Volume 80 | Issue 02

2 SALIENT

13 MARCH 2017

Editors — Tuioleloto Laura Toailoa and Tim Manktelow

Contact — editor@salient.org.nz 04 463 6766

Designers — Eun Sun Jeong and Ellyse Randrup

Level 2, Student Union Building Victoria University of Wellington PO Box 600, Wellington

News Editor — Brigid Quirke News Reporters — Billy Dancer, E A Tombs, Henry Juer, Louis Davis, Saeran Maniparathy, Sofia Roberts, Thomas Croskery, Tim Manktelow Feature Writers — Dan Kelly, Shannon Harrison, RB

Paper — Sun 90gsm Salient is printed on environmentally sustainable paper, with vegetable ink, and is completely FSC approved.

Typefaces — Wedge by Bruce Rotherham, Adobe Caslon Pro by Carol Twombly, Robertaby Robert Trogman

Chief Sub-Editor — Georgia Lockie Distributor — Josephine Jelicich Section Editors — Annelise Bos (Podcast), Cameron Gray (Games), Finn Holland and Mathew Watkins (Film), Hanahiva Rose (Visual Art), Katie Meadows (Television), Kimberley McIvor (Books), Olly Clifton and Lauren Spring (Music) Contributors — Ben Leonard, Tessa Cullen, Mahdhi Osman, Alexa Zelensky, Elaine Gyde, Rory LenihanIkin, Isabella Lenihan-Ikin, Maia Te Koha, Kealyn Marshall, Celia Uele, Alex Feinson, Henrietta Bollinger, Cathy Stephenson, Hannah Wee, Tinder Surprise, Gus Mitchell, Claudia Jardine, Mitchell Seirmans, Puck Advertising — Grace Gollan grace.gollan@vuwsa.org.nz 04 463 6982

Printing — Service Printers 258 Taranaki Street, Wellington

About Us — Salient is employed by, but editorially independently from, the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA).

Salient is a member of, syndicated, and supported by the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA).

Salient is partially funded by Victoria University students, through the student levy. Opinions expressed are not necessarily representative of those of VUWSA, ASPA, Service Printers, or the editorial staff.

Complaints — People with a complaint should first contact the Editors. If not satisfied with the response, complain to the Press Council. See presscouncil.org. nz/complain.php for more information.

Salient — 13 March, 2017 Volume 80, Issue 2

CONTRIBUTORS & COLOPHON

CONTENTS Editors’ Letter.........................................6 Letters...................................................7 Notices..................................................9 News General News......................................10 Fake News: Winston Peters and Tracy Martin speak at the university..............14 PM fails test on drug test statistics.........................................15 Interview with Mike Joy......................16 Politics Political Round-Up.............................20 The Trump Front.................................21 The Party Line....................................21 Opinion Electorates in Hamilton — romantic and grungy?.........................22 International Students affected

by Travel Ban......................................23 Meet Your VUWSA Executives..........24 Columns Presidential Address............................26 VUWSA.............................................26 Ngāi Tauira..........................................27 One Ocean..........................................27 Voices of V-ISA..................................28 VIC UFO............................................28 Tinder Surprise...................................29 Gardasil — The Wonder Vaccine........29 Super Science Trends..........................30 Token Cripple.....................................31

Features History Never Repeats: Steps to the end of a lie — The Occupation at Ihumātao..............32 — Dan Kelly Newtown Fest: Getting it right with girls and guitars...........................40 — Shannon Harrison O-Week Review In quo puer mortuus est | In which a boy dies............................................44 — RB Arts Poem...................................................53 Visual Art...........................................54 Film....................................................56 Games.................................................58 Music & Podcast.................................59 Food....................................................60 Books..................................................61 Puzzles................................................62 Comic..................................................63

INDELIBLE POETS on COMPOSTABLE CUPS! a lunch-time reading at Vic Books, Kelburn

JAMES BROWN . LOUISE WALLACE AIRINI BEAUTRAIS . BILL MANHIRE

To celebrate the launch of the Poetry on Cups series, four leading poets with strong ties to Victoria read their work.

This series is part of the Cultivating Creative Capital initiative at Victoria.

FREE ENTRY

Drawings by Sarah Laing

Thursday 16 March from 12.30

GET BEACHED IN

AMERICA

12 MONTH WORK VISA WWW.IEP.CO.NZ | 0800 443 769

Editors’ letter

Thank you to those who visited our table at Clubs Week, it was refreshing to meet you in person rather than over email. It was made apparent that there are many who are unaware of the other two branches of the Salient brand: FM and TV. Salient, though predominantly print, also produces online videos and runs a radio station (88.3) — they’re always looking for volunteers (tv@salient.org.nz and fm@salient.org.nz).

A highlight of this job has been refilling empty stands on a Tuesday night… and while doing so a student approached us skeptically to ask if these little books were religious texts, because they’d seen them everywhere.

With cult-esque similarities, like uniform branding, an ever presence on campus, and being the only thing Laura talks about these days, the claim is not entirely incorrect…

It was International Women’s Day last week and it seems important to note that if our staff and volunteers had gone on strike, Tim would have been left with an undesigned and unedited series of contributions, no news, and a half-baked editorial.

Fortunately they didn’t strike…

As we have iterated in our previous editorials, history matters. And this week Dan’s piece on Ihumātao addresses the need for us, as a country, to confront our history and its lingering effects.

The Save Our Unique Landscape Campaign continue the laborious groundwork of protesting, presenting, and lobbying — standing — to protect waahi tapu at Ihumātao, while we stand in solidarity in Wellington.

“Most importantly, we've got Māori and Pākehā standing together, which is what our treaty was all about — working together to protect what's most important, which is the land that feeds us and looks after us.” *** Enjoy the Kool-Aid and remember to email your letters to editor@salient.org.nz.

— Tuioleloto Laura Toailoa and Tim Manktelow

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LETTERS

If you don’t want to write for us – write to us!

Salient welcomes, encourages, and thrives on public debate.

Send us your honest feedback, be it praise or polemics.

DATE: 09 MARCH 2017 SUBJECT: xo we too have watery eyes :( Dear Editor Goodness me! I got such a shock at seeing the Salient being so small! I am so used to the issues being so much larger and brighter and easy to read!

Please could you consider bringing back the bigger Salient as I may need to go and get me some new glasses! I saw your tiny magazine on one of the many stands around campus and had to take a closer look as I could not believe that this tiny thing was indeed Salient. Bigger is so much better!!

Signed, Old watery eyes

Letters must be received before 5pm on Tuesday for publication the following week. They must be 200 words or less. Pseudonyms are fine but all letters must include your real name, address, and telephone number — these will not be printed. Letters will not be corrected for spelling or grammar.

However the Editors reserve the right to edit, abridge, or decline any letter without explanation.

Email: editor@salient.org.nz with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line Post: Salient c/- Victoria University of Wellington Hand-delivered: Salient office, Level 3, Student Union Building (behind the Hunter Lounge).

LLE GA

THE ADAM ART

RY

The Adam Art Gallery is Victoria University of Wellington’s art gallery on Kelburn Campus.

We present a changing programme of exhibitions and events including lectures, tours, screenings, performances, and more.

Students, staff, and the general public are all welcome and gallery entry is always free.

Designed by renowned New Zealand architect Sir Ian Athfield, the Gallery is a beautiful, intriguing space occupying three levels.

We run a vibrant Volunteer Programme. For those seeking to pursue a career in the arts or with a general interest in art, volunteering is an excellent way to gain valuable skills and experience – please contact the Gallery to get involved!

Gallery staff look after the Victoria University of Wellington Art Collection, a significant collection of New Zealand art. The Collection can be found in public spaces throughout Victoria’s various campuses.

Our first exhibition for 2017, Out of Site – Works from the Victoria University of Wellington Art Collection, provides a great opportunity to see recent acquisitions and highlights from the Collection.

Visit us: www.adamartgallery.org.nz Follow us: Facebook: facebook.com/ adamartgallery Instagram: @adamartgallery Twitter: @AdamArtGallery

Free entry: Tuesday — Sunday, 11am — 5pm, The Gallery is beside the Student Union Building Contact: adamartgallery@vuw.ac.nz 04 463 6835

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NOTICES COME LEARN AIKIDO!

Aikido is a modern martial art that emphasizes the peaceful resolution of conflict. In Aikido we seek to blend with an incoming attack rather than trying to oppose it with strength or brute force. Aikido is suitable for people of all shapes and sizes. New students are welcome to to any class and give it a go! We train in the Vic Uni Rec Centre Dance Room on Thursdays at 11am and on Saturdays at 11:30am. We also have evening classes in Mt Cook twice a week.

First two classes are always free.

New beginners class starting Thursday 16th March!

GOJU RYU KARATE

Come along and train in traditional Okinawan Karate. Karate is a great way to connect the mind and body. In the dojo we focus on technique, fitness and teamwork to achieve our goals.

Our Sensei Jennifer Sigley has had over 20 years experience in karate and is an excellent teacher. We accept any skill level however this is an adult dojo so members must be over 18 years old (give or take). If your are interested contact Jen on 027 422 6119 or email VUWkarate@gmail.com

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY TAEKWONDO CLUB (WORLD TAEKWONDO FEDERATION)

Interested in Taekwondo? New to Taekwondo? Learned Taekwondo before? Come along and join us! Great way to keep fit and have fun!

Training times: Wed 6.30-8.00pm and Sat 3.30-5.00pm Dance Room, Victoria University Recreation Centre Bring a drink bottle, comfy trousers/ shorts, t-shirt Contact us: vuwtkd@outlook.com Affiliated to the Taekwondo Union of NZ

VUW FOLK MUSIC CLUB

The brand new VUW Folk Music Club is hosting its first gig on Fri 17 March: a ceili dance for St Patrick's Day, 7.30pm, Aro Valley Community Centre, 48 Aro St. There will be a great Wellington band playing live Irish music, and dances that will be called so no experience is required. Find us on Facebook: @VicFolkMusic.

CANDO AND DS’S PIZZA PICNIC!

CanDo has partnered with Disability Services for our first social event of the year – a pizza picnic! We’re really looking forward to getting to know new students and those returning to university. Come socialise and find out what CanDo is about!

Mon 13 March, 12:30 – 1:30pm Location: Hunter Lawn (if it rains then RS001 (Disability Services’ meeting room)

CANDO’S INAUGURAL GENERAL MEETING

CanDo’s IGM is our first formal event of the year where we elect new members to our executive committee and discuss what plans we have for the year. Everyone is welcome, and you don’t need to be on the committee to take part! Snacks and good conversation provided.

Monday 20 March, 1:00pm Location: RS001 (Disability Services’ meeting room)

A listing in our notices section is free for all VUW students, VUWSA-affiliated clubs, and not-for-profit organisations. If you would like to post a notice please email editor@salient.org.nz and include NOTICE in the subject line. There is limited space in this section so notices will be prioritised at the discretion of the editors.

10

Columns

NEWS TEU SURVEY SUGGESTS TERTIARY SECTOR IS FAILING MA¯ ORI MSD PROPOSAL: WHAT ABOUT PRIVACY? WE CAN TOLERATE THIS ATTACK ADVERTS COULD ALTER ELECTION LANDSCAPE (LONG AWAITED) CHANGES TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAWS NOT SO SUPER VOTING AGE MAY BE LOWERED FAKE NEWS: WINSTON PETERS AND TRACY MARTIN SPEAK AT THE UNIVERSITY PM FAILS TEST ON DRUG TEST STATISTICS INTERVIEW: MIKE JOY

POLITICS POLITICAL ROUND-UP THE TRUMP FRONT THE PARTY LINE

11

TEU SURVEY SUGGESTS TERTIARY SECTOR IS FAILING MA¯ ORI

below those of the total population, the government’s Tertiary Education Strategy 2014–2019 states: “By 2030 30% of New Zealanders will be On March 2, the Tertiary Education Māori or Pasifika, and as such it is Union (TEU) reported that “the essential that tertiary education imtertiary education sector is failing to proves its delivery to these groups.”

Grey suggested that while there meet the needs of Māori staff and may be a greater inclusion of tarstudents.”

The claim was based on prelimi- gets with government and univernary results from TEU’s State of the sity strategy documents, this does Sector survey, which is comprised of not necessarily translate into better responses from over a thousand staff results for Māori staff and students.

“In some places student support members across the tertiary sector.

Sandra Grey, TEU National is getting better, but in many places President, suggested the survey was it's going backwards, which is not a touchstone that allowed for staff to a good thing given both our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi as reflect on changes to the sector.

“To see that Māori staff, more a nation, and government directives than Pākehā staff, felt student well- around Māori student achievement.”

Higgins suggested that VUW being was compromised is important.” could do more. “We’re still a long While staff members from VUW participated in the survey, Grey sug- way off from growing our Māori gested the claims were more relevant staff capacity, particularly our Māori academic staff.” for the sector as a whole.

“The provisions we are providing “We are seeing some universal experiences: staff feeling more might not be viewed by some of our stressed, staff feeling that they’re community as going far enough. The under pressure and unable to give to Provost [Wendy Larner] and I have their students as much as they want to.” agreed to have a look at the proviRawinia Higgins, Deputy sions we do have, as I’m not totally Vice-Chancellor (Māori) at VUW, convinced they’re all coordinated in said “there is a lot of support for a good way.”

“It is a good timely reminder that things Māori across the university.”

“In terms of student provisions, we can’t be complacent.”

— Tim Manktelow we have targeted programs for Māori and Pasifika that Student Academic Services provide, and there are other things like the marae.”

MSD PROPOSAL: VUW’s Strategic Plan, impleWHAT ABOUT PRIVACY? mented in 2014, includes mātauranga Māori, te reo Māori, and Te Tiriti A new Ministry of Social Develo Waitangi as core values.

It also states an objective to “en- opment (MSD) proposal could see rol 1000 Māori students over and more than 800 social services having above the current number” as part to provide client’s names, birthdates, of an endeavour “to increase enrol- ethnicities, and the personal details ments of talented students currently of any dependents, in order to secure denied access to university study by contracts.

The ‘data-for-funding’ scheme their social, cultural, or financial cirhas been criticised by privacy law cumstances.”

In response to Māori participa- experts, and affected organisations tion and completion rates remaining — particularly Women’s Refuge and

News NEWS Rape Crisis, the latter of which has said they would not accept the contract if the proposal went ahead.

Peter Galvin, General Manager of Community Outcomes and Services, told Salient that MSD takes data security “very seriously” and would only ever require the provision of client data that is “needed to support our work for the New Zealand public.”

The necessity of the information, however, has been called into question. Katrine Evans, a Senior Associate at Hayman Lawyers, said there is a “strong argument” to say that the proposal falls foul of the Privacy Act 1993, as the collection of data is “unjustifiably intrusive.”

Evans noted that although conceivably the data could be used by MSD to provide better assistance, if this were the case, individuals’ “trust and buy-in” is essential. Evans said that the risk of this kind of collection, for organisations like Rape Crisis and Women’s Refuge, is that people won’t feel safe to ask for help, leading to “worse outcomes for our most vulnerable.”

