Debate | Issue Two | Kai

COVER Tracy Luong

CENTREFOLD Rosa Turley

CONTRIBUTORS Evie Ricahrdson, Amani Sadique, Jennifer Susanto, Nabeelah Khan, Michelle Daniel, Brodie Hunter, Eris Mardi, Chloe Bagayas, Aiwa Pooamorn

debatemag.com autsadebate debate@autsa.org.nz

D I S C L A I M E R M a t e r i a l c o n t a i n e d i n t h i s p u b l i c a t i o n d o e s n o t n e c e s s a r i l y r e p r e s e n t t h e v i e w s o r o p i n o n s o f A U T S A , i t s a d v e r t s e r s , c o n t r i b u t o r s , N c h o l s o n P r i n t S o l u t i o n s o r i t s s u b s i d i a r i e s T h i s p u b l i c a t i o n s e n t i t l e d t o t h e f u l l p r o t e c t i o n g i v e n b y t h e C o p y r i g h t A c t o f 1 9 9 4 ( t h e A c t ) t o t h e h o l d e r s o f t h e c o p y r i g h t b e n g A U T S T U D E N T A S S O C I A T I O N ( “ A U T S A ” ) R e p r o d u c t i o n , s t o r a g e o r d i s p l a y o f a n y p a r t o f t h s p u b l i c a t i o n b y a n y p r o c e s s e l e c t r o n i c o r o t h e r w s e ( e x c e p t f o r e d u c a t i o n a l p u r p o s e s s p e c i f i e d

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of the stressors in their life around this time of year, as their savings run dry and affording groceries becomes harder and harder.

Students need food. I could make the point of how it helps your brain stay alert in lectures, keeps you sustained while working on essays, and serves as a way to relax after classes, but in the grand scheme of things, these benefits of kai are nothing compared to the fundamental need for humans to eat. It isn’t an optional part of life, or something that’s “nice to have” - it’s a human right. And yet, students across the motu are skipping meals and starving on a daily basis. It gets to a point where it doesn't matter if it’s affecting their assignments - what matters is if a lack of food is affecting their livelihood.

Let’s start with the state of kai in student lives. According to the People’s Inquiry Into Student Wellbeing 2022, nearly a third of students can’t afford food on a fortnightly basis. The inquiry, put together by the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA), also claimed that students who were Māori, Pasifika, or disabled were more likely to struggle to put food on the table. This has in part come from the cost of living crisis, with food prices across the country rising by 9.6% from 2022 to 2023 - but neither Labour nor the incumbent National Government have given much thought to how it affects students. I’ve reached out to Penny Simmonds, the current MP for Tertiary Education, to see if she has any plans to decrease the number of students struggling to afford food - she has not responded at time of writing.

If you’re struggling to afford food at uni, AUTSA has a few options for keeping you fed: Campus Kai runs fortnightly on Tuesdays at the North Campus, Wednesdays on South, and Thursdays in the city. You can also receive assistance from Tautoko, AUTSA’s financial hardship support programme: if you stop by their city campus office at WC210 with your AUT student ID, you can access their food pantry that houses essential items. If you need further assistance or want to learn more, you can contact tautoko@autsa.org.nz.

Content Warning: the next three paragraphs contain discussions of eating disorders.

Secondly, university is a highly social environment where you feel like you have to prove yourself so much more than you did in high school. You tell yourself that you need to dress a certain way, act a certain way, look a certain way, eat a certain way. Disordered eating is incredibly under-researched in Aotearoa: the closest thing I can find to a definitive answer to the number of people living with eating disorders in NZ is a line from Recovered Living NZ that cites their source to an app developer’s press release. What we do know is that 2,085 people were diagnosed with an ED in 2023 according to the Ministry of Health (via 1News and RNZ); but Megan Tombs from the Eating Disorders Association of New Zealand believes there are many more cases that go undiscovered. “There’s this myth out there that it’s just rich, white, teenage girls that deal with disordered eating. But it’s a lifespan issue - middle aged women and AFAB people going through menopause often struggle as well.” This extends across the board, especially into university lives.

American myths of the ‘Freshman 15’, referring to the supposed weight gained in the first year of tertiary education, occasionally travel over to NZ, leading to what Megan referred to as ‘anticipatory anxiety’. This hit close to home - my own struggles with food spanned my last couple years of high school and the first year of university as I went from panicking about my body during the pandemic to trying to forge a particular image of myself in first year. We’re done with High School Liam: that kid was a slightly chubby, maybe gay (????), awkward mess that barely spoke, but University Liam is a cool, creative, funny, bi, androgynous twink. By “androgynous twink”, I really just meant thin.

I spoke to Megan, somewhat hoping she would back me up on my hypothesis that social pressure and a desire to be someone new in uni can lead to eating disorders - but she made it clear that it was a lot more nuanced than that. “Through the University of Otago, Dr Cynthia Bulik has identified specific genomes that contribute to anorexia nervosa.” While not necessarily being a direct cause, she agreed that the uni environment can expedite the development of those symptoms. That being said, it’s still possible for people dealing with milder forms of eating disorders to struggle with their conditions falling under the radar. It’s worth looking out for your mates at uni - if you’re concerned for a friend's health and wellbeing around food, EDANZ is available to assist people whose friends are struggling with an eating disorder: You can find more of their information on ed.org.nz, or call them at 0800 2 33269.

This is admittedly a downer point to open our second issue on - I can assure you, most of the mag is WAY more fun, with Shin Ramyun horror stories, odes to local restaurants, and recipes galore. I think it’s truly magical what food can do, when both you and your society allow yourself to enjoy it freely. To keep the positive takeaway going, here are a selection of tunes that you can listen to while strutting around campus, making everyone studying around you look up in awe at how cool you are and mutter to themselves “damn, they ate.”

