CANTA ISSUE 6, 2024

C A N T A

WE SPEAK FOR THE TREES.

CANTALENDAR

24th May 22nd May

Tastemaker @ Space Academy, 8pm – 11pm

Friday Night Lights @ Ilam Fields, 6pm – 9pm

UC Voice Students Concert @ The Chamber Gallery, 2pm – 3pm

May 26th May 29th May 31st May 1st June

Mayhem @ Wolfbrook Arena, 6.30pm – 12.30am

Climate Mobility Public Lecture @ C1, 7pm – 8pm

Garage Sale @ The Court Theatre, 9am – 3pm

Crusaders vs. Moana Pasifika @ Apollo Projects Stadium, 7.05pm kick off

June 14th June 28th June 10th July 15th July

Matariki

King’s Birthday

Late Night Poetry Hour @ Little Andromeda, 9pm – 10.30pm

Dig the Gig Grand Final @ A Rolling Stone, 7pm Next Canta mag drop!

Editorial

You gotta sustain to be able

LAST ISSUE OF SEMESTER ONE! YEEHAW! The Canta team has been putting in the hard yards for you all this semester. It’s been tough, but wow, I can’t believe we are on issue six: our Sustainability Issue.

It’s an incredibly exciting issue with tons of great content from our writers. We also have our very first contributor artwork for the magazine – so make sure to chuck that centrefold on your wall like your life depends on it!

Sustainability means a lot of different things to people. I can imagine the first thing is the environment. The environment is a very important part of our life. We literally rely on it for our survival. But how can we, as very busy university students, help out the environment when we can barely take care of ourselves? Trust me, I feel that strongly – but some articles in this issue will help you out with that! Yay for our writers, am I right?

I want to talk about a different idea of sustainability – or about sustaining. How do we sustain ourselves as people while we are trying to navigate ourselves around this big, scary, and overwhelming world?

You need to be able to sustain yourself first, and then you are able to do good in the world. Taking time for yourself, away from university and extra commitments, is the best way to do this. It might sound obvious, but as humans, we do tend to stretch ourselves incredibly thin until we break, much like a rubber band.

Then we crash and burn out, need to take heaps of rest days, and repeat the entire cycle all over again. This isn’t healthy, but it’s the only way a lot of us have been taught to live day-to-day. ‘Work hard, play hard’ is

nuts when you need to sleep, socialise, and eat – and have a 6.0 GPA.

That is why, to be able to look after the things we have around us, we need to look after ourselves first. Don’t be afraid to take time out of your day to just sit. Not to doomscroll, but to just sit with your thoughts and feel. See what you need and how you can help yourself. Maybe think about what you want to make for dinner, or what you want to do after class. There’s no wrong answer. You can do whatever makes you feel happy and more fulfilled.

Now, am I literally being the biggest hypocrite right now? Oh yeah, absolutely. But you know what they say: if you write it down, it’ll happen. So not only am I holding all of you account to look after yourself, but also myself. So here we are.

Look after yourselves, especially with exam season coming up!

Your 2024 Managing Editor,

Hariklia Nicola

President's Piece

Oh hey, didn’t see you there! Welcome back to my little corner, where CANTA let me write about whatever I want. This week, I’ve been tasked with sustainability. So, just like last week, I shall start with a little story. One about a cat. A cat named Bentley. But wait, Luc, we’ve heard this story before I hear you say! Well yes, but this one takes a different turn. A turn into a change for the better, and a perception of change, all because of a cat named Bentley.

After Bentley won his first election, the UCSA had to put some measures in place to ensure that a cat couldn’t win again. Because although he was cute (and apparently very cuddly), the cat was probably not going to be a very good president. The UCSA has been around since 1894, which is a hell of a lot older than most of us. Its mission has always remained the same though, to be by students, for students. To offer unified representation at the University of Canterbury.

Warren Poh, the president back in 2006 said something to me recently that gave me a really good overview of the UCSA and our role as student representatives. He expressed how the UCSA emerged as the strongest student organisation in Australasia, after the elections shifted from running to use the UCSA as a political springboard, to helping represent a community of students. The UCSA since then has become an organisation of all backgrounds, boasting diversity and inclusiveness at its core. So over time, the UCSA shifted from political showoffs, to grounded students primarily concerned with the equitable representation above all else.

But what about the wider student body? What influenced the public’s perception of us? The earthquakes are a great example of what happened in this space. I like to think back to how the student volunteer army turned into an absolute powerhouse during this time. They organised huge clean ups and provided much needed aid to the city, and from this, a noticeable culture shift emerged on society’s perception of students. We weren’t just feral couch burners anymore. We weren’t snobby, stuck up, wannabe politicians either. We were people. We were seen as less of the two extremes of student life (the couch burners and the know it all’s), and more of what we actually were.

I think that over the years, the perception of students by the wider public will shift. As more and more people gain equitable access to tertiary education, that increase will translate into more members of the public actually understanding what it means to be a student. The struggles associated with cost of living, the struggles of exploring your youth, the struggles of taking on such an extensive education, the struggles of learning to be an independent adult, the struggles of those all smashed into one tiny period of your life?

Yeah, it’s a lot.

This isn’t a pity piece. It’s an acknowledgement of a shifting culture. A better world for us all. A generation that will bring the sustainability of tertiary education to light in the years to come.

But what does it matter? The world keeps turning and so does the burning. Does anybody really care? When you shout into the void and nothing comes back, does that mean it was all for nothing? Nah. Life is what you make of it. There are some people out there that think the world is out to get them and others that think that nobody even cares. It doesn’t matter what corner of the world you come from. What’s important is that you keep being you. That even if the void doesn’t call back, you do it because you want to. The world is your oyster as some would say, but I say the opposite. You are the oyster, let the world explore you. Stand up for what you believe in, but don’t forget to let the good stuff into you too!

And as always, stay fresh!

Luc

Tumuaki Piece

Mauri ora e te whānau,

This issue is about sustainability, but I want to talk about something slightly different.

Kaitiakitanga is something that sits near and dear to my heart. It is more than a word or an idea, it’s a practice, a philosophy, an obligation, and a way of being. Although it is often equated with or translated to sustainability, they are not the same thing.

There are several ways to understand kaitiakitanga. The most common one is guardianship, often in relation to the environment. Although that has a huge part to play, I find it to be a rather shallow reading of a much deeper idea.

I am far from proficient in Te Reo Māori but I’ll try to explain my understanding (sorry if I get it wrong). When you break the word down, you have tiaki at the centre. This can mean to guard, however it can also mean to nurture, care, look after, nurse, and conserve.

When you use kai as a prefix for a verb, it can mean that you’re talking about a person who’s doing that thing. Because kai can also mean food, I like to think of it as someone who gains sustenance from said activity, in a holistic sense which includes physical, emotional, spiritual, and more.

When you use tanga as a suffix, it can mean that you’re talking about the qualities that are derived from the base word. In this case, the qualities that are derived from someone who gains holistic sustenance by looking after, nurturing, caring, conserving, and guarding.

For those who are saying “Kiwa, that’s dense and confusing, what does that actually mean?”, don’t worry I hear you. Maybe some context is what’s needed.

Kaitiakitanga is not something that happens in isolation. At the start of my piece, I mentioned that kaitiakitanga is an obligation, this obligation comes from connection (whanaungatanga). This can apply to the connections that we have with one another, but in the context of sustainability, it also applies to the connection that we have with the environment.

In many Māori narratives there is a whakapapa (genealogical) link between people and nature. This means that we can perceive nature as a part of our family. UC’s very own Professor Carl Mika has written a fair amount about indigenous notions of holism. This idea extends beyond connection, which presupposes separation, towards the belief that all things exist as part of a greater whole. This means we could also perceive ourselves as one with nature and nature as one with ourselves.

This is why kaitiakitanga is near and dear to my heart. An old mentor of mine once said something along the lines of “Would you stand by and watch while someone threw stuff at your family? Would you join in? Then why would you watch people litter?”. This philosophy of care and connection is why we should all do what we can personally and beyond that, hold those who are doing the most damage to account. Many of the government’s recent actions, things like the Fast-track Approvals Bill, scare me. They scare me because it hurts to watch people prioritise profit over caring for the treasures that have been left by those who have come before. We need to, because future generations deserve to experience it as well.

You don’t have to think that a bird is your cousin to hope that it will always have a home to fly to. However, you do need to act, so that you and all those that come after, have the chance to look at it and think “Far, that’s pretty neat alright”.

Chur nui,

Kiwa Kahukura Denton (He/They)

Tumuaki o Te Akatoki

Canta News.

UCSA reprimands political club for apparent policy breaches – details of investigation still under wraps

Charlotte Thornton (she/her)

It’s been five months since anti-violence political club Thursdays in Black UC (TiBUC) received a formal complaint regarding an Instagram post. Two decisions and numerous emails later, their relationship with the University of Canterbury Students’ Association (UCSA) executive has “soured significantly”.

In the December 5 post, TiBUC called for a ceasefire in Gaza. This post included the phrase “from the river to the sea”.

They made another post the next day, which clarified their intentions behind their use of the phrase.

On December 19, TiBUC received a formal complaint. The UCSA began an investigation.

On February 8, the UCSA sent TiBUC a memo detailing their findings. The UCSA ruled that TiBUC had breached inclusion and equalityfocused sections of the Clubs Code of Conduct, the Affilliation Policy, and TiBUC’s own Constitution.

They considered TiBUC as “failing to acknowledge the complexities of the conflict and… the trauma also faced by Israeli and Jewish students”. The decision did not deem TiBUC’s research on Gaza to be thorough, and it said that TiBUC had not “considered all points of view”.

TiBUC’s use of “from the river to the sea” was found not to have breached the Clubs Code of Conduct clause on hate speech.

The outcome: a breach of the Clubs Code of Conduct was to be recorded, which rendered TiBUC ineligible for the Supreme Club Awards; for TiBUC to “be required to undertake education on the topic” before posting about Palestine again; and for TiBUC to ensure “all future posts have been thoroughly considered” to avoid further breaches.

TiBUC then sent the UCSA a response, which asked for clarification and reversal of the outcome.

