Nexus '22 | Issue 04 | Wā Kāinga

A+B TRIMESTER

STUDENT MEMBERSHIP

ONLY

$395 UP-FRONT

AVAILABLE UNTIL 31 MARCH 2022. TERMS & CONDITIONS APPLY. 12 MONTH, 6 MONTH AND FLEXI-TERM CONTRACTS ALSO AVAILABLE.

David Bennett List MP based in Hamilton East 510 Grey Street, Hamilton East 3216 davidbennettmp@parliament.govt.nz davidbennett.national.org.nz 07 834 3407

Authorised by David Bennett MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington.

FREE RANGE GRILLED CHICKEN CRISPY PANKO CRUMBED PICKLES CULLEY'S BUFFALO WING SAUCE STILTON SAUCE

NEXUS

CONTENTS 05

NĀ TE ĒTITA

06

NEWS

09

SPORTS

10

PITO PITO KŌRERO

12

TOKU KĀINGA, TOKU NGĀKAU

14

BUT WHERE ARE YOU...

15

LETTERS FROM A...

16

COLUMNS

25

ART FEATURE

26

FULL EXPOSURE

28

CLUBS

30

REVIEWS

32

ENTERTAINMENT

34

SNAPPED

35

CAMPUS FASHION

36

HOROSCOPES

37

PUZZLES

DISCLAIMER Nexus is a magazine made by students, for students.

As such it’s sometimes controversial views don’t actually represent those of the WSU, Nexus staff, the publishers, or the sponsors.

PRINTING Nexus only makes it to the stands thanks to the incredible team at Urban Print. We are proud that we are printed on 90gsm Sapphire Offset stock that is PEFC certified, biodegradable, recyclable and audited to ensure unsustainable sources are excluded.

LOCATION The Nexus offices are located down the hall at the WSU, usually with Alexa playing terribly dated music.

You can send correspondence to us at: Nexus C/O Waikato Students’ Union, University of Waikato, Ground Floor SUB Gate 1 Knighton Road Hillcrest 3216 @nexusmag

@Andreiassssss 4

N.04 / V. 55

facebook.com/nexusnz Nexus Media Experience

社论 / NĀ TE ĒTITA

NEXUS

Vibin’ in my ‘89 Corolla Wā Kāinga and what it means to me. Far, what a fucking loaded statement. For me, and I’m sure I’ve made this abundantly clear, I’ve always found it difficult to understand where I belong or where I consider home.

Not home in the metaphorical sense (far norf reps bitch) but rather the tangible idea of a physical home. There’s no childhood home for me, nowhere I remember growing up with my height on a door frame. Before I was in school, I’d moved like 15 times – school definitely didn’t slow that down though. I’ve been more nomadic than I probably should’ve been. Was this a choice of mine? No. But is it something that I’ve been mad at for happening? Naaaah.

Home, for me, has always been where I currently reside. In the same way that you can choose your hoa e whānau, I choose where my home is. Without resulting to stereotypes, I’ve been homeless a few times in my life. There’s been multiple instances of living in a car-based home.

When I was younger but also in my adult years. I don’t recommend it for the sake of your poor back. My beat up ‘89 corolla was somewhere I lived for a short whilez, sorry to all those second year teaching students who I’m sure could tell. But that’s where this kōrero around home resides – what we consider home. Or what do I consider home? Obviously I’ve already divulged my sad-sack story of homelessness and never being in a stable home (aww sad) but in all honesty I am a bit of a free-spirit kid who

isn’t sure where he belongs. Sorry to not give a definitive answer but that’s all there is to it. I don’t know This week was an interesting week for us in the office, with everyone discussing where they’re from and where they’ve been. With a range of emigration stories, I felt selfish in my ability to call Aotearoa home as tangata whenua. There’s this weird divide as we struggle as a community to distinguish who’s a kiwi and who’s an immigrant. If you whakapapa māori, are you more of a kiwi than a first generation child of immigrants from Europe, where’s the line? I want to make certain that I don’t think that there’s anyone more important than anyone else, but Māori do originate on this land so that’s our whakapapa. It’s hard, as Māori, to not be protective of our whenua but the truth is we’re all just occupants of this planet – we’re all at home in some way right?

So here’s where I stand currently, uncertain of where I’m going and who I am. But the ultimate takeaway for you as a general reader of this shitfest editorial, I’m happy and that’s all that matters. Lol. I can feel the emotions exuding as I pour my heart and soul into this but home is something that means bugger all to me. I’m sure I’ll find myself eventually, as you all will, but the genuine answer is that I’m okay with whatever happens from here on out. I’ll find my home and who I am. Kei te pai.

TEAM Ētita Jak Rāta etita@nexusmag.co.nz Deputy Editor Features Tehana De Klerk tehana@nexusmag.co.nz Deputy Editor News Jared Ipsen jared@nexusmag.co.nz Te Aō Māori Ētita Regan Thompson-Taurima regan@nexusmag.co.nz Designer Wenyue Ruan - 阮文悦 wenyue@nexusmag.co.nz Stien Huizenga stien@nexusmag.co.nz Advertising & Communication James Raffan comms@wsu.org.nz Lara Dashfield lara@wsu.org.nz Contributors Anahera Harris Andrei Catlin Walters-Freke Dave Snell Eilidh Huggan Hannah Huggan Katrina Jones Lyam Buchanan Sven Seddon Zian Volkov WĀ KĀINGA

5

NEXUS

WIHIRI NIUHI / 新闻

Last Week This Week

by Jared Ipsen

Research shows that sustained and repeated media exposure is associated with something called ‘high acute stress.’ Luckily, here at Nexus, we constantly operate under acute stress (or are just high) - we’ve read the news so you don’t have to. Make yourself a cuppa, give your vape a fresh squirt of juice, and cast your gaze upon the endless and all-consuming horrors of the world at large.

Hey, anyone got a panadol?

On our own shores, noted scumbags Fletcher Building are requiring their COVID-19 infected employees to use sick leave, rather than use the free special leave subsidised from the Government. This means that if an employee gets sick from the cov’, they effectively aren’t able to take any leave for any other illnesses for the rest of the calendar year. If Fletcher Building sounds familiar to you, that’s probably because they were the ones attempting to build on the Crownconfiscated land at Ihumātao, the area in Auckland where Māori are understood to have first landed in Aotearoa in the 14th century. You’d think Fletcher would be slightly nicer to their employees after receiving over $66,000,000 from the government’s wage subsidy scheme, but… White supremacy (in Minecraft), I guess?

250 people are being charged by NZ Police for their actions during February's protests at Parliament. Among those people are a few that probably have good reason to be aggrieved, but there is also someone who believes they can heal illness through eye contact and a Cher impersonator, who I’m sure has an extensive background in virology. In an act of unsurprising cowardice, protest organisers / knitting enthusiasts Voices For Freedom are reportedly nowhere to be seen at these trials. In my opinion, these protests were just a straight up grift. The organising groups (the chuds at Counterspin, the aforementioned Voices for Freedom, and the group I thought were a parody, Doctors Speaking Out with Science, and Tamaki’s goons) took advantage of a group of vulnerable people, worked them up into a frenzy, ran away with their tails between their legs when shit got real, and are now letting them take the fall as they count their money. If I can offer Voices For Freedom some free advice, it’s that if you can’t be with your people at their worst, you don’t deserve them at their best.

Also, get a real job.

You’ve probably noticed fresh sheets of plywood covering the windows on your local dairy / piss shop lately - you may even be one of the lucky ones missing the quarter glass on your car window, or even missing your car completely.

Small business owners around Kirikiriroa have come together to advocate for more protection after a sustained period of robberies, even enlisting our fearless Mayor, Paula Southgate, for a shift at Caltex last weekend. The group, made up of dairy and servo owners, believes that Police are not doing enough to protect them against ram raids and robberies, and the

6

N.04 / V. 55

新闻 / WIHIRI NIUHI

NEXUS

fact that there “will not really be any consequences” for the mostly teenage offenders only serves to embolden them further. Maybe these offenders need to start robbing supermarkets (in Minecraft) instead, rather than small business owners just trying to get by.

Speaking of our supermarkets, there have been a fair few human interest stories coming out about how the price of food in Aotearoa is affecting our most vulnerable. Pensioners skipping meals, low income families struggling... You have to wonder if Foodstuffs and Woolworths big wigs feel bad, knowing they are taking advantage of a vulnerable population in a time of crisis. Mind you, making $1,000,000 a day in excess profits probably softens the blow a little, right? Luckily, Pak’n’Save, New World, and Countdown are spending millions of your dollars on advertising to tell you how cheap their products are. It kind of feels like they’re just laughing in our faces at this point, doesn’t it? Shoplifting from the supermarket is starting to feel like a moral obligation.

Staying on New Zealand politics, National leader and ex corporate CEO Christopher Luxon is still in need of some serious PR training.

