CANTA ISSUE 6, 2023

CANTA

Editorial Editorial

How are we,

Can’t believe I’m saying this but here is the last issue of Canta for semester one! We are halfway through our yearly Canta quota, six down, six to go.

Because this is our last shout for a while we thought we would rewind this bad boy back a few years and look at everything nostalgic, and reminisce back to when everything was noice and easy.

One of the biggest things that has changed over the years is the way we dress. Our generation is perhaps the first to be wearing different decades of style whether it be 70s, 80s, 90s or early 2000s we are bringing everything back. Christchurch is unique in the way that it is a breeding ground for the 90s in particular, half of us look like we are wearing our dads, or even grandads, closets. With big oversized knits and tees, baggy jeans, vintage Adidas and fleece, we all dress like old men. I love it.

Technology has also been on the roids for the past few years. First phones used to be able to flip, taking at least five minutes to type one text. Nowadays five year olds are getting iPhones straight off the bat. Someone’s also putting something in teens’ water these days. Back when I was 13 I had dilusionships with at least three boys, rolled my school skirt and was scared of alcohol. These days 13 year olds look 20, have boyfs and are puttting away drinks like a uni student thats betting on the TAB.

Despite there being a shit load of smaller changes like technology and fashion, we have all been through a lot over the past couple of decades.

A lot of us would have been impacted by the Christchurch and Seddon earthquakes, we as a country experienced a mosque shooting, we went through a worldwide pandemic, and climate change became very real very fast. We are a bunch of bloody troopers, if we have gotten through all of that we can do anything.

One of the things that always freaks me out about all of that stuff is the crazy reactions our kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews are going to have to it. Imagine telling your kids that you went through a pandemic and had to be locked down, that you went through a period where people thought climate change wasn’t real, thats nuts.

Overall there is a lot to miss: getting to go on Kid Pix at school, PE classes, school talent shows, Milo after school, shitty erasers from Smiggle, sneakers and trackies, a sleep schedule, Scholastic book fairs, Harold, Marmite sammies, fishing and not catching anything, school camps, no hat = no play, Saturday morning sport, getting prickles, cardboard sliding, running through sprinklers and that one Tasti bar ad. Fark didn’t that all go pretty good.

Anyways, soak in the last mag for the semester. I know you will miss it, don’t even try and lie. See ya in month or so.

Get amongst it you good things.

Go hard or go home, Maddy.

Presidents Piece Presidents Piece

The University of Canterbury Students' Association (UCSA) in Christchurch, New Zealand, holds a significant place among students, both past and present. With a long-standing history, the UCSA plays a central role in fostering campus culture and preserving valued memories.

The UCSA serves as a testament to the enduring sense of community among students. It provides a platform for alumni and current students to connect, sharing their experiences and celebrating the legacy of the institution.

Through notable events such as Founders' Day and the vibrant atmosphere at the Foundry bar, the UCSA bridges the past with the present, honouring traditions while embracing contemporary progress. It offers modern facilities, support services, and a variety of clubs and societies to cater to evolving student needs.

Over its history, the UCSA has played a vital role in shaping the student experience, facilitating friendships and nurturing an environment conducive to personal growth. The association continues to be an important part of university life, fostering a sense of belonging among its members.

The University of Canterbury Students' Association holds a lasting significance for students. Its extensive history and dedication to fostering campus culture make it a central component of the university community. As students engage with the association, they contribute to its ongoing legacy, ensuring that the spirit of community and academic growth remains resilient for future generations.

The above is… well a tough read. However, it is also clearly (I hope) AI generated – using the prompt “can you please write a 200-word editorial piece about nostalgia and the University of Canterbury Students' Association, Christchurch, New Zealand.” Now, you may look at this and think “AI writing is not anything extraordinary at all”. And you wouldn’t be wrong – the AI has made up historical facts (Founders’ Day? Ok then…), repeating text lines, and just generally not being able to follow instructions at all (this piece was certainly not 200 words). It also did not capture “nostalgia” at all – E grade material.

However, AI tools are becoming more common, and more integrated into day-to-day life. ChatGPT is popping up all over the place, Word and other word-processors are looking to incorporate AI-Generative technology, and it’s even on snapchat! That’s when you know it isn’t going away.

So, for students, this can be quite confusing. Further, with some academics embracing AI as a learning tool, and others condemning AI as the downfall of academia, it can be a bit stressful figuring out how to interact with the technology. We’ll continue to work with UC to work out some consistent regs across campus to provide certainty. But until then, here are some tips:

• As a general rule, do try to avoid using it unless your lecture has asked for you to use it as part of an assignment.

• If you do want to use it as a tool, check with lecturer on what is and isn’t allowed so you don’t get caught out.

• I strongly suggest not relying on AI for essays. There are a multitude of reasons: It isn’t always the best quality product, has a tendency towards vagueness and generalisations, and sometimes even generates false references!

Even then, it remains an issue that students and staff will grapple with for quite a few years to come. If you have had any issues with AI in the academic space, our Advocacy & Welfare team can be a great help. Their email is help@ ucsa.org.nz.

Good luck for exams!

Pierce

Tumuaki Piece Tumuaki Piece

Mauri

ora e te iwi!!

Hope we are all enjoying the study break we all deserve! With this month's issue on Nostalgia, I thought I’d bring up a memory that is very significant to me and that was my progression with Kapa Haka from my first time in Primary to where I am today.

Below you will see a photo of me from when I was in Primary School (Hornby Primary School) and intermediate (Branston Intermediate) performing Kapa Haka. As the only redhead at times, it was hard to not stand out, and growing up my older sister was kaitātaki wāhine (female leader of kapa haka) at school. And shortly after she left, I naturally took on some of the leader roles after her. (Shown in the 1st photo).

From Intermediate through to high school my passion and love for kapa haka grew and led me to continue through to tertiary education and step towards a more serious level. (Photo 2, Branston Intermediate 2013).

At Te Akatoki I experienced what’s is like being a part of a haka team. Those times when you come together to perform a bracket to tautoko a whānau at times of need, or to celebrate a tauira of their successes, or to mihi to the ringawera. Being able to come together to sing waiata Māori not only helps revitalize te reo Māori but also the knowledge and history the waiata holds.

Last year at Mataaiwi was my first time standing for a group at a competitive level (whakataetae), Te Kou o Rehua. I remember struggling with the poi moves up until the week before we performed, and I still could not nail one move to this day. Regardless, what I gained from my first standing is a feeling that will always stay with me. The feeling of euphoria, standing proud to be Māori with a bunch of other Māori singing Māori waiata. Having my ancestors represented in my heru (hair pin) and my iwi on my arms. A moment to remember they say.

Today another thing I am immensely proud of is my teina standing in the National winning team Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti up in the East Coast. My sister had grown up at Kura Kaupapa and has represented most of the haka teams in Te Tairāwhiti by age 17 lol. I watch in awe seeing the new generation come through and constantly show us up, but am excited to see myself grow and hopefully stand on the National stage one day.

P.S: If anyone had to ask, I’d love to stand for Tū Te Manawa Maurea, Waihīrere or Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti

Mauri ora e te iwi, Anna.

Canta news.

Canta news.

University redundancies loom but UC bucks the trend

Matteo

Zhang (he/him)

New Zealand universities and tertiary providers are facing hundreds of job cuts as economic conditions bite into budgets, but the University of Canterbury has bucked the trend.

In April, Otago University acting vice-chancellor Professor Helen Nicholson announced in a statement that several hundred jobs would need to be cut to cover a $60 million hole in the budget.

Initially the redundancies will be voluntary, but they are not expected to cover costs, involuntarily redundancies are expected to follow.

The scale of the job cuts has shocked staff and students at Otago, with 182 full time equivalent positions expected to go.

Sector wide tertiary providers have been eyeing job cuts for years, and Covid-19 has only exacerbated the situation.

The Education Union (TEU) National Secretary, Sandra Grey, said that the worst part was the situation was not new.

“We have been campaigning on a national scale to defend our tertiary education sector from death by a thousand cuts for many years. But clearly we need to shout even louder,” she said.

“If you listen to the Vice Chancellors, Te Pūkenga management, and/or Universities New Zealand, you would think this is all inevitable, that their hands are tied and making good people redundant is the only way to go. This is rubbish. Management have other choices.”

Canta sought assurances from the University of Canterbury that there were no job cuts on the way for UC.

UC Executive Director of Planning, Finance and Digital Services, Keith Longden, told Canta that while they were likely to face a small deficit in 2023, higher-than-projected student numbers and additional revenue from externally funded research put UC in a good position.

As the University had planned for increased levels of investment in 2023, we are now even better positioned to meet student and

community needs in our 150th year,” he said.

“UC’s operating cashflows remain strong and we are in a very sound financial position.”

This year UC hit a student enrolment record with 21,361 students enrolled, at odds with other major universities which saw a drop in student numbers.

UC also noted that staff recruitment levels remained strong in 2023, and that in 2022 UC had recruited more academics and staff to meet post-covid catch up and growing student numbers.

University of Canterbury Student Association President Pierce Crowley told Canta that the UCSA would oppose any cuts and that they stood in solidarity with staff facing redundancy at other universities.

“It’s concerning to see what has been happening at other universities with staff cuts and mass redundancies,” he said.

“It is heartening that the University of Canterbury is in a sound financial position, and that UC is looking to grow staff while others are cutting - this is the right approach.”

Crowley blamed the situation facing tertiary providers on chronic underfunding of universities by successive Governments.

“It’s time for the Government to come to the table and equitably fund all universities so that they can continue to serve students sustainably for generations to come,” Crowley said.

Education Minister Jan Tinetti said universities had the responsibility and autonomy to manage their own financial performance, course offerings, and organisational structures.

“As minister, I do not get involved in any such decisions. These processes are not easy for anyone involved,” she said.

"My expectation of all [universities] is that they undertake these processes in good faith and treat staff with respect, and that staff are given the support they need."

Meka Whaitiri leaves Labour for Te Pāti Māori

Ella Jenkins (she/her)

On the 2nd of May, minister Meka Whaitiri announced her intention to leave the Labour Party and stand for Te Pāti Māori in the next election.

The minister of customs, veterans, and food safety cited “a calling deep in my puku,” behind her decision to switch parties.

Whaitiri also noted her desire to return to an “unapologetically Māori party.”