This response was co-signed by groups in support of TiBUC, including other students’ associations and other UC clubs.

This included UC Climate Action Club (UC CAC), who contacted Canta to express support for TiBUC.

“It’s worrying that UCSA would abandon its legacy of embracing student political expression. It’s even more worrying that UCSA will stifle student activism for Palestine, when students worldwide are leading campus movements,” they said.

TiBUC’s questions to the UCSA went unanswered, but they received a second outcome on March 7 which replaced the first.

The policy breach findings remained, but the education requirement was gone and the UCSA Executive had chosen to override the automatic ineligibility for the Supreme Club Awards.

In response to questions from Canta, UCSA President Luc MacKay said, “We support all clubs’ rights to make political statements provided it is done so in accordance with the Clubs’ Code of Conduct.”

He said the UCSA take complaints “very seriously” and follow their Constitution and Clubs Code of Conduct. He said, “I cannot comment on the specifics of our thorough confidential investigation.”

TiBUC told Canta that they did not sign any confidentiality or nondisclosure agreements with the UCSA, and that to their knowledge, the only confidential information was the identity of the complainant.

Dr Jeremy Moses, Associate Professor in Political Science and International Relations at UC, was contacted by TiBUC in February

and encouraged them to write a response to the UCSA’s first outcome.

In addition, he and “between 10 and 15 other academics” wrote a letter in support of TiBUC, which said the decision would have an impact on academics and called on the UCSA to support their constituent clubs. It was added to evidence but later ruled “irrelevant”.

MacKay said that “no clubs have disaffiliated nor received any change in treatment throughout this process”. Nonetheless, clubs have been affected.

One of the newest clubs at UC, the Palestine Peace Society (PPSOC), expressed that the situation “has definitely made us aware of our speech”.

TiBUC have deleted both December posts, and “have taken a step back from posting anything vaguely political to protect our executive”.

While TiBUC’s behaviour has changed, their stance has not. “If anything, we have progressively felt more emboldened and strong on our position due to people coming up to [us] at events to express their support for us during this lengthy process.”

They added that some clubs have asked to see a copy of the UCSA’s outcomes to check what they’re able to post without penalty.

UC CAC told Canta that they believe the UCSA’s actions are “limiting the free expression of affiliated student clubs,” and that they have concerns for how climate activism might be treated in future.

PPSOC “stands in solidarity with TiB and fundamentally disagrees with the UCSA’s ruling”.

Moses said, “This decision reinforces that sense that you should be fearful about saying anything critical of Israel, or… repeating slogans in favor of Palestinians. That’s one of the consequences… it has that silencing effect.”

Activist John Minto, National Chair for the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa, called the ruling “unconscionable”.

“Where’s the question of sensitivity towards Palestinian students? […] Palestinians are demanding their freedom, and they have every right to demand it, and UCSA has no right to stand in their way,” Minto added.

MacKay was asked twice by Canta about why the situation has not appeared in any publicly available documents, but he did not provide an answer.

As of May 12, there is no record of this investigation on the UCSA’s website. The only available Executive Minutes document is for a February 26 meeting.

So Newshub is closing – the sustainability of Aotearoa news media

Heidi Slade (she/her)

Aotearoa media is in a state of drastic flux. As an onlooker to the changes in news, and as a student getting into debt for a qualification in media, I wanted to better understand how large-scale changes are affecting us, a cohort whose lives revolve around a regime of constantly-rotating content – but also what these changes mean for a democratic and free media.

Newshub’s closure was formally announced by Warner Bros. Discovery in April and resulted in almost 300 job losses. TVNZ is set to reduce its staff by up to 68, including the reduction of Re: News from ten employees to six.

Former RNZ reporter and UC Journalism lecturer Conan Young told Canta that while this is a challenging time, independent media remains crucial, and training multi-media journalists is a priority.

“If you didn’t have an independent media that was able to ask the tough questions of not just politicians but the heads of business, people in powerful positions, you’re opening yourself up to a lot of potential corruption or abuses of power.

“I would say this industry is going to remain important and remain vital. It’s just not going to look like what it looks like today,” he said.

Phoebe Utteridge, a Journalism student at UC, said the changes reflect society’s needs and feelings towards media.

“As well as being crucial for a healthy democracy, media helps people to make sense of the world and connect to one another.”

Fellow UC Journalism student Rosie Leishman said that while the changes can be frightening, it’s also an exciting time.

“The whole instability of doing this degree and not knowing what came next frightened me, because you put in all this hard work.”

“Our society have almost never been so reliant on media for information and stability when the world feels so chaotic and there is so much going on,” Leishman said.

Jazlyn, a Journalism student at Ara, agreed that a balanced, fair media is vital.

“Media, specifically journalism, plays a huge role in telling people’s stories and raising important issues,” she said.

Senior reporter for the Otago Daily Times (ODT) Bruce Munro has been in the biz for about 35 years and works in training new reporters – one of them being me.

Munro’s statements are opinion, not necessarily that of the ODT.

Munro said the state of Aotearoa news media provokes uncertainty, reflecting distrust in the media.

“News media has gone from the rail-end of a golden era, in which all news media did well, and television was the glamour child, to a period of crisis in which all news media are searching for the way ahead.”

Munro attributed this as being largely driven by the internet.

“It is not helped by the widespread confusion about the difference between social media and news media.

“There will always be a vital need for quality journalism. Our country, our liberal democracy, literally depends on it.”

In a moment of panic about the impending doom of news, I came across an article by freelancer Eda Tang considering ethnically diverse journalism within the downsizing of newsrooms and newsroom closures, and I knew I needed to speak with her when constructing this article.

“A newsroom is a place that should reflect the broader public and that should include a place for difference,” she said.

“If everyone in a mainstream newsroom came from a similar upbringing and shared the same views, then the narratives coming out of that newsroom wouldn’t reflect the lived realities of people.”

She said that every outlet “should have a section in its charter that outlines its obligations to diversity and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. My view is that these aren’t met so long as Māori, Pasifika and tauiwi POC continue to have to be educators in their space.”

Evidently, to work effectively in news media in Aotearoa, I must be determined, ethical, conscious, and passionate about producing content which is entirely representative. While that industry is changing and always will be, news and our collective interactions with content will always be vitally important.

Sustaining Sustainability Sustaining Sustainability

Content warning: Mentions of deaths from the Bhopal incident in India.

The most crucial aspect of sustainability is the education of our youth, particularly the role of educators. If the oldies aren’t gonna do it, it’s up to the younger generation to make a change. But how can we implement this into our professional futures?

At the University of Canterbury, three dedicated lecturers are quietly championing the integration of sustainability principles into their teaching – providing a sustainable lens for their students heading into the work force.

Dr Daniel Holland, the Head of the Chemical and Process Engineering department, explores the realm of chemicals through a sustainability approach. He notes that students are increasingly drawn to the course by their passion for environmental stewardship, rather than solely financial motivations like back in the day.

While talking to high school students about the degree, Morrison used a shower as an example to illustrate how their studies can work out how daily activities can impact CO2 emissions. He explained that a 10-minute shower could produce a significant amount of emissions over a year. By reducing shower time to three minutes and using watersaving showerheads, emissions could be greatly reduced to a quarter of what they were.

Holland recognises that Chemical and Process Engineering has historically overlooked sustainability, contributing to significant harm – such as the Bhopal incident in India, which killed 3,800 people.

He continued, “But that also means we’re ideally placed to be able to address the problems because it means that we also have all the tools in place to deal with things in large quantities.”

While the courses in this discipline don’t explicitly teach sustainable practices, Holland explained that they’re teaching students about how they can help develop processes to be more sustainable.

“They’re very good at being able to recognise that different bits of it will all interact with each other. And so if you make this bit more efficient, it might actually make it another part of the process less efficient,” he said.

When Holland was a student, sustainability was “nowhere near as important as it is now,” he said. “It was more about how to do something as efficiently as possible.”

Over the past two decades, Holland has noticed a shift in the aspirations of these engineers toward addressing major global challenges related to food, water, and energy.

“As a world, we need to be able to address all of these things. And the only way we can do it, because of the scale of the problem, is to use some other techniques that that were born out of Chemical and Process Engineering.”

When asked if they could be more sustainable in their practices at the University, Holland addressed how for their experiments, they have to learn how to heat up materials, which became very wasteful in the past due to heating large quantities of water and draining it away. Now, they can recirculate the water. But he made an interesting point that seemed to continue across all of these lecturers.

“Although that was wasteful, and it was a good thing to address, it’s a tiny impact on the world. And the decisions that the students make are actually going to be far more important than anything that we can do within the programme itself.”

Sharing this ‘big picture’ mindset is Dr Ali Reza Nazmi from the School of Product Design. When discussing plastic, the youth of today, and awareness of these issues, Nazmi echoed similar educational and personal sentiments from a scientific perspective.

“I noticed that actually, none of these scientific, amazing innovations that we come up with can do any real effect on the world, until you work with, people in law and people in policy to actually make it possible and make these things to push forward.”

Nazmi, a Senior Lecturer of Chemical Formulation design, is known for his expertise and research on sustainability. He specialises in waste valorisation: the process of reusing, recycling, or composting waste materials, converting them into more useful products, including materials, chemicals, fuels, and other sources of energy.

The School of Product Design is fresh on the scene. It’s six years old, to be exact, so Nazmi uses his interest in

Sustaining Sustainability Sustaining Sustainability

sustainability to morph the study scape into an environmentfocused design space.

“Basically, to help find that added value to waste that we normally chuck away.”

Nazmi redesigned the foundations of the degree to focus on using biowaste, due to Aotearoa’s mass output of the organic matter. He advocates for solutions that add genuine value without causing further environmental harm.

With Sustainable is Attainable, a research project focusing on waste reduction, Nazmi was able work with companies that were producing a lot of waste that would usually keep quite confidential what they do with it.

“Fortunately, there is willingness now more than before in a lot of industries to actually do something positive… they have to spend money to send their waste to landfills. So instead of spending money, they can give it to us for free. And the product might even at one point, if it’s scalable, might even bring them benefits.”

He explained the third-year project for those in his course, where the students design a product using components from biowaste of their choice. Despite the course not initially having sustainability as the focus, Nazmi believes the students do really appreciate it, proving that his interest has had a domino effect.