Illustration by Chloe Bagayas (she/her) @lilclodoodles Contributing Illustrator

From Waitangi Day to Waitangi Referendum

Caeden Tipler (they/them) @caedentipler | News Editor

This year’s Waitangi Day was illuminated by a backdrop of a looming treaty referendum and building momentum against this government. The opening line of Stuff reporter Glenn McConnell’s piece on Waitangi Day served as a metaphor for the whole weekend: “The powerhouses of te ao Māori have arrived, driving an unmissable, unequivocal, unmatchable pou (stake) in the ground.”

When I spoke to the deputy leader of the opposition, Carmel Sepuloni, a few days before Waitangi for 95bFM’s The Wire, she said she expected this year to be different from previous years. The Rātana hui, an annual political event that sees leaders across parliament kōrero with Māori leaders across Aotearoa, had just taken place. Rātana had been uncomfortable for the coalition government - it highlighted their divisive agenda on Māori issues. Sepuloni recounted how Labour was challenged to make this a one-term government.

Labour had previously made efforts to make Waitangi “the least political it could be” but Sepuloni guessed this year would be different. The government had made Te Tiriti o Waitangi as controversial as possible, so controversy at the home of the treaty was to be expected.

AUT student Piki Te Ora (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) told Debate his decision to attend Waitangi was encouraged by the protests towards our government’s position on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. To him, Waitangi Day is a reminder of how the Crown treated his tūpuna. It also signifies mauri, unity, and connection to his whenua. This theme of unity was consistent across many attendees.

Waitangi this year included a panel hosted by Annette Sykes, which featured Hilda Harawira, Chlöe Swarbrick, and Eru Kapa-Kingi. Sykes highlighted how the panel represented the various tangata (people) present at Waitangi. Harawira was already leading in the space of Māori activism, Swarbrick was leading Pākehā allies, and Kapa-Kingi represented the incoming generation of Māori leaders.

Swarbrick’s kōrero about the need for Pākehā to educate our own relatives due to our accessibility to them was met with expressions of agreement from the audience. Swarbrick had highlighted the simplest way anyone can engage on these heavy issues, with our own whānau. Harawira was met with applause after highlighting the mahi that still needs to be done to reach equitable outcomes for Māori. Kapa-Kingi recounted his experience protesting during the pōwhiri the prior day, emphasising Waitangi Day as being a forum for political discussion despite its symbolic nature.

For Piki, it was hearing from Palestinian speakers that particularly resonated. In his own words, “The interconnecedness between indigenous cultures and colonisation showed me the true importance of solidarity with Palestine across borders.”

This year was my first time attending Waitangi. My key takeaway is that it goes so far beyond the political leaders’ pōwhiri. It is a living opportunity for kōrero and connection. The treaty grounds were alive with activity - stalls, reunions, and arguments. By 7am there was not a single parking space available, and the queue to get inside the grounds stretched an hour down the road.

Waitangi showed there are plenty of New Zealanders, whether they are tangata whenua, tangata Tiriti, or tangata Moana, who are for listening to one another and are for honouring our founding document. The incoming generation of rangatahi leadership who were present at Waitangi seemed particularly engaged with the kōrero in this space. It doesn't seem like the Māori-led, united resistance to this government’s anti-Te Tiriti policies present at Waitangi will be slowing down anytime soon, especially if we end up with a referendum. But Waitangi shows debate on Te Tiriti is possible, even necessary, as long as all parties stand on equal footing.

Written By Evie Ricahrdson (she/her) @evi3m4y| Contributing Writer

The word ‘life-changing’ isn't one I use lightly, however, we can all agree that there are a few things that are legitimately life-changing: having a baby, committing to a long-term partner, moving overseas, a new job. Strolling down Dominion Rd on a muggy Tuesday afternoon and stumbling into an understated noodle bar with the simple aim of filling a gnawing hunger isn’t something that quite fits into the ‘life-changing’ category. Yet here I am, nearly one year later, a lot happier and a lot more full of noodles. Life changing? Maybe not. But slightly life-altering? Most definitely. This legendary place I’m gushing over is Xi’an Food Bar. Unfortunately, I can’t take each and every one of you reading this there right now, so instead I’ll paint you a picture. Imagine: a crimson sign, branded with the most stock-standard font possible, greets your arrival. The sign is mirrored by a feature wall - which is not so much of a feature after being decorated with television screens that never seem to be on. If you glance upwards, you’ll be greeted with the grandeur of ornate cornices and a naff chandelier. Tilt your head back down, and you’ll be staring at a sea of linoleum tabletops and plastic chairs. Despite my love for the mismatched, it’s not this juxtaposing décor that gives Xi’an its life-altering status. It’s what you’re there for: the food.

I’d like to preface that this is the furthest thing from a restaurant review, simply because it’d be quite difficult to review a restaurant where I’ve only ever ordered one thing. I can assure you I’m not normally that sort of person: I’m usually a “life is made for experiences so why not experience them all”, blah blah blah and so on sort of person.

However, on that muggy Tuesday in March when I took my first mouthful of no.25 (hand-pulled noodles with spicy chilli oil and veges, by menu definition) I knew I had tasted the most delicious thing to enter my mouth to date and it would probably remain that way for the rest of my days.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating handpulled noodles, you’re doing yourself a disservice. In fact, the oldest evidence of Chinese noodles throws us back 4,000 years – so you’re already four millennia late. Hand-pulled noodles, or lamian, originated in northern China and quickly traveled their way west to become a signature dish of the city Xi’an, the restaurant’s namesake. Every noodle is decadently chewy, thick, and unique in form.

