t need it. Gemini: You were really inspired by the Artemis mission, and honestly go off. It was pretty awesome. Just don’t suddenly think you can be an astronaut. Cancer: You’ve been
Not only do I have no business crashing a lecture for a class I’m not in, I have even less business in a sociology 101 tutorial where the tutor is completely unaware I’m not supposed to be there. But there I sat on a Tuesday afternoon in the first SOCIO101 tutorial of the semester, 2048 open on my
If you haven’t been taught how to make nachos by a school cooking class or your mum by now, I’m disappointed. So I’m going to teach you instead. You will need: Method:
Let me paint you a picture: Once a year, a few hundred titles which have never before been released on vinyl get pressed and distributed globally. Each record gets pressed anywhere between 20,000 to a mere 750 times, globally. Said records are shipped to independent record stores without any knowledge of what they get.
Noah: A few mates making documentaries on things we’re interested in. Noah: Louis and I met at uni. Gryffin’s my cousin. Louis: We were all helping out at 95bFM and John Campbell came in one evening to give a talk. He told everyone off for only speaking with pundits, politicians
Let’s be honest: fan fiction is the internet’s wild, untamed jungle—a place where Harry Potter can fall in love with Draco Malfoy, Sherlock Holmes can solve crimes with Pikachu, and absolutely no one is safe from an unexpected vampire transformation or being human trafficked by their mother to a boyband.
Sarah: Semi-retired cosplayer The first time I ever cosplayed it was 2019, and I still cared about the MCU. I walked into Tauranga Armageddon in an incredibly hodgepodge crimson coat and bodice knowing full well that the cheap curtain fabric wasn’t particularly accurate to the Scarlet Witch costume I had tried
By Maya Trotman Nearly every evening I would be sitting on the couch with a heat pack on my stomach holding painkillers with a glass of water ready. One evening, the worst pain of my life arrived. I was in the bathroom, scared, because now I knew this wasn’t normal,
Prescription Abuse and The Pharmaceutical Black Market Unlike most of our writers who spend their time writing on Substack or Wattpad, turns out someone had a friend outside of our writer’s room. Some friends have different struggles to you, and some struggles have more stigma, consequences, and are harder, if
Destigmatising Desire and Navigating Consent Sexuality is a vast, colourful spectrum, and kinks, unconventional sexual interests or practices are a vibrant part of it. Yet, despite growing conversations about sex-positivity, many kinks remain shrouded in stigma, misunderstanding, or shame. Destigmatising kinks is not just about making sex more fun; it’s
Polygamy in Islam through the eyes of a young woman Having grown up in a Muslim home, I was taught that Islam is a religion founded in justice, mercy, and balance: A faith that champions the rights of women, protects the vulnerable, and demands fairness in every aspect of life.
Is language the truest representation of a culture? And if not, what do you think is the truest representation? I probably wouldn’t use the word ‘true’ or ‘truth’ in reference to culture, but I am very interested in the belief systems that underpin our cultural practices, how we express those
Skateboarding means the world to skaters from everywhere. Skating is a radical, inclusive, and interconnected community with a philosophy of Fuck You to anyone who tells us what to do, how to live, or where we can skate. It’s a small world in skateboarding but also a spread out one
I interviewed an old mate from high school who just so happens to drum for Pineja. Super talented, smart, nice, & funny dude, but he supports Chelsea so there’s definitely room to be cooler. Stod got me into Songs for the Deaf & The Strokes so fair to say he’s
Mondogreen are a rad local band bringing a humble, funny, & mellow vibe to the local scene. Lochie & Connor are some gnarly skaters from back in my hometown. When I was learning to drop in, they were the cool seniors who actually knew how to skate. Can’t lie, with
Who are you & what are you up to musically?I am a child of the universe + my parents… I am also a musician and DJ based in Wellington. I’m currently in multiple bands as a bass player, singer and guitarist. I have been playing DJ gigs and radio sets
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
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
#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
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
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
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
For the past 12 years, India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has risen almost unimpeded. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party has won election after election and built a governing coalition that dominates India’s Parliament. Over the years, Modi has cultivated an image as a strong leader who doesn’t bend
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
Step aside, DC’s Trinity: There’s a new superhero trio on the block. They’re tough, they’re righteous, and they’re fighting the toughest crime of all: misogyny. Who are the brave warriors behind this triumvirate? Why, it’s none other than Chris Hipkins, Chris Luxon, and Chris Bishop. That’s right, the fifth wave
Just let people be weird and slightly annoying. Take that with a grain of salt as I am a very weird and occasionally annoying person, but I am vehemently opposed to the idea of ‘main character syndrome.’ It’s really exhausting to exist as a human being, let alone to do
…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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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,
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
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
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
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