Labour MP and spokesperson for Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni, said “women and the children who seek help from Women’s Refuge deserve privacy and anonymity,” and that the level of data sought from non-government organisations for funding was “invasive.”

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has launched an investigation as to the legality of the proposal.

Galvin said MSD is working closely with the Privacy Commissioner on the matter, and is “open to making changes to our processes [...] where warranted.”

However, Evans warned that, “given the uncertainty,” MSD should be wary of collecting any information without proper safeguards in place — E A Tombs

12 huge amount of love into their work, gathering a really great commuWE CAN TOLERATE THIS and nity around them — which I think we do, but with the boutique presses Writer Ashleigh Young has been there’s more of a sense of urgency beannounced as the first New Zea- cause it’s so hard when you’re doing lander to win the prestigious Wind- it on your own, on a shoestring.” ham-Campbell prize.

“When I won this award, I was The prize is worth USD $160,000 scared that someone like C. K. Stead and was awarded by Yale University [...] would come and say, ‘this is rifor her 2016 collection of personal diculous, what is she doing?’ and essays, Can You Tolerate This?. maybe that’s completely irrational, “It completely changes but there’s always this feeling.” everything,” said Young. “It’s kind of “You see a more barbed response like a fairytale.” to young women. There’s a dismissYoung plans to continue as an iveness, a more ready judgement [...] editor for Victoria University Press The usual accusation is that it’s just (VUP), while working on a forth- self absorbed navel gazing, but you coming poetry collection. She said don’t get those comments so much that, in terms of the future, people about male writers. Often, it’s very are often “incredibly impatient” insidious, very subtle, but it’s there.” about what’s next. “I’m reluctant to — Brigid Quirke even think about it much myself. I just want it to exist as this nebulous, abstract idea at the moment.”

ATTACK ADVERTS In addition to the Yale prize, Young has been shortlisted for the COULD ALTER non-fiction category of the Ockham ELECTION LANDSCAPE New Zealand Book Awards.

Her work, published by VUP, A Court of Appeal decision made appears alongside nine others pub- in 2016 allows private organisations lished by university presses in the and individuals to run election ad16-piece shortlist. Steve Braunius vertisements more freely than in the from the Spinoff suggested that this past.

The decision found that the signifies a narrowing of New Zealand publishing, but Young disagrees. Electoral Commission was unjustiShe said that the Ockham fied to have prohibited the satirical Awards “aren’t necessarily reflective “Planet Key” song from being broadof the New Zealand publishing in- cast before the 2014 election.

As a result of the decision, broaddustry as a whole,” pointing to a number of boutique presses, such as cast television and radio ‘attack ads’ Serif Press and Mikaro Press, who — advertisements opposed to political parties — will have fewer restricare “doing amazing things.”

“University presses can afford to tions than in previous years. Private take risks because they are supported individuals are now able to run adby the university. Any shortfall — vertisements that disparage politiand there is always a shortfall — is cians or political parties, previously picked up [...] so you can do some confined to web and print mediums unusual projects, even if they aren’t (e.g. the 2005 Iwi | Kiwi billboards), going to sell really well [...] that’s on television and the radio.

Leading electoral law expert the biggest, and perhaps most unfair, advantage they have over smaller Andrew Geddis stresses the significance of the decision. He believes publishers.”

“The thing you see in smaller advertisements will impact the elecpresses is amazing people pouring a tion, stating, “the thing is, they work.

News People spend money on these ads because they do have an effect.”

Labour’s General Secretary Andrew Kirton said, “it’s great that freedom and satire are protected, but we don’t really want to see a return to the style of politics that we see overseas, where big money and a small number of individuals can influence the result.”

John Ansell, who has previously advertised for National campaigns, said the decision would mean that political parties lose their monopoly on broadcast advertising. Ansell favours the decision, saying everyone should be able to take the mickey out of parties. “Why not? It’s freedom of speech.

— Louis Davis

(LONG AWAITED) CHANGES TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAWS The Minister of Justice, Amy Adams, announced last week that the government plans to overhaul New Zealand’s domestic violence laws.

The announcement came after domestic violence watchdog, Backbone Collective, garnered significant media attention for their work supporting female victims/survivors of domestic abuse and advocating for law reform.

The NGO reported that courts are failing to consider the individual experiences of victims/survivors, downplaying their experiences, and not placing enough focus on their safety.

Kathy Nelson, Deputy Convenor of Victoria University’s Human Ethics Committee, spoke with Salient and agreed that the law needs an overhaul. She said that the issue is wider than simply legislation.

“As people, we must recognise domestic abuse, we must claim it, and support anyone we know [who is affected by it]. We have to take ac-

13

News

tion and get them safe first, and to the justice system second.”

Following Amy Adams’ announcement, the National Party changed their stance on the proposed Domestic Violence — Victims' Protection Bill, which would give victims and survivors ten days of paid leave to help them move house, attend court hearings, and consult with lawyers.

The bill was already set to pass its first reading on March 8 with support from all other parties.

National’s change in tact came hours after New Zealand First announced its support for the legislation, giving the bill the numbers to pass without National.

— Henry Juer

NOT SO SUPER The Government announced a new superannuation policy, raising the age of entitlement to 67 by 2040.

The new policy would be gradually implemented from 2037.

The current policy allows those who are 65 and above to claim fortnightly superannuation payments, which come from the Superannuation Fund.

Between 22–23% of the country’s population will be older than 65 by 2040, according to Statistics New Zealand.

The government has predicted that an increase of the retirement age to 67 would reduce superannuation costs as a percentage of GDP from 7.2% to 6.6% in 2045.

Government contributions to the Superannuation Fund were frozen in 2009, and National intend to restart contributions to this fund in 2020. Opposition parties argue they should never have been frozen in the first place.

The Minister of Finance, Steven Joyce, cited the longer life spans of citizens as motivation for adjusting

the superannuation scheme.

Despite this, Labour leader Andrew Little said “bodies still wear out at the same rate,” and that an elevated eligibility age would be unfairly detrimental to workers in physically taxing jobs.

Salient requested comment from Joyce as to why the Government was insistent on investment as a welfare strategy while simultaneously neglecting contributions to the Superannuation Fund.

He did not respond before this article went to print.

In a press release, Joyce said the proposal’s timeframe “will give future generations of New Zealanders more choice as to how they allocate their government spending.”

— Billy Dancer

VOTING AGE MAY BE LOWERED 16 and 17 year olds may have the right to vote after the upcoming election, as discussion around New Zealand’s voting age has been sparked by Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft.

Becroft stated that it was a good time to consider the change, which “would mean that political parties would have to think more explicitly about [16 and 17 year olds] interests and their views.”

When approached by Salient, a representative for Young Nats — Lower North Island said they had “not formally debated the issue of lowering the voting age to 16,” but they anticipated “that there would be low enthusiasm from membership for the proposal, including from our members under 18 years of age.”

Conversely, a Young Labour representative told Salient that “[we] adapted our position of lowering the voting age to include 16 and 17 year olds at our 2012 conference.”​ “We are proud of our advoca-

cy on this issue, and proud that the Labour Party policy platform at the 2013 conference was amended to now read ‘Labour will work to extend the ability for 16 and 17 year olds to participate in the democratic process.”

A seventeen-year old student, who spoke with Salient but chose to remain anonymous, said that it was “unfair” that they were not entitled to vote alongside their university peers. “Politicians are making big decisions about stuff that affects us, but we aren’t allowed a say. Why not?”

A common argument in favour of a lower the age is increased voter engagement. In 2015 the Scottish Parliament lowered the voting age to 16, after a 75 per cent turnout from the age-group (16- and 17- yearolds) in the Scottish independence referendum, a significantly higher turnout than the 18–24 group.

There is evidence to support the theory that voting is a habit — if individuals vote once, they are more likely to continue to vote in the future.

— Saeran Maniparathy

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News

FAKE NEWS: WINSTON PETERS AND TRACY MARTIN SPEAK AT THE UNIVERSITY New Zealand First leader Winston Peters and MP Tracey Martin spoke at VUW last Tuesday about their party’s policies.

The talk was geared towards student issues such as student loans. Tracey Martin cited a past Salient interview with Phil Goff as the beginning of the normalisation of student loans.

She encouraged attendants to read NZ First’s policies, and emphasised that any questions could be answered by emailing her directly. Their goal, Martin stressed, was to eliminate the need for Studylink, and to widen the internships available for graduates.

Winston Peters linked problems like the housing crisis, poverty, and unemployment to immigration, claiming that no one from New Zealand was being trained for jobs, and that New Zealand was relying upon Irish and Filipino workers — “everybody but New Zealanders coming in.”

Peters stressed that he had nothing against the Irish (“it’s a great country!”) and that his party was not anti-immigrant, but instead claimed that New Zealand was taking in an unprecedented and unsustainable amount of immigrants.

At a panel discussion hosted by Victoria University in February, “Migration and populism in the 21st century”, Dr Kate McMillan, a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Politics, stated that immigration was “very low” in the agenda of concern for New Zealanders as per 2016 polling by Roy Morgan.

She reflected that the most commonly cited issues of concern for New Zealanders were poverty, the gap between the rich and the poor, housing affordability, and homelessness. “Combine those issues with the news of Indian students with fraudulent visas, and you have the potential for [someone] like Winston Peters to shape these separate issues into a populist agenda with a strong anti-immigrant and xenophobic tinge to it.”

Peters and Martin continually stressed the apparent unreliability of New Zealand media. Martin questioned why “mainstream media” had not reported on the release of NZ First’s tertiary policy, and encouraged students to join their youth wing.

RNZ, the NZ Herald, and Stuff reported on the announcement of the policy last September, which allows students to potentially pay off their education debt if they work in New Zealand as graduates.

Peters called political polls released by the New Zealand media “total crap,” and compared them to those prior to the Brexit referendum and the US election. When asked what alternate sources students should use to get reliable information, Peters answered “you’re in the right place now.”

Both speakers talked about other political parties. When questioned why other parties hadn’t proposed similar tertiary policy if it was so simple, Martin claimed that “philosophically, the two main parties do not want to give you what they themselves had.”

In a previously reported conversation with Salient, Labour Party leader Andrew Little discussed Labour’s Future of Work policy, which includes three years of free post-secondary education for all New Zealanders, and suggested Labour was looking at a scheme in which “if you work in the public sector or in hard-to-recruit areas, that you get some sort of debt write-off.”

Martin encouraged students to think critically about the student-related policies on offer, warning them to not “be distracted by shiny objects.”

As for other, younger parties? According to Winston Peters: “[They are a] bit like a flower in some desert place where the rains come for the first time in five years — they bloom and blush, and die unseen and they’re gone.”

— Sofia Roberts

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News

PM FAILS TEST ON DRUG TEST STATISTICS

Prime Minister Bill English has named drug use as a key reason why New Zealand youth have difficulty securing jobs.

Responding to questions about high immigration, English claimed that he had two or three business owners a week telling him about the difficulty involved in getting domestic job applicants to successfully pass a drug test.

English described it as a problem in “most industries.” He stated that, “under workplace safety you can't have people on your premises under the influence of drugs and a lot of our younger people can't pass that test.”

English's anecdotal evidence was questioned by media commentators and the New Zealand Drug Foundation.

Calling the statement “irresponsible,” NZ Drug Foundation Executive Director Ross Bell noted that it was not reflected in data, and only a “small minority” failed tests.

2015 data from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) indicates a fail rate of 0.17 per cent of the 31,791 drug test referrals during that year, the equivalent of 55 sanctions.

One student, who spoke with Salient but chose to remain anonymous, described English's comments as being “far out of line,” showing “how out of touch he must be with the public at large.”

She believes that the issue is multifaceted, rather than simply an inability of prospective workers to pass drug tests.

“The problem isn't drugs. The problem is a failing economy [which] spirals down to the bottom of the rung, young people.”

A Master’s student at Victoria University said they were tested various times in multiple jobs, and reflected: “drug testing happens, but I don’t think it’s accurate to say that people testing positive in [...] drug tests is at all common in the areas I’ve worked in.”

An ex-Victoria University student who had been subject to mandatory drug testing said, “maybe the fact that drug testing is required might put some people off applying for jobs, but [...] testing positive has never been a real issue in my workplaces.”

The Labour Party's employment spokesperson, Grant Robertson, claimed English's comments were “a diversionary tactic” which wrote off an entire generation as “druggies.”

“He's trying to throw around stories that he's heard as opposed to using the evidence that's out there.”

English would not name the companies who had approached him, nor the types of drugs that caused the problem.

He said exceptions should not be made for people who were on drugs but who would otherwise be fit for the job, as that could put not only these prospective workers at risk, but also their colleagues.

A 21-year old beekeeper who had undergone mandatory drug testing for their employment said to Salient, “If you make a decent fuck up, you will get drug tested [in my job]. That’s just how it works, but [...] out of my workmates, those who come from overseas do just as many drugs as the rest of us.”

— Thomas Croskery

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• INTERVIEW WITH MIKE JOY •

Mike Joy is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Zoology at Massey University.

He has extensively researched New Zealand’s freshwater ecosystems and has been outspoken about the impacts they face from agriculture.

Salient spoke to him about the dairy industry, freshwater quality, and the role of the scientist as an advocate.

FRESHWATER AND THE DAIRY INDUSTRY • It seems relevant to begin with the recent announcement from the government that they intend for 90 per cent of all lakes and rivers to be swimmable by 2040. There has been considerable concern that the government has lowered the standard by which it administers a river swimmable.

We were wondering if you think the legislation is strong enough in tackling the causes of water degradation?

No. They didn’t even

News

look at the causes, didn’t even mention it. In the clean water document they released, which is something like ninety pages long, there is one mention of agricultural intensification and it’s just a mention — it doesn’t speak about it in any other way. Every piece of evidence points to the fact that the biggest driver of water quality decline in New Zealand is agricultural intensification.

•• Having read the 2015 article you co-wrote with Kyleisha Foote and Russell Death 1 it is clear that the dairy industry has a large, and seemingly unaccountable, effect on the quality of New 1. “New Zealand Zealand’s freshwater. You state that the Dairy Farming: “intensive dairying practices that impact Milking Our freshwater include: water abstraction, Environment For increased stocking rates, riparian grazing, All Its Worth.” fertilizer application, vegetation removal, and wetland drainage. These lead to an increase of fecal contamination, excess nutrients, and sedimentation in water” (713). I was hoping you could run through how dairy farming negatively impacts the quality of freshwater?

One cow produces as much waste as fourteen to fortyfour people, depending if you’re looking at volume, amount of nutrients, or pathogens. So if we go for the minimum of that — 14 humans for every one cow — there are about ten million cows (six and half million dairy and the rest livestock). So there are the equivalent to 140 million humans shitting on the ground.

••• In regards to riparian grazing, is that when farmers let their cattle into waterways and graze the sides?

Yes, that’s right. The thing to keep in mind is that you’ll hear these figures quoted from Dairy New Zealand and Fonterra that 97% of streams and rivers are fenced off to keep stock out. They fail to mention that their definition means that the smaller streams don’t have to be fenced.

So a farmer, and there are plenty of them, could have not one single stream fenced off on their farm and still claim they’ve fenced off 100% of the streams because they meet the definition. It is bad, not just because they’re lying about the reality, but because the ones that they’re not

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fencing, which are the small ones, are those which would give you the best response to being fenced off.

