debate Issue 5| May 2019 | Giving a Shit
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FLIGHTS, TOURS, HOTELS AND MORE
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Contents
Do Students Care About Te Reo Māori? :: Page 14
Uni Food Page 12
Is the Brand Really Worth It? Page 16
Gen Z Flat Communication Page 22
Tofu Seafood Chowder Recipe Page 32
C OV E R I L L U S T R AT I O N BY L E O WA LTO N
EDITOR Ben Webber ben.webber@aut.ac.nz DESIGNER Ramina Rai rrai@aut.ac.nz ADVERTISING Jesse Jones jesse.jones@aut.ac.nz
CONTRIBUTORS Dan Brunskill, Nathan Limm, Taylor Tutawa, Sophia Romanos, Zoe Holland, James Tapp, Sam Deakin, Oli Spencer, James Page, Larissa Howie, Sharleen Shergill, Leo Walton, Dayna Patel & Melissa Ko
PRINTER Nicholson Print Solutions DISCLAIMER
Material contained in this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of AUTSA, its advertisers, contributors, Nicholson Print Solutions or its subsidiaries.
Debate is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA).
This publication is entitled to the full protection given by the Copyright Act 1994 (“the Act”) to the holders of the copyright, being AUT STUDENT ASSOCIATION (“AUTSA”). Reproduction, storage or display of any part of this publication by any process, electronic or otherwise (except for the educational purposes specified in the Act) without express permission is a break of the copyright of the publisher and will be prosecuted accordingly. Inquiries seeking permission to reproduce should be addressed to AUTSA.
PUBLISHED BY
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Editor's Letter Hello! This year is flying by and I can’t believe this is our fifth issue of Debate for the year. As always, we are looking for contributors for the mag so drop me an email if you’re keen and we can get you onboard. When my editorial assistant Sophia and I go about picking themes for Debate it’s not always the most linear process. Although we rarely disagree on things, it can be easy to go around in circles and agonise over it. This ‘Giving a Shit’ theme, however, was one we decided on pretty early in the piece. There’s something about that phrase that makes my brain run a million miles a minute. It really makes me reflect on myself, my family, my friends and society. I think it’s important for us to ponder whether or not we really give a shit about
other people. On the other hand, it’s equally important for us to not give too much of a shit about what people say or think. I guess it comes down to filtering what we hear in the outside world, sifting through it and trying to make sense of what’s important and what’s not. As a big over-thinker myself, I understand that this can be easier said than done. In this issue, I strongly suggest you take a look at Zoe Holland’s piece ‘Do Students Care About Te Reo Māori?’ where she reflects on her own relationship with Te Reo Māori and also how it fits into other people’s lives. Zoe does a great job explaining the importance of the language and the different thoughts shared from the people she spoke to are particularly insightful.
ethical fashion. The Ethical Fashion Report for 2019 has recently been released and this piece can help you make some informed decisions around where to shop. Another James, this time James Page, has some great film reviews on page 26 and finally on page 28 Larissa Howie talks to local band Kingsland about their upcoming tour. The group has been through a lot over the past little while and it’s great to see individuals with such resilience and perseverance. If this issue makes you feel anything, I hope it fires you up about the things you give a shit about and gives you then enthusiasm to pursue them. Talk soon, Ben
Over on page 18, James Tapp is all about
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What's on
The Pink Triangle: LGBT Rights from the Holocaust to Modern Day Where: Room WA 244A When: Tue 25 June What: Professor William Spurlin
Techweek 2019: NZ's Annual Festival of Innovation Where: AUT City Campus When: Mon 20 May - Sun 26 May What: Techweek showcases a variety
Dialogue Matters Where: Q Theatre, Queen Street When: Wed 22 May What: A whole lot of humour with
from Brunel University is a recognised international expert in LGBT culture and literature, including the treatment of gay and lesbian people during the Holocaust. Come on down for some thought-provoking discussion at this AUT-held forum. How much: Free
of events to educate on rapidly growing technologies and provide an opportunity for some hands-on challenges to win some sick prizes. Go build a voice-first Alexa game at a two-day hackathon or sit in on a talk on inspiring women in tech. Book your place or take a look at more info about the events on offer on the Techweek website. How much: Free
a dollop of topical issues on the side. Hosted by Pax Assadi, Dialogue promises laughs, tears and a great night out with your mates. This show puts a bunch of comedians into a room and challenges them with topics from gender politics to cultural identity and more. Personal and funny gets a whole new spin with this dose of comedy. How much: $27 for students
Photo Laundry
Auckland Fried Chicken Festival
Auckland Blues Music Jam Nights
Where: Shed 10 When: Sat 18 May - Sun 19 May What: Cluck me, what’s better than fried
Where: 469 Karangahape Road When: Second and last Thursday of every
Where: 74 Taharoto Road, Takapuna When: Fri 14 June - Sat 15 June What: Part of the Auckland Festival of Photography, come for a looksie or to display your own photography on the washing lines and pegs provided. Whether you are a complete rookie or a master of photography, all work is welcomed. You can also pick up other photographers work off the lines to take home if you have chucked some of your own up! How Much: Free
chicken? Located in the handy-dandy CBD, this is a dream come true event. Street food vendors including Judge Bao, Peach’s Hot Chicken and Temaki Truck NZ will be slinging chicken left and right with pop up restaurants like LowBrow and The Coop jumping on board too. Live music is promised to take you through the day as your food coma settles in. How much: $10 Entry
month
What: Bring along your instruments or voice and join a jam night for the books. Twice a month the Auckland Blues Club holds this event at your local Thirsty Dog, providing equipment including a drum kit, bass and keyboard if needed. How much: $5 cash
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news
AUT Business Students Accuse School of "Capitalist Greed" Story and photo By Dan Brunskill
the cost.