Speaker of Parliament, Adrian Rurawhe told MPs that Whaitiri would remain an independent MP. This is because of the way the resignation was communicated to him. Therefore, the “waka jumping” legislation would not be enacted.

This decision has sparked confusion as the correspondence between Whaitiri and the speaker was deemed sufficient to ascertain that she was no longer a member of the Labour Party yet, was not sufficient to trigger the Electoral Act “waka jumping” provision.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was not notified personally of Whaitiri’s departure from the party, only learning of Whaitiri’s departure upon his arrival in the UK for the coronation. When Whaitiri was asked if she trusted the Prime Minister, Whaitiri responded with, “no, I trust my family.”

Whaitiri herself explains, “Tikanga Māori says you go back to your trusted sources, and I did that with my own whānau.”

Responding to the comments Whaitiri made regarding her decision to leave the Labour Party, the PM said, “it’s unfortunate that she didn’t contact me and let me know what her thinking was.”

However, he confirmed that it was all “water under the bridge. She has made her decision, and she has switched parties.”

Hipkins said that regarding the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti seat Whaitiri held, it would be contested “vigorously.” As this electorate has traditionally been a Labour stronghold.

Willie Jackson a fellow Māori Labour MP noted that he and his fellow Māori vLabour caucus members were “traumatised” by Whaitiri’s decision to leave the Labour party for Te Pāti Māori. Jackson personally felt guilt in Whaitiri’s departure and said, "we should have looked after her a bit."

At the time of writing, Jackson is yet to hear from Whaitiri since her departure from the party.

ANZAC Day commemorations return after years of disruption

Matteo Zhang (he/him)

ANZAC Day services have returned in full strength across New Zealand with thousands turning out after two years of disruption.

In Christchurch, the dawn service was held in Cathedral Square for the first time since the earthquake in 2011.

Cantabrians in their thousands filled the square at dawn to remember fallen soldiers and commemorate veterans from past conflicts.

Veterans, members of the Armed Forces, emergency services and other organisations marched to the reinstated Citizens War Memorial led by the New Zealand Army Band.

Services across Canterbury were organised by the Christchurch Memorial RSA and supported by Christchurch Reservists from 2/4 Battalion’s Christchurch Platoon.

Lieutenant Sam Newton said that it was important for reservists to support services held across their communities.

“Reservists are unique in that they are members of the community who outside of their normal lives of working or studying, serve their country.”

“It’s a chance to remember veterans and fallen comrades and come together as a community," he continued.

The ANZAC Day service has also returned to the University of Canterbury. UCSA President Pierce Crowley said it was a privilege to take part in the first service since Covid-19.

“A day to reflect and remember those who have served in the name of our nation, and those who gave their lives for the country we have today.”

“To have servicemen and women, veterans, students, staff, and the wider Ilam community together to recognise this day was heartening to say the least.”

At the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins recognised those who had lost their lives in wartime and the effect conflict had on veterans and whanau.

Hipkins noted the efforts of the New Zealand Defence Force in supporting the recent Cyclone response, as well as the training New Zealand soldiers were providing to Ukrainian forces in the UK.

”A reminder that peace is not something we can nor should take for granted,” the Prime Minister said.

ANZAC Day was also commemorated in Australia, the United Kingdom, and on the shores of Gallipoli in Türkiye.

The Defence Minister Andrew Little said that “Gallipoli also represents an eternal reminder to all of humanity to strive for a more peaceable and secure world.”

“In the immortal words of modern Türkiye’s founding father, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, ‘there is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmet’s to us where they lie side by side here’.”

Enrolments for Student Support has nearly doubled

Bella Craig (she/her)

The number of students registering with UC’s Student Accessibility Services has nearly doubled in the past year.

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) team leader Gillian Smith said, “I think there's a better understanding of who we are, and what we can do.”

Accessibility issues include those with specific learning difficulties (SLD’s), mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, as well as students who suffer from chronic illnesses.

A quarter of students at UC have an accessibility issue, the biggest pool of these students are those who have an SLD, such as dyslexia or ADHD.

UC disability advisor Filia Armstrong-Marks said the SAS team supports students by providing them with note taking, and reader-writers for tests and exams. They also provide one-onone catch ups with advisors.

Currently 1000 students are registered with the system, and this number has risen significantly in the past year, “we think it's almost doubling,” Smith said.

One of these students, who is a second-year, said his ADHD affects the way he takes notes and how he comprehends information in lectures and tutorials.

“Sitting in a two-hour lecture, having to sit still, stay focused and write notes can be quite hard, and then putting all that into an essay or into a test. I struggle to comprehend what’s been said and I have to re-read it because I don't understand.”

Asking for help not only felt “degrading” but was also something he had to “go and find.”

Once he approached the Student Accessibility Services, said he found the support system very helpful, “they want to make your life as easy as possible.”

But he felt that SAS was an under-recognised service and

should be advertised widely around campus.

Another student, a third year who has dyslexia, has used SAS throughout most of her studies.

“Having dyslexia, my focus is worse off than others. If I have a two-hour lecture, I normally zone out after 45 minutes.”

The student said she has difficulty writing essays, spelling and proofreading, as well as writing notes during lectures. The SAS provides her with people who take lecture notes for her, as well as providing her with a reader-writer for exams.

“You just need to reach out, which can be a barrier for some people especially in first year.”

She said she was apprehensive asking for help initially but found the services helpful and very supportive once she approached SAS.

Data from the SAS in 2022, showed students registered with SAS achieved at the same level as the total cohort of UC students, whereas students who identified themselves with an accessibility issue and didn’t register with SAS, achieved at a lower level.

Smith described the SAS as a service that gives students with a learning difficulty a ‘pair of glasses,’ when it comes to their studies.

“A student that was diagnosed was just passing, whereas after they came to us they are passing at an A to A plus level,” Smith said.

Smith also said that students often assume that they are not bad enough to receive support and that the SAS would be unable to help them.

“Come have a chat to us and don’t judge your ability to access support yourself. Come and talk to us about it.”

Thursdays In Black: The students speaking up for those who cannot Maddy Croad (she/her)

An edgy quiet filled the room of Thursdays In Black’s annual “What I was wearing” exhibition on the first Tuesday of May.

The exhibition, showcasing the clothing and personal accounts of student victims/survivors of sexual harm, drew in a large crowd of people and emotions, seen in the tears and expressions spread across the room.

The inability to photograph, speak or interview any of the participants and students in the room spoke to the anonymity of the event, a key focus of Thursdays In Black.

President of the UC chapter, Hannah Leach, spoke on the complete namelessness they were giving victims/survivors: “It is so hard as it is so private,” she said. “There are some things you just want to keep to yourself, and this is a great way of doing that.”

Despite the anonymity, there was no shortness of strength, survivors writing with an unfound confidence. “There is nothing to compare to the strength of people like us, the endurance we face every single day,” one story read.

“We are untouchable, we are safe, we are alive,” said another.

Thursdays In Black first became a UCSA officiated club in 2018, and since then has advocated for sexual harm victims/survivors, and improvements in prevention, response and education.

“Every experience is valid and that’s what we want to talk about,” explained Leach. “Being on campus is really important, many people might not understand how often it happens.”

Hannah’s statement rings true, as through a pre-Covid (2017) report carried out by Thursdays In Black New Zealand, 89% of women had experienced some form of unwanted or unwelcome sexually harassing behaviour while at university. These figures were broken down to 86% for Māori and 82% for Pasifika women.

14% of men at a tertiary level and 92% of minority gendered individuals (including non-binary, genderqueer/fluid, Māori and minority gendered, takatāpui and questioning) have also experienced this sexually harassing behaviour in a tertiary context.

These numbers have only driven Leach and vice-president Jane Schellekens more.

“I just know so many people who this has happened to. It’s just so pervasive and nothing really gets done about it,” Schellekens said.

Both Leach and Schellekens joined the cause due to their personal connection to the issue of sexual harm. “I think being

a survivor motivates you a lot because you know how it feels,” said Hannah.

Leach described her own experience as a child sexual harm victim/survivor after an assault at the age of five. “One time changes your life” she said.

She explained that she wouldn’t have been able to take on the position of president last year, due to the difficulty of the role. However, she now acknowledges that she has built the confidence and self-assurance to do it justice.

“I’m really proud of myself for the way that I’ve gone on with my life. I am really impressed with how I have dealt with it and healed,” she said. “I’m still healing, but I think everyone is.”

Leach also touched on the journey she has undergone and continues to go through. “I’ve recently learned [in a UC Psych course] that a lot of people don’t realise it's bad, engaging in harm with children. As a child survivor I think, how could you not know what was done to me was life changing and has made my life really challenging,” she said. “It really upset me.”

Leach also admitted that she had felt guilty sharing her story, “I text Jane last night and said I was going to feel really guilty if I was to talk today about what happened,” But she quickly corrected herself: “Why, why do I feel guilty? It’s my story.”

Despite all Leach has been through, she continues to channel her experiences into Thursdays In Black and the work they are doing. “I just care, I think people who go through this just care.”

From the feedback received, this effort has been nothing short of successful in helping students feel directly supported.

“We have had messages from people saying it is so empowering for them,” said Schellekens. “It’s an opportunity for people who have experienced harm to empower themselves.”.

Hannah also spoke on the importance of talking and support. “I think talking about it is really important, and that doesn’t mean you have to share your own story,” she explained. “What we are doing is really, really essential, as people feel that they won’t be believed, they feel like it’s not a big deal.”

“I think just knowing that you’re not alone, and that there is a safe place to talk if you want to, or even just be.”

Both Leach and Schellekens, alongside Thursdays In Black, are more motivated than ever to make a difference to the culture of sexual harm and its victims/survivors “It’s such an honour and such a privilege for us to be able to provide this platform,” Hannah said.

“We love what we do, I love this club with my whole heart.”

Thursdays In Black president Hannah Leach, 20, (left) and vice-president Jane Schellekens, 20, (right). Outside their annual “What I was wearing exhibition”.

The Recap

The Recap

Australia announces pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders

New Zealanders living in Australia now have a direct pathway to citizenship in reforms announced by the Australian government, returning the rights kiwis had after 20 years.

The changes were announced days before ANZAC day in a move that will end the tension in the transTasman relationship.

The tension over New Zealanders rights in Australia has been a sore point since the Howard government stripped back the ability for citizenship in 2001.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister marked the changes together in Brisbane, where they took part in a citizenship ceremony.