•••• The dairy industry also has other impacts, including soil compaction. How does this work?

On dairy farms the paddocks are rotationally grazed.

They use electric wire break fences to shift the stock around and they’ll have the whole herd go onto one tiny area while they eat out the piece of the paddock. So you’ve got really high intensity of cattle on a very small area of land at once. You then get compaction. Figures from the Ministry for the Environment suggest that something like 75% of intensively farmed land suffers from soil compaction and it worsens the other issues.

Compaction breaks down the soil structure and you get all sorts of other problems like nutrient run-off and leaching.

I don’t know if this is coming up, or if I need to mention it here. But arguably the biggest impact on our waterways is nutrient enrichment causing eutrophication. The pathway for it is mostly (80%) through urine. A cow peeing a large volume of urine over a small area means that there’s no way the plants can pick it up and it goes below the root-zone and down into the soil. It then makes its way into waterways and of course fencing doesn’t stop this. It’s all about intensification.

••••• Your paper draws attention to the economic externalities of the dairy industry, where “externalising costs encourages activities that are damaging to society, even if they result in considerable private benefits” (710).

That’s right. Even if you forget about the monetary costs of cleaning up after the industry, the unsustainability comes from making food out of fossils. In the last twenty years we’ve doubled the number of cows but we’ve quadrupled the milk output. Where did that come from?

Each cow is producing twice as much as it was twenty years ago and that’s because of palm kernel, synthetic nitrogen, and phosphate fertiliser. All of this energy is coming in from overseas. In the case of the synthetic fertiliser, one third is from the gasfields in Taranaki and two-thirds from the Middle East. That’s the unsustainable part — we’re making milk out of fossils.

We’re the biggest net importer of palm kernel in the

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world. We’re importing another country’s nutrients that was held in the palm kernel production areas. The kernels, the leftover bits, should go back on the land to break down and put the nutrients back into the soils.

Instead we bring them over here to feed cows and it’s totally unsustainable.

•••••• You estimate the environmental costs of the dairy industry as “between NZ$2.1 and $15 billion on a national scale.” (716). By placing the environmental impacts into monetary figures allows for a comparison between these costs and the value of the dairy industry to New Zealand’s economy, which is estimated at $16.6 billion.

Do you think this change in language has been effective in getting people talking about environmental impacts?

Has the dairy sector altered its practices?

Farmers will go on about how they’re not subsidised and overseas farmers are subsidised. But they’re totally subsidised. It’s not a direct subsidy in the form of cash paid to them, instead it is an indirect subsidy in that they’re allowed to pollute and get away with it and we don’t charge them for the damage that they do. It’s a really big externality of the industry.

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There’s a study that did a comparison between the benefits of dairy and forestry on the central plateau to the local community. The study shows that it was negative 18 million dollars for doing dairy and it was plus thirty million dollars to do the same area in pine trees. They based that on the carbon price of $7.00 and there is a difference of $48 million dollars. And this is just on a couple of thousand hectares, this isn’t the whole of New Zealand, this is just a small chunk of the central plateau.

But it shows you the extent to which we subsidise dairy and the extent to which it doesn’t pay its full cost. And because it is exempt from the Emissions Trading Scheme, it is given another subsidy.

FRESHWATER FISH ••••••• On a blogpost on Million Meters: Stream Project you run through the legislation that protects native fish and state “in reality there is no practical, legal, or functional safeguard at all for our native fish.” Absurdly, only one fish species is protected and it is the grayling which went extinct in the 1930s. Has there been any legislative progress on this issue lately?

No, none at all. Isn’t it bizarre you can pass a law in

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1983 to protect a fish that had gone extinct at least fifty years earlier.

•••••••• There has also been media attention on commercial whitebaiting as something that directly impacts the freshwater fish population. You spoke with Jesse Mulligan on RNZ in December last year and suggested the practice should be banned by protecting our native fish species.

Not a ban, but a ban on commercial fishing.Whitebaiting is important to New Zealanders and is part of our lifestyle. I accept that people will want to keep doing it, even though the fish species will probably go extinct anyway.

But the commercial side of it is crazy — to have a commercial fishery operating on a number of threatened species. We commercially fish the longfin eel aswell and that’s an endangered, endemic species. And yet we are signatories to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is a ban on trade in endangered species. So we get on our high-horse about orangutans and whales but here, in our own country, every man and his dog goes and catches whitebait and eels which are threatened.

••••••••• Could you run us through the species that comprise whitebait?

There are five of them and four of them are listed as threatened. They don’t look anything like whitebait when mature, people wouldn’t recognise them. The giant kōkopu, one of the adults, grows up to 300mm long and weighs a couple of kilograms.

Only one of the five species is not-threatened, the banded kōkopu. However it’s not the most common of the whitebait species. The adults are quite common, and they prefer shady quiet streams. These are the little fish that people see in their backyards in little streams in Auckland and Wellington, all over the show. They’re a bit like sparrows, they’re not too worried by people.

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SCIENCE AND ADVOCACY ••••••••••• Last year Shaun Hendy, former president of the New Zealand Association of Scientists, suggested that “scientists were coming under pressure from businesses, funders, politicians and fellow academics, and not least the public themselves,” and that this was limiting the number of people willing and able to talk on particular issues. Do you think this is the case?

Yes, definitely. It’s a huge problem. Many of my colleagues who work at Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) and regional councils would love to be able to speak out like I do, but they can’t. In their contracts it is stated they’re not allowed to say anything.Then there are a whole bunch of freshwater scientists who could speak out, but do not because it would threaten their funding.

•••••••••••••••••••••• That is concerning. You need scientists to have the freedom to speak out — it’s important for an open democracy.

It is the most crucial part of democracy. We have the role, as university scientists, to be the critic and conscience of society. We have it written into our Education Act. So any university scientist who doesn’t speak up about these issues is not actually doing their job, but they don’t because they’re going to miss out on funding.

When it comes to other scientists there’s this thing called advocacy. To be called an advocate is considered the worst thing by many scientists. There are some recent papers out on this issue and interestingly the public don’t feel the same way. The public are quite happy that scientists speak up but for some reason the word advocate is a negative term amongst the scientific community. I’ve been thinking about this because it has affected my promotional opportunities. I didn’t get my last promotion because I was considered to be too much of an advocate.

But advocacy is in the eye of the beholder. If I were to speak up and say we should do more intensive farming, and put more fertiliser on, that wouldn’t be seen as advocacy as it fits with the government’s and university’s policy. That would be seen as me doing my job. If I speak up saying we shouldn’t do it, and that goes against the university's and the government’s general policy around agriculture, then it becomes advocacy. It’s a label.

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If you’re going along with the status quo then it’s not advocacy, if you’re questioning the status quo then you’re an advocate.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Finally, just to make this a regular thing, what is your favourite colour?

Black.

— Tim Manktelow

Politics POLITICS

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POLITICAL ROUND-UP Jacinda Ardern No sooner had Labour’s Andrew Little finished hosing down talk of a deputy-leadership challenge than he was standing next to Jacinda Ardern, emphatically backing her to take the post.

Whether Annette King jumped or was pushed will long be a matter for speculation, but the result is the same. With no challengers and the backing of both Little and King, Ardern easily won the caucus vote and stepped up to the job.

For Labour, it’s hard to see this as anything but a positive. Ardern has the kind of name recognition most politicians dream of. She also has solid bases in Auckland and among young voters, both areas that Labour was found sorely lacking in at the last election.

Though Little’s about-face was a surprise, it was even more astounding to see such a clean change in Labour’s top ranks. The divisions within the party have been on display for the last few months, but King’s decision to step aside gracefully gives Labour a much needed fresh start to the 2017 campaign.

Outside of Labour, the political response has been revealingly quiet.

Many bid a fond farewell to King, but few offered much in the way of a response to Ardern. Prime Minister Bill English labeled her “untested”, but in doing so managed to sum up her appeal to many voters.

Many commentators have speculated that Labour would be even better off with Ardern at the top of the ticket. The suggestion is that as Ardern’s profile continues to grow it will inevitably create friction between her and Little, leading to another fraught leadership contest.

Given Ardern’s rapid rise to the deputy-leadership, that is certainly a possibility. But for now, Little seems

larger part of the burden with less of the benefit.

Naturally, the announcement was a boon for Winston Peters, who had Superannuation As this past week has demon- long called bluff on Key’s promise. strated, few things get New Zea- Peters took the opportunity to queslanders as unanimously riled up as tion the evidence of the current prochanges to superannuation. For older gramme’s unaffordability while also voters, the fear of having their hard blaming said unaffordability on Nawon pensions stripped away is very tional’s decision to cut government real. Meanwhile, for younger voters, payments to the fund.

Economists have long been the suggestion of having to shoulder more of an already huge burden is warning of the growing gap between New Zealand’s fund and the equally as abhorrent.

As a result, the topic has slowly cost of a universal weekly income simmered under the surface for the for the elderly. Just last year, Retirepast three terms, carefully buried ment Commissioner Diane Maxwell under John Key’s pledge to resign called on the government to raise the rather than make any changes. In age of eligibility to 67 over the next the meantime, however, a lot has ten years. While that makes fiscal sense, it looked unlikely to make any changed.

New Zealand’s population is age- dent in policy under Key’s leadership.

But unlike Key, English does care ing, fast. The number of people aged 65 and over has doubled since 1980, that things make economic sense. and looks likely to double again by His policy announcement came with 2036. These population bubbles are the quite reasonable explanation that going to be expensive, and while the this was simply a change that had to New Zealand super fund is perform- happen, that ignoring the problem ing well, it simply can’t keep up with would simply leave an even heavier that rate of change. Something has burden for the next generation.

On that he may well be correct, to give.

So it was that after a morning of but the collective anxiety with which vague hints to media, Bill English the announcement has been met made the announcement that he shows that superannuation’s political would raise the entitlement age to cost could be e ven higher.

— Ben Leonard 67 if re-elected. Acknowledging the difficulty of swallowing that pill, the policy puts off changes from beginning until 2037.

THE TRUMP FRONT The announcement was met with almost unanimous criticism from other parties, with even faithful co- The dramatic happenings of Trump horts like United Future and ACT flew in thick and fast in the past sevwanting no part in this hottest of hot en days.

The week (surprisingly) started potatoes.

Labour restated its relatively new out on a positive note, when Trump-o policy of maintaining the current age gave his first address to Congress on of eligibility, a lesson hard learned March 1. Trump appeared PRESIfrom previous unpopular calls for DENTIAL, *shock*, as he spoke of “delivering a message of unity and change.

The Māori Party called for a strength” to the American people. reduction in the age for Māori and Although he (unsurprisingly) conPasifika peoples who, as a result of tinues to holler and howl about the lower life expectancies, shoulder a apparent-forthcoming Mexican borhappy to bask in some much needed reflected glow.

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Politics

der wall, and the detrimental effects of Obamacare, Trumpster pointedly didn’t mention those troublesome mainstream media outlets, or publicly insult another Hollywood actor.

Things, however, took a turn for the worse only three days later.

On March 4, at approximately 3:49am, Trumpy began his daily Twitter-fest and unleashed a tirade at ex-president Obama, accusing him of “wiretapping Trump Tower” prior to the election. Trump dubbed this to be as bad as “Nixon/Watergate”, and called Obama a “Bad (or sick) guy!” Now, these accusations would be all very well and good if there was any proof. But Trump is yet to offer any evidence, and presidential-wannabe Marco Rubio stated that he had “no insight into exactly what [Trump] was referring to.” And I mean, c’mon. Baz had better things to do in October (most notably — run the bloody country) than listen to Trump-o ramble on about what coloured hat he was going to wear at his next rally.

Finally, Trump-o’s new-butnot-really-that-improved travel ban was signed as an executive order on March 6. This second attempt to ban immigration from Muslim-majority countries will reportedly come into play on March 16, but with Iraq removed from the list. Although new changes include exempting citizens from these six banned countries who hold US visas, or are US residents, everything’s not fine and dandy.

— Tessa Cullen

THE PARTY LINE Retirement Commissioner Diane Maxwell has argued that the retirement age should be raised to 67, and eligibility restricted to those who have lived in New Zealand for 25 years, to avoid a massive increase in superannuation spending. Further, the Government has indicated that it will review

New Zealand's superannuation scheme, though Bill English has ruled out drastic changes. What are your thoughts on the state of superannuation? Do you think the age of eligibility should stay at 65?

— Question asked March 4.

Minister John Key, and support the importance of sticking to this commitment.

Heading into Election 2017, we are pleased that Bill English and the Cabinet have committed to positive change on National’s superannuation policy platform. We were further Vic Labour encouraged to have been a part of The state of superannuation and the the change discussion, because the Super Fund have gotten significantly sustainability of today’s economic worse under the present government. decision-making is what our generaAs Minister of Finance, Bill English tion of students, young workers, and halted government contributions young professionals will inherit in to Super in 2009, despite the fund decades to come. performing at a world-class level.

— Sam Stead It would be $18.2 billion better off (Newshub, 25/5/2016) if the govern- Greens at Vic ment hadn't ceased its contributions. No response was received before Fiscal mismanagement by Bill Eng- print deadline. lish has exacerbated the issue; we don’t think you should have to work If you are a representative of a youth two years longer to cover his ass. political group and wish to participate Superannuation, like everything re- in this section, please email editor@salated to government expenditure, lient.org.nz should be thoroughly assessed for its long-term financial viability. However, Labour believes that equality should be the key value behind this assessment and that the government has a vital role to play in protection from cradle to grave — so every Kiwi can retire and enter old age with a sense of security, no matter who they are. Labour will keep the retirement age at 65.

Young Nats — Lower North Island The Young Nats have had a long-standing position in support of raising the age of eligibility for superannuation from 65 to (at least) 67, and for extending the period for which people have resided in, and contributed to, New Zealand to be eligible. We believe the current policy settings are not indefinitely sustainable as part of a balanced and responsible economic agenda.

National kept to a promise, through three election cycles, to hold the eligibility age at 65. Despite our position, the Young Nats acknowledge the promise by former Prime

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OPINION Electorates in Hamilton — romantic and grungy?

Hamilton — the heartland New Zealand city, not the popular civics rap musical. It’s sometimes said that Hamilton is boring, but that’s exactly why Hamilton is interesting for politics. There are two electorates in New Zealand’s biggest inland city, Hamilton East and Hamilton West, and both have been known to be bellwether electorates. A bellwether is an area that, for a number of reasons, but mostly demographic ones, consistently achieves the same results locally as the national election. For those whose minds exist only in US politics (seriously though, not my president), Hamilton East and West are like the Ohio of New Zealand.

Currently, the East seat is occupied by Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Food Safety, David Bennett, and has only not swung with the general election three times — 1993, 1999, and 2005. Hamilton East is my home so I won’t hear anyone say a bad word against it, and in my head it is a romantic, grungy, and misunderstood kind of place. In the south sprawls Hamilton Gardens, which has not only won Garden of the Year at the International Garden Awards, but has also been recommended by political blogger David Farrar AND Lonely Planet as the place to visit. If you head further north, Grey St Village and the University of Waikato create an interesting juxtaposition between manicured villas and bogan, student culture . I don’t want to say that David Bennett has contributed nothing to this, but he’s held the seat since 2005 and has only just become a minister outside of Cabinet — in some ways a metaphor for the quiet, but still making $160,024 per annum, nature of Hamilton East.