“I think, both I’m learning and they are learning. The focus is not to make a perfect product with branding and everything, the focus is actually on the sustainability.”

Working just down the corridor from Nazmi is Dr Hossein Najaf Zadeh, a fellow Product Design lecturer, but in the field of Industrial Product Design.

Nazmi and Zadeh collaborate on a project called the “Dragon’s Den”, where students from both the Industrial and Chemical Formulation fields create products from waste materials and compete for a $5,000 cash prize.

The 2023 winner created an edible paint from grain extractions, perfect for children.

Zadeh is passionate about embedding sustainability into education. He champions the circular economy, where

materials are reused or recycled to minimise waste.

“We try to make sure that we generate less waste material, we collaborate with each other, the staff, academics, technical staff, to make sure that we use renewable sources of materials, and also recycle our own material here.”

Using systems like reusing, re-engineering, refurbishment, and recycling, this course uses material like hard hats and up-cycles them into pieces of furniture.

“It’s not just an idea to transfer this material waste material to a product. We want something functional and useful,” said Zadeh.

Zadeh reached out to Sustainable Network, an organisation which helps make businesses more sustainable. He asked the organisation to design challenges for companies regarding their waste materials, which often end up in landfills. These materials are then assigned to students, who research them, their sources, and their supply chains. Using this information, the students generate ideas and processes to create new products from the waste materials.

But as Zadeh said, “You’ve always got room to improve, right?”

Whilst discussing what they could improve on, he acknowledged their use of laser cutters and 3D printers. “But we are working on it,” he said.

Industrial Product Design uses a lot of 3D printing for prototypes, which uses PLA, a biodegradable material which needs industrial facilities to biodegrade.

This year, collaborating with the Faculty of Engineering, they’ve secured the budget to buy a machine which can recycle the printings up to five times.

Zadeh believes sustainability is taken very seriously at the University of Canterbury, but evidently, there’s always more that can be done. But who better to keep the ball rolling than our educators?

“We are not just claiming that sustainability is really good thing. We show that in practice.”

Elsie Williams (she/her)

When you think of ‘environment’ and ‘sustainability’, what comes to mind? You may envision the state of our climate, ocean pollution, or transport emissions. Regardless of where your thoughts lead you, or the steps you take as an individual to enhance or prevent further harm to the environment, one constant remains across all groups of people. There is a tendency to assign blame. The question is: who is truly responsible for our current state, and what are the next steps?

Kate Gislason, founder of Without Waste NZ, shared her thoughts on attributing blame, particularly regarding plastics. She said that it’s a combination of consumers and manufacturers.

“The plastics industry has a lot of responsibility, and consumers underestimate how much power they have. If there is no option for the consumers, that’s where a topdown approach is necessary,” said Gislason.

It isn’t uncommon for the impact of consumerism and public contributions to be placed at the centre of environmental debates, but it doesn’t deter from how detrimental massive corporations are overall.

“Blaming consumers and the public entirely for sustainability issues isn’t fair or productive. While individual choices matter, systemic changes and corporation responsibility also play significant roles,” said Harriet Dodd, a Social and Environmental Sustainability student at the University of Canterbury.

Another Sustainability student, who wished to remain anonymous, shared similar thoughts when asked about attributing blame.

“Looking at Aotearoa, I believe the government, and larger corporations, hold a lot of responsibility and are not pulling their weight regarding environmental issues, as with the lack of education… There is currently not enough education and support for individuals and communities on consuming and recycling, which needs to change.”

In April, an international survey revealed that fewer than 60 multinational corporations are accountable for over half of the world’s plastic pollution. This can be traced back to brands adopting harmful packaging practices, leading to a significant amount of single-use plastics waste. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are among the worst offenders.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, there’s a passionate network of people working towards limiting waste and finding environmentally-friendly measures of getting rid of rubbish. Gislason, who also serves as a Sustainability Engagement Lead for EcoCentral – a processing company responsible for Waitaha Canterbury’s recycling and waste – regards Canterbury landfills as some of the best she’s ever seen.

“I have been to Kate Valley Landfill… it is extremely clean. You go to it and the odour is minimal, considering how much waste is piled up there,” said Gislason. “They get power from it. They are utilising every aspect of the landfill that they can.”

“The quality of recyclables that we are achieving in Christchurch is world-class. We sorted bales of individual materials that are 99.8% clean. That is .2% contamination in bales,” said Gislason. Referring to EcoCentral’s EcoSort facility, she said, “There is not a lot of improvement you can do from that.”

Gislason applauds the Ministry for the Environment Manatū Mō Te Taiao for putting out very ambitious goals without sufficient help from the wider government. While it’s helpful to understand why blame is being attributed to certain groups, it’s important to investigate the broader issues that contribute to environmental problems.

One of these issues is the lack of education on waste disposal and management. While the younger population is becoming increasingly informed on environmental challenges in Aotearoa, there should be a greater emphasis on encouraging adults to seek further knowledge.

This deficiency in education has resulted in obliviousness. EcoCentral’s EcoDrop Resource Recovery Centres allow most items to be dropped off for free, making it a highly recommended place to visit. However, many people are unaware that they can unload mixed items such as batteries and scrap metal.

“If we don’t understand the extent of the problem, we cannot change it,” said Gislason.

As well as a lack of education, there is also wish-cycling. Wish-cycling refers to the phenomenon of putting things in the recycling bin and hoping they will get recycled, even if that is not the case. Done by households and organisations alike, this contributes to rise in contamination levels and

Consumers vs. The Blame

vs. Corporations Blame Game.

makes it harder for places like EcoCentral’s EcoSort facility to comb through their recyclables.

An increase in landfill levies has also been implemented over the last few years, which can lead to fly-tipping: the illegal dumping of waste or rubbish in an unauthorised area.

Another recent issue for in the waste industry in Ōtautahi Christchurch is concern around per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS – dubbed “forever chemicals”. PFAS consists of a man-made carbon-fluorine bond that is not naturally occurring and has a non-stick coating that is quite invisible. Exposure has been linked to a growing list of problems, including risks around cancer and infertility.

Gislason said that PFAS is “basically an invisible killer. If it gets into compost, we’re essentially growing our food in toxins that have been linked to serious health concerns, such as cancer.”

“Especially in the waste industry that focuses on events, this may be a big issue.”

Gislason notes how PFAS testing needs to be ramped up, and that the Government is not actively doing this.

On the positive side: compostable packaging company Glopac stands out for the work that they are doing to eliminate this harm. Their paper packaging supplier is organically approved for compostable plastic, free of polylactic acid – PLA, and PFAS-free packaging.

I reached out to Chris Thomson, founder of Glopac, to learn more.

Thomson has been outspoken in his thoughts on this topic. His knowledge of environmentally-friendly packaging suggests that the next step – or the current step, in Glopac’s case – is to completely remove packaging containing PLA and PFAS. Specifically referring to the latter, he is convinced that it is not required.

“Now the world is asking questions about what’s in it. [PFAS is] causing cancer and infertility in a very quick way,” said Thomson.

A lot of companies in Aotearoa do not have testing for PFAS on their agenda, as Thomson explicitly stated that the packaging used by many venues is non-compostable.

“All the stuff they’ve got is all going to go to landfill,” said Thomson.

When it comes to attributing blame, Thomson believes it’s unfair to blame consumers, and he is hell-bent on manufacturers and disturbers being at the centre of the issue. “That’s putting the blame onto someone else, and then turning around and carrying on… someone is at the forefront. The blame starts right there.”

When referring to his products, which include both paper coffee cups and microwavable and oven-friendly boxes that are PLA and PFAS-free, Thomson argued that Aotearoa was not yet ready to see this kind of sustainability revolution when he founded his business years ago.

“We brought a product to the country before the country was ready for it,” said Thomson.

It is important to note that elsewhere in the world, bills are being put in place to ban the use of “forever chemicals” like PFAS by 2025 – including in New York. Aotearoa might want to jump on that bandwagon if we wish to make a change.

For those seeking further insight, Gislason and Thomson both recommended the 2019 legal thriller film Dark Waters, which presents a dramatised yet alarmingly relevant portrayal of chemical manufacturing and contamination.

While it isn’t fair to dump all the blame on any one person, group, or organisation, in the long run, it is about working together – to mitigate these negative effects and eliminate issues by implementing the necessary changes.

“Looking ahead, our vision for a sustainable Christchurch and Aotearoa should be comprehensive, encompassing environmental, social, and economic aspects,” said Dodd.

“The collective effort of government, businesses, communities, and individuals will pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient future.”

Caring for Aotearoa is our collective responsibility, but blaming consumers left and right without plausible reasoning will get us nowhere. We should tackle the issue together.

Olivia Welsh (she/her)

Kaitiakitanga Caring for the

Kaitiakitanga is a term we should all, hopefully, be aware of by now. Especially because one of our values at UC is tiakitanga: “He kaitiaki tātou katoa, we will enhance and nurture our resources.” I hope the term kaitiakitanga is familiar to us all as UC students, and that we at least have an idea of what the value means.

In Te Ao Māori, humans, and the whenua (land) are one. This is because we belong to the whenua, rather than the whenua belonging to us.

Therefore, our identity is our environment and we whakapapa to the whenua, which means we are connected to the whenua.

In my iwi, Ngāti Porou, our tipuna (ancestor) Paikea transformed himself into a tohorā (whale). Through this, he established our connection between ourselves and nature. We understand that whenua and moana have mauri (life essence) – therefore it’s essential for us to treat the whenua and moana as such.

This affects how we view the whenua, as in Te Ao Māori we only take from the whenua what we need, and we give back to the whenua. This is because we aim to leave the whenua in the best condition for our future generations to thrive.

In Te Ao Māori every iwi and hapū are kaitiaki (guardians) over their tribunal boundaries, and the environment that lies within those boundaries.

Kaitiakitanga is a core value in Te Ao Māori. Kaitiakitanga is defined simply as guardianship and protection.

In the Resource Management Act 1991, the Government defined kaitiakitanga as “The exercise of guardianship; in relation to a resource, includes the ethic of stewardship based on the nature of the resource itself.”