In an interview with Newstalk ZB’s Kerre McIvor, while speaking about improving our economy, Luxon said “[we] don’t just do bottom feeding and focus on the bottom, we focus on people who want to be positive, ambitious, aspirational and confident, right?” As a PR student, I can confirm that referring to poor people as ‘bottom feeders’ is bad optics, and also ironic, considering that Luxon himself reportedly owns seven properties and being a landlord is almost the dictionary definition of bottom feeding. This follows his recent comments where he referred to some on his staff as ‘high calibre Māori,’ implying that he has an internal system where he rates Māori depending on their level of usefulness to him.

Antarctica recorded record breaking high temperatures, with weather stations on the frozen continent clocking an increase of 40 degrees celsius. 40 fucking degrees, guys, what the fuck? Scientists have described the simultaneous melting of both the north and south poles as ‘unusual,’ but for me, it was enough to send me into a panic last Friday night which saw me lying awake for hours, thinking about thousands of poor penguins being slow-cooked by the sun. A University of Wisconsin meteorologist was quoted as saying “it’s not a good sign.” You think, bro?

To be honest, I’m finding it hard to read all of the coverage coming out of the war in Ukraine at the moment. While the popular Western concept of ‘hell’ isn’t really biblically accurate, humans are doing a pretty good job of creating it here on earth. Russia now seems to be targeting civilains by bombing hospitals and shelters, and are now reportedly using ‘hypersonic missiles,’ which can travel five times the speed of sound. Resistance against the war is rising from within Russia’s borders, with news reporter Marina Ovsyannikova’s on-screen protest causing ‘a stream of resignations’ from within Russian state media, according to the BBC. It’s starting to seem like there isn’t really a way out of this conflict except for a full scale WWIII. May God have mercy on us all.

We are currently working on a piece about everyone’s favourite government entity, Studylink. We are particularly interested in having a kõrero with someone who has worked for Studylink, but we’d also like to hear your experiences. Please send an email to news@nexusmag. co.nz if you can help us out.

WĀ KĀINGA

7

NEXUS

WIHIRI NIUHI / 新闻

Small Town Short News

by Jared Ipsen

You put your brain through a lot, don’t you? MD, Tik Tok, casual sex, whatever garbage Netflix is pumping out at the moment... Take our hand, e hoa, and come for a stroll through the parts of the Waikato where the wifi doesn’t work, the RSA is pumping, and everyone’s related.

This week, we are mourning those who tragically lost their lives on board the Enchanter last week. The boat was returning from a fishing charter trip off the top of Te Ika-a-Māui when a freak wave broke the vessel’s bridge, taking the lives of the five of those on board. Our hearts go out to the communities in Cambridge and Te Awamutu affected by this tragedy. Take the opportunity today to tell those close to you how much you love them and what they mean to you, and keep their families in your prayers.

While pine trees used for ‘carbon credits’ are hailed as the solution to our climate woes in Aotearoa, it turns out the trees actually solve one problem by creating a lot more. Waikato Regional Council is attempting to control wilding pine spread across Opito Bay and Whenuakite, by drilling the pines and filling them with herbicide, or just straight up chainsawing them down. While pine trees do store carbon, they also spread like crazy from seed (almost like a giant weed), and form a dense canopy that native plant species can’t survive under, which then causes our native animals to become displaced. If nothing is done to curb their spread, the Council estimates that in the next 30 years, pine trees will have swallowed ‘significant parts’ of our environment. Hey, at least we’ll have lots of carbon credits tho yeah?

Check on the farmer in your life- Fieldays has been postponed. Since 1969, the yearly National Agricultural Fieldays festival at Mystery

8

N.04 / V. 55

Creek has been a safe space for those who till our land for profit to meet like minded people, kick tyres on new tractors, buy a new pair of Red Bands, and complain about whoever is in Parliament at the time. Organisers are looking forward to welcoming over 100,000 attendees later in December, so make sure you stay off the roads around then. Ute drivers believe in nothing and will run you down for fun.

Farmers in the Waikato are breeding a climate resistant breed of cow as global temperatures continue to rise. The so-called ‘slick gene,’ which produces shorter hair on cows and thus increases tolerance to heat, was first discovered in a Caribbean-based breed of cows which have been cross-bred with New Zealand cows over the past seven years. While these new super-cows have a lower overall body temperature on hot days, they produce less milk than their long hair counterparts. Personally, I think cow milk is nasty as shit, but it’s always encouraging to see farmers look out for animal welfare in their own weird way.

Wow, this edition of STSN is really farmer-heavy, yeah? A group of car enthusiasts are terrorizing farmers around rural Waikato. Just last week, a truck driver attempted to get through a group of ‘boy racers’ blocking the road, which led to the windscreen of the milk truck being smashed and $80,000 worth of milk being spilled onto the road. Local residents say these late night car meetups see their children being frightened by the noise, attacks on farm animals, rubbish all over the roads, and threats made toward residents who try to intervene. I personally don’t think that all car enthusiasts are fuckwits, but this particular group are certainly giving them all a bad name, and should probably go terrorise Rototuna instead of quiet communities just trying to make a living.

运动 / HĀKINAKINA

F1 Fuck-bois

by Oliver Dunn

With Pirelli tyres spinning once again, the electricity of Formula 1 has returned for motorsport diehards and recent Netflix converts. Despite Michael Masi bumfumbling in last season’s finale, the sport has never been more popular. A new car design and fresh regulations promise to shake up both the front runners and midpack teams, which is all very exciting. But let’s not lose sight of what’s really important here: the drivers.

More specifically, how the slender speedsters stack up as potential suitors.

Sure, Carlos Sainz knows each corner of the racetrack intimately, but how would he navigate the sharp turns of deciding where to eat on a Tuesday night?

This ranking system will order the Formula 1 paddock based on boyfriend material intangibles and may also be used to determine who to follow on Instagram, bad mouth during the race and name drop at your next house party.

20 – 16: Ghosted 20. Fernando Alonzo Despite a personal rebranding in more recent years, Alonzo doesn’t have the greatest reputation for treating partners well (just ask Lewis Hamilton). The demanding Spaniard has a track record of awkward break-ups with previous teams and let’s not pretend the age gap wouldn’t be a tough sell.

NEXUS

Forget about a casual game of monopoly (if there is such a thing) or a playful pillow fight. Verstappen will dominate you in every facet of life and turn anything potentially neutral into a competition that the hot blooded dutchman must win.

5 – 1: Total Package

13: Mick Schumacher 12: Pierre Gasly

Get past the Spanish dub of Kermit the Frog and you have yourself a smooth operator belonging to the tall dark and handsome architype.

11: Esteban Ocon A gentle toothy grin paired with the impressive lankiness to reach the top shelf of any kitchen. With brilliant table manners Ocon is a safe bet to bring home to meet mum and dad.

10 – 6: Sneaky Link 10: Sergio Perez 9: Lewis Hamilton Boasting a trendy wardrobe and a hint of glamour seldom found in the pits, Hamilton likely has dating down to a fine art. The tricky part would be getting a word in over coffee as he spends its entirety explaining how connected he is to the ocean.

8: Kevin Magnussen 7: Sebastian Vettel 6: Daniel Ricciardo With a seemingly constant grin, the down to earth, self-deprecating McLaren driver could prove either infectious or infuriating, depending how Australian you are.

5: George Russell Esteban Ocon but with incredible eyelashes.

4: Carlos Sainz

3: Valtteri Bottas Although it might come with some passive aggressive, under the breath remarks, Bottas will do anything to help you succeed, sacrificing his own hopes and dreams to ensure you realise yours.

2: Lando Norris A great project with high upside. Much like most 22-year olds Norris is a bit rough around the edges and is often threatened by his partners. Manage to break down these fresh off puberty man-child walls and you may find yourself with the bell of the ball.

1: Charles Leclerc Unsurprisingly the most polished, wellrounded boyfriend available. Not only does the boyish face make podium for most handsome, but you also get the accent, the quiet demeanour and the Monaco family home. How does one say no to a second date with Charles?

19. Lance Stroll 18. Nicholas Latifi 17. Zhou Guanyu 16. Yuki Tsunoda The polarising sophomore for AlphaTauri still has a lot of growing up to do. Expect date nights to be plagued with complaints and his apartment to be devastated by mountains of laundry and Red Bull swag.

15 – 11: Facebook Friends 15: Alex Albon 14: Max Verstappen WĀ KĀINGA

9

NEXUS

PITO PITO KŌRERO / 文化

Whakatauki of the Week Ngaro atu he tētēkura, whakaeke mai he tētēkura.

When one chief disappears another appears. No one is disposable.

Ask a whaea Kia ora whaea, my whānau want me to come back home for the break. But I’m not really feeling it, any advice?