Cross a bridge at least once and you’ll find yourself in Hamilton West — home of the hospital, lake, bars, and businesses. Hamilton West has only called the election wrong once and that was in 1993. It’s currently occupied

by Tim Macindoe, National’s white-haired Senior Whip. Tim Macindoe is a Christian

conservative and voted against marriage equality.

The West electorate is a stronger bellwether and Macindoe’s majority is only 17%, with Labour’s Sue Moroney contesting the seat in 2011 and 2014.

The interesting nature of this seat lies deeper; it is also the home of the McGillicuddy Serious Party, a joke party formed in 1984 by University of Waikato students and the political beginnings of former Green Party MP Nandor Tanczos and Green Co-Leader Metiria Turei. If you go to Victoria St or Garden Place, look out for the snaking wave of curious blue tiles that runs for about 100 metres; they’re a great relic of the McGillicuddy Serious Party. Beyond this, Hamilton West is also home to a Parekowhai and the Outback, which this expert recommends visiting in the same night to get that genuine highbrow, lowbrow experience that Hamilton uniquely provides.

Overall, Hamilton politics is relatively stable with not a lot to write home about, but with glimmers of maverick to keep you interested.

— Elaine Gyde

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Opinion

International Students affected by Travel Ban

On March 6, President Trump signed a revised executive order that reinstates the controversial travel ban of January 27. However, the revised order includes six countries; Iraq is excluded from the list. This piece was written before the March 6 announcement, but the concerns it raises about the original order are just as pertinent.

graduate students from countries like Iran will have a dire effect on the development of scientific research in North America.

The order’s more sinister undertone is that it will set the standard for many people’s understandings of students of refugee and immigrant backgrounds, especially those with Muslim backgrounds. Zarina Ahmed, a Somali On January 27, President of the United States student in her third year of a conjoint degree Donald J. Trump issued an executive order barring in International Relations and Development Studies at VUW, raised concerns that these travel from seven Muslim-majority countries designated as “terror prone.” Almost immediately, toxic sentiments may have a flow-on effect. She stated that the rhetoric of the order could “create arrests were issued for Muslim travelers, protests further social consequences by alienating Somali began breaking out at major airports, and the New Zealanders who consider themselves Kiwi American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed lawsuits against the president’s order for unlawful but are treated as other.”

By distinguishing seven Muslim-majority detainment. nations as terror threats, despite no attacks on Over six days, the ban was actively enforced, the US in the past 40 years by nationals from affecting permanent residents and incoming these countries, Muslims are implied to be in refugees from Syria who had previously been and of themselves a threat to society. Refugees cleared to begin life in their new home. form the building blocks of some of the International students aiming to further their developed world’s most robust and industrious education in the US were left in a state of limbo. communities, with studies from Europe and Over 23,000 students from the seven affected countries were hosted by US academic institutions Australia demonstrating that migrants are a net economic benefit for society as a whole. in 2015, and in response to Trump’s executive order, these institutions have advised students not Additionally, Muslim immigrants contribute to New Zealand’s, and the world's, distinct to leave the country lest they lose access to their cultural tapestry with their contributions to the education. arts and media.

“Our students are wonderful for America,” The executive order was initially blocked by Jonathan Starr, the former principal of a Somali federal judge James Robart of the Washington school with affected students, remarked. “They’ll District Court on February 3, which barred be educating their population and developing industry using American know-how. A developed state officials from enforcing the order. After Somaliland and Somalia is good for America and the decision was challenged by the executive government, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals its safety.” unanimously upheld the Court’s decision, If the ban had been implemented, it was stating that it was not convinced that the US estimated to have a net cost of $700 million in government has “shown a likelihood of success revenue per year for US colleges which, in 2015, on the merits of its appeal.” hosted over 23,000 students from the seven — Mahdhi Osman and Alexa Zelensky countries.

US academics have already stood against the executive order, claiming that the ban’s impact on

• Marlon Drake

• Nathaniel Manning

E X E

Acting Treasurer-Secretary In essence, I’m the money man.

I handle the internal committees and act as a budget liaison for the executive. I am super excited for the year ahead; I can’t wait to see

• Tom Rackley

So you’ve made it through O-Week and hopefully caught up on a week’s worth of sleep.

But now you may be wondering, what was that VUWSA thing everyone kept talking about?

What is that beautiful green logo I keep seeing round the place?

And who is the moustachioed man who keeps talking to me about getting involved on campus?

• Lauren Daroux Greig

• Isabella Lenihan-Ikin

• Bethany Paterson

• Raven Maeder

VUWSA

MEET YOUR

Tom Rackley —

• Rory Lenihan-Ikin

Rory Lenihan-Ikin — VUWSA President I’ve been with VUWSA for the past three years, but this year I get the privilege of being your student president. VUWSA exists solely to represent the student voice at the university, in politics, and in the local community. Our mission is to get the best deal for students, in everything we do. But we can’t do that without knowing what you, as students, need to make your years at university some of the best years of your life. We want to hear from you, work with you, and make sure VUWSA is doing all it can to serve you during your time here at Victoria.

• Anya Maule

2017 •Tamatha Paul

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While Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association does put on O-Week and gives you free stationery and noodles to kickstart your university year, it also has a dedicated team who have some big plans to make this year a great year for students. Here’s a chance to get acquainted with your student executive:

T U C

Engagement Vice-President This year one of my main roles will be getting students involved in September’s general election. I’ll be leading our campaign, bringing politicians on campus, collecting enrolments, and, obviously, encouraging everyone to get out and vote.

Nathaniel Manning —

Bethany Paterson — Wellbeing and Sustainability Officer Do you want to be happy, healthy, and able to decipher what is recycling and what is general trash?

That’s where I come in. My role is to work with our Welfare VicePresident to make sure students live well, in a less stressful and less wasteful environment.

Campaigns Officer I’m passionate about standing up for people and our environment, and I want to contribute to the movement for a fairer, more sustainable world. This year my main goal is to help VUWSA run a strong general election campaign, contribute to high student voting numbers, and put student issues on the political agenda.

Raven Maeder —

Clubs and Activities Officer I look after clubs here at the university. It’s so important to have a campus filled with opportunities for students to participate, meet new people, and have fun. This year I’m keen to make it easier to get involved with clubs, and with your community.

Marlon Drake —

T Lauren Daroux Greig — Education Officer As your Education Officer, I will act as a voice for students in all things related to academia. My job is to work with our Academic VicePresident to make sure your courses are giving you the right tools for graduating with a degree you can use. I’ll be helping out with writing submissions to the VUW Academic Board and Academic Committee highlighting student issues. I’ll also be helping with class representative training.

Tamatha Paul — Equity Officer I want to do as much as I can to strengthen and maintain VUWSA’s relationships with the other representative groups on campus including UniQ (the queer representative group), Ngāi Tauira (our Māori representative group), and V-ISA (our international students’ group). I want to bring all the different student bodies on campus together to contribute to an inclusive, engaging, and holistic student experience for everyone.

E V I

Anya Maule — Welfare Vice-President My main role is to make sure students have access to welfare services like the community pantry, the on-campus fruit and vegetable market, free flu shots, and Stress Free Study Week — which involves cute animals and food and drinks to ease your study jitters. This year I’m also looking forward to working with the Equity Officer on creating a VUWSA representative group handbook.

Academic Vice-President My role is to ensure that there is student representation and voice at all levels of the university. This year, I want to broaden the scope of the education portfolio and establish free, short, and engaging courses for students, like beginner te reo Māori courses.

Isabella Lenihan-Ikin —

what we achieve.

25 Meet your VUWSA Exectutive

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Columns COLUMNS

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS It pains me to think about what those who are new to Wellington are feeling right now. I could not sum it up better a student did on Vic Deals: “DO UNI/COURSE STUDENTS NOT GET A STUDENT BUS FARE.” If you’ve been around for a few years, it must feel like progress on this issue has been going round in circles. And to be honest, it has.

The promise of student fares on public transport has been given time and time again.

The average student sentiment can be perfectly summed up in an email I got last week: “Hello VUWSA. Have the half price bus fares that the mayor promised come through yet and how do we get it?”

The mayor’s support is useful, but he doesn’t make the final decision. Our public transport system is not actually run by the Wellington City Council, or the Mayor, but rather by a lesser-known Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC).

It’s the Councillors sitting around that table who we really need to convince.

But didn’t VUWSA already target them in the local elections last year?

Yes we did, but unfortunately we only gained the support from six Councillors but we needed at least seven. However, all is not lost — the newly elected GWRC is showing interest, and we need to make it clear to them how important this is.

So how can I help?

Very soon, we will need you to make a submission to the GWRC saying how much of a difference a student discount would make to your life. And after you’ve done that, we need your mum, dad, grandma, and neighbour to submit too. If they pay rates, and they know it’s a good idea, then their voice is even more important.

So be ready. This is desperately overdue and it is within our grasp!

— Rory Lenihan-Ikin

VUWSA Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.

Congratulations on making it through the first week of lectures! If you are a new student, this is an even bigger feat, especially if you have moved out of home and into a hall or flat in a new city.

Ultimately, we all come to this university to receive a really high quality education that resources us with the skills we need for the next stage of our lives.

For many of us, coming to university has been a really big financial and social investment for ourselves and our families. Here at VUWSA we know that being a student can be really tough.

Many of us have to work in order to finance our study, we are involved in clubs, and we have family and social commitments on top of our three to four papers a trimester, and the labs, tutorials, and study sessions that come with these.

Our health, in particular our mental health, can often become compromised with these mounting pressures. The welfare services that VUWSA offers, in particular the advocacy service, community pantry, and free bread/ baking during the week, are here to help you during your time at Victoria. Along with Mauri Ora, VUWSA is here to support you during your time as a student and we encourage you to make the most of the services that we have to offer.

One of VUWSA’s main programmes is the Class Representation system. I feel pretty proud to represent an organisation that has built up this formidable system, whereby 98% of classes have representatives. Our focus now needs to be on enhancing the quality of the student voice within the university.

I strongly encourage you to consider becoming a Class Representative this trimester, and I look forward to meeting some of you at the training sessions over the next few weeks.

— Isabella Lenihan-Ikin

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NGA¯ I TAUIRA E rere kau nei, mai i te kahui maunga ki Tangaroa.

Ko au te awa.

Ko te awa ko au.

Nei ra tāku mihi maioha ki a koutou e hoe ana tō waka ki tēnei whare wananga o Te Upoko o te ika a Maui, ōtira ki Te Tumu Herenga Waka. Nāu mai, piki mai, kake mai ki raro i te manaakitanga. Ko Kealyn Marshall tēnei. E tipu ake au ki Te Awa Tupua o Whanganui, ā, nō Ngā Rauru me Te Whānau ā Apanui anō hoki. Ko au tētahi o ngā tumuaki takirua o Ngāi Tauira. E whai ana ahau i ōku tohu o te matauranga me te reo māori hoki.

Uia mai koe whakahuatia ake ko wai te whare nei e?

Ko wai te teko teko kei runga?

Ko Paikea! Ko Paikea!

Ko wai tēnei? Ko Maia Te Koha he uri no te Whitingamai o te ra! He tau tuatoru ahau ki te whare wānanga. Kei te whai ahau i ōku tohu matauranga me te reo māori. Ko au tētahi o ngā tumuaki takirua o te roopu Ngāi Tauira. Ko te tumanako ka tautoko ahau, mātou ko tōku roopu i ngā tauira hei poutokomanawa mā koutou.

This year, as the co-presidents of Ngāi Tauira (VUW Māori Students’ Association), our goals are to build on our relationships with our fellow student associations. This will ensure that we are advocating for Māori students using a collective impact approach. In addition to this, we provide holistic social and academic support to ensure students have a well-balanced lifestyle and the best university experience. We are your Māori whanau on campus that always has hot kai and quality bantz!

Follow us on Facebook, Snapchat (ngai_ tauira), and Instagram, or come see us around uni!

Watch this space whanz!

— Maia Te Koha and Kealyn Marshall

ONE OCEAN OVERCOMING ORIENTATION BLUES Leaving home was one of the most nervewracking experiences of my life. As an international student, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed when I first got to uni.

The week before classes started, we had Pasifika Orientation. There were a lot of students there and I felt a bit nervous. I wasn’t too sure what the overall experience was going to be like. Was I going to be able to talk to anyone?

Was anyone going to want to talk to me?

Then I got to AM102.

It was amazing how much I felt at home.

From the minute I walked in, everyone on the organising team was so welcoming. They answered our questions, but more importantly, they made us feel like it was okay to ask questions. The way they normalised the first year experience took away a lot of the anxiety I had about my new life in this new (literally freezing cold!) environment. It has also motivated me, as a Pacific Islander, to look beyond the socalled impossibilities imposed on me by stereotypes, and to believe that great things, like getting A’s and graduating, are possible.

Pasifika Orientation replaced my nervousness with excitement. When you’re a first year student in a new country, excitement is a great thing to have because it gets you up early to walk down to uni.

I’m very grateful for the week we spent in orientation. It helped me put into perspective this new chapter of my journey. I just want to say, Fa’afetai Lava to the amazing team that facilitated the program. You guys are awesome!

Every year you have to go through this whole routine of introductions and explanations but you do meet every new student with such enthusiasm.

Here goes my first year at Victoria University of Wellington. I’m ready.

— Celia Uele

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VOICES OF V-ISA Haere Mai! Huanying! Bienvenue! Selamat datang! Welcome to Wellington!

If you’ve just touched down in the capital for the first time, a lot of things probably bewilder you right now. But don’t worry, because we’re here to make it all slightly less baffling.

Here’s a brief crash-course in Wellington survival: 1. The wind here is insane. There is a reason people call it “Windy Welly”. Wellington sits at the bottom of the North Island beside the Cook Strait and acts as a wind tunnel.

Umbrellas are nearly useless here, so you’re better off with a rain coat. Also, remember to peg down your washing, unless you’d like your neighbour’s garden to be decorated with laundry.

2. Eating out here (or anywhere in NZ really) can be expensive, so cooking your own is a good way to save. With all the cheap and fresh produce at the weekly markets around the city it’s not hard to find inspiration.

Check out the Harbourside Market at the waterfront on Sundays, Newtown market (beside the hospital) on Saturdays, and the mini-market outside the Hub at the Kelburn campus on Wednesdays.

3. To treat yourself, try Capital Market or Little Penang for Asian food, or choose from the cabinet of any of the little cafes around the city for under-$10 eats. Look out for half-price sushi deals after 4pm.

4. For something to do, try one of the many tracks around the city and waterfront.

Some popular ones are Mt Kau Kau and Mt Victoria, and you are rewarded for your struggles with views at the top. Festivals are a big part of entertainment in Wellington so keep an eye out for those too.

Now you’re all set. Good luck! Have fun!

— Hannah Wee ( V-ISA Executive)

VIC UFO Kia ora Salient readers!