In a 2000 paper, academic Merata Kawharu (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi) wrote, “Kaitiakitanga should not be defined only as ‘guardianship’ … but also resource management.”

These definitions are all valid and communicate the concept of kaitiakitanga.

An example of kaitiakitanga is that Māori only trap birds during the right times of the year – which mean they do not trap birds when they are breeding. If Māori were to continue to hunt birds all year round, it would negatively affect the balance of the ecosystem.

Because the climate is different throughout Aotearoa – for example, Te Waipounamu the South Island is colder than Te Ika-a-Māui the North Island – the environment will need to be looked after differently. Therefore, iwi have their own forms of kaitiakitanga which are relevant to their whenua within their tribunal boundaries.

However, the basic principles of kaitiakitanga are the same across Aotearoa. For example, iwi will take over all resources.

In relation to sustainability, kaitiakitanga is a core value that we can utilise to ensure our environment is properly managed and protected.

Kaitiakitanga is in action in the contemporary era – many organisations throughout Aotearoa have kaitiakitanga as a core value, in all different sectors. It was even one of the values at my high school, which in my opinion is kind of random.

Amongst iwi, kaitiakitanga is a core value that iwi uphold. Let’s take a look at its role for Ngāi Tahu.

The whakataukī (proverb) for Ngāi Tahi businesses is “mō tatou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei” (for us and our children after us) – according to the Ngāi Tahu website.

This relates to sustainable practice in the management of resources and the protection of the environment so they can sustain health living from the whenua for many years.

An example is Ngāi Tahu’s relationship with pounamu. Ngāi Tahu are the kaitiaki (guardian) of pounamu resources in Te Waipounamu the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Kaitiakitanga

the Whenua

This means they are the supplier of Te Waipounamu pounamu to the commercial pounamu industry.

As a result, they have developed a resource management plan that allows for the protection of pounamu in a way that is sustainable and responsible.

Ngāi Tahu protects pounamu by placing restrictions on fossicking and collection. Fossicking of pounamu is allowed on the beaches of Te Tai o Poutini the West Coast. A person is only allowed to take as much as they can carry on their person, or in a backpack, within a 24-hour period.

Ngāi Tahu also place restrictions on collection, which can be permanent or temporary. These are put in place to protect pounamu and to make sure there is pounamu for future generations.

Another example of Ngāi Tahu kaitiakitanga is Ngāi Tahu Seafood, which manages the fisheries settlement assets owned by Ngāi Tahu Fishers Settlement Ltd.

Ngāi Tahu Seafoods invests in the sustainable management of fisheries and works closely with the Ministry of Primary Industries to ensure fish stocks are well-managed, making sure that quotas reflect availability and that they are not taking more than is sustainable.

Ngāi Tahu also use fishers whose families have been fishing for generations. Therefore, they are guided by the principles of kaitiakitanga that have been known to them for decades.

Māori, as a collective, have influence over sustainability within the fishing sector. This is because Māori have a 50% stake in the company Sealord, a market leader in frozen fish and ambient seafood.

According to the New Zealand Environment Guide, “57 iwi groups collectively maintain the largest single commercial interest in the country’s fisheries.”

As such, Māori across Aotearoa can make sure that fishing is

sustainable by applying the principles of kaitiakitanga in their fishing practices – as seen in Ngāi Tahu.

This can also be seen in the way Ngāti Porou operates their seafood groups. Ngāti Porou owns their own brand of smoked fish products, Ahia, which is sold throughout Aotearoa.

To stay sustainable, they have switched the packaging of some of their products from plastic to glass.

On the Ngāti Porou website, they have written that they made this decision “because it was the right thing to do, not the easiest thing to do.” Ngāti Porou acknowledged that plastics are harmful to our environment – therefore they made the change to reduce harm. Disregarding whether it would be easy, they did it because the environment needs to be protected.

Ngāti Porou, through their treaty settlement in 2010, have “dual authority” with the Crown over conservation within their whenua boundaries around Tairāwhiti Gisborne.

Here, they reassert kaitiakitanga in the conservation of their whenua, which is important as Ngāti Porou are the kaitiaki over their tribal boundary.

Their mātauranga-a-iwi (our tribunal knowledge system) is built into their environment. Therefore, they know better than anyone else the right way to go about conversation of the whenua, as they have been learning for a very long time on how to take care of their whenua.

Through the principles of kaitiakitanga we can live off the whenua sustainably and we can help to protect our environment.

Maia Aramakutu (Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou, she/her)

Effortlessly Effortlessly

Elsie Williams (she/her)

Frustrated by the seemingly infinite amount of waste created in the cosmetics industry, one bright-eyed UC student decided to abolish the use of plastics in her bathroom essentials and create a product that would change her life. Brianne West: founder of the incredibly successful beauty brand Ethique.

West saw a gap in the market that could make some real change in the world. So with sustainability in mind, West used her chemistry skills to design eco-friendly beauty bars that are now sold in 22 countries.

West’s passion for protecting and restoring the environment has always been there – she attributes it to her lifelong obsession with animals.

“I think our planet is just the most awe-inspiring, incredible place, not to mention the only place we have to live, so if anything, I find it odd more people don’t think like I do!”

Never in her “wildest dreams” did she think she’d run a cosmetic company. So, strangely enough, her business wasn’t spawned out of a love for cosmetics – rather, a distaste for their effects.

“I don’t really care about cosmetics. I love the chemistry, love the creativity, but the cosmetic world isn’t one I am excited by.”

West was just like every other student: broke, $100 left in the bank, trying to do her best. And yet she still was as sustainable as possible, which included being stubborn when it came to only buying free range eggs.

“That was the hill I chose to die on whilst flatting.”

But West made a good point: ultimately, sustainability isn’t expensive.

“I can see people raising their eyebrows whilst reading this. But it isn’t, because it’s about buying less, only buying what you need.”

Dreams as a student can seem far-fetched when battling sickness and supermarket prices, but it’s reassuring to know that West’s younger self wouldn’t believe she would be this successful either.

“I suppose my 20-year-old self would be quite surprised I started a company in my kitchen whilst still a university student, then sold it for almost $100 million ten years later… Didn’t see that coming!”

Turning $100 into $100 million is an accomplishment not many can say they’ve achieved, but it’s something most people dream of. So how did she do it?

“I was 24 and studying towards a science degree in 2012, when I reached the logical conclusion that with so much water found in our bathrooms, there’s no need to add it to the likes of shampoo, conditioners, moisturisers, household cleaners, and cosmetics, which are usually 60-95% water.”

By making these products solid, and simply sending the active ingredients to her customers, there was no longer a need for plastic containers.

West keeps it real: there really is “no such thing” as a sustainable business.

“I live by the idea of ‘net positive’ [Which] [s]imply means doing more good than bad.”

For her, that meant implementing a fair supply chain, plastic-free packaging, paying employees at least living wage, working towards net zero, and not using palm oil.

“That was a nightmare of a decision financially and logistically, but the right one for the environment… I’m a pushover who hates confrontation… except when it’s defending a value or principle I believe is the right one.”

She implements her values in her new business, Incrediballs: compact concentrated balls of flavour with delicious ingredients.

“All you do is drop one in a glass or bottle of water – still, or sparkling, hot or cold – and drink up,” is the summary on the Incrediballs website.

Competing with companies that greenwash annoys West, especially when they use “anti-science BS rhetoric to sell.”

Before stepping down as CEO in April 2023, West led Ethique with a science-first, marketing-second viewpoint, giving them an edge in their communications as their customers could trust them.

Her University of Canterbury science degree taught her how to analyse data and think critically, which helped with both sustainability and business. But on top of this, UC’s entire programme jumpstarted her very bright career as a scientist and businesswoman.

“Who knows where I would be without that!”

Not all of us have the brainpower or mana to start up a multimilliondollar company that promotes and executes spectacular sustainability, but we can all be more sustainable.

“Everyone has a responsibility to make the world a better place right – we are kaitiaki [guardians] of this beautiful place and should act as such.”

“That is not to say we need to be perfect – there is no such thing as a perfect environmentalist, and we need everyone doing what they can however they can.”

West keeps it simple for the people with the power to make a change: students.

“As students, you are in the perfect position to think about the impact you want to have on the planet, on the people and other creatures on it. Don’t rush to make decisions, learn what you want to, follow your passions, and hey, if you want to start a business, go for it.”

That’s the Plan

Rosie Leishman (she/her)

As more people fill the planet, there’s a growing demand to make room for human beings to be able to thrive. This is why we need cities to save us.

Cities are rapidly expanding and evolving as society shifts towards urbanisation. As we crowd into urban spaces, we’re getting closer to one another, surrounding ourselves with people doing exciting things and consequently improving society. This is because in cities, people generally live lower-impact lifestyles, using fewer resources, less water, and less carbon.

However, this is only achieved when cities are meticulously planned to allow humans to flourish.

Urban growth can be a negative thing. It can lead to pollution, traffic gridlock, sprawl, and concrete jungles which can make conditions unhealthy and uninspiring.

But urban growth can be a positive thing. With tree-lined boulevards, efficient transport, people-friendly areas, thriving shops, venues, and housing within walking distance of the things needed to live a good life.

The difference is up to urban planners and designers.

Niko Elsen is an urban planner and designer for Eke Panuku, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s urban regeneration agency.

“My day-to-day job is spent collaborating with ‘urban professionals’ like architects, engineers, politicians, community members, and our mana whenua partners, to create amazing public spaces and opportunities,” said Elsen.

Urban planners work with words – the law, regulations, and codes –in communicating how to shape and shift urban spaces.

Urban design is more creative. Designers act as urban architects to dream and visually articulate plans, to make city environments equitable, beautiful, performative, and sustainable.

Elsen entered the profession for cultural, social, and environmental sustainability.

“Sustainability can feel quite ‘doom and gloom’. It’s hard to see how things can get better.” However, Elsen was inspired by cities, and “got excited about the opportunities to change cities for the better.”

Urbanism can solve some of the world’s biggest issues: housing affordability, population problems, climate solutions, even simply creating good lives by solving social and community matters.