The chilli oil on top is the cherry on the cake. Every time I eat at Xi’an, I jest to whoever I’m dining with that one day I will smuggle out a container of the complimentary oil (I’m yet to succeed in this mission).

I quickly decided this was an addiction I wanted to share, so I seized every opportunity I had. Every new friend made, flatmate gained, or visit from a non-Aucklander was sure to involve a trip to Xi’an. The feedback was always the same: life changing.

Of course, I’m sure we’re prone to exaggeration in our state of noodle-induced delirium; but Xi’an food bar has truly altered my life. In a sort of Rachel-fromFriends-esque way, I’d like to call it my (much shabbier and featuring far less comfortable seating) Central Perk. A place to gather, something to share, a destination in a relatively new city that even among all the other diners feels like mine.

The noodles have altered my life by instilling a constant sense of dissatisfaction in me every time I eat something that’s not them. But really, it’s just nice to look at my flatmates and say “Hey, do you want to go to Xi’an today?” and know they’ll be jumping in the car before the sentence is finished.

So if you’ve gained one thing from reading this, I hope that you immediately head to 650 Dominion Road, 11 Anzac Ave, or the variety of other locations available at xianfoods.co.nz, strut through the foggy glass doors plastered with laminated menus and order a big bowl of no.25. Prepare to have your life altered.

Illustrations

The Reality of Working in

The nightlife culture of Tāmaki Makaurau can feel continually more ever-present by the second. In a post-covid world, it feels like every weekend there’s another star DJ playing or a banger lineup right around the corner. But what is it like behind the counter? Working in nightclubs may look like an exciting job. Don’t get me wrong, it can be fun bartending to good sets with LED lights shining. But what gets hidden about the industry to outsiders is the level of unprofessionalism and how unethical employers can be.

Entering nightclub bartending was a step back in my hospitality career, as I came from working for one of Aotearoa’s largest entertainment companies. I knew what I was getting myself into, but the natural journalist in me was still curious and wanted to witness it first-hand. The summer holidays were just around the corner, so I was keen for some summer fun whilst I had spare time.

To make your way into nightlife, you will likely have to stand out and/or already have industry connections. Nightclubs don’t take applications on sites like Seek, and the industry is notoriously incestuous with staff hiring. I had potential connections, and I went up to the owner of a club one night, showing them the email I had sent asking about bar opportunities. I didn’t stop following up until I got a response.

Finally, the owner organised my first nightclub trial shift. It came to an end, and I had no idea whether I had gotten the job. I asked the manager andplot twist! - the manager told me “Oh, you weren’t trialling, you were just covering for one of our sick employees! You were great and if I could hire you I would, but we have no vacancies right now.” I was in communication with the club’s owner, who put me under the impression that this was a trial. I left feeling puzzled and shocked at how bad their lines of communication were and how immoral this seemed.

I started reaching out to hospitality friends who had connections to other nightclubs, trying to find another job to make ends meet in the summer. I had never visited the club I landed an interview at before applying, but I ended up taking it as it was my only opportunity.

There were red flags immediately; the manager tried to hit on me over social media during the hiring process, and eventually started offering me shots mid-shift. As someone who isn’t the biggest fan of regular drinking, I felt pressured into taking them due to everyone around me taking part, especially when it was people from management offering. More often than not, I was comfortable declining their offers - but it’s easy to be too afraid to say no when the person offering has authority over you.

This may feel unsafe, but at least there are security guards there to keep everyone safe, right? Not always - the bouncers would often be on drugs whilst on shift. I once witnessed a guard dealing drugs to a customer, which is just ironic when their job is to restrict that behaviour.

Another observation I took from this industry is the lack of individual employment agreements. I found out from a co-worker that the reason behind not providing employees contracts is so they can fire you whenever they like, which explains why the employers seem to be on some kind of power trip. The best case scenario I’ve experienced is getting a contract, but having my name be misspelt.

Even then, I’ve experienced clubs either putting me down as a different tax code to the one I declared on the IR330 form, or putting my tax code down without asking for it in the first place. This probably meant that they forged my signature and filled out the declaration form on my behalf.

When I told one of the club’s general managers that I would no longer be available to work Saturdays due to securing a second job, they never replied to the email and instead surprised me with a meeting one night. They claimed they had a policy where staff must work Saturdays, which no one had mentioned to me since I had no contract; but they then offered me my manager’s certificate (if I were to pick working both nights at this club over my new job).

At first, I felt happy that someone in the industry finally appreciated my experience, but they were incredibly strange about the whole situation: they

Auckland’s Nightclubs

asked me not to tell anyone about the offer, and they avoided a follow-up meeting where I could ask questions. They claimed the earliest convenience would be five days away, on a Saturday evening. When I asked what time the meeting would be held, they never opened the message. I was just waiting around all evening, unsure if I could go to sleep.

Union worker, Shanna Reeder, explained to me in an interview that none of this is part of the police’s job, and this is why there are unions in place. “Sadly, it’s an area where workers have been treated badly and not received their basic minimum entitlements for a long time and it’s something that we have been working to change a little bit at a time. The police are only going to care about the intoxication and violence, they are not going to care about whether the employment laws are being followed.“

But if this has been so widespread for so long, why has no legal action been taken?

Aotearoa has a small number of Ministry of Business and Innovation labour inspectors, but they cover all industries nationally. “It is really difficult to get one to take your case. There are so few of them that they take the most serious cases that come across their desk, for example, migrant worker exploitation. They don’t generally take on everyday worker problems.”