Kia ora e hika — this can be really relatable. Particularly at the start of the year, it can either be a God-send to have a break in April and get away from the hall/your flatmates, but on the other hand it can be a buzzkill to have to leave all your uni whānau when it feels like you just met or reunited with them yesterday. My advice depends on the reason you aren’t feeling it. Whānau is whānau, but over the years I’ve come to understand that unfortunately some people’s chosen whānau fill a void of aroha that may have previously been missing. Heoi anō, remember it’s just for the break, and if it’s really not that deep … these past two years should have taught us that now, more than ever, is the time to hug all the people you love and tell them that you love them, kanohi ki te kanohi.

Ultimately — kei a koe e hika. That’s my advice xx Want a question answered by our Whaea? Email whaea@nexusmag.co.nz

Nō hea koe?

by Regan Thompson-Taurima

Ko Tangoio taku tūrangawaewae, ā, ko Te Whanganui-a-Tara taku ūkaipō.

Whenever I’m asked to introduce myself, this is what I say. I’m a hearty Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Rangitāne wahine Māori — the moana is where I thrive, the first tā moko I get will be of Maungaharuru, and my favourite place on earth is Tangoio Falls. The East Coast is, and forever will be, where my heart is.

Alongside being a coastie, I was blessed to grow up on Taranaki whānui and Ngāti Toa Rangatira lands. I couldn’t possibly be more of a Wellingtonian if I tried. I own three pairs of doc martens, I’m an avid user of public transport (even still in Kirikiriroa), and for my eighteenth birthday I got a nose piercing. It’s safe to say my soul has a Miramar peninsula / south coast shaped brand on it that will remain evermore.

Both the East Coast and our capital city are my homes. When I’m asked where home is or where I’m from, I’m okay with taking up a little more air time to explain the importance of both of my kāinga to me.

I identify Tangoio, about 35km north of Ahuriri, as my tūrangawaewae: my ‘place to stand’ by right of whakapapa, the place where I feel most connected to my tīpuna.

At Tangoio I’ve celebrated my whānau at birthdays and reunions, had wānanga with fellow rangatahi, hui about the future of our hapū and marae, passed the wairua of my whānau into the hands of Hine-nui-tepō. There isn’t, and will never be, a place

10 N.04 / V. 55

with the same meaning to me as Tangoio. I identify Te Whanganui-a-Tara as my ūkaipō: my place of sustenance, because I was nurtured there and because my immediate whānau is still there. Wellington is where we frequently protested, from classroom petitions to bill submissions to marches to Parliament, and quickly learned how inherently political everything is, from high school netball to queer identities to iwi lands. It’s also where I learned how to drive, had debates about suburb boundaries with my childhood best friend, walked the streets and sands of Huetepara at all hours.

This is my fourth year living away from Te Whanganui-a-Tara, and it will never not be home.

As a wahine Māori who grew up away from my tūrangawaewae, who in high school had a year group of 210 people from which 13 identified (at the time) as being Māori, the ‘urban Māori’ disconnect and associated assumptions / categorisations were a big part of my upbringing, too. Both my wā kāinga mean more than the world to me, but the struggle of equally identifying with being from both, because neither could possibly be a bigger part of my identity, is real. With all of this being said, I’d like this passage to be a reminder that your home is your home / your homes are your homes, they are where you are ‘from from,’ and you have every right to claim your belonging to them — in ways that mihi to mana whenua, of course.

Mauri ora e te whānau x

NEXUS

KUPU WHAKAATU / 特辑

Toku Kāinga

by Jak Rāta

This week, I wanted to discuss some of the more formidable whare I’ve had the pleasure of occupying since my first year of study. Home is where the heart is, even when black mould threatens the soul. I like to think of myself as a flatting connoisseur at this stage, but my luck isn’t always the greatest.

Basically, this piece was going to be a cautionary tale but became a walk down memory lane for me. Without turning this into a sappy story of not feeling like I belong, I wanted to kōrero about why it’s hard sometimes to feel like you belong without calling somewhere your home.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll for sure be making jokes about shitty flatmates, but genuinely you can make your whare a place you feel safe. With the sappy shit out of the way, let’s talk about some cunted flats I’ve been a part of.

Painair Cres | 2016

$130 with power + internet

What a hoot of a flat this was. I lived with some hella dope art types that weren't afraid of a good movie night or chilling out with some mates. I was pretty young at this stage, with Uni looming in the forefront, but honestly it wasn’t so bad. There was never a dull moment and I liked the flatties, even if the end wasn’t the most savoury.

My advice I have from here, communicate move out dates.

12 N.04 / V. 55

特辑 / KUPU WHAKAATU

NEXUS

a, Toku ngākau Inverness St | 2017 $130 with internet (power split) Now, I’ve never made myself out to be an amazing person with strong values, but Inverness seemed to be me at my absolute worst. I was in my “straight” era (of which I’ve since returned to), and featured heavy appearances from the big three: piss, weed and MD. The flat itself was chill with 5 others of varying personality types, but it was a formative growth period. Let me add that ignoring your whānau for a whole ass year is never the tahi.

Advice? Don’t do anything off toilets, regardless of their implied cleanliness.

Cameron Road | 2017 $120 with internet (power split) Fuck me, this one was peak “fuck flatmates”. I’m not a particularly anal (lol) person when it comes to cleaning regimes or making ‘chore charts’, but I’m never going to leave some paru dishes in the bathroom after my late night post-sesh bathtub kai time with mates. 6 people in one flat, you’d think communicating expectations should be the outcome, but honestly? Fuck those paru fucks.

My advice is to always keep your non-perishable foods in your room.

Scotland Pl | 2018 $130 with internet (power split)

experience, so my time there is jaded from being stuck with a piece of shit partner who started arguments too frequently. I liked most of my flatmates, but I was faced with damage control on the regular from my ex’s path of destruction.

Advice? Don’t date anyone who starts every conversation with “As a white man, here’s my opinion”. Gap. Greensboro | 2018 $150 with everything else split each month The most expensive from my days flatting, but the most fun.

Those two story town houses are a fucking hoot and a good shit when it comes to kick-ons. I’m still good mates with everyone I lived with here and I love them all. Miss you fuckers.

Advice from here? Facebook marketplace isn’t all that bad, take a chance on the weird kids.

Marshall Street l 2012 $130 with internet and power A few hours after we moved in here, our bikes got stolen and we were offered crack, so all in all, a pretty friendly environment, yeah? A core memory at this whare was taking acid and then witnessing a gang fight on our front lawn. Despite all of this, the community was actually pretty nice to us ‘white boys’ - the tinnies were big and close by, our bikes got returned, and once we got a dog we stopped getting robbed (even though a friendly old lady threatened to ‘stab his eyes out’).

Advice? Living in the hood is still preferable to living in Rototuna.

Let me mention I was in a relationship during this flatting

WĀ KĀINGA

13

NEXUS

KUPU WHAKAATU / 特辑

What is home to you? Whenever somebody asks me where I’m from, I immediately say New Zealand. Sure, I have the passport, but I truly consider this country to be home. However, I was born here to South African parents, so I’m no stranger to the question “but where are you really from?”. To be honest, that question irks me; why is my answer not sufficient? I’ve never been to South Africa, so I don’t consider it to be home. I will always stay in touch with my roots and not be afraid to hide my heritage, but personally when somebody asks me where I’m from, my answer is the place I was born and partly grew up in because that, to me, is home. Questions like these alone show that there are great amounts of misconceptions, stereotypes, and profiling when it comes to race. It’s human nature to be curious, but that should not warrant people demeaning the identity of others. Of course, there is a fine line (I hope we’re all intellectual enough to understand when that line shouldn’t be crossed).

But Where Are You Really From?

Nevertheless, race is always a tricky subject. You can identify with a certain race, but

by Tehana De Klerk those people may think that you’re not enough. I’m sure many of you have heard “oh, you’re not dark enough to be from there” or “you’re too white to be Māori”. How is this acceptable? I know that home and race are two separate things, but I feel as if the way some of this question is worded is almost a kick in the face; it’s almost as if the person asking thinks you’re lying to them. I might be overthinking it, but I feel it would be more acceptable if (at the appropriate time and place) you ask something like “is your entire family from here?” or “what’s your ethnicity?”, so why can’t we do that?

In 2017, Christina Zdanowicz and Tiara Chiaramonte for CNN shared the stories of many Americans who had been asked about their ethnicities. The video discusses the experiences of these people who are frequently asked the off-putting question “but where are you really from?”. From being told to go back to their country, beginning to feel inadequate to be called American, and being told that you have to look a certain way to be of a certain ethnicity, these people face the same challenges every day simply because of who they are. And this is not at all uncommon in the rest of the world.

This, of course, applies to New Zealand as well. I’ve heard many stories from friends and family about how other people make them feel inadequate about their identity. Whether that be because of plain ignorance or straight up insolence, many New Zealanders find themselves continuously struggling with other people not being able to accept them as New Zealanders.