Congratulations to all the new students who have survived their first week of university, and welcome back to all the returning students who have decided to stick with it!

By this point of your trimester you might feel a little more settled in. Hopefully you know where all of the good hangout spots are, where to get the best coffee, and where to go for most of your classes.

But you might be having to think about starting your first assignments of the year, and are perhaps struggling to think of something to talk about. So, I would like to offer one piece of advice from my experience in undergrad that might help you get through the grind of tertiary life — write a feminist theory essay when you can.

I counted, and I have written 12 separate feminist essays throughout my undergrad.

Hell, I am even writing my English honours thesis as a feminist critique, so I can guarantee that writing essays through a feminist lens or with feminist theory are actually pretty fun!

Just think of your 1500 word essay as a 1500 word feminist rant that is backed up by other scholarly rants. You’ll also hopefully be passionate about the topic, which will make the research and writing process a lot easier, your arguments clearer, and your grades (hopefully) will be higher.

So go ahead, read some bell hooks, quote Judith Butler, chuck in a reference to Simone de Beauvoir, deconstruct the patriarchy, and then upload it to Turnitin.

Feminism and feminist theory has been a big part of my undergraduate studies, and if you find it as interesting to study and write about as I have, you won’t want to stop.

Happy writing!

— Alex Feinson

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TINDER SURPRISE Therefore, you all clearly need to be keeping up with this column where every fortnight I cover all things sex and casual dating. To start, I’ll give some really lame (but important) advice for all you horny peeps out there.

ADVICE #1 Use bloody condoms m8 – keep your genital health like super good and stuff ! Especially if you are having lots of casual, non-monogamous, non-exclusive sex, and aren’t on birth control.

ADVICE #2 If you aren’t already, it’s pretty legit to sign up at Student Health so if you accidentally don’t use a condom you can easily get your crotch health checked up. It’s free and easy (I had like eight STD checks last year and they’re chill about it).

ADVICE #3 If you’re a straight hetero dude, make sure the chick cums first and she might actually meet up next time. The earlier you can master the clit and G-spot, the better in my opinion.

ADVICE #4 It’s so normal to find casual dating and sex disappointing and it can, in my humble experience, fuck with your feelings too! Just know that it’s not you — it’s probably them, and friends can be better than a weak-ass orgasm anyway.

ADVICE #5 Don’t ghost people! If you have had sex or have been hanging out for over two weeks or anything similar — it’s nice to let people know you aren’t interested any more, or would like to leave things at that, rather than just flat out ignore them if they’re trying to contact you.

Okay, I won’t bore you any more with this highly condescending advice, and wish you all the best on your sexual endeavours.

Much intimacy, Xoxo

GARDASIL — THE WONDER VACCINE The Gardasil vaccine protects against infection with HPV, the human papilloma virus. HPV is one of the most common viruses in the world, and is transmitted by close sexual contact. A staggering 80% of New Zealanders are thought to be infected at some point in their lives, and it is most prevalent among young people who have recently become sexually active. Once infected, some people will carry the virus long-term and have the potential to pass it on to future sexual partners. HPV is responsible for not only genital warts, but also a variety of cancers — cervical, anal, vulval, mouth, throat, and penile.

Last year, the Ministry of Health announced it would extend funding for Gardasil up to the age of 27 years, as from January 1, 2017. The vaccine is also now free for males, who previously could only access it at significant cost. The new, improved version of the vaccine that has been brought in also protects against five more strains of HPV than the previous one — incredible news all round.

What you need to know:

• The earlier the vaccine is given, the stronger the immunity — don’t delay getting yours!

• The vaccine is really effective — studies show that completed courses of Gardasil have led to a huge reduction in the prevalence of not only genital warts, but all the cancers mentioned above.

• Benefits are long-lasting — research on the original Gardasil vaccine shows that it still has full immune effect after ten years, and that this effect should last for life.

• Gardasil is safe! Contrary to what you may have read on social media, this is one of the safest, most widely-studied vaccines available. Since its launch, 165 million people have received the vaccine worldwide, and it has an impeccable safety profile.

• If you are already sexually active, there is still benefit in receiving Gardasil.

Student Health are running special Gardasil vaccination clinics this term at Pipitea and Kelburn. Phone 04 4735308 to book an appointment. Put it on your list — it could well be the best thing you do for your health this year!

— Cathy Stephenson

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Super Science Trends 1. Welcome to Super Science Trends!

Where we see what's new in science and prepare you for the technological advances you can expect in the coming years. So when you get out of university and find a robot has taken your job, don't say we didn't warn you!

As befitting the first edition of this column, this week we'll look at what's new with the number one element, hydrogen. It was announced back in January that two Harvard scientists managed to turn hydrogen into a metal for the first time. Dubbing their discovery "the Holy Grail of high-pressure physics" (because what is science without a little blasphemous grandiosity?), this finding proves an 80-year-old theory about the potential of the element and could revolutionise our energy and fuel concerns.

^

2.

Columns HYDROGEN: NOW METAL AS FUCK

4. Metallic hydrogen is a big deal for a number of reasons.

Namely, it's a great superconductor, a material that can conduct electricity through it without losing any energy from the transfer. The power lines to our homes lose a lot of energy through wires simply from resistance, which is why power plants are built close to cities and residential areas to get the most of the energy. If wires could be made out of metallic hydrogen, a power plant could be built almost anywhere without losing any of that energy. Solid hydrogen rocket fuel has the potential to be three times more powerful than the liquid fuel the space shuttles currently use.

5.

But don't hold your breath for a future of cleaner energy transference and rocket ship fuel economy just yet. All of this hinges on whether the crushing process used is replicable, and if the metal hydrogen remains a solid under ordinary atmospheric pressure, and then whether it can be turned into a fuel or a superconducting wire without needing to be kept at Andre 3000 levels of cool.

Solid hydrogen doesn't naturally exist on Earth, and the closest you'd get to finding it in the wild is Jupiter's core, underneath several million pounds of atmospheric pressure. Under Earth's gravity, hydrogen is a gas, so in order to convert it into a metal, you need an apparatus with the ability to apply a Jupiter's worth of pressure.

6. And if that load of "if "s leaves you skeptical, you're in good company. The small but contentious field of highpressure atomic physicists has called foul on the experiment, claiming that the Harvard pair have extrapolated too much from one small result and should replicate their results to, well, prove their metal. The head researcher admitted that more tests need to be done to ascertain the hydrogen's properties, but he and his research team are reluctant to mess with the one sample they have, making the prospect of producing more metallic hydrogen at this venture very slim.

^

E a r t h

3.

The Harvard researchers did this by super-cooling molecular hydrogen (H2) down to a liquid state inside a Coke can-sized device called a cryostat.

They then squeezed the hydrogen between a diamond screw and a diamond anvil, both of which had to be as flawless as possible to avoid cracking each other to pieces under the pressure, at 70 million pounds-persquare inch. Eventually, after a lot of cooling and pressure, the researchers were able to condense their liquid hydrogen, turning it from transparent to a dark, shiny metal.

7.

Beyond succeeding at the impossible, or at least the exceptionally difficult, good science hinges on the ability to replicate results. But at least now we have an idea on how to make metallic hydrogen on the reg. Anyone know a good deal on alumina-coated diamond presses? – Gus Mitchell

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TOKEN CRIPPLE CRIP 101 Last year staffing cuts at the University of Waikato included the dismissal of senior staff in the Disability and Inclusion Studies Programme, which focuses on research into our inclusion in the education system. The reasons cited were predictable — low student numbers (read: money).

Disability is neither lucrative nor pretty. But cuts to a programme like this sends the message that disabled people are not worth including.

That our education, our potential contribution to our communities and our selves (our bodies and personhood) are less valuable to society than that of our able-bodied counterparts. As far as study goes, we are left to our own devices here, unless we are lucky enough to have lecturers who include this content.

My response to these cuts was to think of all the reading and viewing I have done as a sociology student and Token Cripple, the texts in which disability is not only included but embraced. Here are just a few things that challenged my thinking on physical disability.

Let’s start there. One step at a time, so to speak.

My recommended resource list for Crip 101:

• Accidents of Nature, Harriet McBryde Johnson (coming of age, crip fiction) • “Gaping, Gawking Staring”, Eli Clare (essay on queerness, disability, and being looked at) • Feminist, Queer, Crip, Alison Kafer (book, selfexplanatory title) • Stella Young on inspiration porn (TED Talk, Australian, disability humour) • “I got 99 problems... palsy is just one”, Maysoon Zayid (TED Talk also) • Margarita with a Straw (film, omg multiple people with disabilities in the same movie!)

• Youth and Disability: A Challenge to Mr Reasonable, Jenny Slater (part-academia, part-open letter/rant) • “The Body Remembers: Tua-Back”, Pelenakeke Brown (essay, exploration of disability, womanhood, race) • Philip Patston on supported autonomy (blog entry)

— Henrietta Bollinger

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HISTORY REPE STEPS TO OF A THE OCCUPATION

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Y NEVER EATS: O THE END A LIE – N AT IHUMATAO

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Dan Kelly

History never repeats; Steps to the end of a lie

We are told, through the myriad of news outlets that create it, that ours is an age of post-fact. Competing powers vie for our attention, each with a different story about the world. In our feeds and on our screens we see lie after lie laid bare, “alternative-facts,” and the rise of a noxious populism.

However, this is not limited to the White House or Russia, but cast deep in our history and the truths we left behind.

Time and time again we are told that things are fine, that our past is behind us, that New Zealand has the greatest race relations in the world.

(For further reading, see: 100% PURE New Zealand; reddit: The big list of John Key’s lies).

As Vincent O’Malley explains in his new book, The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800-2000, the myth of good race relations was seeded early in our history. At the 50-year jubilee for the battle at Ōrākau, the final in the Waikato War (but not, however, the Land Wars), the colonial government commemorated “50 years of peace,” and praised “the glorious tradition of the courage and heroism and devotion to duty” shown by both Pākehā and Māori.

The truth was decidedly more bitter. In reality, it was Māori who displayed the values celebrated. Three hundred defenders faced down 1400 British troops and, with water, food, and As the Waitangi ammunition running out, refused to surrender.

Tribunal have noted, The famous reply, “E hoa, it is only through a ka whawhai tonu mātou, Āke! Āke! Āke!” proper understanding (Friend, we will fight on forever, forever, and of history that forever!) was followed by further resistance and we can progress: a bold attempt at escape. However, when Māori “While only one side broke through the surrounding cordon, they remembers the were pursued and killed, with both men and suffering of the past, woman (who made up a third of the defenders) dialogue will always bayoneted as they lay wounded — to the horror be difficult. One side of interpreter W.G. Mair, who wrote: “I am filled with disgust, at the generally obscene commences the dialogue with anger and profane behaviour of the troops, as well as their vaunting, yet almost cowardly behaviour.” and the other side In glossing over these realities, has no idea why. the government helped to create “a highly Reconciliation sentimentalised version” of events, one that cannot be achieved suited their “own nationalist and nationby this means.” building ends.” While the jubilee was highly

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attended by Pākehā, many Waikato Māori stayed away — for obvious reasons.

It is something of a truism that there can be no future without a past, and yet the past we’ve inherited as New Zealanders, or more specifically Pākehā New Zealanders, is one that makes our continued movement increasingly difficult. As the Waitangi Tribunal have noted, it is only through a proper understanding of history that we can progress: “While only one side remembers the suffering of the past, dialogue will always be difficult. One side commences the dialogue with anger and the other side has no idea why. Reconciliation cannot be achieved by this means.”

This is an idea echoed by former New Plymouth Mayor Andrew Judd, the man who calls himself a “For me, ignorance is “recovering racist.” Elected by a comfortable majority in 2013, Judd declined to run for re-election. His decision one thing.

But to realise to push for the creation of a Māori ward in Taranaki (a move aimed at increasing Māori representation) lead it and then to a backlash that saw him out of favour and the move look past crushed in a public referendum. it would be However, despite the outpouring of hate indefensible.” that this instigated, Judd has continued to promote his cause, using his own failings as a means to advance the conversation.

In a number of unusually candid interviews he explained how he too used to feel averse to Māori interests, citing his upbringing in a Pākehā community and the subsequent unwillingness to learn that this engendered. This all changed when Judd won the mayoralty. He attended a protest against possible iwi occupation at Waitara and, despite his intentions to support the Pākehā residents, found himself “captured by the history.”

While Judd’s advocacy earned him a lot of ire, there was support too: from iwi; from Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy, MP Marama Fox, and the “Andrew Judd Fan Club” on Facebook. As Judd himself notes, it is a broader understanding of history that is key to reconciliation: “For me, ignorance is one thing. But to realise it and then look past it would be indefensible. So I’m addressing Pākehā. I’m reflecting on what I’ve been through. And I’m saying: ‘We’ve got it wrong. We’re a major part of the problem. We’ve never acknowledged it because we don’t talk about our past. But we need to talk about it in order to understand.’”

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Joe Hawke and his whānau visit the Kaitiaki Village. 2017. Rebecca Hobbs. SOUL.

***

This bring us to Ihumātao, Auckland’s oldest settlement and what is shaping up to be yet another showdown between resident Māori and large, abstract interests.

The area in contention is a 33-hectare block bordering the historic (and protected) Otuataua Stonefields, a waahi tapu or sacred site for Te Wai-o-Hua, a short drive down the road from Ihumātao itself, a small papakainga (village) where a number of tangata whenua still live.

Fletcher Residential have permission to build 480 houses on the block, which was designated a Special Housing Area (along with 40 others) in May 2014 under the emergency conditions of the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act 2013, a process that has been much criticised for its speed and its removal from those it will affect.

In Fletcher Residential’s way stand Save Our Unique Landscape (SOUL), a group of locals opposing the development on the grounds that it will destroy an area of important cultural and historical significance.

Their demands are simple: to have the land added to the Otuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve, as was promised in 2007 by Manukau City Council.

The ins and outs of the case are tricky, reflecting the bureaucratic maze that the Resource Management Act has become, and are perhaps peripheral to the issues at stake. In short, the landowner previous to Fletcher Residential, Gavin H Wallace Ltd, challenged the proposed status of the land, eventually appealing to the Environment Court, where

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they were successful in having the land rezoned as a “future development zone.” This allowed them to move towards selling it, and it was offered to the Council who couldn’t provide the price sought.

Although the actual value of the sale isn’t public, it is alleged that Fletcher Residential paid $19 million for the site, conditional on it being accepted as a Special Housing Area and a plan change being passed changing it from “future development” to residential — all of which came to pass.

Throughout this, SOUL has been present, staging protests, speaking to the Auckland Council and the Independent Commissioners involved in passing the plan change, and now occupying the site. Their case is strong: it is ancestral land, whenua to which they have a deep connection, of great historic significance, and a unique area for Auckland.

Graeme Campbell, former Auckland Conservator for the Department of Conservation, calls it “a 5000-year old story” — the end point of the Pacific migration. Archaeologist Dave Vert compares development to “building houses on the fields alongside Stonehenge.”