Mana whenua plays a huge part in urban design, with good cities reflecting mana whenua aspirations, purākau, and holding a sense of identity in the built environment.

“You can create real messes if you don’t do cities right. So much of the pollution contributing to climate change comes from doing cities poorly,” said Elsen. “If you do them better, you can start to solve these things.”

Well-managed urban growth can be found in Copenhagen and Singapore, who have much smaller environmental impact than sprawled cities like Los Angeles or Perth.

Aotearoa seems to lose sight of the opportunities in urban spaces, always trailing behind cities overseas.

“People wrongly think it’s because we don’t have the population but

that’s a misconception… it’s actually about the designs, decisionmaking, the politics, and quality urban planning,” Elsen explained.

“When cities are done well, they are arguably mankind’s greatest invention.”

Ōtautahi’s city centre has revived and rebuilt itself post-earthquake, but only through extensive planning and lots of patience.

Urban designer Nicola Williams first moved to Ōtautahi after the earthquakes. Williams ended up falling in love with Christchurch and its people.

Williams believes that urban planning improves the well-being and livability of natural systems, for residents, and businesses, while strengthening how we adapt to climate change.

“Ōtautahi has embarked on this urbanisation process really well after the earthquakes, by balancing the top-down decisions with a grassroots approach to trialing temporary initiatives,” said Williams.

For the rebuild, Ngāi Tahu, Christchurch City Council, Ōtākaro Limited, and the Government collaborated on a new urban plan. Williams described the focus as creating accessible, sunlit streets, and improving access to the awa to encourage higher quality of life in the CBD.

However, the biggest challenge in the field is time.

Planning requires patience with the process – often a 20-to-30year timeframe. “Sometimes it takes longer to plan and design something than to build it. The building is the easy bit,” laughed Elsen, who said plans he worked on more than five years ago have only just started construction.

Urban planning and sustainability are intrinsically related, with efficiently urban-designed spaces providing safe places for people to escape climate change.

“Not only does good city shaping improve ecosystem sustainability, but also lifestyle and economic sustainability,” said Williams.

Elsen agreed that “sustainable land use and planning measures help cities avoid and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the effects of climate change, and promote spatial equity.”

“The urban planning decisions made today will have a major impact on the carbon emissions, resilience, and quality of life of tomorrow.” So what’s our urban plan?

According to Elsen, the future of Aotearoa cities is bright.

As a young nation, we have a deep capacity for change, opportunity, and improvement. The hope is to inspire the community to thrive: through beautiful tree-lined streets, affordable housing, highfrequency transport, and spaces to walk or cycle.

Williams, who works for Christchurch City Council, mentioned the Greater Christchurch Partnership, who developed Ōtautahi’s first spatial plan for growth over the next 20 years.

It includes a proposed Mass Rapid Transport system, where people can move quickly and reliably on transport. This initiative will help achieve aspirations for a functioning, sustainable city that’s safe, resilient, healthy, and enjoyable.

“The revitalisation of Christchurch’s city centre will only continue to grow in energy,” said Elsen. “This kind of urbanism is an unstoppable force.”

Consumed

byConsumption Consumption Consumed

In our capitalist society, we are constantly encouraged to buy, buy, buy, consume, consume, consume. It’s something that feels inescapable, from social media to constant advertisement being thrown at you. Every day, we are told to consume.

We need to consume to live, but constant consumption – and overconsumption – can have some detrimental effects on our environment. This is because consumption encourages production, and creates waste, which negatively affects our pollution levels and all aspects of the environment.

Consumption, sometimes, is just not sustainable.

Therefore, in the spirit of Canta’s Sustainability Issue, we’ll look at the consumption habits of a sample of UC students. This data was taken from a survey I wrote, which was posted to Canta’s Instagram story (@cantaiscool).

Because we’re constantly bombarded with products, and, well, everything costs money, we can find ourselves buying products that aren’t a necessity.

How often do you buy new clothes?

Weekly

Monthly

Twice a year

Yearly

Never

45.1% of respondents identified that they buy items they don’t need monthly, with 24.4% responding that they do so weekly. When asked what these unnecessary purchases were, a vast majority of these students responded with various food items: “Takeaways”, “Little sweet treats”, “caffeine”, and “Copper kettle BBQ chips go so hard”.

Some of the other recurring items were “skincare”, “room décor”, “shoes”, “alcohol”, “makeup”, “collectibles/toys”, and “clothing”. Clothing was the second-most frequently mentioned item. In a conversation about consumption, clothing is an important topic of discussion.

Why? Well, because of fast fashion. Fast fashion companies mass-produce clothing at a low cost to keep up with popular trends. The low cost of these clothing items often make them low-quality, and most of the time, they don’t last very long.

The goal of many fast fashion companies is to get individuals to buy, buy, buy, like most business. We asked students how often they buy new clothes.

Maia Aramakutu (Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou, she/her)

How often do you buy something you don’t necessarily need?

47.6% said they buy clothes monthly, and 36.6% buy new clothes twice a year. Clothing was not just a common response to the question “What are examples of stuff you buy that you don’t need?”; it also came up frequently as an answer to “What [on-trend item] have you bought and has it been useful?”

“Outfits from places like Shein for night out in first year - regrets!” said a respondent. “All [of the clothes] don’t last and haven’t really worn more than once.”

This response perfectly sums up the issue with clothing consumption of fast fashion: it’s not made to last. These clothes are not just a waste of money –they’re also horrible for the environment.

One of the key reasons behind fashion overconsumption, other than clothes constantly falling apart, is social media. With trends cycling every week, it feels like things are constantly changing and it’s hard to keep up.

We asked students if they buy items based on what’s trending online. Contrary to popular narratives regarding overconsumption, many of our student respondents –43.9% – responded “No”. 32% selected “Yes, but only if it’s something I actually need”. Only 3.7% of students responded “Yes”.

This is an interesting response, since it’s common to hear is that some of the harms of social media are the encouragement of consumption and the romanticisation of overconsumption. Another narrative is that social media will influence you to buy things you don’t need and which aren’t useful. However, many students said that they found what they bought based on a trend to be useful.

Some of the responses to “What have you bought and has it been useful?” were: “Brought a hydro flask because everyone has one and it has been very useful at keeping me hydrated daily,” “Noise cancelling earphones –lifesaver in the library,” and “Apple products”.

Finally, in a discussion about overconsumption, it’s important to identify waste. Waste is one of the main contributors to environmental issues.

How often do you throw out or donate owned items? (e.g. clothing, furniture, storage items etc)

Weekly

Monthly

Twice a year

Yearly

Never

How often do you replace household or personal items?

As soon as an item breaks

When I find something I like better

Once the item is unusable

Once it’s old (still usable)

Never

It’s evident from these graphs that the majority of these UC students have made conscious decisions around waste. 51.2% replace household or personal items when they are completely unusable, and about half of respondents throw out or donate items around twice a year.

These decisions can be seen as environmentally aware, as students aren’t just replacing and disposing of items constantly. They are doing it sparingly. Obviously, it would be basically impossible to never get rid of items that we own; items break, or stop working, we grow out of clothing, and things need to be replaced. But in terms of sustainability, it’s important to make conscious decisions around disposing items.

I’d like to offer a reminder to make conscious decisions when consuming products. This planet is the only planet we have, so we need to try and preserve it.

How many reusable water bottles do you own?

One

Two

More than three

None

Cantabury Tales

Welcome to a new column where we respond to a tale submitted by one of you and attempt to give advice. Want us to respond to your tale? Email us at editor@canta.co.nz.

Dear Canta,

I am so overwhelmed at the moment it’s not funny. It’s my first year of uni and the break wasn’t even a break and I am swamped with assignments and get no breaks and it just isn’t as fun anymore. I don’t really have the motivation to get me through. And is mid-sem break even a break? or is it a scam too?

From, Swamped

Dear Swamped,

University can be so overwhelming, especially in first year. The second term is always sluggish, and losing motivation happens to most of us.

But fear not! Although the mid-semester ‘breaks’ are a scam – unless you have a nice lecturer – the mid-year break is actually a break from university!

Why? Because you’ll have no work to do, unless you’re doing a fullyear paper. Lecturers can’t give you assignments for courses that you have finished or haven’t even started yet.

Although not all of us get a proper break due to work and life, the mid-year break takes out the added stress of university work. It can be a nice break from overworking your brain, spending all your time studying, and constantly having deadlines to be stressed about.

So, try and stay motivated for just five weeks, until you can have a real break.

Love, Canta

What sustainable habit should you pick up? What sustainable habit should you pick up?

Do you believe in Climate Change?

No, it’s fake news, we’re alg Yes, ofc???

Do you compost?

Nah, don’t bother, it’s yuck! Yeah, I don’t want to waste!

Do you own a bike?

Do you eat meatless more than twice a week?

No, are you kidding? Meat is all I eat. PROTEIN + Yes, don’t need meat, it’s $$. Chickpeas do the trick! No? Don’t need one? They’re just admin Yeah, I don’t have time to walk

Do you have a car?

Do you prefer showers or baths? Do you take the bus? Do you op-shop?

Nah, too expensive Yeah, couldn’t live without! Showers obviously, I want to be clean! Baths = heaven Yes, they’re super easy and cheap as No, ew. Weird people and inefficient

Educate yourself! Climate change is real. Obviously.

Grow some of your own veggies! Or maybe try turning off your lights? It’ll save your bank account and the world! And growing veggies could be a yummy hobby if you’re successful.

Get better with your bins! Compost, research your recycling, clean out those containers –do your part for the planet. It’s basically a foolproof, yearround practice for reducing waste and living sustainably.

Try conserving your wai (water)! Take shorter showers, get a reusable water bottle… anything to save water waste. If you like baths, go to the moana for a cold plunge… we’ve got lots of that around the place and it’s good for you, your soul, and the planet!

Of course! Always. My wardrobe is all secondhand. No, that’s gross and nothing ever fits right.

Try op-shopping! Sustainable, ethical fashion practices and recycling clothes are the coolest way to be kind to our earth. It’s a fun activity to do with friends – you can find some sick fits and both you and the planet look better for it!

Go vegan –or vege – or just reduce your meat! The meat and dairy industries are some of the biggest contributors to climate change, so by eating less meat you’re single-handedly doing your part for the survival of our planet. It’s also really good for you! And a fun challenge?