The changes mean that from the 1st of July, New Zealanders with special category visas, and those that have lived in Australia for four years can apply for citizenship.

Kings Charles and Queen Camilla III Coronation

King Charles III was crowned in Westminster Abbey in a historic ceremony watched by millions across the world.

The coronation was held eight months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II who reigned for 70 years.

The governor-general Dame Cindy Kiro, PM Chris Hipkins, opposition leader Christopher Luxon, as well as the Māori King Tuheitia attended the coronation as part of the New Zealand delegation.

Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery fired a 21gun salute in Wellington, and another salute was fired at the Devonport Naval Base.

The government has marked the occasion by donating $1 million to plant native trees across the country for He Rā Rākau Tītapu - the King Charles III coronation plantings.

The coronation has sparked discussion about whether New Zealand should become a republic. The PM, selfdescribed as a ‘technical republican,’ said that it was not a priority with the country facing other pressing issues.

Pay for service members increased as retention issues plague Defence Force

Pay for service members increased as retention issues plague Defence Force personnel.

The New Zealand government has announced increased spending on defence in the upcoming budget to raise the pay rates of Defence Force personnel.

The package will cost $419 million over four years and raise the wages of personnel from $4000 to $15,000. A further $318 million will go towards improving defence assets and infrastructure.

The announcement was made by the Defence Minister, Andrew Little and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

Little said that the package would bring most pay rates of NZDF personnel to around market rates, something that was driving rising retention issues.

Significant attrition rates have impacted the capability of the NZDF to deploy when the government has required it too. The PM pointed to the recent cyclone as an example that stretched the ability of the NZDF to respond.

With the new package, New Zealand defence spending will sit at about 1 percent of GDP. This is half of what Australia; New Zealand’s only formal defence ally spends.

A Defence Policy Review is set to be released later this year assessing New Zealand’s defence policy, strategy, and planned capability investments.

Sudan crisis: Fighting continues as foreign nationals evacuated in military operation Fighting between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary organisation Rapid Support Forces has lasted weeks as mediators call for peace.

A complex international military operation saw thousands of foreign nationals evacuated from the war zone.

Hundreds have been killed and thousands injured as the fighting rages on and off despite attempts at negotiations of a ceasefire.

The humanitarian crisis is expected to deepen as thousands of refugees flee to neighbouring countries. Essential supplies are dwindling as vital international aid cannot reach those in need.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have jointly led an initiative to mediate a humanitarian truce, urging the warring parties to use the talks as a starting point to bring a more permanent cessation of hostilities.

Matteo Zhang (he/him)

thanks, i got it from my dad

thanks, i got it from my dad thanks, i got it from my dad

Thrifting is gaining momentum. It’s a trend that’s taking over (and a holy grail for broke students). Both personal and style identities can be built through thrifted clothes, choosing favourites from the many eras fashion has seen. Is it our contribution to fashion sustainability, or is it the nostalgia of finding something your dad would’ve worn that puts us in a thrift store?

refuse to believe it. If Bottega Veneta can send Kate Moss down the runway for their Spring/Summer 23 show in baggy jeans and a flannel then you best believe I’m going to keep wearing and basking in the comfort and ease that is 90s fashion.

A staple of the 90s, seen on Chandler in FRIENDS and Cher in Clueless, brought back by Tyler The Creator and Bella Hadid, the sweater vest is another garment you’ll find at the thrift store, your parents wardrobe and walking the streets of Ōtautahi. Even A$AP Rocky, one of the most influential men in fashion according to Vogue’s The Run Through (April, 2023) is wearing argyle sweaters and faded denim, styles synonymous with 90s fashion. Alas, we thrift.

It’s not just the nostalgia, but the aura that comes with those clothes, filled with memories and passed down through generations. My opinion is that they just don’t make clothes like they used to. Ōtautahi thrifting royalty Rosie Carroll has had many garments come through her store, Nifty, lately that highlight how much has changed in Aotearoa New Zealand clothes production. Can you imagine a Glassons price tag that says ‘Made in New Zealand’? No, me neither, because the days of ethical production for fast fashion brands existed before we were born. Now, we’re surrounded by regurgitated versions of the patterns and playfulness of the 90s and beyond that just don’t encapsulate the same vibe. Our best bet to feel close to the clothes our parents wore is raiding their wardrobes or the local thrift store.

Step onto campus and you’re in a sea of thrifted clothes. For some of us, we’re channelling Adam Sandler in baggy jerseys and a pair of Levi’s stolen from our dad’s closet. Ōtautahi Christchurch City is filled with big overcoats our grandfathers once flashed people in. Jump to accessories, the New Balance ‘dad shoes’ are cool now and briefcases are back in. It’s making me realise that all the things I thought made my parents nerds actually made them more hip than me. I’m not saying my dad’s a fashion icon, but if I need a shirt that combines the notions of carefree and cool, I’ll likely find it in his closet.

We’re buying back the wardrobes that our parents and grandparents donated. There’s been talk lately that skinny denim is coming back. I

Naturally, the online fashion community’s leader in perspectives of culture, @highsnobiety, had something to say about the emerging trends. It’s the effortless, aspirational attitude the older generations take when it comes to getting dressed that make them look so good (April, 2023), @highsnobiety news editor Jake Silbert says. He adds “the greater culture is only just now starting to catch on,” and he’s not wrong (April, 2023). The online fashion community is obsessed with @ gramparents, and like Silbert says, it’s not just because we like their clothes, but it’s the way they wear them: the confidence and attitude that comes with it. So, why are young people so fixated on wearing the clothes our parents did?

There’s been arguments that the 90s made their comeback when lockdown brought about a need for solidarity, peace and an absolute bender of a weekend afterwards, as Harper’s Bazaar (2022) tells it. It makes sense, the feelings we yearned for during lockdown were mirrored in the way that those in the 90s lived and dressed. Then

"It’s not just the nostalgia, but the aura that comes with those clothes, filled with memories and passed down through generations"

Nina Tucker (she/her)

there’s quiet luxury. The trend really hit mainstream media when Gwenyth Paltrow counter-sued Terry Sanderson for $1 in damages after he claimed she crashed into him on the ski slopes. Paltrow made the courtroom her runway and had the media scrambling to publish whether it was Celine, Prada or Ralph Lauren dominating her look each day.

How have our parents created capsule wardrobes so effortlessly, full of garments that blend into each other, without needing an influencer to guide them?

reduce fashion consumption. Many of our parents, and their parents, made or mended their clothes. I always thought I was dodging a bullet when my mum offered to teach me to sew, but now I feel regretful.

Quiet luxury is making waves in the fashion industry now, and looks as simple as a vintage knit, oversized blazer and a pair of sleek denim. Vogue describes it as “less austere than minimalism but more polished than ‘normcore.’” Luxury consultant Robert Burke told Time (April, 2023) that quiet luxury is simply a point of knowing that someone’s outfit is luxury without being told. It’s something that Jake Silbert nodded to in his article on taking fashion notes from those who walked before us. Our parents and grandparents were embodying quiet luxury before it required branded clothing or a fat bank account. Combine it with 90s era fashion and you’ll find many of us, pulling the best bits from local thrift stores and parents wardrobes to create those off-duty, effortless and oversized looks that are so popular right now. Thanks Bella.

It’s worth mentioning that many of the clothes we wear come from the wardrobes of those who don’t have the time or energy to put into getting dressed each morning. So, why do those of us, who have upwards of 20 minutes to put together an outfit and often no children to look after, look more tired and less effortless?

It seems that some of us try so hard to capture the essence of our parents’ style with the trends of now, yet forget to include our own voice. If there’s one thing I’m not nostalgic about from the fashion industry’s past, it’s the ignorance of diversity. The fashion industry has advanced well from the eras our parents and grandparents grew up in. Brands and magazines are becoming much more diverse in their campaigns, on runways, and in their pages and ‘almond moms’ are being phased out. British Vogue’s May 2023 ‘Reframing Fashion’ cover stars showed representation of colour and disability, the type of visibility that was previously nonexistent in the fashion industry. No longer are the beauty standards a Victoria’s Secret angel or Versace man. The industry is not done, but I’m glad our generation is only taking their clothes and not their ideologies.

Netflix’s Next in Fashion season two winner Nigel Xavier’s take on patchwork denim demonstrates just how incredible the art of making, and reworking, clothes is. Xavier upcycles “pre-existing garments, with denim being a recurrent material” as Vogue (March, 2023) put it. His work is an extraordinary blend of faux fur, denim, puffer and almost any material available, not to mention a great way of combining personal aesthetic with environmentally friendly processes that led him to win the USD $200,000 prize. Inspired by 90s trends, Xavier blends the past and present of fashion with his own personal style. He describes it “as raw and free-flowing, but with an embedded nostalgia - I want to bring together elements of the old and new to create my own world” (Vogue, March, 2023). His win rediscovered the fashion industry’s admiration for craftsmanship and I hope we see more of the blend of preloved clothing and upcycling filter down to Ōtautahi fashion.

If there’s a trait I wish was passed down, it’s the ability to sew and mend. A dying skill that we’ve slowly lost over the years, yet seems one of the most helpful in our efforts to

To me, the reason we love thrifted pieces or clothes found in our parents’ wardrobe is that they carry a piece of those generations with them. Not just in memories, but in the way they were mended and upcycled to last another lifetime on our backs.

"The industry is not done, but I’m glad our generation is only taking their clothes and not their ideologies"

Tim Smith (he/him)

Back in 2010 life was bliss. I was feeling like a million bucks with my CD player that doubled as a radio, certifiably ballin’ out. When I didn’t have the Marshall Mathers LP on repeat or whichever Skrillex EP was hot at the time, the Now That's What I Call Music! CDs were a favourite of mine. The playlist before the playlist, compilation albums influenced the music tastes of many children in the 2000s and provide us with sonic snapshots of the past.

Over the past week I’ve put in the hard yards and scrutinised sixteen editions of these childhood classics with a keen ear. After sabotaging my eventual Spotify Wrapped and becoming all too familiar with the lyrics of Kiss Me Thru the Phone, I bring you my top ten nostalgic Now That's What I Call Music! CDs from the New Zealand series.