On the other side is Auckland’s demand for housing, corporate interest, the myth of progress, development, and the improvement of lands left bare — the very rhetoric that drove confiscation. For despite all that would be said about “wasteland,” “primitives,” and “productivity,” an examination of history shows that Māori played a far more significant role in the establishment of Pākehā settlement than is credited.

***

As the “musket wars” cooled, Tāmaki, which had been abandoned for much of their duration, began to be repopulated. In 1835, WaikatoTainui rangatira Te Wherowhero escorted those tribes who had been sheltering with him back to Auckland, of whom Te Wai-o-Hua were one. In return, land was made available, and Te Wherowhero established a trading base in Onehunga, and settlements on the Awhitu Peninsula and in Remuera. This was seen as desirable, not just for the protection he offered Tāmaki iwi, but also for that offered to settlers in the newly formed township of Auckland. In 1845, when the Northern War broke out and a delegation came south to seek Te Wherowhero’s support for an attack on Auckland, he refused, allegedly warning Hone Heke: “kia tupato kit e remu o taku kakahu” (beware the hem of my cloak).

The introduction of European crops and technology had been met eagerly, and, in addition to the military protection they provided

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Dan Kelly

History never repeats; Steps to the end of a lie

the fledgling city, Te Wherowhero and Waikato-Tainui were also a huge economic force, supplying much needed produce to Auckland, Australia, and California. This too was at play at Ihumātao, where the rich volcanic soil and warm microclimate fostered an abundance of gardens. This output from Māori was such that in 1844 the Southern Cross noted that, but for their support, “the present European population… would have been literally starved out of the country.”

What followed was a long history of injustice as Pākehā sought to consolidate power. In the lead-in to the Waikato War, tangata whenua at Ihumātao (along with other Tāmaki settlements) were effectively evicted, their villages looted, razed, and eventually confiscated then sold to settlers under broad-brush powers granted at the end of the Land Wars. The guarantee of article two of Ti Tiriti, the right to undisturbed possession of Māori land, was disregarded, and the document on which Māori had relied declared “a simple nullity.”

For the people at Ihumātao, there were further insults. Their maunga, the sacred volcanoes Puketapapa and Otuataua, were quarried to build roads and runways. Their harbour, source of food and mana, was polluted, and the sewerage treatment facilities responsible weren’t made available to the village until some 20 years later.

In 2009, construction for Auckland Airport’s second runway bulldozed through a 600-year old urupa (grave), unearthing 89 graves. In 2013 an industrial dye spill catastrophically affected all life in their local stream and river. Add to this the ongoing outcomes for Māori following the process of land confiscation: the overrepresentation (prisons, unemployment, poverty); the under-representations (governance, business, home Te Werowero, or Potatau, the principal chief of all Waikato. 1847. Angas, George French.

1822-1886. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.

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ownership) — layer upon layer of insult, year after year of coping.

***

In his announcement that he would not be attending Waitangi events at Te Tii Marae, current PM Bill English said: “there was a time when the protest at Waitangi was nationally relevant — 15, 20 years ago.

That time has passed because we have made so much progress on relations with Māori and the Treaty settlements.” (In lieu of a full reply: treaty settlement payouts represent 0.1% of the value of the land confiscated.)

Later, in his Waitangi day address at Bastion Point, English praised Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei for their economic success while noting the key role their occupation of Bastion Point played — a contradiction solved by time: then was good, now is bad. Or to bring it back to policy: it’s about development.

However, in an apt trick of fate, one recipient of that korero, Joe Hawke, had just a month and a half earlier gone down to Ihumātao to show his support. Hawke, who was instrumental Now as then, those in the 506-day occupation of Bastion Point, told who promote the protesters to “fight for as long as you have colonial objectives to until victory is gained,” echoing the call from are celebrated, the Ōrākau some 150 years earlier. “good” natives, Now as then, those who promote colonial while those who objectives are celebrated, the “good” natives, while refuse the narrative those who refuse the narrative given are labelled given are labelled as troublemakers, terrorists, rebels. Which is to say, as troublemakers, it’s not just Trump who twists facts.

And yet, we are not all so divided. In terrorists, rebels. history is connection, the chance to listen and move forward. Speaking on an earlier protest, during the resource consent process, SOUL member Frances Hancock talked about the diversity of the crowd: "Most importantly, we've got Māori and Pākehā standing together, which is what our treaty was all about — working together to protect what's most important, which is the land that feeds us and looks after us."

As Ta-Nihisi Coates writes, “the struggle, in and of itself, has meaning.” In a complex world there are few simple solutions — and yet, what’s more simple than standing?

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NEWTOWN

FEST:

GETTING IT RIGHT WITH GIRLS AND

Every stage at the festival featured either women bands, or acts with at least one or more women, as well as POC and LGBT+ individuals — which is imperative for a festival that strives for inclusiveness and diversity. And while this may not seem like a big deal, it is actually a huge step forward, going against the grain traditional of music festivals. It brings the entrenched and prevalent inequalities within music scenes to the surface, allowing for the recognition, discussion, and eventual eradication of these imbalances.

In an ideal world, actions of this sort by organisers would not be celebrated as progressive feats, and would rather just be the norm — but unfortunately, due to the normalised sexism within the music industry and society as a whole, they are just that. New Zealand boasts a few decent festivals every year (if you’re into binge drinking and gross bro culture — I’m looking at you Rhythm and Vines) and often after lineup releases I’m left wondering, where are all the women at?

Out of the 57 acts billed for RnV, five were comprised solely of women — Kimbra, Aroha & Tali, Bailey Wiley, Anna Coddington, and Heidi. A further two acts, Kinetic and Molly + The Chromatics, had women members. The rest were made up of men. If this doesn’t irk you as much as it does me, then we have a problem.

Written by Shannon Harrison

Newtown Festival recently celebrated its 21st birthday but, unlike a typical 21st, its festivities were far less trashy, and didn’t involve any yardies or tactical voms (to my knowledge). In saying this, the organisers have had 21 years of practice to get things right — and they pulled through with this year’s lineup.

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason why there is such a lack of women on festival bills, when it cannot be said that there is an absence of talented women performers. Wellington, New Zealand, and the rest of the world are crawling with exceptional female, LGBTQ+, and POC performers — so why are they so grossly underrepresented at mainstream festivals? Surely it does not come down to the “what the people want” argument, because I know for certain that an angsty-youngwhite-males-in-alternative-bands sort of lineup is not what I and many others want.

Yet year after year, this is all I see.

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Shannon Harrison

Newtown Fest: Getting it right with girls and guitars

What’s worse is when the festivals themselves claim to promote an ‘all inclusive’ ethos, but then do not practise what they preach.

GUITARS

When speaking to Gussie Larkin of Mermaidens and Earth Tongue at the Newtown Festival, she mentioned the overwhelming “male-ness” of alternative scenes like that of Laneway Festival. “Laneway was really unbalanced, I think there were seven females out of 60 musicians... it’s the boys’ club. I hate that shit.” And while it is undeniable that there are numerous notable and talented all-male bands that rightfully deserve the credit they garner, when this becomes the norm for seemingly ‘diverse’ festivals, it further alienates women, and suggests their presence is not essential.

A notable aspect of the 2017 Newtown Festival was the organisers’ conscious efforts to book more women. When asked about the deliberate inclusiveness of the festival, both Gussie and Emma Hall-Phillips (Aw B) spoke of one of the stage programmers, James Paul, with high praise:

It is important to note that gender-balanced lineups are not only salient as a means of inclusiveness for female musicians, they create a far more accepting environment — one that is not just accommodating a certain type of person and their taste. Emma believes this was reflected at Newtown Festival in the array of people watching and enjoying the various sets. “You find that if you go to a show and it’s all dudes playing, the crowd is also mostly guys, whereas when you have a gender diverse, LGBT+, POC diverse line up, you see that all those communities come together and it is a way nicer space.”

“I really liked how he didn’t talk about this choice as if it were a big deal or advertise it at all, because over-emphasising it makes it seem as if he’s not booking female artists based on their talent, when that in fact is the real reason. And that’s how it should always be.”

A recurrent theme in terms of the treatment of women performers in music scenes is their infantilisation, as musicians and as people.

A common anecdote among performers I have spoken to is how sound technicians — which are (unsurprisingly) usually men — engage with the men in bands, cater to their needs, and ignore those of the women despite the fact that they may actually be the ones in charge. Emma affirmed that this was a typical experience of women musicians at gigs, and incredibly infuriating. “It’s a very common thing to have men attempt to take charge of setting up your equipment or the likes. I’ve had guys come up to me and try teach me how to use my DJ gear, and I’m like ‘uh… this is my equipment, I know how to use it,

42

Features thank you…’”

Pr e c o n c e p t i o n s that women aren’t as capable, or need to be managed, are certainly not new, and highlight the sexist nature of the music industry. Men can feel that it is their obligation to ‘guide’ young female musicians, like a sort of damsel in distress situation, except with more guitars and the absence of dramatic cries for help. Emma spoke of this ambivalently, as if it was a burden she had reluctantly gotten used to but simultaneously detested: “It seems like a lot of the time, some male musicians feel as if they need to look after you, that you’re really fragile, and they feel like they have more experience than you.”

Attitudes

like

this further perpetuate beliefs that women are less capable as musicians, thereby positioning them as inferior, in music and more broadly. This type of inequality is not exclusive to certain genres like electronica — which has consistently had a noticeably higher proportion of male performers — but is rampant among all genres, scenes, and contexts. It is also not only an occurrence for newer musicians. Gussie and her bandmate Lily Paris-West (Mermaidens), who have been performing for around four years, have found themselves patronised and brushed off by producers and sound technicians, as if their gender inherently makes them lesser musicians. “We’ve had some sound guys go up to our drummer Abe and ask him, ‘aw what amp are you gonna use?’ but he’s always really good at emphasising that he doesn’t know since he is the drummer and then directs the sound techs to us.” Though they have had these negative experiences, both Emma and Gussie try to ignore the casual sexism and laugh about it with the hopeful belief that “those people are going to be phased out if we keep giving females the credit they deserve.”

Women in music

have to constantly negotiate their place because their construction of self, and musical subjectivity, are processes heavily influenced by their gender. With regard to the likes of Gussie, and other female rock musicians, often this can involve playing on tropes like the ‘angry rock girl’ in order to make a mark. Yet this in itself can reign problematic as it pigeonholes women of rock to one sort of style

brooding,bossy, and bitchy.

43

Newtown Fest: Getting it right with girls andFeatures guitars

Shannon Harrison

In

reality,

just

female

another

rock

‘angry

musicians cannot and will not be typified, and it is crucial to understand that rock does not necessarily equate to anger — sensitivity and rock are not mutually exclusive.

girl’:

Playing in a rock band herself, Gussie has come face to face with the struggles of wanting to assert herself and her opinions dominantly, but not wanting to be characterised as

“Rock music is kind of aggressive, and understanding as a female you don’t have to be aggressive is important. It’s actually really powerful sometimes to engage with your softness and femininity, but then with the contrast of really dirty music.”

Alternatively, the reclamation of what are considered to be demeaning terms and attributes can be agents of empowerment for the musician.

Presently,

alternative

music

scenes in cities like Wellington, Dunedin, and Auckland are slowly but surely working towards addressing prevailing

inequalities through events like Newtown Festival, A Low Hum NYE, and various other smaller festivals. While these discrepancies may not be highly visible, this does not mean they are not there, and they are not something we should turn a blind eye to — or, more fittingly, turn a deaf ear to.

To musicians like Gussie and Lily, at times it can seem like there are no problems at all when you are surrounded by other supportive, accepting artists — like these inequalities are an anomaly. But they’re not. “ We’re in a bubble. But sometimes it gets popped… by an old, male sound engineer”.

Much like the music itself, these efforts are at a grassroots level, but this does not make them any less significant. It communicates that simple acts towards gender equality are not unachievable nor idealistic. They are not a pipe dream. The fact that a local festival is making these advances in curating gender balanced lineups goes to show that this is not simply a matter of billing popular or talented acts, but rather an example of systemic sexism in the mainstream. In the coming years, hopefully Newtown Festival’s example will encourage organisers all around New Zealand to sort their shit out and place the interests of their audiences before their own commercial and sexist interests. I praise Newtown Fest for spearheading a change.

44

In which a boy dies

Review In quo

Features

puer mortuus est

O-Week

le I have made a terrib t in my mind that niacally ma I d, There is little doub sse sse po if in my life. As mistake somewhere times. When other se most horrific of the iew rev to d ree ag doors in an attempt inside, locking their students are huddling de world at arm’s tsi ou the destruction of to keep the wanton myself into the pit. length, I’m throwing ty for six years. I been at this universi For reference, I have d young adults. I want m these newly minte am a world apart fro I am out of touch : and erst und ntly clear, I to make it abunda falling asleep on d an me, ordering pizza, ho ing go fer pre I — Abbey than going to a rerun of Downton the couch watching ibed as eclectic or, scr de that can only be I’m disparaging town. I like music en terms, weird. So wh don’t take it in more derogatory ase ple ar ye t firs concept of ird old guy we t towards the entire tha of gs just the rumblin in the far y, da e to heart. These are ll. On u pass him in the ha , coming to ion you ignore when yo sit po my in elf y find yours off future, you ma out how boring you table realisations ab for com un e sam se the k, I descend. have become.

And so, into O-Wee

. A have been delivered My media passes Robin MONDAY — Hermitude me na the th wi ares, emblazoned stack of fabric squ n music scene — his giant of the Wellingto el cru at (th o nd Ferna t everything that tha u yo ind , as if to rem logo tellingly a crown fdom), stare me fie his nightlife is part of happens in this city’s out in a cold sweat. in the face. I break I am uncomfortable.

and the stream of 45 minutes ago, The doors opened The Hunter Lounge ce. on has not slowed students coming in stle and bustle, the l but, despite the hu is bulging, almost ful the best intentions te spi De . m is muted energy within the roo e of what they’re sur really seems quite of Emwa, no one , only the awkward t. There is no dancing meant to be doing ye onds before selfsec 30 d for aroun dents near the shuffle that persists stu o over. There are tw consciousness takes peaking far too , cap t firs ir the g taken front, clearly havin make it to the end edly wonder if they’ll early. I absent-mind WSA safe room as y’ll end up in the VU of the night, or if the ok. be l it’l m gs tells the one of Rory’s underlin

g to piss on

the loo soon I’m just goin “I need to piss so bad, if I can’t find the floor.”