We need to be better. Respect goes a long way, but acceptance and understanding goes even further. Racial identity is clouded by stereotypes and judgement, and in order to defeat that, people need to educate themselves on the magnitude of diversity. It’s obviously not as easy as it sounds, but everything starts somewhere. We need to take the smaller steps as individuals so that humanity can take a great leap forward into becoming a better society for the generations to come.

To end this piece, here’s a little word of advice so that the next time your curious mind wants to know someone’s ethnicity, you don’t sound like a complete asshole: there’s a fine line between curiosity and microaggression (which for those who don’t know means “indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group”). Never ask this question with any kind of hostile intent, and remember that these kinds of conversations call for an appropriate time and careful wording.

Be kind and considerate, always.

Oh, and never seriously utter the question “but where are you really from?”.

14 N.04 / V. 55

特辑 / KUPU WHAKAATU

Letters From a Former Editor

- Temporarily Settling

by Lyam Buchanan

The plan was simple: • • • • •

2 years abroad.

Get a job.

Dander through Europe.

Pop back.

Crack on.

Nice and simple: no worries, no stress. Not only would this allow me to afford an extended OE, but it was the perfect excuse to avoid throwing myself into a panic masters, or worse, still be a Nexus Editor... Now I’m three-years-deep with a blinding Irish glow, an offer for a Masters applied for during a purposeless daze, along with a series of recurring border closure themed night terrors. However, when you’re a month into a new city and a global pandy forces you to switch your very temporary plan into ‘home for the foreseeable’ chances are you’ll very quickly seek comfort in the bingey “ah yeah might go back to uni aye” culture you adored in Hamilton East.

While this may just be my post St Paddy’s scaries, it’s clear that I’ve missed out on a good portion of my 20’s completely isolated from my best mates, and despite constantly reminding myself that they’ll still be there when I eventually return, there will forever be this haunting chunk where we grew apart because the thought of going home felt like failure. Maybe I’ll constantly go through waves of regretting the decision to stay, or maybe I’m just romanticising this idea of the home that never existed. Regardless, there’s something worthwhile in taking the risk to restart and make somewhere temporary a little more permanent; however, if I had the chance to impart some sage wisdom to a clammy mouth breather clutching a ticket to Dublin on the 4th of March 2019, I would.

NEXUS

times you can rattle through the ABs, Ardern, LOTR, Korg, etc before it’s easier to pretend you’re from Sydney, and that you definitely recognise the name of the Subway guy's sisters best friend who lived there for 6 months.

• • The shit tier impressions never end. There’s a special twinkle in someone’s eyes right before they crack out the most passionately dog shit “Giday meit! Chack a shimp on tha bahbee!!” I understand this is far from ground breaking, but that twinkle still causes my spinal cord to violently detach.

Some inherent fear of settling led me to abandon any sense of ‘home’ in favour of some vaguely seminal hunt for ‘more,’ and while it’s clear I haven’t always had the luck of these pasty locals, I’m still stoked to not be in the gutters of Greensboro.

Hindsight’s dandy though - that clueless cunt with a one way ticket never would’ve listened, instead I’m almost certain if they’d be writing the same introspective shit aimed at enlightening the trainwreck of their first year self. Alas, would you expect anything less from a former editor who clearly peaked in 2017?

I still need to wander through Europe, but if there’s never any clarity on ‘home’, maybe it’s time to pop back.

Crack on.

If the plan is to travel, fuck off and travel. By setting a time limit on being intrepid, you’ll forever have an idealistic ‘home’ that you’ll never shake. I’m sure it’s different when you set out to settle down, but it was a rookie mistake to plan on being a backpacker with a constant eye on LinkedIn Jobs. All this achieved was an unshakable guilt upon realising I was 2 years deep, with minimal travel, and a career away from home. Don’t just sack it because you’re broke.

• Embrace Australia. Although we’re the rightful centre of our own universe, the geographically challenged northern hemisphere dwellers find us forgettable. Now the idea of enlightening the masses to the existence of our glorious homeland sounds great in theory, but there’s only so many

WĀ KĀINGA

15

NEXUS

MARAMARA KŌRERO / 专栏

Gary...

by Dave Snell

Gary. Not a name you associate with heroes, but there is one Gary in particular who deserves that moniker. He is a hero amongst heroes. He was Carrie Fisher’s (Princess Leia in Star Wars, for those who go outside) emotional support dog.

That’s right, the princess’ puppy in waiting.

Gary went everywhere with Carrie, as she fended off Star Wars cosplayers all over

how stupid it was that people could bring animals on planes simply because they get anxious. Then it got into extreme cases of an emotional support goose or turkey and people cried the old chestnut of “PC gone mad!” But if the Frenchie Gary could go on a plane, so could my LGBTQ emotional support turkey Harold. Animals are a very calming influence (when they’re not clawing my toy Mario or spraying piss on my Gamecube

"GARY. NOT A NAME YOU ASSOCIATE WITH HEROES, BUT THERE IS ONE GARY IN PARTICULAR WHO DESERVES THAT MONIKER. HE IS A HERO AMONGST HEROES." the world. He supported Carrie through her experiences with bipolar disorder. I personally don’t know a lot about bipolar disorder, but if you have read The Princess Diaries (and you should have), you’ll know that Harrison Ford certainly didn’t make life easy for The People’s Princess. If only she had an emotional support animal to help her.

Gary helped bring emotional support animals into the spotlight. Arguably, before Gary you would hear people marvel at

16 N.04 / V. 55

games). Something about just watching them stretch out in the sun, playing with a leaf, or fetching a stick is grounding when you’re anxious. Watching an 8kg cat try and fit into a shoe box helps me to forget about the next assignment due, cos his struggle is much more real than mine.

When the black dog won’t let you get out of bed (such an unfair generalisation of canines), animals give you a reason to get out of bed too. One of our cats likes to punch

me in the eye every morning to get her daily hit of Iams. The routine that animals force you into helps keep you moving. They need food at the same time each day. They need walking at the same time each day. The phrase “Creature of Habit” had to come from somewhere. I used to have a guinea pig who would yawn every night at 9pm. A Clockwork Guinea Pig called Goldberg (see previous column for my obsession with wrestling). With the recent national crisis with cat food supply, each week becomes a scavenger hunt as you go from store to store hoping that they have some spare bags “out back.” It can’t just be any old brand either.

Cries by dog lovers of “the cat will eat it if it’s hungry enough” just isn’t true.

They don’t understand. Cats know our dirty little secret. We need them more than they need us.

Those Magnificent Bastards.

Dedicated to Gary Fisher and his Mum, Carrie.

If you need help, do please still try Lifeline as they can still help you - 0800 543 354 or try the University Health and Counselling Service via

专栏 / MARAMARA KŌRERO

NEXUS

Fuck Jordan Peterson

by Dave Snell

Lately I’ve been asked for my opinions on Jordan Peterson. They are not good.

Particularly worrying is that pseudointellectuals on the left seem to be on his side. Don’t get me wrong, he is a very smart man. But smart in the same way that a stoat is smart. A stoat isn’t going to write a symphony, but it can very easily trick you and eat all your babies. I’m not saying Jordan Peterson eats babies, but I haven’t seen him in the room with one. I started watching as many videos of him as I could, and there is a clear pattern to how he operates. Eventually I got too close to tearing my own eyes out and I had to stop.

Combining Bill Maher with Jordan Peterson should be against the Geneva Convention.

There are four steps to his formula: 1. The Vaccination Opener – Often when Jordan Peterson speaks, he will throw out a statement that is hard to argue against and most people would accept. For example, he will say something like “In order to find truth, we have to be able to put our ideas out there in order to discuss these difficult topics.” Now, that can be argued against, but it’s much harder to argue against than women who belong in the kitchen. That

statement is ridiculous, but he’s building up to that, he wants to suck you in and get you onside up front. He’s inoculating you so what’s to come is more palatable.

2. The Universalism Follow-up – He’ll then move on to something easier to argue against, but he’ll just throw it out there as a universal truth and quickly move on.

Because he started off reasonable, you’re caught off-guard. You’re less likely to speak up. He’ll say something like “any time we say something we have the potential to offend someone.” You might try and argue against it and say “no, that’s not true.” Then he’ll come back with something ridiculous like “oh, but by saying that you’ve just offended me, so therefore my previous statement is true.” He’s just used himself as evidence that what he just said is right. It’s circular now, and it’s hard for you to interject.

3. The Evolutionary Psychology Back-up – He’ll then reference something stupid about men being alpha-male hunters and women being emotional nesters. Any time anyone mentions evolutionary psychology – they are wrong and probably going to follow it up with something misogynistic.

I could be wrong, but I don’t know many female evolutionary psychologists. There’s a reason for that. I don’t often say this, but evolutionary psychology is wrong. Someone put that on a T-shirt and send it to me please.