Students in the third year of AUT’s business programme are appalled by the high cost of their semester-long work placement.
“We are just so baffled that no one is talking about this. Where is our money going?”
The nine-week co-operative learning paper, which aims to develop workplace skills, costs $3,650 and is a full-time internship which the students must organise themselves.
The co-operative paper includes two workplace training workshops and access to an individual supervisor, but students don’t think this is worth the money. A group of students in an email told Debate: “The only way this would be justified would be if the workshops included full food catering, a wardrobe budget, massages and Moet champagne upon arrival.
One student*, who is paying for university partly through a scholarship and partly from her own savings, told Debate that she was “shocked” when she received the invoice for semester two. “I thought it would be significantly cheaper than a full semester – I think it is very overpriced for the services we get. “Having to pay my university to work for free is the peak of capitalist greed.”
“There is nothing wrong with expecting some more transparency about where our money is going. We shouldn’t be kept in the dark, it is not fair to charge that amount to thousands of students without quantifying why.”
“It depends whether you take a view of learning that it is about content, or if it is about skills. “Increasingly, the balance between content and skills is swinging in favour of skills.” Kearins says half the paper’s cost goes towards academic supervisors and administration staff who run the cooperative, and the remaining 50% goes back into the university to provide wider infrastructure. The Dean says she is not aware of the negative feedback about the co-operative. In twelve years, the school says it has never had a student fail to get a placement, however AUT surveys suggest that only 40% of these roles are paid positions.
Dean of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, Professor Kate Kearins, told Debate that one reason students choose AUT is because it is a leader in the cooperative education space.
Kearins concedes that AUT does have plans to downsize the co-operative paper, changing it from a nine-week 60 EFTS paper to an eight-week 45 EFTS paper, but says AUT is not walking away from cooperative learning.
“I’m going to have to do this internship 40 hours a week and then do part-time work on top of that.”
The co-op has the same price tag as four academic papers, and when asked if it
“By 2025 we want more than 90% of graduates from bachelor’s programs to
Another student told Debate they are frustrated that there is no explanation of
has the same educational value, Kearins responded:
have completed work integrated learning papers.”
The student, who works part time to pay the bills, is stressed that she’ll have to keep her job alongside the fulltime co-op.
* The students who spoke to Debate for this story asked us to withhold their names (we did plead with them to let us print them though).
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news
Sustainability Club to Focus on Food Waste Story and photo by Dan Brunskill A sustainability club has launched a petition asking AUT to install compost bins throughout campus to reduce unnecessary waste.
three campuses.
The petition has been created by Future Proofers AUT, who are focused on creating sustainability and wellbeing on campus.
“For some people, it might be a mission to take compost to WZ, but if there are options everywhere people will definitely use it.”
Sahmay Abplanalp-Ellis, co-president of Future Proofers, says she was “gutted” when she found AUT had very few compost bins.
Food waste doesn’t biodegrade properly in landfill, as the tightly packed trash effectively creates a vacuum, sealing the organic waste.
She says the handful of compost bins in the cafes and one in the new WZ building are not sufficient.
“For me it feels like one of the most basic ways you can divert waste. If it doesn’t need to go to landfill, then why send it there?
“People don’t know they are there and won’t go out of their way to use them.”