Now, for some crucial ground rules. Firstly, to be eligible for this prestigious title, contending CDs must be from between the years 2007 and 2013. Here, the cultural transition from Timbaland’s dominance to the rise of Imagine Dragons is captured in its full essence. Secondly, all double disc sets are disqualified. Due to being yearly recaps, they tend to double dip on a significant amount of tracks included on prior editions and have an unfair advantage when it comes to the sheer depth of songs they include. In the spirit of fairness, especially in a competition as dignified as this, I’m ruling double-sets as effectively cheating. Scamming the good people of a simpler time out of their hard-earned money in a post 2008 global recession world is shameful behaviour.

10. Now That's What I Call Music 38 (2012)

Now! 38 has its ebbs and flows unfortunately. Don’t crucify me for this but I Like It Like That by Hot Chelle Rae, Want U Back by Cher Lloyd, and Good Night by Reece Mastin are the holy trinity of obnoxious tracks. This alongside a handful of forgettable EDM songs comfortably establish this entry as one with extreme highs and lows. Vaulting Now! 38 into the top ten is a top-heavy rotation of Starships by Nicki Minaj, Stronger by Kelly Clarkson, and the timelessly iconic Sexy And I Know It by LMFAO. At the heart of it all though lies Levels by Avicii, which earns this CD a spot in the top ten regardless of any other tracks.

9. Now That's What I Call Music 42 (2013)

Adding to that, who doesn’t love the funk and flavour of Get Lucky by Daft Punk (featuring Pharrell Williams) and Treasure by Bruno Mars. I’m actually surprised at the lack of Bruno Mars across the series, specifically his Doo-Wops & Hooligans era. Even though it would’ve been amazing to get the Bon Iver original on a Now CD, it’s still awesome to instead have Skinny Love by Birdy. Despite coming out in 2011, Birdy’s cover of Skinny Love had a resurgence in popularity in New Zealand after being sung on X-Factor by Jackie Thomas.

8. Now That's What I Call Music 35 (2009)

Between Rihanna’s S&Mand Chris Brown’s Yeah3x, there is some serious star power headlining

Now! 35. Even to this day ET by Katy Perry is admittedly a guilty pleasure of mine and I can’t go without mentioning the generation defining Lady Gaga track Born This Way. While I hadn’t thought about it in at least a decade, the melody of Rocketeer proved to be ingrained in my mind and came flooding back to me all at once upon checking it out. There are moments that come across a little dated but overall, there’s a decent amount of variety and consistency to this release.

7.

Now That's What I Call Music 41 (2013)

Now! 41 doesn’t exactly have the depth of similarly ranked editions but won me over with a handful of refreshing tracks. As the mysticism of his career ages like fine wine, Frank Ocean’s Lost continues to gain global appreciation. Funnily enough, Lost charted best in New Zealand upon release, peaking at number five on the NZ Singles Chart. Out of all the Justin Timberlake songs from these CDs, Mirrors has aged the best production-wise. The opening choir of layered guitars itches just the right part of my brain. Finally, with the inclusion of Mountain Sound by Of Monsters and Men, this release serves as a warm reminder to rewind the clock and check the indie folk band out.

6. Now

That's What I Call Music 39 (2012)

Being the ultimate ‘roll the windows down and shamelessly turn the speakers up’ song, Carly Rae Jepson’s Call Me Maybe is a fully fledged contender for my imaginary nostalgia MVP award. Many of the better tracks in Now! 39 fill the same niche, most fitting the mould of being cutesy declarations of love. Between Demi Lovato’s Give Your Heart A Break, Maroon 5’s Payphone, or Karmin’s Brokenhearted, this edition has a nice flow that others don’t quite achieve. Is it formulaic pop song writing? Oh, Definitely. Could it be thematic album sequencing? Absolutely not but it’s more fun if I give them the benefit of the doubt.

5.

Now That's What I Call Music 32 (2010)

This will become evident over the next few rankings but I love The Fame by Lady Gaga as it has some of my favourite production quirks in all 2000s pop. Now! 32 boasts my favourite (nonPaparazzi) song of hers in Bad Romance. This edition has a real top-heavy club sound to it, complemented by Memories by David Guetta featuring the one and only Kid Cudi and Rock That Body by the Black Eyed Peas. All The Right Moves by OneRepublic is a welcomed addition with a slower pace but the most recognisable track of them all is Owl City’s Fireflies. Does it hold up? I’m undecided. But it is without question one of the most nostalgia-inducing tracks I’ve mentioned.

4. Now That's What I Call Music 28 (2008)

Continuing the Gaga trend, Now 28! hits the ground running with her lead single Just Dance which has a dance pop energy that carried through into Rihanna’s Disturbia. I love the way this edition is comfortable in stepping outside of EDM influenced pop, featuring a pair of bangers in Electric Feel by MGMT and Viva La Vida by Coldplay. The aspect that launches Now 28! into the top four is its kiwi inclusion. P-Money’s Everything and Nesian Mystik’s Nesian 101 give the album a homely character that ties it together from start to finish.

3. Now That's What I Call Music 29 (2009)

I’ve mentioned the surprising lack of Bruno Mars in this series but what’s even more shocking is the absence of Taylor Swift. She does make an appearance here though with Love Story. My flatmate will not stop playing Love Story around the house and as much as I’m sick of hearing it I have to admit it’s a great track. One listen of Now! 29 will have you memorising “678 999 8212” for weeks on end. The chorus of Kiss Me Thru The Phone is utterly infectious and sounds so 2009 in a way that words can’t explain. Poker Face (told you there’d be more Gaga to come) and Hot N Cold by Katy Perry give this release the traditional Now! dance-pop flair, the former of which is the pinnacle of the tracklist. Walking On A Dream by Empire of the Sun and Kids by MGMT go hand in hand. I’m convinced those two tracks can inspire a good mood in anyone, especially played back-to-back.

2. Now That's What I Call Music 36 (2011) No CD on this list gives off more school disco energy than Now! 36. Diving headfirst into the action with LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem, this edition is decorated in primary school birthday party classics in the best way. Spirits are kept at an all-time high with Katy Perry’s Last Friday Night and Jennifer Lopez’ On The Floor. The successor to the tone set by LMFAO is Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass which can hold its own when compared to almost any hip hop track included on a Now! CD. Adele’s Rolling In The Deep is a tonal departure from the rest of the tracks but is arguably the most enthusiastic vocal performance of her career and deserves its flowers. Lastly, Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People is the perfect gateway track into the indie pop pipeline and seamlessly fits into a cohesive and undeniably banging edition of Now That's What I Call Music.

1. Now That's What I Call Music 25 (2007)

It was a difficult toss-up between 36 and 25 for the crown but I eventually settled on my childhood favourite. Blurring the lines between pop and hip hop, Stronger by Kanye West gives this edition a flashy grandiosity right from the jump. I love the distinctive sound of this particular edition largely controlled by Timbaland between tracks like The Way I Are and Justin Timberlake’s Summer Love Hey There Delilah and Akon’s; Sorry, Blame It On Me give the track list a softer edge but don’t steer too far off the general vibe set in place. The hits keep on coming in waves as Now! 25 also includes Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston, I Don’t Wanna Be In Love by Good Charlotte, Shut Up And Drive by Rihanna, and the stupidly fun track The Salmon Dance by the Chemical Brothers.

Disney’s live-action remakes ONCE MORE WITHOUT

You might have noticed that Disney is remaking their own movies. Returning to old IP isn’t new for them, they used to make dirt-cheap direct-to-video sequels and they produced a couple of middling television series. However, these remakes have become a phenomenon.

Some hit theatres and were wildly successful. Some examples include, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin Mulan tried to hit theatres early in the pandemic, then got thrown on Disney+ for frankly exorbitant additional fees. Now, the B-sides land unceremoniously on Disney+, no extra fees needed, Lady and the Tramp, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and Wendy.

They don’t exactly have a fervent fanbase. Not even one of these remakes has surpassed the original in terms of quality, and they’re taking up space that could be reserved for fresh new fairy tales currently hidden in someone’s documents file.

Alright, so there are a couple of new original films. Encanto was a big deal for six-year-olds and Hamilton fans, but the Disney animated canon still just doesn’t hit the same as it used to. Even Pixar’s high-brow reputation is faltering slightly. Did you see Lightyear? Neither did I.

So how did we get here? Why does it feel like we’ve remade every 20th-century animated hit in the last six years? When will Olaf be terrifyingly rendered in hyper-realistic CGI?

Most of the remakes are based on films from the Disney Renaissance, one of the most lucrative and creative periods in the history of the Walt Disney Company. It began in 1989 with the smash-hit The Little Mermaid. It was the first ‘princess film’ in thirty years, which appealed to young girls while competing animation studios were forgetting about them.

Beauty and the Beast in 1991 got an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, which put Disney on the map as a studio with great artistic potential. The Lion King usurped Beauty as the new ‘prestige’ Disney flick. Aladdin and Mulan were beloved by critics and audiences, though The Hunchback of Notre Dame had a massive tone problem.

In the end, 1999’s Tarzan missed the mark so badly that it set in motion a decade of mediocre releases, overshadowed by the excellent work of Disney’s own subsidiary, Pixar. This time is so reviled that it’s known as ‘the post-Renaissance,’ a title which can only be described as embarrassing.

Disney won folks back in the 2010s ‘Disney Revival’ with Tangled and Frozen. But by then, the quality of the company was no

longer measured by their animated releases, instead by their stranglehold on popular culture. They bought Marvel and Star Wars, and suddenly Disney felt like their own capitalist villains from Pinocchio and Robin Hood

Then they started acting like it. With reboots widely popular, and not wanting to fund new stories, they started doing the same movies again. The first ‘Disney Live-Action Remake’ was Cinderella from 2015, a cute and inspired adaptation, but it was 2017’s Beauty and the Beast that really rang hollow.

Emma Watson, best known for playing a brunette brainiac in the franchise that must not be named, was cast as brunette brainiac Belle. The boring guy from Downton Abbey was shoved in a giant motion-capture suit. Ewan McGregor poorly imitated his ex-wife’s accent. It had all the imagination of a brochure.

It was bad. Maybe not too obviously as it earned a polite 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it didn’t come close to the film it imitated. Also, sorry Emma, but that updated version of the gold dress looked horrific.

The quality of this remake wasn’t debated as much as its politics. With the new Beauty it seemed like Disney wanted to right their previous wrongs. The Disney Princesses, like Barbie, have copped some flak as reliant, submissive damsels-in-distress.