4. Poking the Bear - If he’s debating against someone, he will then intentionally try and get them pissed off so they prove their point. He’ll say “and that’s why women belong in the kitchen and shouldn’t be in politics – they’re too emotional.” So then, if the woman he’s debating with gets angry, he can say “see I told you, you can’t even manage your emotions talking to me, how could a woman run the country.” He’s creating his own evidence as he goes, and you now want to smack him in the face. He’s won, and may go on to eat your babies (just saying, the correlation is uncanny).

Most of his videos have followed this formula. If you know a Jordan Peterson / Toe Rogan / Tool fanatic (more uncanny correlations), then I hope this helps you keep your eyes in your sockets before you tear them out.

WĀ KĀINGA

17

NEXUS

PUORO / 音乐

Shed Party Vibezzzz

by Anahera Harris

I'm Going Back Home - Nina Simone

When the idea of “wā kāinga” was mentioned to me, I immediately wanted to write a playlist on songs that give you the sense of home and warmth. This is my opinion though, please remember that, and I’m sure you've got other songs that remind you of home. With that out of the way, home to me is kai, it’s the feeling I get being around all my aunties laughing and carrying on.

There’s never any silence – everyones so fucking loud.

Basically Miss Nina is singing about all the things she didn’t get to experience in her childhood, and it burns its way directly into my soul. The perfect mix of soulful lyrics and upbeat swing tune, those two together get me fucking pumped as. My Nan loved Nina Simone more than any wāhine on this planet. More than she loved me, but we don’t talk about that.

It Only Happens - Renee Geyer If someone busts out the guitar, bet your stink ass that I’m going to be singing this with my cuzzies. Now it’s a love song forsure but the feeling you get singing this as an acoustic masterpiece is unmatched by many. There’s something about the growl in her voice with smooth jazz sounds that scratches my brain.

Ok Love You Bye Olivia Dean

Wake up - Aaradhna

Okay okay not nostalgic, I know, but Olivia Dean has a grip on me currently and I’m genuinely in shock that no one is talking about this girl. This song is left field hitter (sports reference maybe) but it evokes the same emotions as the others on my list my friends. Ask me in 6 months and I’ll probably be over it but currently it makes me feel at home.

While a newer one on this list, it’s aptly named considering my māmā played this when it was popping every Saturday morning to get us out of bed. Mind you it was 2013 and I would leave home not long after, this song has always found its way onto my Saturday morning cleaning playlist. Aaradhna, mana wāhine, I love you so much.

18 N.04 / V. 55

Is this love - Bob Marley (king)

Fuck yes. No home is complete without Bobby boy singing me softly to sleep. Or it’s the highlight of the night as all fears are pushed aside and you’re met with swaying and singing. I can’t help but get warm fuzzies from this jam, thinking about being in Aussie and visiting my whānau for the first time. While an experience that’s mine alone, surely you all can relate to the vibes I’m currently experiencing.

LISTEN NOW ON

NEXUS

MARAMARA KŌRERO / 专栏

Spinning Yarns

by Katrina Jones

As many of us experience moving out of home to study, we are all faced with the same question. “Where are you from?” For some this question is any easy answer, as their parents’ house in Tauranga is the only life they’ve ever known. But for others this is quite daunting.

When someone asks you where you are from, what are you supposed to answer with? Do they want to know where I grew up, or where my parents live? Maybe they want to know my iwi or which colonist country my ancestors are from. Or maybe they want to know which suburb my parents conceived me in or the longitude and latitude of the first house I ever lived in. The possibilities are endless and overwhelming.

Although I swear the most common answer for Hamiltonian Waikato Students is Tauranga. (Makes no sense, almost as if the Tauranga campus doesn’t exist!!)

But for most people, the answer to that question is wherever they call home. However, deciding where ‘home’ is also just as hard for some people. They say home is where the heart is, but my heart is in the smoker’s area at 2 am and I refuse to believe that anyone’s heart could ever be in Hamilton. So, if home isn’t where the heart is then I assume for most people it's wherever we feel most comfortable, a place we know inside and out, a place we have fond memories of or maybe just a place where we feel like we truly belong.

Home can be made up of all sorts of things, feelings, and emotions.

Home is what you make of it. And as life goes on, we’ll all learn that you can have more than one home. It doesn’t just have to be the house you grew up, or the shithole flat that you live in now. It can be mummy and daddy’s bach in Whitianga, your toxic sneaky link’s bed, a person, or the smokers at 2am. Home is not where it is, but what you make of it.

22 N.04 / V. 55

专栏 / MARAMARA KŌRERO

NEXUS

How to save the planet… kinda

by Hannah Huggan

New Zealand Homes Now Affordable: Yeah, right In the latest survey on the top issues for New Zealand, the cost of housing ranked third, following the economy and unemployment. It’s almost symbolic of the fucked-up state of New Zealand housing that it continues to be top of mind, despite there also being a deadly global pandemic and climate crisis.

But that makes a lot of sense when you reflect on the past few decades, real estate has been treated as an investment system, a way for the rich to get richer. Rather than being about homes- people’s right to a safe, warm, stable place to live. Our housing system is being managed to make a profit for those who were able to buy property to begin with. And under this system, when it’s not profitable to house people, we let some live on the street. People are being locked out from their right to have somewhere to exist and belong. Our government accepts and tolerates the 40,726 households in New Zealand that don’t have a home. This investment system is creating a society divided by property, those who own it, and then everyone else.

And then there’s climate change, like the stone in your shoe that makes the walk to university just that much harder. The consequences of the climate crisis, sea-level rise, flooding, and natural disasters, are causing damage and destruction to people’s homes. Waikato has the third-highest number of homes at risk of flood inundation and there are homes all along New Zealand’s coastline. We are losing homes, losing land, losing the places where we belong and hold on to. Most importantly, we are losing the environment. What can we return to if not te taiao?

It’s also important to acknowledge that all the houses built in New

Zealand are built on Māori land. This isn’t the first time land and homes have been taken away in Aotearoa. Private property is central to the execution and defence of the economy Europeans imposed through colonisation. Individual ownership and alienation and mistreatment of whenua is a foreign concept to Māori. Our current property market is built on a history of violence, confiscation, and brutalism.

So we find ourselves in a situation with a climate crisis that exacerbates pre-existing patterns of structural inequity in housing. The only people who can afford a house at the moment are those with rich parents and two high incomes, that’s not a reality for most of us. Then you add the danger posed to the homeless population in a climate intensified disaster, insurance becoming more expensive, and people who can’t afford to repair the damage caused to their homes due to the consequences of climate change. Yes, we’re all in the same sinking boat when it comes to climate change, but people are being tossed overboard by those just delaying their fate.

As much as this is about housing, it’s also about having somewhere to belong. We should all have somewhere to do the very thing that human beings are designed for, to exist. The climate crisis is making it much harder, particularly for the people who were already locked out, to put roots down, to create whakapapa, and to live. From what I have learnt from the stories shared by my whānau and friends is that we, humans, forge life, it is our inescapable pursuit. We are made to seek out belonging, others, and home. The climate crisis is taking that away.

There’s no better place for you to take climate action than GoEco’s climate action hub. Follow our Instagram @climateactionhub or email me at hannah@envirocentre.org.nz to get involved.

WĀ KĀINGA

23

NEXUS

MARAMARA KŌRERO / 专栏

Weekly Fax

by Nicola Paul

Let’s be real, I was a bit of a loner in the first few years of my young adult life. I had a rough last two years of high school, with the end of an abusive relationship and all my friends leaving school for courses at wintec. The only thing that kept me sane during that dreary part of my life was telling myself that university would be different, that I would find my people who were just as nerdy and just as idealistic as I was.

My hopes did finally become a reality in the last year of my undergrad (took me long enough), but just not in the way my 17 year old self was at all expecting.

I was working as a lab instructor for PSYCH100 in A trimester last year. It was my second trimester working for the uni as a lab instructor and as a consequence I had discovered a love of teaching. At that point I had told myself that since I enjoy teaching and wasn’t too bad at doing uni, I was going to strive for a career in tertiary teaching and academia. There was one problem though…

Working for a university is actually a pretty bad deal.

The journey of being hired as a teaching or research fellow is often one of degradation and struggle. If this is the career path you choose, there will be an endless number of fixed term contracts over your postgraduate degree, normally a mixed bag of sessional assistant, teaching assistant or research work. Due to the contracts never reaching more than six months, there is no paid leave and no sense of job security. Most importantly, if you speak up about how fucked this system is, there is a chance that your contract won’t be renewed when it ends.

So I, being my father’s stubborn daughter, was not going to change the trajectory of my career for the sake of the uni’s series of poor business decisions. If the working conditions of my dream job were not ideal,

24 N.04 / V. 55

then I would try to change the working conditions. But I knew that I couldn’t do this alone. So first I went and plead my case to the WSU, but unfortunately that did not get me far. I then went to the Tertiary Education Union (TEU), which went better, but essentially they said come back to us when you find a bunch of other student employees of the uni who are as pissed off about this as you are.