The reason nightclubs consist of so many young workers is because they’re the easiest to exploit - they need this money, and don’t have the resources to fight employer abuse of any sort. It’s worth researching the unions in your area, building comradery between yourself and your coworkers, be switched on, tough and aware of people trying to fuck you around in this industry.

Written by Amani Sadique (she/her) Contributing Writer

Illustrations by Aiwa Pooamorn Contributing

Two dollar student meals, Two dollar student meals, brought to you by FoodScrapz brought to you by FoodScrapz

Written by Jennifer Susanto (she/her) @foodscrapz | Contributing Writer

About FoodScrapz

FoodScrapz is a cooking club for lazy students, providing you with cheap, simple and tasty recipes that anyone can enjoy The club runs at the City Campus Te Āhuru Recreation Centre, and it’s 100% free, so anyone can come along to cook their own free meal (RSVP via @aut recreation Instagram)

We know that being broke sucks - especially when you’re hungry for a feed at the end of a long day at uni, and you would much rather spend 30 bucks on an UberEats burger Don’t waste your money - here are some simple, quick and somewhat nutritious recipes that are less than $2 per serving! In a world where $2 shops aren’t even $2 anymore, trust me - this is a real treat.

Avocado “Pesto” Pasta (without actual pesto)

Total cost: $0 99

Time: 12 mins

Servings: two medium plates (or one big ass plate)

Equipment:

A blender - or a fork, and a real passion to mash that damned avocado

Ingredients:

1/2 avocado

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

Your choice of fresh or packets herbs (eg Basil, coriander, parsley, mixed herbs)

70g pasta (add/reduce depending on hunger levels)

salt and pepper to taste

Optional toppings:

whatever leftover cheese you have in the fridge

whatever vegetables you have chilli flakes, for a bit of spice

Instructions:

Boil pasta in salted water - chuck in some olive oil if you’re fancy 1

2

Blend all other ingredients (or furiously mash them together with a fork)

Mix sauce with pasta and enjoy! 3

Banana Oat Waffles

Total Cost: $1 88

Time: 20 mins

Servings: 3-4 waffles/pancakes

Equipment

Waffle maker (or just use a pan and call ‘em pancakes \ (ツ) / )

Blender (you can’t quite mash this one to completion unfortunately)

Dry Ingredients

1 5 cups oats

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

2 bananas

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Optional

1/4 cup chocolate chips or to taste

Instructions

Blend oats until powdery - if you don’t have a blender, skip this step 1

Mix oats with all dry ingredients 2

In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients 3

Fold in half of the dry mixture to the wet mixture before folding in the rest of the dry mixture 4

Heat up the waffle maker (or pan) 5

Fold in the chocolate chips (optional). 6.

Add about a spoonful of batter to the waffle maker and cook according to taste 7

Add savoury or sweet toppings if desired 8

For the full archive of FoodScrapz recipes, check out the @foodscrapz Instagram page which has 60 recipes which average about 15 minutes to prepare and cost around $2 per serving.

Written by Banisha Pratap (she/her) | @bxnisha | Contributing Writer

The fruit flies are settling into the overpriced bananas I forgot to eat, There’s a pineapple in the fridge but I’m too scared to cut it.

I’ll go to the grocery store and walk through all the cold bright aisles.

I’ll look away from people and try not to think too much about their lives.

The cat food in their trolley, their muddy boots and bright hair frizzy from the sun.

My favourite part is the pretty wine bottles, I like looking through the designs.

My least favourite part is the meat section, the world inside out. Bare and exposed. I’ll get an onion, a can of chopped tomatoes and pale butter for the pancakes. A small box of purple-red cherries to share and a candy bar to eat in my car. I’ll try not to react to the total at the self-checkout.

I’ll make spaghetti bolognese for us tonight, Follow the recipe on the internet step by step. It’ll be perfect, just the way you like it.

I’ll pack you some for lunch tomorrow.

I want to make sure you're eating well.

You take the pineapple out of the fridge and cut us both slices.

Illustrations by Aiwa Pooamorn Contributing Illustrator

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How to Contribute to Debate

Written by Liam Hansen (they/them) | @liamhanse n | Editor

Want to contribute to Debate? Hell yeah! That’s a great choicestudent media is a fantastic way to build up experience in writing, reporting, artmaking, and storytelling Many of our writers go on to bigger (but NOT better) publications, like Stuff, RNZ, and Vice NZ (rip). Better yet, we ’ re one of the few student publications that pay our contributors! Paid mahi is fair mahi, after all

Oh, Debate Editor AKA Deb-Editor, how will I ever know what the guidelines are for submitting a piece?

Shit, dude, just read on below! Soon enough, you’ll be one of our top contributors Or should I say, Con-DrEBATE-ors? No? Okay

Join! 1

If you ’ re in our contributor's Facebook group, you’ll be kept in the loop of upcoming issue themes and deadlines If not, what are you doing? You gotta join our group, STAT! You can find the QR Codes to join on the other side of this page We also share upcoming issue themes on our social media - but group members get first dibs

2 Pitch!

We publish all sorts of good stuff, from news articles to comics Our themes are announced as the previous issue's submission time ends - so when Issue 2 submissions close, Issue 3 submissions begin! We need to receive pitches for upcoming articles a week before the pieces themselves are due, so we can plan ahead for the issue and have an idea of what art is needed, who’s doing what, etc A pitch doesn't need to be any more than a sentence - but if you want to add extra context, you ’ re super welcome to do so!

We also have section editors for each type of article: these are the folks you will get in touch with to organise your piece If they don’t respond, follow up! A lot of us are studying, working, or just have other shit going on, so emails can fly under the radar It’s likely human error - just give us a friendly nudge!