You might remember BuzzFeed’s lazy ‘modernisations’ of the princesses, or Jon Cozart’s acapella YouTube series “After Ever After.” These took aim at the princesses’ dependence on others and the terrible lives they’d likely have in the real world.

Even Disney themselves commented on this: in the 2018 sequel film (go figure) Ralph Breaks the Internet, the princesses’ original voice actresses return to make metajokes about how these women are so often “poisoned, cursed, kidnapped or enslaved.”

When remaking these movies, Disney have attempted to ‘fix’ these issues, and sometimes failed hilariously.

Belle, already an avid reader in the 1991 Beauty and the Beast, is additionally given the vague and inexplicable hobby of ‘inventing’. She invents the washing machine so that she can read while her clothes get clean. Her skill is never again relevant throughout the rest of the movie, #girlboss.

The 2019 version of Aladdin has a similarly baffling strong independent woman moment, with Jasmine’s new solo

"In 1992, Aladdin was voiced by a boy so Caucasian he had a recurring role on Full House"

Charlotte Thornton (she/her)

song ‘Speechless’, which has Jasmine professing her autonomy by repeating “I won’t be silenced!”

This choice is a little confusing since the original Jasmine is already famously outspoken – even more so than her live-action counterpart. Right at the end of the song, new Jasmine is taken hostage and needs to be rescued. Great job guys, no notes.

Lindsay Ellis tackles these scenes in her 2019 video essay “Woke Disney”, where she discusses their pickand-choose approach to politics, “despite being more than happy to address gender-related criticisms in the metatext by just adding a coat of girl boss paint, racerelated issues go completely ignored.”

The Dumbo remake had a massive pink elephant in the room: the 1941 version features some of the most racist depictions of Black people ever put to film. The 2019 remake chooses to completely remove all references to any of these characters. There’s no attempt to fix anything; just a request for the audience to ‘please, just don’t ask us about it.’

To a mega-corporation, ‘fixing’ a princess from the ‘90s who reads as a little bit passive seems far easier than repairing Disney’s fractured history with the Black community. So they slap a song in there that sounds like a chapter from Lean In, and they hope for the best.

‘Girlbossifying’ these movies makes headlines. All publicity is good publicity, and the uproar keeps Disney in the news cycle with every release. These changes sell well to the kind of parents who buy onesies for their babies with ‘future CEO’ pasted on the front in goldglitter cursive.

These films don’t tackle racism head-on, at least not intentionally. The remake of The Lion King weirdly ended up advocating for segregation, but race is still a much-discussed element of their existence. Many of these films have actors of colour in roles originally played by white people.

The original Mulan had Li Shang’s singing voice provided by Donny Osmond, breakout star of the allMormon sibling singing troupe The Osmond’s. If that’s not white, I don’t know what is. In 1992, Aladdin was voiced by a boy so Caucasian he had a recurring role on Full House

The new Li Shang (though renamed and narratively ignored) is a Chinese-born Kiwi, and the new Aladdin is Egyptian. This is a good thing. Tinkerbell and Ariel, who were white in their original films, are now played by Black actresses. This is also a good thing.

But Twitter’s gonna Twitter. The Little Mermaid’s first trailer, and poster, and everything else, got slapped

with a horrifically racist response online. Many claimed that the casting of Halle Bailey was unrealistic, because “ Black women can’t have red hair.”

When reminded that they very much can, some revised their statement to state that Black women can’t naturally grow red hair in Ariel’s specific shade. As a white redhead I can assure you that Ariel’s 1989 shade of red could not logically grow out of any scalp. Unless a fire truck came to life.

These remakes suck, but the casting of these actors couldn’t have less to do with it. The main issue with these films is that they’re produced to death, meaning there’s little room left for artistry. What breaks my heart is the flattening effect they have on their directors.

Whale Rider director Niki Caro was given the remake of Mulan, also known as the worst movie ever. The folks who were in CINE102 from back in 2021 will understand. Dumbo was directed by the visionary filmmaker Tim Burton.

Needless to say, they didn’t really convey the talent of their creative leaders. I felt similar to when the Sam Raimi-directed Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was released last year. Notably, it’s also owned by Disney.

Raimi is best known for the gory horror franchise Evil Dead and for his iconic SpiderMan trilogy. You could see flashes of vision in Doctor Strange: a few jaw-dropping moments and a bit of spine-tingling imagery. But it looked like an AI impersonation of Raimi coded into existence by a PR firm.

Sometimes, animated films are just, well, better. There’s no need to legitimise an art form which is already so captivating. But it’s been a few decades since the Renaissance and nostalgia is addictive, so double-dipping on these stories is a very, very safe bet at the box office.

The issue is not with the actors, (except Tom Hanks). It’s actually not even with the directors this time. Like most everything, it’s with capitalism. Disney isn’t slowing down on these remakes anytime soon, so buckle up for some heartless rehashes. They better keep their mitts off Tangled

The future of childhood nostalgia

Beccy Arnold (she/her)

Kids are just built different these days and if the rest of us had grown up as chronically online as they have, we’d be the same way. Because the younger Gen Zs grew up as a very special type of kid - iPad kids. Being born between 2007-2013 will put them in this category, making them between 10 and 16 years old currently. These younger Gen Zs didn’t live through the coloured jeans phase of 2000s fashion or try to convince their Primary school teacher that Cool Math Games was actually about maths. Their childhood really was ‘chronically online’ and not in the way that Moshi Monsters and Poptropica defined their afterschool activities, but in the way that Disney+ became the new Disney Channel and that TikTok took over YouTube. They’ve grown up with social media always being a part of their lives, whereas older Gen Zs were only introduced to social media in their early teens.

The term ‘Gen Z’ covers 20 years’ worth of people born between 1997 to 2013, and while other generations cover around 20 years, the Gen Z era has seen an unprecedented (sorry, I know we all have PTSD about that word, but it has to be done) amount of change, particularly throughout their adolescence.

The way I see it, Gen Z has a clear distinction - those born pre-2007 and those born after that. There’s no actual scientific data to support this, but if you’ve spent any time around these separate age groups, you’d quickly come to realise the complete disparity in our childhood nostalgia, despite our mutual label ‘Gen Z’ and all the connotations that come with it.

When asked what she considers to be nostalgic from her childhood, 15 year old Lincoln High student Charlotte, showcases a Canva collage she made for a school project about nostalgia which includes images of Geronimo Stilton books, scented Smiggle pens and “The Adventures of One Direction” animated YouTube video. While she was only born in 2008, many of the older Gen’s would also consider these things to be nostalgic, the difference is that Charlotte was actually a child and the older Gen Z kids would have been young teens.

So really, ‘childhood’ nostalgia is a bit ambiguous because there’s no one definitive ‘end point’ of a childhood. At some point, most of Gen Z have grown up around the same things, but the age at which they've experienced them is different. Some elements of childhood nostalgia transcends age though, like how Charlotte thinks of One Direction as nostalgic just as many older Gen Z would.

But what does the future of childhood nostalgia look like?

For the current generation, Generation Alpha, the

pandemic will play a large part in their nostalgia - lockdowns, cancellations, disappointment, but more than anything, uncertainty. They’ll have the trivial nostalgic things like Gen Z does, but instead of remembering how they used to make up dances to Bruno Mars songs in their friends’ garage, they’ll basically have been mini Charli D'amelio's getting hundreds of views on TikTok.

The future is always uncertain, of course, but a staple in future childhood nostalgia is uncertainty. Kids will always worry about the small things, like whether or not their friend will invite them to their party or if it will rain on their birthday or not knowing whether their crush likes them back.

But lately, I wonder if they worry about bigger things. If they understand the question mark that is their future.

Do they think about climate change or realise that this little island they live on is sinking, like the rest of the world? Do they ever worry about paying off student debt, fighting for entry level jobs or buying a completely unaffordable house?

I hope not.

But kids these days have a lot more to worry about than Gen Zs or Millennials ever did growing up. We didn’t have to worry about climate change, global pandemics or navigating social media before our teens. There was no social media presence to accelerate us through our childhoods unlike the current generation. It’s even become a trend amongst influencers with kids to make Instagram accounts for their literal babies, which has turned into everyday people doing the same thing. These kids aren’t even talking yet or conscious of their own hands, let alone their Instagram account that has prematurely pushed them into the ever-evolving world of social media.

Maybe it’s true that ‘the Year 9s get worse every year’, but maybe it’s because they’ve had to grow up too fast and to be fair, they’ve been dealt a pretty rough hand. Gen Alpha are iPad kids turned into chronic vapers with an edge of TikTok virality and constant existential crises so it’s no wonder they’ve grown up a bit faster than we have.

A lot of their nostalgia - while entangled with moments of quintessential kid things like remembering the hold Paw Patrol had on them or the cultural significance of L.O.L dolls - will be centred on change, just as Gen Zs was with the emergence of internet culture. Who knows, maybe the generation after Gen Alpha will have more technological advancements in their generation, so surely a flying car or two are on the cards.

You went outside as a kid

Ahhh, congrats I guess?

There’s no medal for the lack of media literacy you probably have when it comes to 2010s kids shows but you do you.

TV 1

You’re relatively straightlaced and an absolute stickler for the classics .Early starts are and have always been the name of the game for you. Get a sleepin once in a while.

Cartoon Network

Nickelodeon

Disney

a

just

You’re

Rigby looking

for

their Mordecai… a Finn looking for their Jake. You’re a social

trying to make the most out of the mundaneness of studying. Keep at it, pal.

butterfl y

We get it. You’re a loose cannon but you truly need to relax on the “quirky” personality. It’s time to move on from 2010 internet humour. It’ll be okay, trust me.

Go you! Way to be an optimist in life. It’s just a real shame that none of your lectures have ended with killer musical number like you were so

convinced they would. Maybe next year?

Pods

kiwi foods that should be brought back

Beccy Arnold (she/her)

No list about discontinued Kiwi foods can be made without Pods. Out of all these foods, this discontinuation definitely got the most pushback from Kiwis. The only word to really describe the response is ‘frantic.’ People were losing their minds over it, taking to Trade Me to find a single bag of Pods (Snickers > Mars) with one even selling for $300. Ludicrous. But I’ll admit, going to the movies just isn’t the same without letting the Pods melt a little into my overpriced popcorn, ya know?