AUT’s estates management team are supportive of the idea, but want the club to demonstrate wider student support for composting to help convince the university to make the investment.
Abplanalp-Ellis says the Future Proofers goal is to have a threebin system with waste, recycling and compost in place across all
The Future Proofers hope that this petition will show strong student support for composting going forward.
news
3v3 Basketball Team Endures a Rough Loss By Nathan Limm AUT’s 3v3 basketball side has come away bruised after an intense national tournament against the country’s top players at Auckland University in mid-April. The team finished 7th overall, with a scoresheet which was tough to digest - one win and eight losses. The AUT women’s side also competed in the 3v3 tournament, placing 6th. Sam Bowden, one of AUT’s senior players on the team, told Debate the competition was strong. “If you look at the win/loss it sounds pretty terrible and it obviously was disappointing at the time, but most of those games were lost by one or two points. We were right there the whole time and were competing with the best in the country.”
Five of the team’s eight losses were decided by one or two points. Whilst the AUT side was clearly capable of competing with and beating the best, it was the critical moments during the dying seconds in which AUT failed to perform. Bowden says the game is incredibly fast paced and concentration is a must. “I was thinking after the game: ‘If my shot had just rolled in instead of out or if I hadn’t fouled them like that…’ It’s just such small things at the time that can make big impacts. Especially in 3v3 because it’s only a 10-minute game, there’s lots of running and it’s so fast - you need to be switched on.” Size is also understood to have been a factor at the tournament. Even Bowden, at 6’5”, was occasionally dwarfed by the other basketball giants of New Zealand.
“I think as a team we were undersized compared to the other universities there. I was the tallest bloke we had there at 6’5” but all the other universities might have had someone 6’8”, 6’9” or in general just quite a bit bigger than us really. It caused a few struggles for us with rebounding and things like that.” When asked about upcoming talent, Bowden told Debate that Taine Wattie and Scott Telfer are both ones to watch. “I think when the 5v5 tournament rolls around and Taine and Scott are there (and there are other players at the trials that I saw) I think we’ll have a very strong team.” The National University 5v5 tournament takes place in September and with more of AUT’s top players involved, the side is hoping for a highly successful finish.
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Me First By Taylor Tutawa Through the course of our lives we are told that teamwork and collaboration is fundamental to our success. I can’t tell you how many times I heard my high school gym teacher say either the phrase “There’s no I in team…” or “Teamwork makes the dream work.” It seems, though, that somewhere along the way messages like these have become lost in translation and the majority of uni students tend to go all ‘lone ranger’. Group assignments have become the worst nightmare for a lot of us and I really can't figure out why. Imagine you’re walking into a lecture room for the first time. It's packed with hundreds of loud chattering students and you take a seat next to a stranger and introduce yourself. In essence, you’re now part of a group of students doing the same classes, working on the same assignments and procrastinating over exam week. You're part of the collective now right? WRONG! Sometimes it can take a lot more than that. Some people don’t really care about good marks whereas you’ll find others who are super studious and love working solo. I always wonder why it’s so common for people’s uni lives to be so non-collaborative? I believe that university should be a thriving community of students who are there to help each other to the finish line
rather than Usain Bolting their way to the gold medal. Ultimately though, it comes down to whether students actually give a shit or not. And what they give a shit about can often vary depending on their situation. How is a student meant to juggle studying, partying and romance alongside work, family obligations and binge watching the latest Netflix series?
"I believe that university should be a thriving community of students who are there to help each other to the finish line rather than Usain Bolting their way to the gold medal." The answer is that most can’t juggle these - and end up prioritising certain things over others. And of course, let’s not forget the group assignments where you can almost hear the internal screams of everyone in the room. As a student who has worked on several group assignments in my time (and mostly ended up being the only one who made an effort) I can
advocate for how much they suck. But they shouldn't, and a lot of it comes down to attitude. Having a holierthan-thou attitude only comes off as douchey. But, all jokes aside - if you’re a ‘me first’ kind of person then it can be really hard to succeed. Uni gives you the skills necessary to excel in your chosen career and plenty of opportunities to socialise with others and make friends. But first you have to be willing to grab these opportunities by the grapefruits and get involved. I don’t think uni is meant to be a solo journey - more so a conga line of lit students dancing their way to victory. No one person can make it on their own - even Batman needs Robin and Alfred to kick ass. So whether it be that random classmate sitting across the room or that one person you vaguely remember who’s in the same Thursday afternoon tutorial, there are plenty of opportunities to work with other students. To quote my high school gym teacher, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." Go find your teammates and win your championships, because when you do you’ll feel much better with the support of people backing you.