This story is how the Student Employees Association of Waikato University (SEA) was created, and how when I couldn’t find a place to belong, I made one. The SEA is one of over 70 clubs and rōpū at the University of Waikato, and you don’t have to have the urge to go head to head with the university management to make your own club/rōpū. Just have a wander to the WSU’s reception beside Unimart and they can give you all the information you need to make your club/rōpū. If you’ve read this and think the SEA could be your place to belong as well, email us at sea.waikato@gmail.com or message us at studentemployeeswaikato on fb or sea.waikato on insta.

My hopes did finally become a reality in the last year of my undergrad (took me long enough), but just not in the way my 17 year old self was at all expecting.

艺术欣赏 / MAHI TOI

NEXUS

@Andreiassssss WĀ KĀINGA

25

NEXUS

MĀRAKERAKE / 访谈

"No one knows the old me, not the stupid teenager I was, nor the reckless kid down the street that I once was. This has been a super interesting social experiment of sorts. "

by Jak Rāta

This week, in an effort to move away from some of our more notable musical acts, we at Nexus decided that we would go out of our way to interview the endlessly talented photographer/artist/Dad-extraordinaire, Buchanan (real name? Not sure). With some of the most incredible uses of the colour beige we've ever seen, Buchanan has been wowing Instagram viewers for the last few years with some of his most aesthetic imagery being at the forefront of his well designed feed.

N: Let’s start off easy. You’ve been making content online since 2019 (as per your instagram feed), how have you found your online presence?

B: It’s grown pretty organically, which I like.

It’s an extension of me, the things I find interesting, and a little bit of vanity thrown in the mix. So it’s all quite personal and a little daunting to share sometimes .

I didn’t have the internet for the first 4 years I lived in NZ; we didn’t have much money, so while I’ve had a profile for some time, I’ve only been posting and engaging for the last few years. Recently, folks have started reaching out, asking me to do some work and collaborate with them, which is quite humbling and a nice challenge.

N: Your mahi faces kōrero surrounding living within Aotearoa and Ireland; do you have a place you call home? How have you found yourself within the world?

B: I am a Northern Irish man, of which I’m very proud. I come from a long line of Irish and Scots-Irish heritage. In fact my ‘gram name is actually a mixture of both family names, Buchanan & Coulter. I always wanted to have a pen name, so my mini goal in life has been ticked off.

26 N.04 / V. 55

But oddly, I did require travel and the leaving of my homeland to truly find myself. It was a peculiar time to almost reinvent myself. No one knows the old me, not the stupid teenager I was, nor the reckless kid down the street that I once was. This has been a super interesting social experiment of sorts. But having the ability to refine and re-look at myself, my values, my hobbies and pastimes. It's been quite freeing actually!

N: There’s balanced compositions in your works, with high regard to colour and balance, where do you pull from for inspirations?

B: My earliest memories of photography are of my mother. She was no photographer, but rather a memories capturer, which sounds dark and minaical, but more simply she took photos of EVERYTHING. Those warm, little bit fuzzy, moments in time that your mum had shoe boxes full of in her wardrobe. I have such fond memories of emptying the box on the floor and going through them. Photos of my mum in Marbella in the 70s with some guy that's not my dad, family holidays, old pictures of great grandparents, a photo of a long dead cat with shiny red eyes, random photos of my childhood garden, birthdays, Christmas mornings, Uncle Tommy clearly having a smoke outside, but caught in the middle of trying to hide it. Then flipping the photo over and reading a brief description and year it was taken.

My goal has been to emulate that nostalgia, to capture that feeling of picking up an old photo of a forgotten moment and enjoying it briefly once more. WARM, FUZZY, NOSTALGIC! N: As a dad (congratulations), do you find your works being influenced by your tamariki? Has your mahi changed at all since?

访谈 / MĀRAKERAKE

NEXUS

B: I wish I could say yes, as that would be so noble and cute. I love my kids dearly, but my work is an extension of me. If anything, I would want them to look at my work, and have it encourage them to explore what it is they want to share with the world. Having two strong, fiery, strong-willed girls, time is often at a premium, but I love sharing photography with my girls, taking them on adventures and helping them explore their place in the world.

N: Colour is a distinguishing factor in your works, do you have a specific approach when it comes to creating?

B: I love beige tones, I’ve always found them super attractive, so I try to make that my muse.

WARM I love movement and the idea of capturing something in a brief passing moment. FUZZY And I want the photos to look timeless. I love the low contrast in old photos and the heat and grain, so try to make my photos look that way. NOSTALGIC N: Home is an important kōrero to have, and we know it’s weird as to think about, but when you think of home – what does that mean for you?

B: When I think of home I think of a few drastically different things. On one hand I think of my partner and children, a place where I feel the most myself, most accepted, and the most allowed to be wrong.

On the other hand, when I think of home, I think of the wild and ancient Atlantic coast of Irealnd. A cold wind in the air, the smell of the seaside and stale cigarettes, the sound of seagulls overhead, Van Morrison, and Seamus Heaney.

One I miss, always, and the other I yearn for daily.

N: At the end of it all, what would you want to achieve from being an artist? Is there an emotion you want to evoke?

B: I’m not sure I’d call myself an artist. I want photos to be a true expression of me, the things I love, and the things I want to communicate. But mostly, I want to invoke feelings of Nostalgia, looking back fondly on moments and memories captured in motion.

WĀ KĀINGA

27

NEXUS

WHEAKO TAUIRA / 学生体验

WMSSA WMSSA is the Waikato Management School Students Association. We are a club based at the Waikato Management School. A club run by students like us, for students like you.

MAKE SURE you hit the follow and like buttons to keep up to date with some of our awesome events that we will be hosting, giveaways, and handy tips and tricks for surviving uni.

The primary purpose of WMSSA is to connect Waikato Management School students with opportunities available at the university and in the business world. The vision of WMSSA is to create an environment where WMSSA is central to facilitating career engagement, build professional relationships in pursuit of success at the compilation of your degrees.

Events

The aims of WMSSA shall be: - to connect Waikato Management School students with University staff and other students who can aid success; - to educate Waikato Management School students regarding the value of resources available at University and in the business world; and - to support Waikato Management School students in their endeavours to pursue career success with businesses How to become a member?

As a Waikato Management School Student you are automatically a member. To keep up to date with upcoming events you can find us on a range of social media platforms including facebook, instagram & Linkedin by searching @WMSSA. 28 N.04 / V. 55

The events that we run are focused around our vision and aims- connect, educate and support.

Our connected events include our famous Wine and Cheese night, pub quiz and cocktail event.

Our educational events include our yearly business exp and study drop in sessions.

Our support events include our regular BBQ and awesome giveaways.

Our next event is Cocktails @ The Cook held April 1st.

See you at our next event.

The WMSSA team

Dr Gaurav Sharma MP for Hamilton West

43 Pembroke St, Hamilton Lake (07) 8 37 38 29 gaurav.sharma@parliament.govt.nz /gmsharmanz @gmsharmanz /gmsharmanz

Authorised by Dr Gaurav Sharma MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

Wishing you a great academic year ahead

HALF PRICE ALL THE TIME

17 13 2

University of Waikato staff and students receive 50% off all city and regional bus fares with Bee Card.

Load your concession today!

Find out more at busit.co.nz/bee

NEXUS

AROTAKENGA / 点评

Encanto

Severance

Film | Caitlin Walters-Freke

Drama | James Raffan

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5

Disney’s 60th animated feature came out in December of 2021 and has taken the world by storm. I don’t know how Nexus hasn’t talked about it yet. Yes, I am talking about the smash hit Encanto.

Severance creeps up on you in the most unexpected way. The first thirty seconds of this Ben Stiller directed Apple TV series are played as a simple Sci-Fi with a woman waking up on a sterile table with no memory of how she got there. That is followed by a flash cut to Parks and Rec standout, Adam Scott, crying in his car before pulling himself together and starting his work day. It’s a simple scene that underpins a complex Science-Fiction-Thriller that could be one of TV’s best shows this year.

For those who have not seen it, it tells the story of the Madrigal family who were all blessed with magical gifts- all except for Mirabel. When she notices that the miracle which provides the gift starts to dwindle, it’s up to her to save the miracle and her family.

The first thing that must be talked about is the music… It’s ICONIC! Lin-Manuel Miranda continues to solidify himself as a musical genius with this soundtrack. The whole album has been on the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘We Don’t Talk about Bruno’ topping it (beating Frozen) and invading all our phones in the form of memes. Dos Oruguitas tugs at the heart strings and was even nominated for an Oscar. Surface Pressure is an anthem for older sisters everywhere. Every song stands out in its own way.