LOL Drinks

The best canteen food ever. If your school had LOL drinks, you just know it was top shit, and also what probably started our collective addiction to energy drinks due to its very much Red Bullesque can. Advertised as a ‘healthy fruit juice,’ (bit of an oxymoron honestly), LOL drinks were an integral part of a quintessential primary school experience but were soon taken away from canteens during the ‘let’s beat child obesity’ movement in NZ schools. Goldencircle still produces LOL drinks apparently, but nobody can seem to get their hands on the iconic smiley face cans.

Starburst

This one honestly snuck up on me. One day, I was craving a classic Starburst Party Mix, so I made the whole trek to the supermarket only to discover not a single yellow packet existed ! Starburst discontinued its products in NZ in April 2021 due the rising cost of products (fuck you, inflation). Though if you’re desperate for Starburst, you can just make a quick trip across the Pacific Ocean to the US where most of our discontinued foods continue to thrive.

50c Lolly Mixes

Okay, I know lolly mixes still exist in corner dairies but I am NOT about to pay $2 for a mix that would have cost me 50c back in the day. Enough said. Bring it back please.

Spaceman Candy Sticks

Did they taste like nothing? Yes. But we weren't buying them for their limited flavour profile, obviously. Their likeness to a cigarette made them a high commodity in the primary school lolly black market. What a fever dream.

Le Snak

Genuinely still in Le Shock at this one. It’s true, Le Snaks have been discontinued !! “No, but I brought that the other week!” - you say. There’s still existing stock so you might be able to find a few packets before the stock sells through. Manufacturer Bluebird announced in June of 2022 that it would no longer be producing the classic primary school lunchbox snack. Another sneaky discontinuation, quietly and slowly disappearing from supermarkets across the country. Time to stock up while you

Tip Top’s Goody Goody Gumdrops Ice Cream

An ice cream that divided the masses, much like Mint Choc Chip. Love it or hate it, it’s a Kiwi classic and we need it back. Or at the very least, Rollickin’ needs to make a Goody Goody Gumdrops flavour. The discontinuation of the beloved flavour sparked outrage online when it was announced back in October of last year, with Facebook Karen’s eagerly voicing their opinions about how they’re ruining the country by discontinuing the flavour. I wouldn’t go that far, babes, but it is a staple in every Kiwi childhood and bringing it back would probably restore world peace or something like that.

REMINISCING ON THROWBACK HOOPS

We’re all familiar with the following sight. That classic group of dudes who seem to gather at any social event with 70% of their thoughts clouded with Sports Centre talking points and YouTube highlight reels, and the other 30% dedicated to maintaining the indistinct cap and branded shorts combo as if it’s a uniform.

To fill a break in the conversation, one fella will pipe up with a now retired athlete’s name – nothing more, nothing less. In those two words, as blunt as they are, a moment of reminiscence is ignited within the rest of the guys. As the collective trip down memory lane settles, the silence is once again broken by another name drop from across the table. These back and forth rallies of sports nostalgia can last minutes… hours… shit, they can fill an entire week’s worth of discussion. Regardless of the time, place, or context, these lads are always nearby hosting their own throwback ESPN segment. I know this because I’m one of those guys.

I feel like this sort of conversation is especially common with basketball fans and over the years, Christchurch has grown into quite the hoops loving city. The early 2010s are the prime hotspot of my hoops nostalgia. I was introduced to basketball through the emergence of Steven Adams onto the world stage in 2012 and the widespread popularity and success of the Kevin Garnett; Boston Celtics era before they slammed the reset button, bringing us our lord and saviour, Marcus Smart.

As a result of being a relative latecomer to the scene, I became a basketball historian of sorts right off the bat. The first lesson I learnt in playing catch up was that the appreciation for the league of days past rivals and even surmounts the NBA we have today. Nostalgia is imbued in basketball fandom from the ground up. Fans love the vintage aesthetics of former eras, comparing greats to one another, and simply just talking about players that made them fall in love with the game.

With ever-increasing season-to-season player movement, the rate at which the NBA narrative shifts into new eras has been on the rise. Cultivated by an entire pandemic, the 2020 season stands out as an era some fans are beginning to reminisce on. I think it’s fair to say that there’s a general nostalgia for the bubble, despite it just being three years since we were removed from it. This is proof that there isn’t a limit to how much time needs to pass for something to become nostalgic.

When it comes to sports nostalgia, it’s not just an emotive response to the event itself but also an emotive response to the socialisation inherently linked to it and the group identity gained. Tangentially expanding on this, I recently came across a short film clip based around the idea that we all share and experience the same sky, which is comforting in its own cutesy way. This notion can be cleanly applied to media consumption and sports entertainment. For example, when meeting another NBA nerd, both individuals can relate with one another over an experience indirectly shared through broadcast TV/social media.

From 2014 to 2017, I got my basketball fix from the NBAendorsed show “The Starters”. One of my favourite segments was when they’d show a modern equivalent for a throwback player. For example, Kenneth Faried to Shawn Kemp. So, in the spirit of rattling off a couple names, why not do a 2023 edition to get that 2010s nostalgia brewing once again.

Let’s start with Faried since he’s the most interesting case on my list. After a breakout performance at the 2014 world cup, the aptly named Manimal’s career took a downward spiral. Positionally undersized and lacking in defensive discipline, Faried made a career out of creating athletic advantages and capitalising on hustle plays. Unfortunately for him, the NBA’s ideal model power forward transcended his skillset and he was eventually phased out of the league. For this very reason, it’s difficult to find a suitable modern day comparison. Chimezie Metu comes to mind in terms of getting close to Faried’s athletic pop and knack for hitting the offensive boards but, outdoes him in the height department while also not matching his raw production. The reality is that few players meet the physical profile and skillset of Faried, which bears testament to the lack of a market for his playstyle.

Monta Ellis – The Mississippi Bullet – was a dynamic scoring threat and one of my favourite guards to watch as I became further invested in basketball. I imagine he would’ve been a higher volume jump shooter had he entered the league in the mid-2010s. When I think of Ellis, the first things that come to my mind are speed, agility, and funky movement patterns. Today, Kings star De’Aaron Fox fits the bill pretty well. Fox is more of a natural one than Ellis but both share a handful of scoring and athletic traits that resonate with one another.

Tim Smith (he/him)

Then, now, and tomorrow` Pronouns Pronouns

Then, now, and tomorrow

Pronouns are something we all use every day, whether it be referring to ourselves or others. Whilst most people default to he or she pronouns, there are others who use they or other neo-pronouns. An article from 2021 titled The Evolution of Gender Pronouns notes, “While many are aware of gender-neutral pronouns, they aren’t familiar with them, nor do they know how to correctly use them.”

They/them pronouns are the most well-known, nongendered pronouns. They are used when one doesn’t typically identify strictly as female or male. Society has slowly adjusted to the use of they and other genderneutral pronouns, and more people are using them, including celebrities such as Sam Smith.

Unfortunately, there has been backlash about gender neutral pronouns. With some parts of the pushback claiming that gender neutral pronouns are recent inventions made up by the left as a part of a ‘so-called’ culture war. With a lot of people rejecting, ridiculing, or ignoring those who use gender neutral pronouns for the sake of doing so. Is this the case though? Or have gender neutral pronouns been around for as long as humans themselves have been?

Humans are unique in the fact that we refer to one another in such ways, even labelling animals with gendered pronouns even though animals don’t work off the same gender norms as we do. Examples of the singular ‘they’ is, “used to describe someone features as early as 1386 in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and also in famous literary works like Shakespeare's Hamlet in 1599,” according to a BBC article. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology notes that the earliest use of they as a gender-neutral personal pronoun was in a 14th century, French poem called “William the Werewolf.”

It wasn’t until the 2010s where a sharp rise in the discussion of the use of gender-neutral pronouns dominated, especially in the rainbow community. The singular use of ‘they’ even managed to be the Merriam-Webster Dictionaries word of the year in 2019.

The 1800s were a time where neopronouns were actively being discussed. The 2021 article The Evolution of Gender Pronouns discusses this period and quotes various discussions at the time Napoleon Bonaparte Brown said in an article published in 1878 that the need for gender neutral pronouns is, “so desperate, urgent, imperative that…it should long since have grown on our speech.” It’s odd that some people claim that using ‘they’ as a pronoun is ‘difficult’ or ‘wrong’ when we already use ‘they’ as a pronoun in day-to-day

life already saying things like, “they are over there.”

Whilst the singular ‘they’ is the most well-known gender-neutral pronouns there are others, sometimes referred to neo-pronouns. Just like the use of ‘they,’ some neo-pronouns have been around for some time, contrary to popular belief. The definition of neopronouns according to Dictionary.com is, “a type of gender-neutral pronoun, coined after 1800, and used especially by nonbinary and genderqueer people, as in English ze/hir/hirs/em/eirs, or xe/xem/ xyrs.” Neopronouns can replace both he/him/his and she/her/hers

However, neopronouns are not very commonly used. A 2020 research project by the Trevor Project, a non-profit helping trans and queer youth showed that one quarter of respondents used non-binary pronouns. However, of that one quarter, only four percent used neopronouns. Compared with of the more ‘traditional’ they/them pronouns, neopronouns are more misunderstood and as a result are taken less seriously by society.

Languages are very much living things, what was common and acceptable centuries ago may not be common now, but tomorrow who knows what could be the case? Pronouns are such an important part of people’s identities, as our understanding of gender changes it’s only natural that societies understanding, and use of pronouns also grows with it.

What is known for sure is that the use of gender-neutral pronouns is not new at all and have been around for centuries before. Whilst it is true that gender neutral pronouns such as the singular ‘they/them’ as well as neopronouns are being used by more people than before, the commonly used counter argument that ‘they’re made up,’ is simply just untrue.

So why does this matter? Put simply using the correct pronouns makes people feel respected. Using the correct pronouns is a simple way to affirm a person’s identity, it directly effects a person’s well-being and their sense of belonging. A 2016 article published in the United States National Library of Medicine, notes that things as simple as using the correct name and pronouns for a person significantly reduces the chance of them experiencing symptoms of major depression.

Ultimately, regardless of what one thinks of such pronouns it shouldn’t matter. Using someone’s pronouns no matter how odd they may seem, is just a matter of respect, of being a decent human being.

Ella Jenkins (she/her)

One of the most devastating moments of my life was when Netflix removed their “Classics” category. I was shocked and betrayed. How could they do this to me? What was their goal?

Well. It seems like their goal was to take over the world.