It’s Easy Being

It’s Easy Being It’s Easy Being It’s Easy Being

We know the planet is a bit stuffed. And since we’re on path to enter into the working world, beyond the comfort of our tertiary education, we must face the fact we are adults and need to play our part. No more excuses!

With some help from UCGreens and UC Sustainability’s resources, here are some tips to be a sustainable student.

I know you’ve heard it before, but learning how to reduce the impact of our lives on our beautiful wee floating rock can make a difference. Changing our behaviours, small or significant, might not save the world, but at least it’s something and it’s not that hard. And a huge perk is that living a bit greener can cost less.

Our problem is most of our habits are simply not sustainable. Fuel pumping, our drinking behaviours, energy use, food consumption, rubbish, water waste – we can’t help but emit. This sacrifices our ecological integrity and the health of our natural systems.

In saying that, we stingy students aren’t the worst culprits for our planet’s warming.

Many of us already skimp out on power bills and paying for anything not necessary – however, we’re also the generation dealing with the unsustainable, earth-burning habits of our elders, so we must work extra hard to try to ensure we have a planet to use our university degrees in.

Here’s what to do.

Have a sustainable kitchen

In your flat kitchen, you can easily develop some eco-friendly ways to be more green.

Cook as a flat! This saves you power and resources, as only one person is using the energy-sucking appliances to make a meal. It might be difficult to deal with your flatmate’s culinary skills, but being a tad more tolerant and leaning into the student-flatting lifestyle is worth it.

It probably won’t be up to your mother’s standards, but it’s good for Mother Earth.

And eat less meat. This is controversial coming from a vegetarian, but I promise it’s not that hard.

Two or three meatless days, or plant-based choices, would do the world a favour. Meat and dairy products have one of the largest environmental footprints, with animal industries producing unimaginable emissions. So try having a few more chickpeas. They’re cheaper and good for the gut!

Make your own eco-friendly kitchen cleaners

Combine…

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons white vinegar (buy in bulk!)

¼ teaspoon dishwashing liquid

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 cups hot water

Shake well and spray on surfaces!

Shop at local fruit and vege stores

Although it’s easy to zip to PAK’nSAVE for a one-stop shop –for the greater good, why not support our locals?

UCGreens agrees that our local veggie spots are often cheaper, providing better produce and less packaging, meaning it’s better for you and the planet!

Supporting our unsung heroes like our local fruit and vege suppliers is the kind thing to do to thank them for putting in the hard yards for us to get our 5+ a day.

Plus, if you’re more for the economy than the environment, supporting the local economy strengthens supply chains.

Support: Growers Direct Market

Eden’s Harvest by the Dominos (once I got a box of veges for $6!)

Produce Traders

Crazy Daves

Drinking alcohol with the planet in mind

Drinking is a huge part of student culture, so why not do it sustainably?

Try a sustainable brand! It may be slightly more expensive, but to be honest, what drinks aren’t? And at least you can sip with a bit less guilt for the impact it has on our planet. So, do research into what the brand represents and avoid excess packaging.

Put down the bottle – it’s better to choose cans over bottles!

Glass bottles are heavy, so they carry a bigger carbon footprint. Cans are more energy-efficient because they weigh less and use less space, so aim to buy cans to avoid extra emissions! Or even drink straights with mixers in a reusable bottle to avoid waste at all! Another perk is less broken glass, so it’s good for the earth and is less of a health risk. Win-win.

And recycle! When you’re out, try your best, in your intoxicated state, to dispose of your empties properly. If that’s too much

Being Green

Being Green Being Green Being Green

of a long shot, at least try to keep a hold of your waste so you can recycle appropriately in the dusty morn.

Be a sustainable student on campus

UC makes it easy for us to be sustainable students. We have bike racks, compost bins, a community garden and a heap of environmental club events.

So to help be a tidy Kiwis on-campus, use our community gardens or look up the edible campus map on UC’s website to see where to forage on campus to find apricots, guavas, feijoas, figs, olives, pears, plums, and other free food!

UCGreens also suggest having tupperware, cutlery, and KeepCups on hand if you eat on campus.

Don’t throw out your napkins when you’re given them! It’s surprising how useful they can be in your bag or at home.

Look around for the right bins – they are there and you should use them. There are compost, paper, and landfill bins all around the place ready at your disposal.

Bike, walk, or bus! It’s cheap, and sometimes quicker too.

Composting is cool!

With all those locally-sourced vege meals you’re having, use your green bin! Or if you really want to do your part, you could even get a flat worm farm to eat up all your leftovers.

Composting is essential for a good garden, and consequentially, aids climate adaptation by reducing emissions, strengthening local food production, and supporting waste management.

You can even compost at uni! UCGreens suggests getting involved with UC Compost Club, adding to the worm farm outside the Undercroft, or visiting the Waiutuutu Community Garden for their awesome composting setup.

Host a dinner party with your mates!

If you start a weekly dinner night with fellow flats, taking turns hosting, you can have fun with your friends while reducing emissions.

This means only one of the flats is using power to cook the food, switching the lights on for ambience, and using energy for music. And it encourages you to buy in bulk with little waste, and if you take turns it’s even stevens!

Brush your teeth better

It’s the small things that make a big difference with sustainability. It can be as simple as brushing your teeth.

If you conserve water when you can, by turning the tap off when you brush your teeth, you’re doing your part. Conserving water saves energy, so reducing your water use reduces your carbon footprint and helps our ecosystem to thrive!

And to add to your eco-friendly cleaning product recipe book, here’s one for home-made toothpaste: teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon sea salt

Some essential oil for flavour if you like (e.g. peppermint)

A tiny bit of water

Mix ingredients to form a paste. Easy!

Grow a greener closet!

Op-shopping is a therapeutic hobby for many to distract themselves from university by spending a little to gain a lot.

Ōtautahi has no shortage of thrift shop spots to get your closet looking more green and eco-friendly. There are so many, from Toff’s to our very own Sally Army on Church Corner, and clubs like OpSoc that get you excited about recycling clothes.

The disposal of unwanted clothing in the fashion industry is one of the worst contributors to landfill waste. Op-shopping helps mitigate this problem by regenerating the second life cycle of our clothes. Each second-hand good is one fewer piece of fabric wasted, thereby significantly decreasing unnecessary landfill and increasing the uniqueness of your wardrobe.

So, if you’ve had a sweater in your closet for a season cycle, do the kind thing to the planet and for someone else who will pick it up and love it like you used to. Then go get yourself a new, old used one!

Please give these a try!

We all love our home away from home in Ōtautahi, and we must do what we can to preserve it! And as sustainable students, we can lead creative ways to help our planet while saving a few bucks of that student loan. How good!

Rosie Leishman (she/her)

CLUB CORNER CLUB CORNER

ENVIROSOC

Tell us a bit about Envirosoc

Envirosoc is an Environmental Science club here at UC. Our events involve all things conservation and sustainability. Our main purpose is to educate whoever is willing, and create opportunities for people to make a difference in the community. It’s a cool opportunity to meet heaps of like-minded people that share your, and our values of sustainability and being kind to the natural environment.

Promote your club to a newbie, how would you sell it?

Well, envirosoc at its core is just an awesome club full of passionate people with heaps of epic events that’ll be of interest to anyone (no matter what you are studying). Everyone is welcome no matter your background or study interests. Our members are involved in heaps of awesome programmes such as tree planting voluntary work in the Bank’s Peninsula and on-campus, which helps them grow their networks and community connection. If you have a passion for the outdoors and the environment, you are bound to fit in seamlessly with Envirosoc.

What are some events and activities you have planned for this year?

We have heaps of epic events on all the time, so definitely keep up to date with our social media @ envirosoc.uc. We have already hosted some awesome quiz nights, tutorials for upcoming assignments, and recently had took some of our club members out to Hinewai Reserve for a day of adventuring with Forest and Bird Youth. This term we have even more quiz

nights on the cards, some planting days out at Te Kaio, and an Industry evening. The Industry evening will be held on campus and include a panel of amazing speakers from various organisations and sectors, there to talk about their own journeys in Environmental Science and how they navigated life post-uni. And of course, we help run the predator trapping lines around campus. It’s been amazing to see the bird-life on campus bounce back due to the amazing mahi.

How can people get involved?

Simple, sign up!!! If you sign up to Envirosoc (link in our insta bio) you will stay notified via emails about upcoming events, as well as get access to our termly newsletter that has heaps of cool stuff in it. We keep our social media constantly updated with events, photos, and other interesting things that are happening. Our instagram and facebook accounts are @envirosoc. uc, and you can email us at envirosoc.uc@gmail.com if you have any questions at all, we are here to help!

Flat Famous Flat Famous

Nickname: Asscroft

Worst Habit: Scooter accidents

Favourite Flat Meal: Mince

Nickname: Jeans

Worst Habit: Whipping out her mihi on a night out

Favourite Flat Meal: Protein smoothie

Nickname: Silly

Worst Habit: Watching glee till 2am

Favourite Flat Meal: Avo toast

Nickname: Libido

Worst Habit: My rent payments not going through Favourite Flat Meal: My pasta

Worst Habit: f*cking around and finding out

Favourite Flat Meal: Dildos

Nickname: Wassy

Worst Habit: Bringing home loud kissers

Favourite Flat Meal: Milo cereal

Worst Habit: No pants no problems

Favourite Flat Meal: Passers by

Grace Taylor Olivia Saskia

Lily

Dwayne Princess

GCs of the Week

Introducing the newest column in Canta, GC of the Week – written by The GC in collaboration with Canta. Here, the GC celebrates everything, featuring individuals who’ve not only managed to be hilariously funny in their day-to-day lives but have also spread a positive impact throughout university.