There are other aspects of the movie which are awesome. The story is Pixar-level heartwarming with a strong family-conflict based story. The animation is pretty with the detail in the character design being a particular highlight. The voice-acting is solid from all the cast members.

Encanto has become one of my favourite movies and I have seen it about 6 times (don’t judge me). If you want to check it out as well, stream it on Disney+.

30 N.04 / V. 55

The show asks the question “what if we could be someone completely different at work?” But takes that idea to its limit, with employees of the Lumon company agreeing to a severance medical procedure, that stops them remembering who they are or what they did, while in the office. The simplicity of the central theme actually belies a far more complex narrative of body autonomy (not in a weird anti-vax way), and the grieving process.

Stiller seems to have found a comfortable place behind the camera, and to his credit has surrounded himself with a great cast to tell this story. Scott’s performance in the lead role is revelatory, seemingly playing two separate characters while holding on to unifying traits. While this is Scott’s best work to date in an already diverse and lauded career he embraces understatement in a way that allows veteran actors like Patricia Arquette, John Turturro and the always brilliant Christopher Walken to really steal scenes and play up moments every time they are on screen.

The show delights in its exploration of layers including the nature of “friends from work” and some of the scenes between Walken and Tuturro are in equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking.

点评 / AROTAKENGA

NEXUS

Hi5 Island Food

Jujustu Kaisen

Food | Hoata Rāta

Anime | Tehana De Klerk

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5

Picture this, it’s 7pm and you’re really craving some dope Sipi Tao. But where in the world are you going to find Island Food so late at night? Well look no further. Okay sales pitch aside, I had the pleasure of trying Hi5 (lol, good name) recently and couldn’t help but be blown away by how friendly the team were but, more so, the dope kai I got my hands on.

I know what you’re thinking- why does this chick think she knows anything about anime but she watches the most mainstream ones?

Call me basic, I don’t care. My brother introduced me to anime, and when I started watching JJK, I couldn’t stop. Now all I have left is the movie… but do people still go to the cinema these days?

Making decisions on what to buy is difficult but I had to get some island donuts, heihei curry and some other bits and pieces. The food itself is just warming to the soul in all the best ways.

For those of you who are painfully unaware of the greatness that is island kai, basically you’re met with some of the most homely tastes and the best portion sizes. For the sake of being thorough, here’s some downsides.

- No raw fish most of the time because it keeps selling out - It’s not spicy enough (personal preference, just add chilli flakes) - They’re based in Frankton, so a bit of a trek across town.

There’s obviously a large part of me that’s creating a biassed opinion because I’m polynesian and I have to support my people, but the kai speaks for itself. Run by a whānau, so you know you’re getting home cooked kai with the convenience of not having to go home. Step out of your comfort zone and head over and see them. It’s always going to be a good time with cold, refreshing otai to enjoy.

Anyways, watch Jujutsu Kaisen. This anime has a variety of OP characters, the classic black-haired emo boy, and a knock-off Kakashi Sensei (who is actually so fucking OP, I don’t even understand his powers). JJK is also amazing for its fight scenes; the animation is so damn cool. And, the storyline is dope. I mean, cursed objects, curse users, and some cracked kid eating cursed fingers and getting possessed by the King of Curses? That shit is fire.

I’m hyping it up a lot so you’re probably wondering why I only gave it a +3 on the Nexus scale. I suppose that’s because, while I love the plot and the characters (and basically everything about it), I see JJK as more of a feel-good kinda anime for me. Now I know that might change considering there’s so much more to it, but I just don’t think it’s up there with the bug guys just yet. It’s still bloody fantastic.

But if my reviews are misleading you can just… deal with it.

WĀ KĀINGA

31

NEXUS

WHAKANGAHAU / 娱乐

Top 10

Things from Simon Bridge’s CV

Crush Of The Week Fresh Air

With Matua Simon (Bridges) deciding to suddenly retire from Parliament last week, we decided to take a sneak peek at his CV as he prepares to return to the private sector.

10.

I created the 2018 Word of the Year when I accidentally called my Deputy Leader Paula Benefit.

Well done me!

9.

I’m great at crisis management, like that time I called Maureen Pugh “Fucking Useless”. I decided the best thing to do was wait two years until she got struck by lightning, twice! Now no one remembers how fucking useless she is. Classic Bridges!

8.

Legally told I have to stop saying Bridgerton was based on me. Which I did because Simon Bridges listens to the police.

7.

Languages: ENGLISH, TE REO MĀORI (well, one day when I have time on my hands to learn because I am Māori, I just don’t want to do anything FOR Māori).

6.

Key Attribute: Loyalty. Just ask anyone who took my side when I tried to roll Paula Bennett as Bill English’s Deputy Leader, or basically rolled Bill English as Leader.

5.

4.

Key Attribute: Loyalty: Just ask anyone who took my side when I tried to get the numbers to roll Judith Collins on three separate occasions.

I was a tireless anti-poverty campaigner, demonising the poor and unemployed as lazy, something I will get back to after a year off. The good news is I won’t need a benefit because unemployment is at record lows.

ABOUT ME

Babygirl, you don’t know what you’re missing if you’re not pulling me inside your body. Nothing beats feeling me of course through your healthy, very much working, lungs. Where you’ll find me when I’m not being created by mighty trees, is anywhere that’s not holed up in your paru bedroom. Sometimes even opening a window, and your mouth, will let me come flowing in. Just try it, you rebel.

Don’t Quote Me

“It’s Britney Bitch” - After a hiatus, Britney returns to the scene swinging.

“That’s so fetch”

3.

PERSONAL STATEMENT: I am modern and progressive, which is something I was telling the guys in the office after we had a party for those who voted NO to legalisation of marijuana, removing abortion from the crimes act, and banning gay conversion therapy.

- Jonathon Bennett (dude from Mean Girls) makes it official in a marriage in Mexico.

2.

I have a zero tolerance policy for workplace harassment which is why I fired Jami-Lee Ross twoyears after he was telling us about all his affairs with staff, which was just coincidental with him wanting me to be fired. It is also why I apologised right when my boss asked me three days after asking my colleague Jacqui Dean ‘how quickly I should fuck my wife to have a boy.’ Even though she was holding onto a grudge a year later. There are just no pleasing chicks.

"ARGENTINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAAA AAAaaaaaaaaaAaaaaaaAAAAaaaaaa"

1.

I have a 100% winning record in elections I contested as leader of the National Party.

32 N.04 / V. 55

- Doja Cat hitting one of those Ariana notes with her South American Pride.

“​​I don’t discriminate.”

- Hilary Barry, when asked about her flirting with women, was clearly not fussed.

娱乐 / WHAKANGAHAU

The Diminuitive Post

NEXUS

Clickbait Moodboard

Students’ rage as they realise that life goes on past ISO The vibe from students is the same; now they’re postcovid and having to actually go to classes has them reeling. UoW is one of the only tertiary institutions that have in person lectures. Bruh.

Twitter Treading Tensions are high as readers demand more art “There needs to be more art for us pls” readers beg, seeing the tidier version of Nexus. The supply doesn’t meet the demand as Nexus responds with “Well then send us the art?”.

Tinder date results in being ghosted Breaking news this week as 22 year old Josh, who has his soundcloud linked on his Tinder with a fishing pic in his line-up, ghosts his young companion after racking up a $80 bill at Keystone. We’ve been informed “What a dumb cunt” wasn’t an appropriate response to his behaviour.

WĀ KĀINGA

33

SNAPPED NEXUS

ATAPAKI / 学生体验

Keen for some free BurgerFuel? Simply snap 'nexusmag' the shitfest of your student lifestyle for the chance to win. Collect from the SUB.

WINNER

34 N.04 / V. 55

D

专栏 / MARAMARA KŌRERO

NEXUS

Trend of the Week

Campus Fashion Hide your kids and hide your men, because as Avril Lavigne said, “he was a sk8r boy” (that just so happens to go thrift shopping).

I think we can all confidently say that at the very most there is a single pen in that little laptop bag. And the pen in question was probably found under the desk in one of the computer labs.

From a fashion standpoint, I’m a sucker for a good pinky/salmon shirt. But from a uni student standpoint, I give you this saying that my weird uncle probably reshared at one point:

Lost your pen = No pen No pen = No notes No notes = No study No study = Fail Fail = No diploma No diploma = No work No work = No money I’m not going to type out the rest of the saying because I’m sure you get the point.

And if you do want to see how the quote ends, then Google it.

by Zian Volkov WĀ KĀINGA

35

NEXUS

PANGA / 益智游戏 WĀHEKE / 星座运势

AQUARIUS JAN 20 - FEB 18

PISCES FEB 19 - MAR 20

ARIES MAR 21 - APR 19

You can’t save the world and the sooner you accept this, the better.

Sometimes having a fat cry in your car minutes prior to ordering a (presumably unavailable) soft serve from maccas is okay. When it’s not, is when you cry post no-ice-cream sadness.