They sort of succeeded, despite haemorrhaging money wherever they go, streaming services are a cultural phenomenon. But as networks scramble to produce new content and add plus signs to the end of their names, we need to remember where we came from.

The video store.

Back in the 2000s, I would rather die than call them the ‘noughties’, Video Ezy, Blockbuster and Alice in Videoland were the Holy Trinity of Ōtautahi DVD rentals. The former two have since shuttered, and Alice have added a boutique movie theatre to maximise their reach.

The rental process went like this, 1) wander around the store for twenty to thirty minutes, 2) carefully select three movies, 3) rent them at the counter, 4) take them home, 5) only get around to watching one of them, 6) return them a minimum of twentyfour hours later, 7) avoid the late fee as long as possible. It was amazing.

I might be getting clouded by nostalgia here. It does sound a little clunky compared to the ease of streaming. But there’s truly something special about the video store that cannot be replicated.

Evan Kiddey runs Dead Video in Lyttleton. It began as a kind of movie club with Evan renting his collection out to friends; then Evan opened the store after the first lockdown because he, “realized that all the rental stores were vanishing.” Vanishing indeed as Alice and Dead Video are the only video stores left in Christchurch.

Along with renting out cult and horror films, Dead Video sell them. They stock pop culture memorabilia too; I bought a cheeseburger phone there. That on its own is enough evidence that they’ve become a local institution.

Evan shares my opinion that the rental routine should be preserved, “the Friday night mission to your local video store to get movies shouldn't be lost.”

When I mentioned this article topic to my dad, Craig, he jumped at the opportunity to share the story of his video store missions with his group of mates.

“Our video watching escapades were almost every week for about maybe four years, from 1983 to 1987,” he said. “Usually after a big night of partying. Watching videos really helped with managing a hangover.”

Classic Craig Thornton. You should hear my mum’s stories.

“One video would always be a classic: typically The Godfather, The Deer Hunter, Scarface, Mean Streets, The Shining… The other two would be less well known, probably foreign.”

There was a routine after the films finished, too. Craig says that the group “would normally summarise the video’s themes and key lines, before we would all chip in with witty repartee.” Easily my favourite kind of repartee.

The act of renting a film, bringing it home, and sharing it with others can’t be replaced. A movie shared is a movie halved; no, wait, a movie shared is a gift. Often, a gift that can change the course of people’s lives.

Evan’s favourite video store memory comes from Video Ezy in the mid-nineties, renting The Toxic Avenger while underage. “It's the movie that turned me on to B Grade and I've never looked back.”

On a Saturday when I was thirteen, my dad got me out of bed to show me his favourite movie, The Godfather. He watched it for the first time with his hangover-rental-repartee buddies, and I watched it for the first time in a tattered dressing gown with my repartee buddy of a father.

It’s a very ‘dad’ movie to show a thirteen-year-old. He did happen to choose the only day that month where my mum was out of the house for at least two hours and fifty-five minutes. Yeah, the movie’s pretty violent, but kids nowadays have probably all seen Hereditary. And I turned out fine, (debatable).

But The Godfather, film-bro-y though it may be, sent my life on a completely different path.

I spent a year devoting my evenings to watching classics like it. I wrote essays, for fun! These all on my favourite new Hollywood crime films. Eventually I started my BA in Cinema Studies and got a very full-circle A+ for writing about The Godfather

Evan says that his favourite part of running Dead Video is “meeting people and having chats about the films that changed them.”

The Toxic Avenger changed Evan. The Godfather changed me. And it changed my dad. Sort of because of a hangover, yeah, but mostly because he and his friends were brought closer by the video store. “Memories of classic films, watched with friends, I still have to this day.”

It’s a good thing that Netflix removed the “Classics” section; now you have to go to a video store and rent one. Get your mates together and spend way too long browsing the aisles. Talk to the cashier about the movies that changed you. Then come home and share some witty repartee.

Charlotte Thornton (she/her)

Kia ora,

I am Holly, the President of the GC.

In this role, I am responsible for coordinating our exec to organise our events and initiatives for the year. As we are no longer a gentlemen-only club, we prefer to go by the GC, where the abbreviation is open to the imagination.

Tell us a bit about Gentlemen’s Club!

More often than not we are asked what does the GC actually do? Well besides from the obvious, being a bunch of Good *****, this is a valid question. The GC is original backbone of UC’s student social scene, hosting only the most epic events, frequently, a highlight in any social calendar. This unfortunately took a decent hit during the pandemic. We are, however, making the biggest comeback of 2023.

What are some of the events or activities you have planned for this year?

We have already come in hot with our CUBA collab, hosting the Lake Day After Party, featuring local artists Second Hand Goods, Pool House and Scotte. It doesn’t stop there, with Full Moon nearing on the 13 May, featuring local and international artists on our dual house and drum and bass stages. For the more classy folks, our annual Cocktail Night is back, where we invite you to scrub up and sip on complimentary bottomless cocktails all night. And for those looking for love, you have found the right club with GC’s new event addition: Speed Dating – an evening where you sip on wine, meet the love of your life, then head off into the night to Mono (or back to the pad).

Promote your club to a newbie. How would you sell it?

This is no longer strictly the club for gentlemen, (now run by two gentlewomen) - we welcome all UC students with open arms. We are here to facilitate bad decision making, providing discount grog to the masses, and create a common social scene that extends beyond friend and year groups to bring back a communal student environment, like ‘the

Aside from coming along to events, our annual Cocktail Night is also where we welcome new exec members. Those who are keen to get amongst it are welcome to bartend the cocktails (whilst sipping) and show their dedication to the social scene.

Hurricanes suffer defeat in Fiji

After all the Wellingtonians laughed at the Crusaders for losing to the Fijian Drua team, the Hurricanes managed to do the exact same thing. It’s me, I am the Wellingtonian.

The Fijian side came into the Super Rugby competition as hopeful underdogs. They have proved that they are force to be reckoned with, especially when they are on home soil. After winning against the Crusaders 25 - 24, they decided to have another nail-biter of a game against the Hurricanes. Again, on home soil, they managed to win against the Hurricanes 27 - 24.

There were wins for individual Hurricanes players during the game. Julian “The Bus” Savea managed to join Israel Folau at the top of the all-time Super Rugby scoring table. It was unfortunate for him that this milestone, as well as it being his 150th game for the side was drowned out by an embarrassing loss to Fijian Drua.

Success for Drua as this win is a huge confidence boost for the team, as well as bring them back in the race to achieve within the top 8th spot. For the Hurricanes, it is a disappointing drop, seeing them lose their 2nd place position on the table.

Cristiano Ronaldo earns the biggest of all the bucks

One of the best football players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo has officially re-gained his place since 2017 as the highest-paid athlete in the world.

This follows his move to the Saudi Arabian side, Al Nassr. His contract with the side is reported to be more than $354 million per year. Forbes also reported that Ronaldo managed to earn $218 million across the last 12 months.

The top three on Forbes’s list are all major football players. With Lionel Messi in second place earning $208 million and Kylian Mbappe in third with a respectable $192 million. The Forbes list also saw two golfers, Dustin Johnson, and Phil Mickelson in sixth and seventh place. This has been the first time golfers have been included in the top 10 list since Tiger Woods in 2020.

The list includes on-field earnings such as their salaries, prize money and bonuses. As well as sponsorships, appearance fees, memorabilia and licensing income, these are all considered off-field expenses.

Unsurprisingly, this top ten list is completely comprised of an all-male sporting ensemble. With only two females making the list, the top 50 list that is. Naomi Osaka was ranked at 19th and Serena Williams at 31st.

Black Caps triumph and win fifth ODI

Black Caps vs Pakistan is always a must-watch game. The Black Caps managed to break Pakistan’s five game long winning streak, denying them a clean-sweep of the series.

Pakistan had managed to rise to the top of the ODI rankings after the fourth game of the series. However, they needed the clean sweep to maintain their spot at number one. With their loss to the New Zealand side, they slipped to third, behind Australia and India.

Players Will Young and the captain Tom Latham were crucial parts of the team that defeated the Pakistani side, both earning themselves half-centuries. After the Kiwi side won the toss for the game, New Zealand made a total of 299 in 49.3 overs in Karachi.

Although Pakistan won the series 4 – 1, the satisfaction the New Zealand side can have knowing that Pakistan was unable to hold their spot at number one, allows them to sleep a little easier at night.

NRL referees’ union considering legal action against One NZ boss

Just to be clear, Vodafone is now One NZ. This means that the NZ Warriors are no longer sponsored by Vodafone, but by One NZ.

The NRL referees’ union is thinking about taking legal action over ‘cheating’ accusations made over Twitter by the One NZ and Warriors sponsor boss.

The boss of the telecommunications company, Jason Paris described the referees’ decisions against the Warriors as “cheating of the highest order” on Twitter following the Warriors 18 – 6 loss to the Penrith Panthers. Andrew Abdo, NRL Chief Executive hit back at the comments with pure disgust and shock of the comment made by the main sponsor of a side.

Paris later went on Twitter to clear the air and to clarify that his comments were made in the heat of the moment. However, he went on to re-ignite a conversation about referee bias in the NRL competition asking for “consistency.”

This isn’t the first time rules, regulations and refere es’ have been questions and criticised in the history of NRL. And it sure as hell won’t be the last.

Hariklia Nicola (she/her)

Ft: Product Design Senior Lecturer Nick Emerson

What would you like baby Nick to know?

Ooh that’s tricky! There’s a few broken bones I could have avoided if I’d been more careful – I wouldn’t mind telling myself to dodge that tree stump back in ‘09… In terms of studying, I’d tell myself to concentrate when it mattered. Semesters felt like a long time when I was 18, but once I’d worked out how to study there was plenty of time for an enjoyable study/life balance.

Career-wise I’d tell younger me to have faith that there are many exciting opportunities around the globe, but that he needs to go looking for them!

Tell us a bit about your fresher self

I’m not sure how much to admit here! We had a great group of friends and had a great time. I studied a challenging degree and am very proud to have been successful with it. I met some wonderful people and really enjoyed my uni years. Those that know me will not be surprised to hear I also did quite a lot of bike riding.

What was your biggest fresher fail?

Well, if you read between the lines in my answers you might spot that it took me a little while to get ‘into the rhythm’ of studying at uni. In semester one I picked up some literal fails which were (thankfully) big enough to give me a kick up the rear and properly turns things around. I feel like it was a blessing in disguise thoughinitially struggling at uni opened my eyes to how much work it takes to be successful.