Visual Arts: Gabbie De Baron, Graphic Designer (illustration, photography, painting), contact gabizzlesizzle@gmail com

News: Caeden Tipler, News Editor (reporting on AUT, Auckland, and student issues) contact caeden tipler@autsa org nz

Arts and Culture: Stella Roper, Arts Editor (interviews, music, discussions), contact stelladebatemag@gmail com

Features: Tashi Donnelly, Features Editor (essays, investigations, short stories/poetry) contact tashird@gmail com

Entertainment: Thomas Giblin, Entertainment Editor (film/tv reviews, local media spotlights, opinion) contact giblinonfilm@gmail com

Digital: Cameron McCurdy, Social Media Coordinator (videos, podcasts, online things) contact debatesocials@gmail com

“I don’t know what section this fits into!”: Liam Hansen, Editor (comics, weird shit, miscellaneous) contact liam hansen@autsa org nz - I can redirect you to who this fits best, or just take it on myself.

1

Create!

Once we ’ ve approved your pitch, we will work together to figure out a word/page count for your piece, depending on the medium, content, and whatever else We use the word and page count estimates to lay out the magazine, so please stick to it

BONUS STEP FOR ARTISTS: Our Visual Arts Contributors Facebook group also contains prompts for art needed in upcoming issues, if you just wanna be told what to do instead of having your own thoughts (real) Gabbie will send through info about what art needs to be made, and whoever gets first dibs on the prompts gets to take it For example, we need people to draw my dumb ginger, four eyed mug of a face! You can also scan the QR code to join this group on the next page.

2 Send it through!

The contributor deadline refers to when the first draft of the piece should be submitted by - typically one week after the pitch deadline If you ’ re running behind, don’t stress - just let us know Some pieces require changes close to the printing date (especially when dealing with current affairs), so as long as we know what’s going on it’s all chill

When sending through a piece, please attach your full name, pronouns, preferred instagram handle, and a photo of yourself so we can credit you properly! If you have any issues with these, no stress - just let us know We’ll get back in touch ASAP if we need anything else from you, or if there are any problems with your piece that could stop it from being included

3 Voila!

You now have a piece in Debate Magazine! Pat yourself on the back We’ll get in touch on the day the issue is released to sort out payment stuff - if you think something has gone wrong or you missed an email, reach me at liam hansen@autsa org nz We can’t wait to see your awesome mahi!

MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA MENA Student Mentoring Programme

This mentoring program is to support students from the MENA cohort, helping them to achieve their academic endeavors by creating a safe and supportive community.

We are focusing on seven potential goals as follows:

1. Learning and academic development

2. Building a better culture

3. leadership development

4. Employee onboarding

5 Diversity and inclusion

6. Engagement

7. Communication

If you are from the below countries, please join us.

1. Afghanistan

2. Algeria

3. Bahrain

4. Djibouti

5. Egypt

6. Iran

7. Iraq

8. Jordan

9. Kuwait

10. Lebanon

11. Libya

12. Mauritania

13. Morocco

14. Oman

15. Pakistan

16. Palestine

17. Qatar

18. Saudi Arabia

19. Somalia

20. Sudan

21. Syria

22. Tunisia

23. Turkey

24. United Arab Emirates

25. Yemen

If you are interested in joining the community SCAN TO CONNECT

Sugar, spice, all things nice… and a ton of frosting. These are just a few ingredients needed to create the whimsical vintage cakes that Tāmaki-Makaurau-based baker Victoria Roebuck (@babybuckbaking) specialises in. Adorned with glossy glacé cherries, ribbons, ruffles of frosting, and a pastel colour palette, her creations are almost too pretty to eat (almost).

These cakes have taken over everyone’s TikTok for you page and become the new go-to for birthdays, weddings, and celebrations, evoking Sofia Coppola's distinct Marie Antoinette aesthetic. With numerous bakers across the country adopting this trend, cakes that were once a luxury reserved for the wealthy are now a centrepiece of celebrations. You don’t need to be a French aristocrat to have your cake and eat it too.

Victoria initially started her cake business, Baby Buck Baking, as a side hustle to support herself through university. "When I was running the business part-time during my degree, I often contemplated whether I should drop out to pursue Baby Buck full-time, but I wanted to see my degree through."

Before Baby Buck, Victoria had been baking since she could remember. Her previous experience of baking and decorating various goods for friends and family’s birthdays made it easier to attempt the more ambitious designs of vintage cakes. “I decided to try my hand at vintage cakes during the 2021 lockdown," she says. “With ample free time, I thought it would be cool to learn a new cake decorating style. Although my first attempt was a bit of a mess, it only gave me a reason to keep decorating until I perfected it!”

These vintage cakes were initially inspired by the elegance and extravagance of the French rococo period in the mid-1700s. After seeing varying levels of popularity during the 1950s and 60s, they had a revival in the 70s and 80s. In the 2020s, the return of these cakes to plates has made lives a bit sweeter. Like many recent trends, the resurgence of this dessert owes much of its credit to TikTok.

During the 2020 pandemic, these cakes rose in popularity on #baketok, where South Korean and Japanese bakers showcased their vintage-inspired creations. Victoria also discovered her signature style through lockdown: the self-taught baker discovered the vintage cake trend through social media platforms, as well as drawing inspiration from international bakers

bakers like @thepinkcooker and @aprilsbakerlondon on Instagram.

“My previous experience in baking and decorating made it easier for me to attempt decorating a vintage cake,” Victoria says. “Initially, my cakes were a bit more conventional, but now I have the confidence to branch out and get creative, accessorising my cakes with more glitz and glamour.”

