Across the Ocean
Imagine packing up everything you’ve ever known, getting on a boat with your mother and eleven siblings, then sailing over fourteen thousand kilometres. One quick stop, and then you’re on another boat trip around fifteen hundred kilometres long before you end up here in New Zealand, which might as well be a whole new world. […]
You call yourself a Kiwi
Te Paea Parengaio Maurirere Parliament just made it legal to kill protected wildlife. Last week, the government rushed the Wildlife (Authorisation) Amendment Bill through under urgency. It was a direct response to High Court rulings that found the director-general of conservation(DOC) had unlawfully issued permits to kill or disturb protected species. Within days, it became […]
Say My Name
It goes without saying that when you have a ‘unique’, or really, non-Western name, you are probably familiar with the inevitable pause before someone says your name. For some, a name that is an important part of their identity and their whakapapa isn’t even something people bother to learn to pronounce. Below are some words […]
Diary of an International Kid
English I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, into a uniquely diverse heritage. My mother is of Sundanese and Melanesian descent, while my father is a Singaporean of Chinese and Indian backgrounds. In Singapore, this multicultural race is often known as Peranakan or Eurasian. Throughout my life, I have lived in many countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, […]
Death of a Household Name: The End of an Era in NZ Music
Once, it felt like everyone in Aotearoa knew the same few songs. You could chuck on a bit of Stan Walker, Aaradhna, or Six60 at a party, and guaranteed, someone’s aunty, someone’s little cousin, someone’s dad in the corner would start singing along. Their music wasn’t just popular – it was ours. It didn’t matter […]
Up and Coming: Proving Size Doesn’t Matter
The music world is constantly evolving, with a new wave of up-and-coming artists redefining genres and pushing creative boundaries. Finding the newest singer-songwriter or rock band is a daunting task, new music is constantly being dropped. Whether you’re searching for fresh sounds in pop, R&B, alt, or rock, these emerging talents are Aotearoa made, shaping […]
I Met Love Island’s Callum Hole
My stomach was churning. The three beers I downed for courage were at war in my bladder, sloshing around with the valour and stubbornness of two battling nations. I could taste the tang of bile in my mouth, a lone country ready to cause a rebellion in my body. I took a deep breath as […]
Love in the Future
My girlfriend blinks to awake as I roll over, the gloomy smog peering in through the slit in the curtains. “Good morning, how did you sleep?” Alexa asks, I mumble a response and shuffle out to the kitchen to prepare my nutrition substitute ration, I bring Alexa with me. As I go about my routine […]
The Secret History
Donna Tartt’s The Secret History is a masterful exploration of human ambition, moral decay, and the intoxicating allure of beauty and knowledge. Set in the cloistered world of Hampden College, the novel follows Richard Papen and a group of eccentric classics students whose pursuit of intellectual and aesthetic ideals spirals into tragedy. This darkly atmospheric […]
How To Be A Bad Flatmate
MAKE TRASH THE ART TO YOUR INNER PICASSO Flatmate a good cunt? Then you gotta treat them with a taster of your beautiful magnum opus – Trash: That’s not a living space, it’s your canvas. Why simply take out the bins when you can use them to create a dynamic, ever evolving masterpiece!? Scatter empty […]