Describe your best first year memory

Wow, I have no idea what to pick. I’m from a tiny village in a large, arable county in East England. For me I’d say the biggest thing was meeting so many amazing people both at university and in the city where I studied (Sheffield). I made some life-long connections and have gone on to make some epic memories with those people.

FLAT FAMOUS

Greta

Nickname: Skux

Flat Role: Dad

Guilty Pleasure: My own success

Height: 4'11 and a 1/2

Maddie

Nickname: Maddog

Flat Role: Flat socialite

Guilty Pleasure: Tasting Ella's food

Height: 2 armchairs

Zoe

Nickname: Zozzle

Flat Role: Flat mechanic

Guilty Pleasure: Medic tents

Height: 1.7 washing machines

Greer

Nickname: Gspot

Flat Role: Mum

Guilty Pleasure: "Winking"

Height: 11.0 sat pros

Alex

Nickname: Alekki

Flat Role: Flat child

Guilty Pleasure: Talking about her job

Height: 2 highland cows

Ella

Nickname: Blakely

Flat Role: Flat vegetable

Guilty Pleasure: Meat;)

Height: 14.52 beverages

Lucky Dip Lucky Dip

As Canta’s longest running segment we play matchmaker and pair up two lucky UC students to hopefully hit it off on a blind date and record their experiences. Sign yourself or a mate up on our website for some free Rollickin and lovin’.

Here are the raw unedited results of this week’s lucky dippers…

Being an avid fan of the Lucky Dip segment, I was always tempted to put my hand up to give it a go. It wasn’t until one of my mates crafted up a sob story application without my knowledge that my temptations were fulfilled. I can’t say I was over the moon about it, but hey, sometimes you must do things to enhance the plot… and a free first time at Rollickin never hurts.

Not wanting to make a bad first impression, I arrived much earlier than any of my lectures this year… surprised I had even shown up at all. Sitting outside, waiting anxiously for an entire two minutes called for a mandatory Instagram scroll, until she arrived. She wasn’t your typical lucky dip blonde (thank fuck), and we didn’t wait around getting to the deep conversations of name, hometown (didn’t need to ask, Welly’s was the vibe), and degree… marriage material chat. After a quick bonding moment over our obsessions with niche and unknown sports (what the fuck is underwater hockey?!), we were eventually saved from the cold as we were told to get our butts inside.

Order time, I got a pretty basic premade combo which the dude behind the counter raved about and she got the two most out-the-gate flavours… not sure what she thought Stacey’s Mom would taste like… but could be keen to try sometime. As we settled into our new digs upstairs, I ballsed up to let it slip that I was a fresher. She didn’t seem to take it that bad, being a third-year and all… so I smoothly changed the subject and tried to bring up anything to make me sound un fresher-like.

I picked up some fun facts along the date. She did the 24-hour T-walk orienteering challenge and is gonna make a map of all her friend's teams and where they went (cool as fuck). She's still not sick of her primary schoolmates as she's flatting with them now. She recently was the victim of mid-party burglary, having her herbs and spices, toaster, and canned food raided… even the DJ decks got taken.

She shared some great chat from club trips and various travels, an area which I am very much lacking in. We found a shared interest in DIY, with her coffee table being made out of a palette surfboard. I only had to refer to my note of convo savers twice!!

Not wanting to once again remind her of my fresher status and hence not owning a car, I closed the night by slipping in the topic of “How are you getting home?” Luckily, my game passed the standards for a cheeky ride home and the invigorating chat continued. I didn’t quite pass the bar for the old phone number swap, but I did manage to secure the modern-day equivalent of a handwritten love letter - a Snapchat add. It's a start, right?

All in all, had a great time with a fresh face (as my sob story implied, I needed) and a great first time rollicking. Will be returning. Thanks, Canta

The Other Side The Other Side

I woke up to the sound of children down the road. One was screaming “fuck you bitch give my scooter back”. Ah, the joys of living in Riccarton. I realised I had fallen asleep watching my online lecture, but I didn’t care. I had bigger things on my mind like getting ready for a date! Zero sleep all weekend had left me feeling depleted and low on energy. However, the promise of free ice-cream and meeting the love of my life was enough for me to get ready. As I drove across town, I blasted Pulzar FM knowing that my time with the radio station was limited (rip Pulzar 2001-2023). It was like a metaphor for my life, one chapter was ending and a fresh one was beginning.

Now when I was thinking of fresh beginnings, I was not exactly imagining a fresher. But that is exactly what I found at Rollickin. A first-year engineering student was sitting outside awaiting my arrival. I guess first year engineering students make up a significant proportion of U.C. so I shouldn’t have been too surprised. However, I never really considered myself a cougar. Maybe this was the beginning of my new chapter?

My date had a list of conversation savers written down which were just a series of questions that put me on the spot. I don’t think I nailed my answers as I broke two out of his three deal breakers. It felt like I had lied on my CV and was bombing the job interview. I asked him what type of music he was into, as we both enjoy going to gigs. He said he really liked underground music, before proceeding to tell me 'Mac Miller’ is his favourite artist. Not exactly who I would describe as underground but love the enthusiasm.

He had some interesting hobbies, like experimenting with electrical items, he bought off Facebook marketplace. I think he’s working on his tradie skills just in case the whole engineering thing doesn’t work out. However, I do admire his dedication to reducing e-waste. What an eco-warrior! He mentioned that he had spent a lot of money signing up for clubs that he hasn’t got involved in. Speaking from personal experience, I reassured him that now is the best possible time to make poor financial decisions. After this he casually dropped how he has invested in property, making him a whole lot more financially stable than me.

When I asked where he was from, he said Hawkes Bay. I assumed that living in a bogan hot spot meant that he would be into cars. Unfortunately, this was not the case, as he did not have a car and asked me to drive him back to his hall. I guess he just wanted to spend more time with me.

Good luck to my date, with completing your first year of engineering. Maybe we’ll see each other around university, but probably not because we both barely go to class.

Colouring C o l o u r i n g

Puzzle Time P u z z l e T i m e

Down

Across

1. The original YouTube app icon

1. The original YouTube app icon

5. Branded book fair hosted by schools

Down

2. The hotspot for all your smelly eraser needs

2. The hotspot for all your smelly eraser needs

3. Screenless Apple music player

5. Branded book fair hosted by schools

6. Robotic hamster/owl hybrid toy

7. The primary schooler's instrument of choice

9. Teal platypus often donning a fedora

7. The primary schooler's instrument of choice

4. What service does Tony provide?

3. Screenless Apple music player

5. Purple dragon that debuted on the playstation

4. What service does Tony provide?

8. Ronald McDonald once said to "make it __?"

5. Purple dragon that debuted on the playstation

8. Ronald McDonald once said to "make it __?"

How many words (at least three letters) can you make, all words must contain the centre letter, there is one 9 letter word, and 18 possible combinations...

https://crosswordlabs.com/view/2023-05-08-962

6. Robotic hamster/owl hybrid toy

9. Teal platypus often donning a fedora

HOROSCOPES HOROSCOPES

Gemini

May 21 - Jun 20

You’re really just giving the best vibes this month! Go and give everything a go because chances are you’re gonna be a beast at whatever you do. Or don’t. Up to you.

Virgo

Aug 23 - Sep 22

I wouldn’t bank on being very productive this month, the stars are just not aligning for you. It’s gonna be stressful and you’ll be even more behind on lectures. No advice from me, just condolences xx.

Sagittarius

Nov 22 - Dec 21

You were definitely the kid who hid the TV remote so you could pick what cartoon to watch on Saturday morning. I guess that’s why you hide your emotions from everyone because you want to choose the version of you that everyone else sees. Keep it real xoxo.

Pisces

Feb 19 - March 20

Get it together! Imagine all the free time you’d have if you stopped daydreaming about how easy life was in the 2000s and actually started your uni assignments. The stars are aligning for you this month, now’s your chance to get on top of things.

Cancer

Jun 21 - Jul 22

Candy bracelet kid turned gym rat, you really have it all figured out right now. Can’t wait to see you and your future nepo babies thrive once you retire from your illustrious and very wealthy career at the ripe age of 32.

Libra

Sep 23 - Oct 22

It’s time you actually got a bluetooth speaker adapter for your car because your friends are sick of listening to your collection of Now That’s What I Call Music CD’s from Year 8.

Capricorn

Dec 22 - Jan 19

Bro, your lecture recordings are waiting for you! Stop watching Disney Channel Originals and open Echo360. That’s all.

Aries

March 21 - April 19

It’s okay, don’t feel bad about crying every time you watch The Lion King. Or any other animated movie for that matter - it happens to the best of us.

Leo

Jul 23 - Aug 22

For once, you’re actually thriving rn! You're giving Selena Gomez in Monte Carlo, the most slay of all teen movie throwbacks. Go and rest, you deserve it xoxo.

Scorpio

Oct 23 - Nov 21

I dunno about the vibes I'm getting from you Scorpios this month but I get the sense you were one of those kids who thought spelling ‘BOOBS’ on your calculator was top shit. And honestly, it kinda was. Keep slaying, as always.

Aquarius

Jan 20 - Feb 18

You’ve been flying under the radar a little bit, sneaky little Aquarius, but I’m here to say the universe sees you and this month will be your best yet. Aren’t you just soooo excited?!

Taurus

Apr 20 - May 20

Look, I know you’re re-entering your 2013 Tumblr emo phase since you started listening to The 1975 again, but it’s time to get back to studying!! I believe in you, bestie.

Meet the Team

Made by students for students since 1930

Contributors

CANTA 2023 Meet the Team

If you wish to make a complaint or offer some feedback, please email ‘editor@canta.co.nz.’

Hariklia Nicola Print Editor print@canta.co.nz

Ella Waterreus Graphic Designer design@canta.co.nz

Matteo Zhang News Editor news@canta.co.nz

Imy Rice Digital Editor

Swarit Chauhan Audio Editor

Tessa Birch Video Creative Editor

Amelia Ware Video & Digital Asst.

Beccy Arnold Feature Writer

Ella Jenkins Feature Writer

Tim Smith Feature Writer

Charlotte Thornton Feature Writer

Pierce Crowley UCSA President

Anna Pohatu Tumuaki

Bella Craig Guest Writer Nina Tucker Guest Writer

Holly Soar Gentlemen's Club Exec

Nick Emerson Product Design Senior Lecturer