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Uni Food
Gone are the days of eating good shit, now you have shit all money. By Sophia Romanos.
“foOD’S reaDY!!” “I’m cooooMING!” “It’s getting COLD!” *Queue stampede of footsteps down the hall* Fuck the 50’s, these were the golden days. If you’re still living at home, I hate you. Don’t even glance at my printed full name at the top there because we can’t be associated with one another. I hope you realise the Barbados you’re living in. You’re saving money, not going to Pak’nSave three times a day, AND getting meals
cooked for you. Unless of course you invite me over, then I’m not going to complain. I can and will charm your mother into keeping me. 2017 and the upheaval of my Glassons wardrobe came with quite a shock when I realised the rent at halls didn’t include my own personal stand-in mother and snackstocked pantry. What a shit show. My mum is one of those, “No, no, get out of the kitchen,” or, “you just painted your nails, I’ll wash up,” kind of mothers. Naturally, I got to uni and scrambled my eggs for
two months until I googled how to poach them along with other essential life skills. It’s quite disgustingly beautiful to see what the student mind can invent with little money, inspiration and skills. Open the cupboard and we are challenged with thinking of what exquisite dish we can sizzle together with half a bag of spinach, a carrot and an 89c tin of chopped tomatoes. I asked around to see what scody students were throwing together with their own loose change:
Tinned corned beef and maggi noodles #blessed
Lasagne on 2 minny noodles
Samosa Garlic Bread
If these nuggers and chips aren't fine dining I don't know what is.
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DO STUDENTS CARE ABOUT TE REO MĀORI? By Zoe Holland | Illustration by Leo Walton I am a proud young woman who is Māori, English and Irish and I was brought up celebrating and embracing these beautiful cultures I am a part of. But I don’t speak or practise Te Reo Māori, the language my ancestors fought for. Although I learnt and studied it for five years during school, I have very little confidence in holding down a conversation. Honestly, it makes me feel quite ashamed and embarrassed when I think about it. Last year, there was a big debate around whether or not Te Reo Māori should be compulsory in schools. So, I decided to see if my fellow peers both Māori and non- Māori cared about the native language of this country. I posed a question which was quite straightforward and quite confronting: “Do you care about Te Reo Māori?” The first two people I interviewed were Japanese exchange students Akane and Chihiro. Akane says she’d like to learn the language “so that I can understand Māori people‘s world view deeply.” Chihiro added she does care about the Māori language, “I want to know about them [Māori people] through learning their mother tongue.”
I was quite amazed with these initial responses. These students are neither Māori nor have any connection to Te Ao Māori, but they do really care which is just awesome. I ended up speaking with a wide range of students from all corners of the world including the likes of South Africa, Japan and Fiji. One response that particularly surprised me was someone who said: “Unfortunately, I wasn't raised to care about it, so it doesn't have any importance to me.” It’s sad, but I completely understand where they’re coming from. Te Reo Māori and Māori history is barely taught at school and unless you’re Māori or you’re put in an environment where the customs are in practice it’s easy to have no idea. But if we call ourselves New Zealanders and live on this land, don’t we owe it to New Zealand to at least learn a little more of the Reo and Māori culture? If you’re interested and do care about Te Reo Māori, there’s a place where you can learn the language in an awesome environment. Tupu Kupu means ‘To Grow Words’ and is an hour dedicated to Te Reo Māori. It is a safe space for students to come and learn the Reo and everyone is welcome! Tupu Kupu Is held on all three campuses: • North Campus - 12-1pm (daily), Monday to
Friday, AE116E • City Campus – 12-1pm (daily), Monday to Friday, WB215 • South Campus – 12-1pm Monday, 1-2pm Friday, MC Level 2 More responses to “Do you care about Te Reo Māori?” “I believe [Te Reo Māori] is a vital aspect of New Zealand culture and history.” - Shamah “I think it’s important to be educated on Te Reo Māori as a resident/citizen of New Zealand.” - Bea “It’s about our country’s culture.” - Savanah “[Te Reo Māori] is part of the NZ identity”. Nicolette “I heavily support a bilingual culture.” Tasha “I think Te Reo is only a small component of a much wider world, that’s the bit I care about.” - Abel “I see the beauty in trying and the beauty in discovering as I see it as a language of love and support.” - Anon
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Getting stitched up: Is the brand really worth it?