Meet Ella, After a long few days of study and the weekend looming many of us face the toughest decision of the week... What drinks do I get at the piss store? For us mere commoners it’s a constant battle between what’s cheap, what’s tasty or what could potentially score a free bucket hat, but for Ella the Queen of goon bags there’s no other contenders. Within her Christchurch career, Ella has made a name for herself as what some refer as a “veteran” in the art of the goon. Ella shows us how consistency is key in all areas of life as she navigates the blurred lines of sobriety, and a nice cold goon-bag

Nominations

Meet Paris, after some rowdy antics over the mid-sem break, Paris rather unfortunately encountered the consequences of her own actions, becoming as sick as a dog. Praying for a speedy recovery, we hope Paris can get back to what she loves most, the bog. Paris is a force to be reckoned with on a night out; easily convinced to do anything, including younger guys and despite never visiting the Eiffel tower, she could be keen to give it a go… Wherever Paris goes the party follows so get well soon Paris, you are dearly missed.

GC of the Week

Meet James, Whether your celebrating a win or drowning your sorrows in a pint (or 12), You can always count on the absolute backbone that is James Wilson. Swooping in like a jacked guardian angel, big Jim never says no to helping a mate. Need a lift home at 3am? Locked out of the flat?, forgot your ID at the piss store again? James is there to lend a hand before you can say “cheers, bro”. We all need mates like James in our lives and to make sure there hand of offer never goes unnoticed.

Ruby Gill-Clifford

As the cold weather creeps in, it’s becoming harder to tell whether you’ve woken up in your flat or the chilled isles of liquorland, with the allure of the snooze button at your fingertips. For Ruby however there’s both Uni to crush and a world to save with her devotion to the environment and doing her part to push change.

Ruby Gill-Clifford (Yes her last name is GC) leads by example of how we can all make positive change in our community from eliminating her use of single use plastics, shopping at organic food markets, Catching invasive pests with the team at Envirosoc or simply cycling to Uni when others might drive, Ruby creates the change she hopes to see. From her environmental efforts to always being there for her mates Ruby shows that even in the coldest of times, a little warmth and determination can go a long way in making the world a better place.

Ella Paris James

CANTA

20-year-old English cricketer dies

A young Worcestershire cricketer, Josh Baker, who was in the early stages of a successful sports career, was found dead in his flat by a friend. The news of his passing was unexpected, as Baker had been slated to participate in the third day of his country’s secondteam match against Somerset. Following the news, the match was abandoned, and a draw between them was confirmed.

Worcestershire Country Cricket Club announced his death to the public on May 2.

Baker had turned pro in 2021 and played 47 times for Worcestershire throughout his career. He was known for his leftarm spin and as an overall versatile performer and allrounder.

“Worcestershire lost not just a very talented cricketer but also an amazing and wonderful human being. He was such a nice, humble and sweet person,” said Shaftab Khalid, Baker’s former coach.

It was revealed that Ben Stokes, international cricketer and captain of the English Test team, had sent a touching message to Baker after the athletes had faced off on the field two years before the 20-year-old’s death.

Baker’s family and club have requested privacy at this time.

Kiwi basketball player inducted into FIBA

The newest edition of FIBA’s International Basketball Hall of Fame includes the induction of Kirk Penney as part of the 2024 class. He becomes the second Kiwi to receive this honour after Pero Cameron. Penney, who hails from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, had previously been inducted into the Basketball New Zealand Hall of Fame and can now add FIBA to his impressive list of accomplishments.

Throughout his successful career, Penney has travelled all over the world, spending much of his time in Europe. He is the second Kiwi player to reach the NBA, where he played for a total of six games between 2003 and 2005.

He is best-known as the all-time leading scorer for New Zealand’s national team, and ranks 12th all-time at the FIBA World Cup when it comes to points scored. In 2018, Penney announced that he would retire from basketball at the end of that NBL season.

“Playing basketball has been a big part of my life and retiring in New Zealand with the Breakers means a lot to me,” said Penney.

However, Penney did come out of retirement to play for the Auckland Tuatara in 2022 for their final regular season game.

Knee injury sends Silver

Ferns star off the court

Grace Nweke, a Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland-born netball player for the Silver Ferns, suffered a tough break when she injured her knee during a game against Tactix on April 29.

After landing improperly, Nweke had to exit the court with only eight minutes remaining in the game and applied an ice pack to her right knee. It is suspected that Nweke sustained minor ligament damage, as it was later confirmed that there was a partial tear in her patella tendon. Subsequently, it was announced that she would be unable to participate in the ANZ Premiership game scheduled for May 5.

Nweke made her debut with the New Zealand national netball team in 2021; she is the first woman of African descent to become a Silver Fern. She was the recipient of the Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award and was named the Silver Ferns Player of the Year in 2022.

Throughout her sports journey, Nweke has regularly voiced how her Nigerian family have been constantly supportive of her, as well as other athletes.

“I’ve been massively supported by a community of netball in Auckland that has helped my journey,” said Nweke.

Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for the Silver Ferns star.

What will the Olympic athletes be eating in Paris?

Whether it’s surprising or not, the conversation around the cuisine served to athletes during the Olympic games appears to be a fruitful one.

Sodexo Live! is in charge of catering for the Olympic and Paralympic Games which will be hosted in Paris, France this year. Food will be served 24/7 out of a canteen that features a 3,500-seater eatery, with 40,000 meals expected to be served each day.

The expectation of the menu is that elite athletes will be made to feel at home, satisfying every continent with more than 200 nationalities. There will be “grab and go” access, exclusive French cuisine dishes cooked up and plant-based food.

Freshly baked bread, select cheeses, vegetables, pasta, salads, grilled meat, and soups will also be available. Meals will be based on seasonal products, with organisers also promising to make the event more sustainable and environmentally-friendly through reducing the amount of plastic used, and including reusable dishes.

Olivia Welsh (she/her)

The Public Transport Phenomena

– Gustavo Petro Olivia Welsh (she/her)

“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation.”

There are plenty of topics that fall under the umbrella of sustainability, like climate change, overconsumption, and waste production. Yet one aspect that often goes overlooked is the viability of the public transport system. Let’s have a look at public transport in Ōtautahi Christchurch, and throughout wider Aotearoa New Zealand.

Bus services, specifically the widely-utilised Metro, run seven days a week on a variety of schedules in Ōtautahi. These services play a crucial role in facilitating transportation for people who are unable to or choose not to drive.

However, there is more to busing than just ‘a means to get from A to B’. By providing a more environmentally sustainable option, bus services are becoming increasingly popular –especially with the recent decrease in fares, tertiary student discounts, and the ability to change buses within a two-hour period without incurring an extra charge. This has led to at least 24% of the Greater Ōtautahi population using the bus at some point within the last eight months.

“Our Metrocard bus fares are really good value and now cost the same to get anywhere in Greater Christchurch,” said Vicky Southworth, Regional Councillor at Environment Canterbury. “Since we’ve lowered our bus fares it’s been really exciting to see the number of passengers increase substantially.”

The combination of using the bus and cycling appears to be a favourable approach as well. Many students and workers make use of the bike rack on the front bumper, as most city buses have implemented this measure.

“I’ve been a big fan of the bus-bike combo,” said Southworth. “All of our buses have a bike rake with a space for two or three bikes up front.”

While the harmful impacts of transportation are well-known, it takes more than saying people need to be doing this or should be doing that. A positive step towards a more sustainable future is actively changing lifestyles. This could mean advocating for ongoing transportation improvements, or not using a private car when feasible. This is because greenhouse gas emissions are lower by bus, especially when that bus is an electric one.

Electric buses also improve accessibility for individuals in wheelchairs or with mobility restrictions, as they are easier to board, according to MetroInfo. Currently, these electric buses are undergoing testing and monitoring stages.

“We are transitioning our fleet to fully electric by 2035 at the latest. Customers will find these buses quieter and smoother than the old ones, and there are charging points onboard,” Southworth said.

Modern technology has brought a significant improvement to Metro, with the introduction of new digital display screens on some buses. This enhancement makes it easier for customers to know when they should get off.

While discussions in the public focus on the productive impacts of public transport, the responsibility also lies with the Council and with experts in transport planning and management. This entails making bus services more appealing to both current and potential customers.

“The key issue with public transport is making sure it fits with people’s complex and diverse lifestyles,” said James Llewellyn, Managing Director of Taith Consulting Limited. Llewellyn reiterated how big of a challenge it is to persuade people that they could have a better lifestyle if they don’t use their car as much: saving money on fuel, and not having to find a car park.

By Aotearoa standards, Ōtautahi boasts a relatively accommodating bus service. Nevertheless, there is still a considerable amount to be deliberated and achieved.

Timaru is currently testing an on-demand public transport service, MyWay by Metro, which provides increased flexibility and accessibility to the public. This service is designed to supplant fixed-route buses and has received positive feedback thus far.

The possibility of reintroducing passenger trains to locations like Ōtautahi, where there is a high demand for diverse transportation options, has also been a topic of discussion.

“Provision of rail passenger services is worth investigating,” said Llewelyn when asked about the future of public transport.

“The benefits of public transport investment and promotion… are clear and numerous, but navigating the political landscape is a big hurdle at the moment,” said Nathan Balmer, a Master of Planning student.

Balmer noted how improved walkability, cycle infrastructure, and bus quality frequency should be the main deliverables.

While it’s a venture at the moment to resonate with the public, especially in their hearts and minds, it is not done in vain. Public transport does not just encompass environmental sustainability; it also includes a push for better human sustainability, where people have access to a mode of transportation that they can afford and utilise daily.

Efforts are currently underway to enhance the service and make it more attractive, encouraging people to opt for a relaxing bus ride over using their car. We have a long way to go, but we are on our way.

This hidden Cashel Street gem is not a thrift store for the shopaholics. It’s down a dull and rather sad street with a drive-thru Subway. Strange. But there stands the gorgeous, the camp, the slay Nifty. Once a market, it’s now a store that hosts a market every month.

The way this place sticks out like a sore thumb in the industrial suburb means you know it’s gonna be good. The staff are way too nice for their own good, but you can just tell they’re living their best lives working at a thrift store they love with all their hearts.

What always gets me is the music. It’s playing at the perfect level, always funky and something you haven’t heard before. The décor is fabulous, the clothing is perfectly spread out and not overwhelming. The price can creep up a little bit, I’d say $25-$60, but you’re almost always buying a unique piece that was worth triple the price brand new. The chat with the staff is always heartwarming, and I have never walked out of the store empty-handed. Love these sustainability queens.