RB

bad trap remixes of own personal hell. As ) I have entered my dly very impressive tte mi re out of the (ad p sla ng rci pie recent pop songs bla ery Ev wd claps offbeat. k tighter and audio set up, the cro sing my jaw to loc cau rs, ea my gh .d City begins rings throu .A m.A k's ns when Kendric tighter. It only worse

45

In quo puer mortuus est | In which a boy dies to dience raps along incredibly white au cks tra rite ou to blare, and the fav my g what was one of ian males every word, turnin nkpiece about caucas thi tic ma ble pro a o g as it’s lon as — of 2012 int rs slu ial ate to scream rac feeling it's appropri in a club setting. t ts, appear. The ligh s, clad in white ha ure . fig o los ha tw ly of en dd nce Su peara them, giving the ap pretense all ps bursts out around dro wd cro affirmed, the Their celestial status e noise is brutal, eam, “Hermitude!” Th scr to s gin be ply sim and le to be seen. d who demands litt painful. This is a go . are beginning to tire ir stimulants earlier m, masses roo Those who took the the of r rea form at the A crowd begins to sperate attempt to ainst walls in a de ag g nin lea s die bo of the bathroom, a Someone pukes in reorient themselves. same. I approach the do to ms preparing queue of people for gently ask what d rear of the room an one of those at the I just came because , them w kno even . “I don’t they think of the act all my friends did.” in sumes language — all in its path. It con ce, pla its in — The mass consumes nce da sound. It consumes its place, guttural ce, or the fields of ow if this is a holy pla kn r ge lon no I flailing. c, I notice there’s eti ath ap d . Drained an Sodom. I return home One down. blood in my mouth. x lly torn. I like Dra I wake fundamenta air within sh fre of ath bre ine y’re a genu Project; I think the pick this gig of all ne. But they had to the local pop-jazz sce tic of all nights. gigs, the most ritualis ange. Apparently the eet Mix Kids, are str The opening act, Sw onic drums over a ctr ele y pla ne someo new trend is to have in a row that this ht nig d this is the secon pop track, because ly mix Rihanna into gimmick. They messi has been a band’s nd, the crowd eats ble ge an str spite this Michael Jackson. De to. They scream rds wo gs they know the it up. These are son empts to pull them hind as the band att along, half a beat be e signature. into the correct tim . crowd into a frenzy ll” plays, sending the ey have Th t. igh “I Love Rock ‘n’ Ro ton ble lpa freedom is pa now, choosing Last night’s sense of without direction urs ho ~48

n from family. spent tio tric res no th want to do, wi is pulling your t what they tha in pa tasted the unique to finish an pt They have not yet attem row in a desperate eiving your rec third all-nighter in a of in pa the do not know much you w ho assignment. They ly act ter informing you ex let link dy Stu al nu an t. y owe the governmen y the tracks that the about Drax. They pla There is little to say

TUESDAY — Toga Party

46

Features pressive falsetto to aan performs his im know are popular. Sh der whenever his lou er che o crowd, wh the adoration of the ssive solos and pre im hone. Ben plays lips touch the saxop Matt plays some end sounds good.

Sam ensures the low enjoy it. eclectic drum fills. I le times the set is well-behaved. Multip The crowd is not so for a towel to dry ing ask er of the band waving around broken up by a memb ers mb ked by audience me off equipment, soa ttles. their free water bo

In which a boy dies

. I can avoid WEDNESDAY — Comedy Night Tonight is a godsend st common mo the and sweat won’t be s, wd cro r ge lar pp the ine ha iness in my I can say, with genu liquid of the night. . Not because I like ms llia seeing Guy Wi t voice, I'm happy I'm t because for the firs think he's funny, bu I se cau be t no , him . ve a chance to sleep time in 48 hours I ha hot topic within the Clearly Tinder is a Alice Brine opens. act has been about r he all because it's Airport. Wild. comedy community, We der in the llington On Tin . ton mil Ha in der Tin . e kid from far so t chats. pictures. Lines abou mittedly I Ad .

Lines about profile ed on nti me up when it's re myself. the up Lower Hutt speaks wn milton, having gro Ha t ou ab s line od dick go the a enjoy ciate joke. I always appre e joke som th wi There's a dick blood set r he child. She finishes die a I s. gh lau joke, because I'm a dience de as a dog. The au about tagging a du little more inside.

This man from Jono monolith of a man.

Guy Williams, that shows. The crowd of nd ala middle New Ze audience came and Ben, that most pu the mped. The men in 're ey Th dy. rea is t jokes. They're so t, not some feminis to laugh at funny shi t expecting what's no re gh and they we fucking ready to lau es on stage he's far. When Guy com been happening so Park track. He's kin Lin e on t rt from tha I think he has rapping the Jay-Z pa ? ny fun to be something altered the lyrics le scream when he some airhorns. Peop anyway. There are t a sex offender — no 's he n. He clarifies talks about Wellingto forward-thinking. gly Guy’s set is surprisin . ess gu I ff stu od go ite male psyche. It's out privilege, the wh There are jokes ab . na television perso very different to his and looks like she's ead of me squeals A girl a few rows ah lf. I try not to cry. about to pee herse ck er, I am forced ba THURSDAY — Kid Ink My brief respite ov : ath de like feeling ke up this morning en up tak s ha into the fray. I wo us vir n eig a cold, some for the beginnings of of myself in the . I catch a glimpse me ide ins nce reside shaved all week. n't ve ha I l. than I fee mirror. I look worse reached a stage ve ha I k like a creep, but I'm beginning to loo

47

In quo puer mortuus est | In which a boy dies

where I simply

don't care.

ceable name I end set. Some unpronoun The opener begins his m for the banana ter c tifi out is the scien up googling and find f sel than the crowd bit more into it him tree. He’s clearly a rzy comes on and, Ab id. sol is rformance is, but overall his pe s time between les nt , I wish he spe y oka is g pin It's rap his ile wh is for the set time. t how thankful he e how to sur ms songs talking abou see lly rea le and nobody all a bit uncomfortab it. to ct rea ing them to be perform y again. I expected re mo ch mu a y Sweet Mix Kids pla pla y sday, but instead the d more trapan the same set as Tue r floo da24, less of the t hip hop heavy set as is the girl I spo asantly surprised, the for id pa s inspired drums. I'mistple she ha bands that indicate wearing four wr t. ou ab g inin wh ply privilege I'm sim I more popular than and he proves far ng to his alo gs Kid Ink comes on, sin wd cro minantly white expected. The predo whenever a doublehits, and mumbles ly nd rie io-f rad more s, either from the ke sha m roo spit. The time cadence bar is actually jumping are le or the fact peop density of the bass nt where Ink holds the is a touching mome s along in time. There ’s “Love in a Hopeles na an front row. Rih my e ov ab ks hand of a girl in the ran s thi nd, and I wonder if Place” comes to mi rt bathroom is the ding love in an airpo fin t tha lief current be worst. en e narrative I've be I'm concerned. Th and it'll le, rib ter It's at this point en be all t these gigs have plugging so far is tha ce of shit feature ne still reading my pie yo an to ar cle tty I was a terrible be pre d an tes tas ply not to my that they are all sim

48

Features en relatively solid.

But tonight has be choice of reviewer. performed (the cosic mu the sarily enjoy While I don't neces its history), it's a of g ut an understandin rn, opting of trap witho . The music is mode of O-Week gigs are the event on lot better than a lot am be the m ing it and, fro w the crowd is enjoy lot of money. So ho has clearly made a it e, r? fac ou r’s av ge de na en ma artistic As a commercial or should I judge this? rstand the type In an effort to unde s, I sit in on a thi like t goes into an even around 100 of preparation that are re up, I'd estimate the ent running ev security briefing. All the ep ke lp he working to t entirely no staff and volunteers I'm ile ely as possible. Wh saf d an y thl e of the oo on sm as as tion a religious organisa need for the t sure about having fel r ve ne I'll admit I have Security w. no volunteer groups, do I n in my life more tha with various al divine intervention de to w ho on s truction guards are given ins perwork is prepared , a large stack of pa kinds of miscreants hospital during the needing a trip to the for if anyone ends up expect tonight to y the t tha y, I also learn night. To my disma of the week. It's t res comparison to the in d t” ors “w the be t just first years, an open to anyone, no a Friday, the gig is t. tickets have sold ou ng 8:45pm I'm wonderi quiet and come jority of ma e Th The night starts off g. on wr dictions were n if the earlier pre a slightly balding ma ok about them, and d-lo da a ve ha s t the scene no guest is is Th . tre cen front and in a polo is standing anger — it's all been been no fights, no I expected. There's d a slight mistake performed again, an relatively nice. Abrzy rt chant of “you sho a by s only met o. CK, probably made by the DJ wa nd of a blistering cresce rm a set very fucked up” instead rfo pe e ok Bro h As d per, an the NZ hip of my favourite local rap ys da bile golden Boost Mo reminiscent of the icating. hop scene. It's intox

FRIDAY — Tinie Tempah

down.

And so, I let my guard

In which a boy dies

e. It feels as if I nch square in the fac 9:15pm hits like a pu nly 500 people de sud for a second and . looked at my phone mood has changed terrifying, and the trying a, are e filled the space. It's tag cks ba the security to the People are pressing intimidation — I see ok to get in. Flirting, bo the in k tric every . In this economy, ed uff reb d lled out an some money get pu r than a twenty tte be have to offer a lot mate, you're gonna risk their job. to get someone to t too had clearly no d, concerned. They he k rus loc are ad ff he a sta in e t Th n is pu ite this bad. A patro a spliff expected it to be qu The telltale signs of s. ard gu six by t t. The pri cul the and dragged ou for rt everyone on high ale ists are well art being lit up has put the e sur en to ing his best stage manager is do

49

In quo puer mortuus est | In which a boy dies with an increasing attempting to deal looked after, while number of incidents. ile stal clear here. Wh make something cry as him e giv n't I would just like to do nly h’s success, I certai Rascal I respect Tinie Tempa overtaking of Dizzee His . ist art an as t he fac the d an much credibility , sty is an absolute trave act le rap litt a UK st me be rts for ist hu s for best grime art . Skepta ed bb regularly wins award snu t ge ow Kn Boy Better when I see groups like s mold last year, to break through thi d ge na ma ve ha t migh . nre ge ly a new but grime isn't exact e n't like him as you’v t the set? Well, I do this point, to What can I say abou up g din rea ll sti t (if you're probably worked ou , or to see exactly you agree with me se cau be r he eit it's so you can write a tentious wanker I am how much of a pre explaining exactly r ito ed nal letter to the ething like this devastatingly perso som ver ever let me do ne uld int, sho y the y wh rformance standpo was trite. From a pe e set Th . ble cca again). Musically, it pe im s deny that it wa though, it's hard to mlessly, even the , tracks flowed sea lled tro con y htl tig was nce seemed well die au the to he spoke t all week was brief moments where ou ab that I've been raving rehearsed. The AV portantly, the crowd rfection and, most im used to absolute pe it. loved the shit out of

SUNDAY

solute best not in bed, doing my ab to I spent yesterday en through. I went week I had just be tithesis of an to think about the the like d me see al today. It the Newtown Festiv . of O-Week had been everything the rest h this? Giving it a hig I rate something like big the d like dis So how the hell do I ch ingenuous to how mu score would feel dis giving it a low score musical side, while the on ms ticket ite oring how cohesive ign y s just completel would feel like I wa whole. er the gig was as a and well put togeth bug I picked up this when suddenly the I'm sitting on the loo ls like litres of fluid . I empty what fee week rears its head clogged clarity, it un of nt a brief mome from my nose. In comes to me.

Just say it was a bit shit.

na ge r) Sh it (Sa lie ntF M Ma — A Lit era l Pie ce of

Leo Langridge leo.langridge@hotmail.com

52

ARTS

53

Poem

Ode to Goon

So there’s me, sprawled across the bed eating bits of biscuit like Bacchus, and you, half out of a suit, looking at me as if I’m street-art you scraped off a wall on the way home.

Wine-red dress spilt on the floor, so drunk we pulled the mattress from the bed and crushed a packet of biscuits.

And while you pondered how it was that I had come so violently to life at four in the morning, I asked for a story, so you told me about your pet rabbit from your childhood who ate so much she made herself sick.

— Claudia Jardine

Claudia Jardine is going into her fourth year of study at Victoria, with majors in Books and Older Books. Her work has appeared in Starling, Mimicry, The Spinoff, and Salient. Did you know that sparrows can activate motion sensor doors?

Mimicry, the arts and literature journal in which this poem appears, is holding a reading of poetry and short f iction this Friday, 12.30pm at VicBooks. Readers include Claudia Jardine, Sam Irwin, Henrietta Bollinger, Sebastian Morgan-Lynch, Jayne Mulligan, and Jake Arthur. All welcome.

54

Visual Art

Memory is your image of perfection

I can still feel your lips

I cried and cried

Memory takes many forms. “We always see with memory,” said David Hockney, insisting on our perceptions of the now as a layering of many pasts.

“To come to one’s memory again” comes from the Anglo-Norman “revenir a sa memori” and has less to do with seeing and more to do with awakening, which is still not quite what I want to say. Memorybelief is that which is true but did not happen: an event remembered does not necessarily have to have occurred. Jenny Holzer made a work that claimed “memory is your image of perfection,” referring not to some lack of defects, but an alchemy — the potential for transformation. My favorite thing about memory is that it allows truth and untruth to coexist.

Ruby Joy Eade’s skin on skin on dirt is only memory now. Exhibited as part of the Upstream Art Trail, the ten works lived in Central Park for four days and three nights. Found text in black, printed on white board, mounted by a wooden pole — the signs speak to remembered moments of teenage intimacy in public spaces. The signs can speak to or for the viewer: ‘you’ and ‘I’ existing in their most malleable forms. Part of the pleasure in encountering the works is the creation of narrative. Left up to the path you take, this story can take many forms, although none will end by way of conclusion, only mood. So we are thinking about connections rather than closure: between the ‘you’ and the ‘I’, the ‘you’ and the work, the work and the work, the work and the place, the place and the ‘you’.

55

together forever

skin on skin on dirt

Visual Art

Maggie Nelson wrote that “fucking leaves everything as it is,” which is to say fucking does not equate to being together forever, even when we promise it does. Moments, and in turn memories, mark time but cannot define it. Similarly, language exists independently from what it describes, which is the crux of Eade’s work: her borrowed phrases resonate because they can never quite encapsulate the feeling they try so hard to convey. Sourced from the subreddit r/relationships, “I can still feel your lips”, “I cried and cried”, “together forever”, and “skin on skin on dirt” are phrases isolated from longer quotes.

These are stories only glimpsed.

We can consider intimacy as central to loneliness, which craves that closeness, but it is more difficult to discern how these anonymous fragments can convey a feeling which surely requires a knowable identity. The intimacy of Eade’s work comes by way of transformation: the digital becomes reality and, in turn, reality becomes an act of imagination. What happens to reality as it enters the work? The trick is that the signs exist in the subjunctive until memory is activated, at which point their physicality is exposed as device. The “markers of memory”, as Eade has described them, are representative of a new kind of confession which has manifested in the digital age: knowing without knowing, intimacy without touch, an identity built on code. Our memories are, like the internet, built on a process of encoding. skin on skin on dirt plays with these associations. From within the park a new landscape is created. How long you linger is up to you.

— Hanahiva Rose

56

FILM

Logan (2017) Director — James Mangold Good heavens above, I did not think that in March of the cinematic year, my two favourite films thus far would be M. Night Shyamalan’s Split and the tenth instalment of the X-Men franchise. Not bad, not bad at all.

In Logan we find Hugh Jackman busting out his claws for an eighth round as Wolverine. Thankfully, even this late in a series which has always held as much potential to be brilliant as well as awful, the final product is outstanding.