With the borders opening up and more people coming back into Aotearoa, your anxiety is high. But just like, calm down? I don’t know.

TAURUS APR 20 - MAY 20

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUN 20

CANCER JUN 21 - JUL 22

Some unresolved anger brews deep within you. You need a healthy outlet – which shouldn’t include punching big ass holes in a wall. It’s more expensive to fix.

Last week was a week of rest (fucking mint) but this week you need to take life by the balls and burn it to the ground. Trust in yourself.

Autumn has officially Autumn’d, and so should you. Go get some protection and lesh go.

LEO JUL 23 - AUG 22

VIRGO AUG 23 - SEP 22

LIBRA SEP 23 - OCT 22

Find a new place to take aesthetic photos for your IG, and preferably not in front of the lego pisstake in CBD.

Having back pains this week? No wonder, it’s from carrying your motherfucking groups all trimester so far. Be a bad bitch and tell them fuck off.

There’s rumblings, group chats popping off, and friends whispering sweet nothings.

Instead of “Wanna split a bag?”, be responsible with your funds and buy a fucking carrot mate.

SCORPIO OCT 23 - NOV 21

SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 - DEC 21

CAPRICORN DEC 22 - JAN 19

Those days of being gifted as a child are over. You’re realising that your reading age of 21 isn’t what it cracked up to be. Are you cooked or did Ms Jenkins in year 6 lie to you? Fuck her.

Energies are shifting, things are changing.

Maybe it's time to get that eyebrow piercing you wanted, or even a side-swept fringe. Just fucking do it.

You and your partner are moving into a more difficult patch, what with actually being able to go out on dates. Onya for choosing the unvaxxed king, it all worked out thanks to Cindy.

36 N.04 / V. 55

益智游戏 / PANGA

Simple Puzzles 4 Simple People

Maze

Spot the difference

NEXUS

15 by 20 orthogonal maze

Copyright © 2022 Alance AB, https://www.mazegenerator.net/

Wordfind

Sudoku

Name:

Created with TheTeachersCorner.net Word Search Maker

E

L

R

Q

H

Z

G

K

J

G

K

R

A

G

I

R

U

G

D

Z

P

N

C

S

N

L

R

R

G

N

D

J

I

T

G

T

R

T

S

L

H

C

U

P

B

B

H

K

D

E

Z

U

L

I

D

F

E

G

U

A

Q

B

A

T

A

X

Z

J

S

Y

C

W

Y

I

U

J

V

M

Z

N

H

F

S

H

V

H

V

F

S

K

H

U

H

L

Y

Y

T

A

G

H

C

D

A

F

H

K

J

F

R

Y

U

M

R

M

F

V

Y

J

I

T

E

Y

C

G

V

N

I

O

O

P

C

N

C

L

D

O

M

U

M

U

X

L

U

E

W

B

G

W

U

B

X

F

Y

S

Y

M

X

B

N

E

Z

U

I

R

N

N

R

T

S

K

B

K

C

U

Q

O

Q

Q

O

J

Z

G

L

A

O

F

Y

M

N

Q

H

N

R

C

M

D

T

J

Z

F

U

H

M

V

B

G

E

Y

O

G

G

O

U

N

T

B

G

Z

L

E

C

A

E

L

A

F

O

R

H

A

B

R

M

N

S

D

A

W

E

J

I

K

N

I

I

R

N

I

T

F

D

C

A

E

Y

M

M

F

S

B

E

J

P

A

M

N

E

B

T

R

I

A

H

D

Z

M

M

T

I

T

Z

N

C

K

Y

A

R

Z

O

L

A

V

G

Q

U

J

N

P

T

U

N

Y

U

M

B

A

A

G

G

E

C

C

M

O

D

N

U

R

V

T

B

R

T

P

V

O

H

D

N

V

E

L

R

E

W

E

L

A

U

M

L

R

E

B

M

F

W

K

H

L

V

L

O

M

J

E

H

R

Q

W

F

H

A

S

I

E

R

A

I

U

Q

G

D

S

R

H

Y

T

M

P

Z

Y

U

Z

P

F

R

A

O

O

B

N

I

N

P

H

K

L

C

N

HOME WHARE HASIERA IKHAYA BAILE DAR NYUMBA BAHAY

FALE CASA DOM UROGO CARTREF HEIMA GURIGA HEJMO

3 9 9 7 7 6 6 8 8 3 7 4 1 5 7 4 1 5 2 5 4 8 7 2 5 4 8 7 2 4 5 5 2 4

8 8 4 4

3 4 4 3 5 7 7 5 2 2

7 7

1sudoku.com

1sudoku.com 1sudoku.com EASY

4 4 9 9 1 1 5 5

1 6 6 1 3 3 4 9 7 4 9 7

9 9 1 1

8 8

7 7

7 2 4 4 5 5 7 2 9 1 1 9 8 2 5 1 1 8 2 5

4 4

1sudoku.com

1sudoku.com 1sudoku.com HARD

1sudok 1sudok 1sudok

7 7 4 4 5 5

8 8 7 7

8 8

5 5 6 6

n° n° 227211 227211 --- Level Level Medium Medium n° 227211 Level Medium

2 2

9 9

4 4

n° n° 11192 11192 --- Level Level Easy Easy n° 11192 Level Easy

2 6 6 2

6 1 1 6 1 3 2 9 1 3 2 9

8 8 7 7

1 1

7 7 5 5

7 4 4 7

1sudoku.com 1sudoku.com MEDIUM 1sudoku.com

RUMAH HJEM DOMOV NAMAI OTTHON KUNYUMBA ILE DOMUM

1 1

9 9 4 4 6 1 6 1 5 7 7 5 3 3

5 5

8 8 2 2 5 5 9 9 7 7 3 3

9 9 7 7 2 2

1 1 3 3

1sudok 1sudok 1sudok

6 6

1 1 5 5

3 3 9 9 n° 38532 Level Hard n° 38532 38532 --- Level Level Hard Hard n°

1sudok 1sudok 1sudok

37

WĀtheir KĀINGA Play Play these these sudoku sudoku puzzles puzzles on on your your mobile mobile and and find find their solutions by by flashing flashing the the codes codes Play these sudoku puzzles on your mobile and find their solutions solutions by flashing the codes n° 11192 n° 11192 11192 n°

n° 1771 n° 1771 1771 n°

n° 227211 n° 227211 227211 n°

n° 221720 n° 221720 221720 n°

Your COVID-19 walk-through Got any symptoms?

Temporary loss of taste

Cough Sneezing & runny nose

Sore throat

Do the RAT

Where to get a test Get a test at a community testing centre. You can order a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) online at requestrats.covid19.health.nz

• Follow the packet instructions.

• Results will be visible 15 to 20 minutes after you complete your test.

Shortness of breath

Fever

No symptoms?

Organise a test and isolate from the rest of your household.

Report your test result • Enter your positive RAT result at My COVID Record or call 0800 222 478.

• A text message will be sent to you within 24 hours with further information and support.

Let people know Inform others your household has COVID-19 and is isolating, like regular visitors, your work, education provider or school.

Unless you are a household contact, you don’t need to get a test.

How to self-isolate

Positive result

Negative result

For most people, COVID-19 will cause mild to moderate symptoms that can be managed at home.

Enter your result at My COVID Record.

• You and everyone who lives with you will need to isolate for 7 days.

• Take common-sense precautions to avoid any contact with those you live with.

• Food and supplies must be delivered contactlessly.

• You can exercise outside your home in your neighbourhood, but not at any shared exercise facility, such as a swimming pool or gym.

Stay vigilant.

If you have symptoms stay home and test the next day.

Household contact • Household contacts will all need to be tested on day 3 and day 7.

• If a household contact tests positive, they will need to re-start 7 days of self-isolation.

• You don’t need to start your isolation time again if another housemate tests positive, as long as your final test is negative.

Monitor your symptoms Seek advice if symptoms get worse by calling Healthline on 0800 358 5453.

If it’s an emergency call 111 immediately.

Extra support

Financial support

Most people can manage self-isolation with support from whānau and friends, but there is help available if you need it. Go to workandincome.govt.nz or call the COVID Welfare Line on 0800 512 337.

If you can’t work from home while you’re self-isolating, your employer may be able to apply for the Leave Support Scheme to help pay your wages or salary, even if you are a part-time or casual employee.

For more information about testing positive, head to: Covid19.govt.nz/positive

0304 MBI COVID-19 Omicron Flowchart-UPDATE 270x210mm.indd 1

16/03/22 12:19 PM

RED BULL PAPER WINGS.

WHO CAN REALISE DA VINCI’S DREAM OF FLYING?

NATIONAL QUALIFIERS 14th - 22nd MARCH 2022 Calling all paper engineers and aerialists for the paper plane world championship.

Sign up now and compete with your very own paper plane for longest distance, longest airtime and aerobatics.

Find out more at:

redbullpaperwings.com