Canta Commentary Secondhand Stores

Elsie Williams (she/her)

St John / Vinnies / Salvation Army Papanui

Now this isn’t one op shop, but they’re all within 100m of each other so it basically counts. This set of op shops is the peak, hands down. Starting with the fact there are always car parks –you don’t have to walk very far, and Northlands Mall has the best food court if you’re keen for a munch.

The vibes are so good at St John. There’s often good music playing, definitely from an old CD and in a stereo in the corner, so old school. It’s fantastic. I’ve never come away with a stellar piece of clothing, but it’s always a nice wee browse. Plus, there’s a tree in the middle of the room which is a bit fun.

Vinnies next door is just so wholesome. The workers are always down for a chat, and you just have to admire them, working so hard all out of the goodness of their hearts. Bought my favourite pair of jeans from this op shop, and for that reason I will always go back.

Now the real star of the show – the Salvation Army. This store is so beautifully laid out. Nice and big, not too cluttered, and nice quality clothing. Hands down my favourite.

Salvation Army Church Corner

A university-swarmed op shop that never fails to disappoint. This classic is tucked beside my second home, Countdown – I refuse to call it Woolworths. I never find time to tackle both tasks, shopping for food and clothes, but when I make my way into this store, I always come out with something fabulous that I definitely didn’t need.

Prices are definitely reasonable, and if you flick through the array of basics, you might find a gem. Menswear is lacking, so not a huge button-up collection to choose from. But womenswear is flowing and flourishing.

There tends to be a bunch of random shit at the front door like old racquets and baby strollers, but if you move past the slightly spooky miscellaneous items, you’re likely to find a fantastic set of red card costumes left over from last year’s Tea Party. You’re welcome.

RECYCLED CLOTHING WAREHOUSE

I’ll start off by saying do not visit Toff’s hungover. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Toff’s stan, and it genuinely was the best thing to exist when moving to Christchurch. But hell, it can be incredibly overstimulating. And the smells be doing too much sometimes.

But aside from that, this is a freakin’ awesome op shop. It’s a nice feeling going there and knowing it’s going to be affordable. This is genuinely one of the few op shops around now that’s actually cheap, and I adore that. Not necessarily for myself, but I love that people who really need clothing for their families or themselves can do so, and it’s great quality.

Love the colour coordination – actually so satisfying and makes life easier. The more expensive items are rather pricey, but that’s never the reason people go to Toff’s, so it’s okay. My only slight critique is that the staff are often not very friendly – but I understand that they work enormously long days, and deal with a lot of people and clothing. Definitely would recommend for those wanting some cheap basics.

Paper Bag Princess

When I lived around the corner last year, my flat was absolutely ecstatic that this was arriving on our block. But it’s safe to say that we almost never walked in there to pick up some items. It is strangely overpriced for items that aren’t spectacular, and it honestly might be due to the fact people don’t take their clothes there.

The vibe is off, and I’m not certain if that’s to do with the butcher’s next door or the Domino’s, but I just never see myself strolling in there, despite its proximity to uni.

Toff’s Nifty

Dipper One

LUCKY

Each issue we set up two birds who are looking for love on a blind-date and then tell them to write about it.

Here are the unedited results of Canta’s chosen love birds for this issue.

If you want some free Rollickin’ and the potential to meet the love of your life, apply at canta.co.nz/lucky-dip

After being an avid lucky dip reader for the last two and a half years of uni, the lucky dip gods finally blessed me with the chance to find the great love of my life. Strolling down New Regent Street, bundled in a puffer against the chill of autumn, I thought I was ready for whatever could happen. Two months post break-up this must be my redemption date, right?

I popped my head inside the (fortunately warm) store where the lady asked, “your here for the date right?”, I said yes, and she replied “good because that would have been really awkward” before sending me upstairs to seal my fate. Green hoodie, brown hair, and a friendly face greet me upstairs and I immediately know I’m in for the best date of my life. An initial hug over a handshake seals the deal and I’m already head over heels for him.

We head straight back downstairs with ice-cream on our minds and upon collecting a couple of scoops (the main reason to go on lucky dip really) we head back upstairs to really get this date started. An overall phenomenal date began. It turns out we are in the same year of uni, have similar interests outside of uni and the conversation seemed to never end. He does civil engineering which didn’t seem to being going well, only judging by how much he struggled to get through the solid chocolate shell on his ice cream. Somewhat of a normally red flag turned green if you will - could it get any better?

It could! Snapchats were exchanged with the promise of me sending him lucky dip inspo from the previous magazines after his admitting to not reading them and I knew this conversation would at least leave the ice cream shop. Feeling the first date glow start to wear off we both headed back downstairs and with a hug agreed to part ways and see each other soon.

And would I see him again? Yeah, I definitely will –considering he’s been my mate since halls, flats with my flat mate’s boyfriend, hospitalised me at a byo in first year and we end up at others flats at least every other week, I would say we will definitely see each other again… Thanks for the lucky dip Canta!

Here’s to hoping that his article confesses a longhidden love for me ;)

LUCKY DIP

Dipper Two

I applied for the lucky dip last Sunday after seeing their story without thinking too much of it, and was pretty rattled when I got an email from Canta a couple days later saying I had been selected for it. I was definitely hesitant at first but realised it was an opportunity to try something new, and would at least be a funny story if it didn’t go well, so tried to see it as a win, win situation.

As Friday arvo came around I put on my favourite pair of cargo shorts/jumper combo. Feeling pretty safe and hoping to impress I made my way to the new regent st rollickin with a skip in my step. The staff sent me to the upstairs room where my date arrived shortly after. When I met my date we both realised that we already knew each other. This was pretty funny but continued the date as usual I guess. The upstairs room of the rollickin was a nice spot, I don’t know too much about ice cream but the chocolate one tasted pretty good. We had some funny chats about nights outs and about work and that. She was pretty chatty which meant conversation had some flow. The date lasted for an hour or so and it went by pretty quickly.

Although I already knew her it was a great opportunity to get to know her better and I had a good time as she’s a pretty girl and seems smart. I would definitely reccomend it to others as it was an interesting experience, and Im grateful to Canta for giving me the opportunity

Puzzles Puzzles Untitled

_____ ___ the Science Guy. 6. First “green building” on UC campus 9. Break down over time. 10. Powerful Lorde album.

____ ___ the Science Guy. 6. First "green building" on UC campus. 9. Break down over time.

Nature-loving hippie.

13. Co-leader for the Greens. 14. Paper or plastic?

10. Powerful Lorde album. 11. Nature-loving hippie. 13. Co-leader for the Greens. 14. Paper or plastic?

1. Dam good energy.

Down

Down

3. 100% _____ New Zealand.

1. Dam good energy.

4. Time’s Person of the Year 2006.

5. Box outside Chilton’s.

3. 100% ____ New Zealand.

6. Half-petrol, half-electric.

4. Time's Person of the Year 2006.

7. April 22.

5. Box outside Chilton's.

8. Which bin now takes pizza boxes?

6. Half-petrol, half-electric.

10. Season and Rachel Carson book, Silent ________.

12. “Meet me at the Locky Dock stand, next to...”

7. April 22.

8. Which bin now takes pizza boxes?

10. Season and Rachel Carson book, Silent ______.

"Meet me at the Locky Dock stand, next to..."

Can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps.

Addition Square!

Complete the puzzle by filling the empty squares with the correct number. All the numbers should add up to the sums printed on the right and bottom in the green squares.

7 15 4 20 1 6 14 8 19 +

A rough week for you is coming up, especially considering it’s flu season. Please get your flu shot as soon as you read this! It’s very important; I can feel that the bug is about to nip you in the ass.

How have Netflix, Disney+, Neon, and YouTube been helping you with your university work? Oh they haven’t? I am so overwhelmingly shocked, crying, screaming – the lot. Look, you paid so much to be here, don’t let the money be a waste.

I’m very proud of you! Look at you go! Last time we spoke, you sucked at the whole “sharing and caring” aspect of things but wow, look at you go! Slam dunk in my opinion. Go get yourself a V from an Aries, tell them I told them so.

Lame, you haven’t been out in ages! Come on man, you got it. I know university is rough at the moment but you need to have some balance! It also doesn’t need to be out to a party or anything – go to the movies, go on a walk, sleep, whatever!

This is the part of university where you feel really slammed with work and overwhelmed. However, you, my dear friend, aren’t actually going to lectures and helping yourself! Get on campus and maybe grab yourself a sweet treat while you’re at it.

Please sleep. No, caffeine does not equal sleep. Please.

Commitment hasn’t been your strong suit recently. We get it, you are super busy and all, but that doesn’t mean you have to ghost people. Or worse: you don’t have to flake on things you said you would organise.

If I had a dollar for every time you made the party the best place ever, I would literally have nothing. Try to have fun, smile, dance, LAUGH! It’s okay to laugh at someone’s joke – we promise it won’t kill you.

Did you know that there are so many things happening in this world right now? Try to maybe be a tad less self-absorbed, and remember to maybe check in with your friends? I am sure they could use a little care at the moment.

No, we don’t care. No, we don’t want to know more. We just need five minutes without hearing your voice on fourth floor when we are trying to do work and watch our lectures. Kind regards, everyone around you.

Girl please, you aren’t fooling anyone. It isn’t like you to be this stressed. We can see you are in the trenches at the moment. Please take care of yourself – and no, that doesn’t mean buying yourself two Vs instead of one.

Pookie looks good in that outfit today. Be proud and show those new pair of shoes off to the entire world. And if you didn’t buy shoes… let this be your sign to go for it!

Meet The Team!

Managing Editor editor@canta.co.nz

Nikki Clarke Digital Editor digital@canta.co.nz

Print Editor print@canta.co.nz

News Editor news@canta.co.nz

Designer design@canta.co.nz

Hariklia Nicola Charlotte Thornton Madilin Macpherson

Heidi Slade

Rosie Leishman Feature Writer

Elsie Williams Feature Writer

Olivia Welsh Feature Writer

Maia Aramakutu Feature Writer

Tessa Birch Video Editor

Ella Paterson Audio Editor

Sophie Kensington Video & Digital Assistant

THE BIRDS TOO.