Victoria finds inspiration for her designs from her customers, who bring her the latest trends like ribbon embellishments on cakes, glitter, and Y2K accents - which she finds "SO CUTE." She explains, “A big factor contributing to my design inspiration is the custom cakes my customers request, often inspired by the theme of their party or the colour of their outfit." Everyone’s reason behind buying a cake is different – whether it's a whimsical birthday cake or an elegant wedding cake, each slice celebrates the baker's vision and the customer’s personality. Something so simple as flour, sugar, eggs and frosting transforms into a canvas for personal expression, like a painter with a blank canvas or a sculptor with clay.

The cake-making process involves various physically demanding tasks, including baking and cooling the cake bases, washing the dishes, managing multiple orders, and finally, decorating the cakes; it’s all very time-consuming. This was no easy feat when Baby Buck Baking was a side hustle instead of a fully functioning business. Victoria says that making the switch from part-time to full-time baking has been a “significant win”. The transition has allowed her more time to grow her business by launching a new website and hosting more cake-decorating workshops.

Now, with over 15k followers on Instagram, her vintage cakes have garnered a cult following and have even made their way into wedding photoshoots (Haute Weddings) and magazines (Fashion Quarterly). Regardless of whether vintage cakes remain in trend or not, there's no denying that these edible showstoppers rise not only in the oven but also to the occasion. In the infamous quote (or misquote) of Marie Antoinette, “Let them eat cake!”

@babybuckbaking | Scan to go to babybuckbaking.co.nz

Aotearoa we were subjected to French nuclear testing in the Pacific, the Vietnam War, oil shocks, and the Mount Erebus disaster. If you stumble into an op shop often, you'll find bizarre artefacts from the decade: Avocado-tinted appliances, polyester suits, abandoned pet rocks, and even lava lamps if you're lucky. The wonderfully wacky dinnerware the 70s churned out is a favourite for collectors - vintage corn-on-the-cob serving dishes and plates now go for a pretty penny online.

What fascinates so many people about the decade is the variety of demented culinary concoctions. Imagine the taste and texture of ham and banana hollandaise, lime cheese salad, igloo meatloaf, potato fudge, or ham in aspic. These dishes aren't a figment of my imagination. Instead, they're gastronomical nightmares that look far worse than they sound.

‘70s Dinner Party’, the lovechild of Anna Pallai, is an Instagram account dedicated to the absurdity of food from the decade with a follower count of 170k at time of writing. There's even a book that features the 'best' of these dishes titled 70s Dinner Party: The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly of Retro Food. Luckily, I have a copy (thanks, Auckland Libraries!). Forget Gordon Ramsay, James Kenji López-Alt and Julia Child. today, I'm following in the footsteps of Heston Blumenthal and Heisenberg by cooking up a storm.

The Shopping List

Unflavoured gelatin

Beef stock

Sausages

Pickles

Vanilla extract

Fresh cream

Apricots in juice

Icing sugar

The Meat Jelly Monstrosity

It isn't easy to describe how I felt before I embarked on this culinary ordeal. Here are a few relevant words: queasy, afraid, repulsed. I'd encountered this dish on my Twitter (I'm not calling it X) timeline, piquing my curiosity: could it be as horrific as I imagined, or was I overreacting?

I combined Aotearoa's finest tap water with gelatin in a small bowl. Then, I brought two cups of water to a simmer and added my granulated beef stock. My gelatine mixture, which I'd set aside, was poured into my stock concoction.

pickles before preparing the liquid part of the recipe - panic ensued. If I were to fulfil my duty as a writer and critic who prescribes a code of ethics, I had to do this recipe justice - there could be no mucking about. As I let my gelatin and stock mix brew cool, I cooked my sausages with surgical precision. The golden brown exterior of this cylindrical-shaped vessel of goodness was a marvel to admire.

I carefully arranged my chopped sausages and pickles into a bundt cake pan before I poured the liquid, shimmering with oil and unease, into my stained bowl and put it in the fridge. The tension was palpable as my knee rocketed up and down. Why was I doing this? Why choose to go where no Debate writer has gone before?

Racked with anxiety, the four hours I had to wait for my heinous dish to refrigerate passed. This dish was my Everest, and I must conquer it. I needed to get the perfect scoop - the triple threat of meat jelly, pickles, and sausage must come together on my tongue. A heaped spoonful entered my mouth, and the regret was instant. The texture was revolting and the flavour was much, much worse. There was no escaping the crunchy hot pickle, firm sausage, and meat jelly that dissolved over my tongue. Would I ever be able to get this taste out of my mouth? Yes. I instantly gagged and spat out this crime against humanity.

I had tried to keep an open mind, but sometimes you have to admit defeat. Guzzling water made little difference, but I found comfort in knowing it'd make for a funny article. Don't worry; there was no waste: my neighbour's dog, Oreo, a small papillon with the stomach of a lion, made short work of my leftovers.

What Do You Call An Apricot In Jail?

Apricots were incredibly popular in the 70s - par ticularly via apricot chicken. The dish became wide spread as the Lipton Company allegedly wanted another use for its packet soups. The fruit became pervasive in various savoury and sweet dishes.

Full disclosure: I chose this dish because I love whipped cream and wanted to eat something I might enjoy. A picture from the recipe I found online also made apricot creams seem delectable. Fruit and cream, what can go wrong?

My home needs a stand mixer. Only elbow grease and sweat were available to whip the cream. Within a minute, my arm was cramping up with shame. I had to call for help, and thankfully, Mother Giblin is an excellent cook and saved the day. All I had to do

the whipped cream.