The opening scene sets a tone wherein we follow Logan on a path of redemption that starts with him in the darkest place Wolverine has ever gone to on film. It was a risky move for an otherwise bankable genre, and the darker tone is echoed perfectly by an increased level of violence that, though gory, does not detract from the quality of the film. In fact, it was refreshing to see a realistic portrayal of what happens when an insanely muscular man with six massively long blades in his knuckles is let loose on a couple of dozen baddies. The result undeniably falls into the category “metal as fuck.”

Every action sequence is packed with tension and adrenaline and, unlike the majority of blockbuster content, you can feel the slicing and dicing thanks to the visceral direction of James Mangold.

This would all be for nothing if we didn't feel for the characters. There’s a colossal weight of the past upon Logan which comes through in more vulnerable moments, and similar regrets haunt the ailing Charles Xavier who Logan cares for. Both have lost people, and there comes a point when it doesn't matter that those characters died in the two worst instalments in the series (The Last Stand and Origins: Wolverine) because you just want to give them a hug.

It's basically icing on top of the cake when you add the fact that in 2017 the themes of X-Men are more relevant than ever — in the universe, mutants are still being treated as poorly as in the past. The film often pauses to make societal observations and grants a surprisingly comprehensive insight into xenophobia, ethics, and being a minority.

Let me remind you that this a Wolverine film — about a cigar-smoking, cursing, indestructible man-mutant played by Hugh Jackman. Of equal note to Jackman’s home run as the title character is Dafne Keen, who plays Laura, a young counterpart who attracts a lot of attention from some seriously evil people due to her considerable abilities. She nails it in every scene. The only real problem with any of the characters comes in the form of the villains, in that one is really good, and the other is more of a C+. All in all, in a series that has had its serious ups and downs, this end to the penultimate chapter is both riveting and satisfying for fans of both its characters and action/superhero films in general.

— Finn Holland

57

Film

Silence (2016) Director — Martin Scorsese Silence was not so much a movie for me, but rather a meditation on Western religion which meticulously deconstructs the dominant beliefs of Christianity by aligning them against those of other religions.

The film tells of two 17th century Portuguese Christian missionaries, played by Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield, who are sent to Japan, a primarily Buddhist nation, to search for Father Ferreira. Ferreira, played by Liam Neeson, is on a mission to spread the faith, and is said to have been tortured and denounced by God. The response to their arrival by Japanese officials is less than welcoming, with their faith being tested rigorously throughout the film via torture and constant physical and psychological abuse — HOLY SHIT, the Japanese characters know how to torture and kill!

Scorsese shows Christianity’s focus on an unseen God that judges without recognition, and juxtaposes this with a portrayal of the Buddhist faith in which God is everywhere and all around, there is not some far off kingdom in the sky, and paradise is Earth itself.

Scorsese’s cinematography acknowledges this many times, as his composition portrays characters as small in comparison to or surrounded by the natural world, creating an illusion that the human will shall always be incredibly insignificant compared to the grandeur of nature. Slowly but surely, the viewer begins to recognise this as more acceptable, and begins to not only sympathise less with the missionaries but almost sees that their commitment to their faith is, at some level, selfish and futile.

I don’t want to belittle the Christian faith; I myself was brought up as Catholic.

However, this film did introduce me to a level of religious contemplation and development I have never experienced before. It made me think about the divine, not as a cosmic entity that I would join in the afterlife, but as something ever-present right now. It also made me think of the beauty and brutality of the natural world we live in.

This film shows that we should not be expect a divine presence to tell us what to do as, for the most part, that entity most likely will not contact us. This is where the film’s symbolic title comes into play, as the work of Driver, Garfield, and Neeson falls on deaf ears and they seem to be praying to silence. Their suffering is not relieved nor do their efforts seem to be in any way productive to their cause. Silence is definitely one of, if not, Scorsese’s most artistic pieces of work both intellectually and visually.

The images are basically nature porn with thick Japanese forests and beaches punctuating every scene. The film can be read from a religious angle with the tensions between Buddhism and Christianity, or a conservationist angle with the focus on people and nature. If you want to skip all of that, and just want a really good movie to watch, the plot is really good and the acting is very solid from both the celebrities and the unnamed Japanese extras.

My advice for Silence is to go see it with someone you can have a coffee with afterwards because there is A LOT to talk about.

— Mitchell Seirmans

Fin.

58

GAMES

Games

Horizon Zero Dawn Developer: Guerrilla Games Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Platform: PS4 Score: 4.5/5 *Review copy supplied by publisher* I used to think Guerrilla Games were a one-trick pony, capable only of producing generic shooters that look pretty but have nothing else going for them. Seriously, no one is going to go out of their way to say Killzone is their favourite game series. Horizon Zero Dawn was a significant risk for Guerrilla, but it has paid off with one of the finest open world games of recent years.

Set over a thousand years since a mass calamity caused human civilisation to collapse, giant fearsome machines control the land. The surviving pockets of humanity regressed into tribal societies, their technologically advanced ancestors passing into legend. Playing as Aloy, an outcast from the Nora tribe, you can explore the world, discover the secrets of the past and, of course, fight giant robots.

Giant. Fucking. Robots. That explode.

I adore the universe created for this game.

Combining a primitive, tribal aesthetic with the mechanical, futuristic look of the machines is a masterstroke of design that ties the world together. Everything about the game world is an absolute treat for the eyes, with a ton of variety in the geography and plenty of colour to go around (which will look even better if you have a PS4 Pro and a TV with high dynamic range capability). The creature designs, most of them modelled after animals, are fantastic in that they somehow manage to fit right in with the landscape, and yet still stand out enough to be presented as a great threat. The anthropologist in me loves how the game world works, how the characters deal with each other and with the artefacts of the world left to them. Something that looks futuristic to us is, for them, a remnant of the ancient past; how cool is that?

The nitty-gritty of the game’s story is about Aloy going on a journey of self-discovery, venturing beyond the only home she has ever known to find the truth about her past. You’ll be spending 30 hours or more with her, but there is more than enough intrigue to keep you going through the main quest line. Dialogue choices give you the opportunity to shape Aloy’s personality to your liking, though she retains a fierce sense of independence no matter what you choose. Being a female lead there are obviously high expectations, and Aloy surpasses them.

However, while Ashly Burch does fine voicing our lead, some of the other voice acting is a bit dodgy, and it doesn’t help that the lip-sync makes it feel like I’m watching a bad anime dub.

But oh my god, the combat! Stealth might be the key to survival in this world, but the weapons at your disposal don’t mess around when it comes to fucking up some robots. There is nothing more satisfying than sneaking up on a Watcher, shooting an arrow into its eye and watching it flop about, before doing the same to his mate. Or catching a Sawtooth with an electric tripwire, firing a flaming arrow into a canister on its belly and then watching as it explodes, killing everything in sight. Or circling a Corrupter as you fire ropes into its body to tie it down, then taking it out with a few fire bombs. Holy shit, there is just so much potential for awesome kills.

Horizon Zero Dawn is a triumph for Guerrilla and a damn good reason to own a PS4. It doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel, but it does almost everything so well that it doesn’t need to. It is an early Game of the Year contender and well worth investing your time into.

— Cameron Gray

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MUSIC

Skymning — Nestled Between Vast Depressions Ex-Wellington resident Skymning has left for London and dropped his latest EP Nestled Between Vast Depressions as something of a parting gift. Skymning has been making music in Wellington for around five years now, with steady Bandcamp releases since his 2012 album 1993. A stalwart of the local scene, he’s collaborated with the likes of Race Banyon (aka Lontalius), Womb, and Aucklander Totems.

Skyming’s music is quite unlike anything else around, a unique blend of acoustic / ambient instrumentation, scavenged percussion, and field recordings.

The first and second tracks, “Hell is other people” and “I’m Up”, feel like relatively straightforward dance works, but their upbeat drum rhythms are beautifully countered by Skymning’s typically melancholic melody writing, and distorted guitar lines. “Collapse” starts the slowest, with a simple piano composition that cleverly morphs into a delayed, chopped dance track. “Fell Into Place” has a distinct shuffle to it, borrowing elements of Jungle but remaining subdued. The final track “Alone With My Thoughts” is probably the most unexpected. The title comes from a painting by Daniel Johnson (of Kurt Cobain t-shirt fame) and features Skymning performing a rare vocal part. It’s one of the most ‘songy’ songs he’s released, the autotuned hook beautifully fragile, the piano typically sad. It’s not particularly dancey but still carries the kind of driving rhythm that Skymning uses to hold down his ambient experimentation.

Nestled Between Vast Depressions is a neat EP showcasing a few different aspects of the kind of sonic exploration we’ve come to expect from Skymning. It’s a good addition to an interesting discography and a cool place to start for anyone yet to hear his music. Hopefully he keeps busy in London.

— Olly Clifton

Music & Podcast

PODCAST Anna Faris is Unqualified Anna Faris — Hollywood actress of Scary Movie and The House Bunny fame — is “unqualified” to give relationship advice, but that doesn’t stop her from doing so in this warm and funny podcast. Named the best podcast of 2016 by Entertainment Weekly, the show features Anna and her producer Sim interviewing a new celebrity guest each week, and ends with calling a listener in need of advice.

This is a great podcast because it feels real; the jokes, insults, and games make it seem like you’re listening in on the kind of conversation you’d have with your own friends. The show is recorded in Anna’s home, with husband Chris Pratt and four-year-old son Jack frequently interrupting. The guests — including Chris Evans and Jenny Slate, Jeremy Renner, and Seth Rogen — are often friends or colleagues of Anna, so the interviews are relaxed yarns peppered with not-so-rapid fire questions and improv games. The chemistry between old friends Anna and producer Sim is the foundation for these interviews. Their badinage is hilarious, with Anna lightly mocking an exasperated Sim trying to keep the show running to schedule.

The podcast typically runs for an hour and a half, with the last third devoted to solving the problems of a listener. Most callers have relationship questions, but family, friends, and career issues are also featured. Anna, Sim, and the guests all chip in — sometimes talking over the top of each other — to try to help the listener.

Again, this feels so familiar, and not unlike those late night deep-and-meaningfuls you have with your own friends. The advice is sincere and thoughtful, and almost always gentle, with the notable exception of The Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki blasting a caller for her infidelity (who knew Leonard had such strong opinions?).

Tune in to Anna Faris is Unqualified for a superb package of comedy and friendship that will brighten up your day.

Start with: Episode 22, Jason Mantzoukas — Annelise Bos

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Shakshouka (Serves 2–4, depends how hungry you are!)

Despite many establishment menus in Wellington claiming that this dish comes from Turkey, it was actually introduced to Israel from Tunisian Jews. I was introduced to this dish by my cousins, while on a big extended family holiday and given the task to cook breakfast for 20 people.

Out came an army of frying pans and we were away!

2 Tbsp [olive] oil 2 Tbsp harissa paste 2 tsp tomato paste 2 red capsicums, cut into 2cm strips 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tsp ground cumin ¾ tsp salt 5 large, ripe tomatoes (800g), chopped 4 eggs 120g Labneh or thick yoghurt (optional) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add harissa paste, tomato paste, capsicum, garlic, cumin, and salt.

Stir and cook on a moderate heat for about eight minutes to allow capsicums to soften. Add tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for a further ten minutes or until you have a thick sauce.

Food

Make four wells in the sauce.

Gently break the eggs and pour into each dip. Use a fork to mix the whites a bit with the sauce.

Simmer gently for eight to ten minutes or until the egg whites are set but yolks are runny.

Season and remove from the heat and allow to settle for a few minutes before serving with Labneh / yoghurt or bread and salad.

Tips and tricks Harissa paste is common in many North African and Middle Eastern dishes and uses chili, garlic, cumin, caraway, and other ingredients. You can use any hot sauce, red chili paste, or a dash of chili flakes!

If you want to make this a more filling meal you can add some cubed potatoes, sliced courgettes and carrots, and either keep or omit the eggs. Removing the eggs makes the dish closer to its cousin, Şakşuka, from Turkey.

Make this dish cheaper by using tinned tomatoes rather than fresh.

Adapted from “Jerusalem” Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamini

61

Very Good Lives — J. K. Rowling

Do you remember a few weeks ago, when J. K. Rowling had a good laugh at the thought of Piers Morgan being told to fuck off on live television? She tweeted as such with gleeful irreverence, at the unique pleasure the universe had granted her without any warning at all.

This event is the excuse I am using for writing a review on Very Good Lives — a small, thin book containing the illustrated transcript of Rowling’s 2008 Harvard University commencement address. You might notice that it is now 2017, i.e. nine years too late. I am claiming that it is a relevant choice because of said Twitter chaos lifting Rowling into the public eye, like an already-soaring cloud being blown slightly higher in the sky than before by a sudden breeze.

It is also a relevant book for graduates about to run out into the world and desperately in need of some well-sprinkled magic to make that run a bit smoother and less trip-uppy.

This isn’t the end of the school year for us, unfortunately. But it’s always a good idea to wonder privately to yourself, or loudly at your lecturing professors, what’s this all for?

What’s the point?

Well, the woman who created a world that we’ve collectively agreed is much better than our own, in so many fantastic ways (haha), has wisdom to offer. I won’t tell you what. That’s why I write these damn things, so you get motivated to do the hard work yourself. But if you’ve ever failed miserably at something you really cared about, or at life, then you’ve honestly got a truly sympathetic ear in Rowling. The most graceful, genius lady-writer ever whose words we’re lucky enough to have at hand when everything falls apart.

— Kimberley McIvor

Books

The Bell Jar — Sylvia Plath

Forgive me, nerds! I know this is a cliché.

I am painfully aware that this book is the lady-authored equivalent of Catcher in the Rye — a great book often let down through loud, obnoxious promotion by hipsters, teachers, and Buzzfeed lists. I also know that the synopsis sounds like a real bummer.

Because it is: mental illness is not fun.

Additionally, it’s everywhere. Cue spooky alien music.

But New Zealand, while struggling with mental illness on a significant scale, does not want anyone to know. Shush your mouths, we say.

The Bell Jar does not allow you to ignore mental illness. Even something as simple as the use of first-person perspective prevents that misstep, by shoving you right in there, into the guts of the chaos. Watch, it shrieks, and tell me then that this is just all in my imagination. Tell me to sort it out. Tell me to calm down. Tell me to buck up.

We follow the life of Plath’s main character, Esther Greenwood, as she tries to figure out her existence as an intern at a New York fashion magazine in the early 1960s — think Mad Men era and locale. Since this novel is so widely read, you’ll likely know, or suspect, that Esther has a mental breakdown and attempts suicide. You might also know that this novel is semi-autobiographical. Sylvia Plath spoke about the pain of her life the only way she could, with her writing, as so many writers are compelled to do. She speaks through the years that this is real, this happened to her, and out of something many people couldn’t even understand, she created something brilliant and outrageous and furious.

Just, everybody, especially university students, lovely doves you, be okay.

— Kimberley McIvor

62

Puzzles

CODECRACKER Each number from 1-26 represents one of the letters of the alphabet. Solve the code to complete the crossword. Three letters have been provided for you.

U

SUDOKU

TARGET Make as many words of three letters or more as you can. Each word must contain the letter in the central square.

Target goals: Good: 10 words Great: 13 words Impressive: 16 words

LAST WEEK'S SOLUTION

Sudoku difficulty: Easy

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Comic

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