Mixing the whipped cream was easy, but piping them onto the apricots and having them look like my photo reference was an infinite challenge. No matter how careful I was, the florets of whipped cream failed to look photogenic. Thankfully in the end, they tasted a lot better than they looked - but I'm really not cut out to be a pâtissier. I'll stick to buying overpriced deserts instead of making my own.

In Review

We all have dishes from childhood that we hated but had to eat or weren't allowed to leave the table - but maybe just be thankful that you didn't grow up in the 70s. Despite the bountiful plates of aspic, sausage cake, and cheeseburger pie, we would've starved.

My mum, who was around in the 70s, doesn't remember having jellied meat and pickles as a kid. Is this dish just an American thing, or is my mum suffering from dissociative amnesia? If I'd been served one of these 70s fad food trends for dinner as a child, I would've thrown a tantrum. On the flip side, I would've loved eating apricot creams while watching

. Sometimes, you have to experience the bad to learn to appreciate the good things in life.

“Within a minute, my arm was cramping up with shame. I had to call for help, and thankfully, Mother Giblin is an excellent cook and saved the day.”

Written by Thomas Giblin (he/they) @thegreengiblin Entertainment Editor

Illustration by Michelle Daniel (she/her) | @cielbhr

Contributing Illustrator

We seriously need to stop slee on the Nanaimo bar

Written by Brodie Hunter (he/him) |

Contributing Writer

Please put your hand up if you have ever even h absolutely underrated and in my opinion, greate dessert, the Nanaimo bar No one? That’s okayalone Most people I have asked haven't tried it shown them photos in case it goes by a differen nope, no dice!

The Nanaimo bar is a delicious dessert slice with biscuit base and custard filling, topped with choc my go-to dessert goodie since I grew teeth - I th my body is at least 50 percent Nanaimo bar and not ashamed of that.

If there is a higher power up there, I now believe me just so I can pass on this recipe to you all He this recipe without the long-winded personal sto life, and adversity that other bakers like to add to

1 cup butter, softened, divided

5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup flaked coconut

½ cup finely chopped almonds (Optional)

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons custard powder

2 cups confectioners' sugar

4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet baking chocolate

2 teaspoons butter

ttom layer: Melt a stick of butter, cocoa powder, a double boiler Beat in the egg Remove from mix in the crumbs, coconut, and nuts Press nto the pan

ddle layer: Beat a stick of butter, cream, and der. Mix in the icings’ sugar and spread the the bottom layer.

p layer and cut: Melt the chocolate and butter d spread over the chilled bars Let the et, then cut into squares Put in the fridge for 3 sets naimo

Tangaroa, atua o te moana, is present across pūrakau (Māori folklore/legends) as one of the many children of Papatūānuku and Ranginui, the sky father and earth mother (although details vary between different iwi). He is the god of the ocean and all sealife, and remains important today - from the longstanding fishing culture present across Aotearoa, to the trips across choppy oceans to reach Waiheke Island.

This is where Geneva AM’s newest release, ‘T(M)²I’ (pronounced ‘Tangaroa Made Me Ill'), originates. Songwriter and producer Geneva Alexander-Marsters (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa) tells stories of times early in her relationship, travelling to her partner across Tīkapa Moana/the Hauraki Gulf and feeling the hectic ocean beneath her reflect the whirlwind emotions of a new relationship.

‘T(M)²I’ is the second release of Geneva’s current solo project, after having spent six years in the trip-hop group SoccerPractise. Her first release, ‘IHO’, netted her a Student Radio Network Award for Te Tohu Puoro o te reo Māori (Favourite Song featuring te reo Māori), and ‘T(M)²I’ continues on that; the track has its primary version in te reo Māori, alongside a b-side iteration in te reo Pākehā (NZ English). Fresh off of the song’s release, I had a kōrero with Geneva about the origins of the waiata, why she created two versions, the music video, and more.

Liam:

Okay, so! Where did this song originate?

Geneva AM:

It started from the early days of me seeing my current partner, and commuting out to see him on Waiheke Island in the winter we got together. I'm not a boat person at the best of times, but there was one particular storm that even the locals thought was rough. Tangaroa, the sea god, can make the oceans convulse in such a violent way - you can start to just feel so small and insignificant. I started making the beat on my computer as a way to manage my anxiety at that moment, both from the storm and that initial stage of the relationship. I think the beat itself stemmed from a sort of Dracula theme, which you can hear the melody of in the outro.

Liam:

How about the lyrics?

Geneva AM:

Eh, it’s a bit cheesy - I was basically writing secret love poems for Mike, my partner, whenever he was out of the room. The poetry and the lyrics came together really well: when I eventually showed it to him, he was really flattered and encouraged me to release music again. I hadn't released

anything in a long time, though, so I marinated on it as my life continued - we moved in together, had a baby, and eventually I wrote and released ‘IHO’. ‘T(M)²I’ is almost like a prelude to that song.

Liam:

You mentioned how this is your return to music, after being a part of the group SoccerPractise. How has creating music as a solo artist differed from that set up?

Geneva AM:

Well, in a way I'm just continuing on what I learned from that band. We wrote a lot of songs about these negative aspects in our lives - anxiety, the housing crisis, et cetera - and I think I just wanted to start writing positive music as a type of manifestation. I think with everything that’s going on in the world right now, it's good to provide people with a sense of hope, or even just comfort. I thought ‘T(M)²I’ in particular would be good for people who may feel like they're undeserving of love, and wouldn’t experience true love again. It was written as I was coming out of a couple covid breakups, which are particularly gnarly. Everything came from a real strong vibe of “the world's ending, and I need to just focus on myself.”

Liam:

I mean, there’s so many parallels present in this song and its creation - the rocky seas you made it on, against the anxiety of the early relationship, for example. I feel like that’s also present in interpolating a Dracula-esque theme in such a chill beat - was that on purpose?

Geneva AM:

I mean, interpolation comes naturally to me - I was doing a lot of covers at weddings and stuff for 15, 20 years, which gave me so much time to learn how these classic songs came together and worked. I tried to emulate them in my own music - and here I was kind of copying the Dracula theme. However, it totally changed with the beat.

Liam:

It’s like a massive metaphor for that anxiety.

Geneva AM:

Yeah - you can have this tumultuous feeling inside of you, but on the surface, you're completely calm and operational. That’s turned up tenfold when you fall in love with someone: you're doing everything possible to not deter them from you, caring about every detail down to breathing differently around them. You just try your best to like, not outwardly show that you're crazy, but you kind of are - you're crazy about them.

Geneva AM on her new track, T(M)²I

Written by Liam Hansen (they/them) | @liamhanse.n | Editor

Liam:

Continuing on the point of parallels, ‘T(M)²I’ has versions in both te reo and English. Why did you want both versions to be out in the world?

Geneva AM:

Part of being bilingual is that you've got a foot in both worlds at all times. You're always thinking in both worlds, or interpreting things in both worlds. Initially, I did write this song in English - but when I was working on ‘IHO’, I had the opportunity to get in touch with a mātanga reo named Dr Tātare. I approached him about also translating this waiata for me in Māori - I had written my own translation, but I wanted to make sure it was correct. But because the song talks about the natural world, light, emotions -te reo Māori has many words for those concepts. The words that I had chosen in my translation contextually didn't make as much sense as what Dr Tātare suggested. That really made the song change for me, made it more real as it went through someone else and came back to me and this other form.

Liam:

Let’s talk about the music video for ‘T(M)²I’ you put together with Eddy Fifield. Part of this was shot while you were travelling in Japan, and it was partially inspired by Aftersun - which is funny, because in our office…

I adjust my laptop screen to show Geneva the massive Aftersun poster we have in the Debate office. She was very excited by this.

How did this film inspire the music video?

Geneva AM:

It was all through chance. We were visiting Japan, together as a family and to visit our friends - one of whom, Kingi being a photographer. At the back of my mind, I knew that I wanted to release this track, so I was kind of thinking of a way to make something in Japan, but I wasn't sure yet. Once we were on the plane over, and had gotten our baby to sleep, me and Mike realised this was our first moment in hours we were able to relax together after the stress of travelling. We both just pressed play at the same time and watched Aftersun together, as a plane date. I drew upon the found footage technique in the film to stimulate nostalgia, and I figured since we're about to make all of these memories together, we may as well try to film a bunch of stuff in Japan. Kingi had a Nikon Coolpix camera, I had an SD card in my wallet that fitted perfectly into it, and we were ready to go. We shot all this footage together, going into these different art museums, staying over on this island - it was just a really incredible trip in itself. To be able to, and then to immortalise it into this love song, and the music video was just such a perfect way to look back on that time of our lives.

You can stream ‘T(M)²I’ on all good streaming platforms, watch the music video on YouTube, and keep up to date with Geneva’s upcoming work at @geneva_am. I asked her if she had any final notes for the interview, and she said “Free Palestine”.

Photos by Ally Sua

The hotly-anticipated First Scene annual garage sale is happening on March 24th With Aotearoa's largest selection of costume and party props, their garage sale is a thrifter’s paradise Get there early, as people travel from all over Tāmaki Makaurau to dig through this goldmine

The Auckland Arts Festival 2024, Tāmaki Makaurau's premier festival of New Zealand and international arts, is held over 18 days from the 7th to the 24th of March There's something for everyone with an incredible range of events and performances, from theatre, music, dance, cabaret, kōrero and more You can also check out the free events if you're on a tight student budget

The mighty Wellington Phoenix return to Eden Park, against Sydney FC on the 16th of March The Round 21 fixture is crucial, with the Phoenix currently sitting atop the A-League, en route to winning the league for the first time They've never been beaten at Eden Park, but the Phoenix will still need all the support they can get This game is season-defining

If you fancy some luck of the Irish, celebrate this St Patrick's Day by joining in the celebrations On March 17th, a parade of green will make its way down Queen Street in the southern hemisphere's biggest St Patrick's Day celebration There'll also be an Irish music and dance Festival at Te Komititanga Square if you want to admire some traditional river dancing!

If you fancy a fun and cheap day out on Waiheke, check out Music in Parks the free all-ages party returns to the jewel of the Hauraki Gulf on the 16th of March The lineup of Ekko Park, Devon Welch, and Radio Rebelde will surely get you up on your feet!

The Odyssey Sensory Maze has reopened with a multi-million dollar refurbishment With 19 wild and wacky rooms ranging from an Egyptian pyramid to a Kiwi candy room, the Odyssey is an entertainment experience like no other Be sure to bookmark it for a fun date night Open now!

Maka Tāmaki *gig guide*

DUNGEON #13

March 14th

at Whammy Backroom With Vida, Hun Lynch, and Frau Alternative, art/noise

FREE GIG!

Pop The Tops! - A Top

Surgery Fundraiser

March 13th at The Wine Cellar

With BEING , Finn Johansson, Hannah Morrell, Jason Parker, & King James Drag, inide, pop $25 unwaged from under the radar

Puketiro Superhero (PALMY), Blue Dust Archive (USA) and Kraus

March 14th at The Audio Foundation

art rock, electronic, art pop $12 unwaged from under the radar

lerm werld 5

March 22nd at Neck Of The Woods

With Bella Claxton (aus), Keighto, Clay Louis, Oli Grace, and fireboy and water girl dance, trance, edm $16 unwaged from under the radar

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