By James Tapp | Illustration by Leo Walton Brands are absolutely everywhere. People are slowly becoming walking billboards for clothing companies, big and small. Adidas, Champion, Yeezies, Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Nike: Just a few brands that seem to dominate what people around campus either wear or wish they were wearing. But why? Why does everyone want to go for these brands when the only thing that differentiates their hoodies from The Warehouse is a small patch on the chest? On top of all of this, whether clothes are being produced ethically now has a huge influence on what brands people buy. With the Tearfund Ethical Fashion Report having been released for this year, you can now make informed decisions when you shop. There are many reasons as to why name brands are somewhat absurd. Say you’re wearing a plain Adidas t-shirt with the logo on the front. Did it ever cross your mind that you’re a walking advertisement? That’s the whole thing with logos, they’re a small and continuous reminder of the brand, increasing the likelihood that someone else will buy one. Not only are people advertising for these brands without making money from it, they actually pay to do so. Compare a Champion hoodie to one from The Warehouse - they’re exactly the same except one has a logo on the chest, which adds $35 to its price. Some might say, “Oh, the fabric is a higher quality,” or, “It’s got nicer stitching,” sure, maybe this is the case for many brands, but not all the time. Payless, a discount clothing store in the US, explored this in their social experiment, ‘Palessi’. The whole basis of it was around the fact that just because the brand came across as luxurious, the products gained new popularity. The products that were sold for hundreds of dollars could’ve been bought for less than $50. So, when you look at brands such as Nike or Adidas, what’s stopping them from doing just that?
Okay, let’s say you’ve decided to buy a product from one of these brands - you’ve found it in the shop and decided you like it enough to buy it. Are you going to still like it in a week? A month? A year? This is the issue with fast fashion. You may even never wear it ever again. More and more items are starting to be made for fast fashion, with cheaper yet nicer looking fabrics at a low price. This is extremely bad for the environment. When it comes to helping the environment, it’s better to wear what you have rather than buy something new each week.
Brands and their ratings: Adidas: A AS colour: ACalvin Klein: C+ Champion: A Converse: BCotton on: AFactorie: A-
Now, let's say you're buying a jumper and you’re trying to decide between Nike and Icebreaker. If we look at their Tearfund ratings, Nike gets a B- while Icebreaker gets an A+. In the past, companies like Nike and H&M have come under scrutiny for not producing their clothes ethically, striking guilt into the hearts of loyal consumers. Companies like Icebreaker, however, pride themselves on being ethical. So the next time you go to buy a jacket, can you trust that the fabric has come from an ethical source? That it hasn’t been stitched together by a child? Could you go somewhere else to guarantee that this isn’t the case?
Forever 21: D-
When it comes to buying anything today there are so many implications. Chances are something you’ve bought at some point was a product of child labour or forced labour. Maybe it’s the phone you hold in your hand, the beans that went into your flat white, or the cotton in your shirt. Simple steps like buying fairtrade or thoroughly looking through the fashion guide and figuring out where your favorite brands lie can really help. Ultimately, people probably won’t remember what brand of hoodie you’re wearing. There are bigger issues at play in the garment industry, like warehouses catching on fire from unsafe practices and global warming. So at least if you’re going to buy a name brand make sure it's one that goes about making the products you love the right way.
Puma: B
Glassons: B+ H&M: B+ Hallensteins: B+ Huffer: B+ Icebreaker: A+ Kmart: B+ Lacoste: CLevi’s: B Lululemon: ANike: BPatagonia: A Ralph Lauren: CReebok: A Supre: AThe warehouse: BTommy Hilfiger: C+ Vans: B Wish: F Zara: A To view the Tearfund list, visit the Tearfund NZ website: https://www.tearfund.org.nz/
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SRC Report
Debate spoke to a handful of AUTSA student reps (SRC) to find out what they’ve been up to.
Divya Kataria
Vaanipriya Diwan
What are the three biggest challenges faced by international students at AUT?
What are the three biggest challenges faced by students in the DCT faculty?
1) Cultural Shock - the inability to connect with the community. 2) Financial Crunch - international students have a very tight budget and this can lead to financial problems. There is not enough information provided to them prior to their arrival in Auckland. 3) Different study patterns compared to their home country - hard to adjust to the NZ education system.
1) Mental health and stress related problems. 2) Difficult assignments and deadlines. 3) A lack of communication between the students and lecturers.
International Officer
How are you working to combat these? I am working closely with Student Hub to come up with new ideas and ways to educate international students prior to their arrival in NZ. We are also thinking of coming up with a buddy system to encourage current international students to help guide new students with their arrival in NZ. For getting accustomed to the study pattern, I think AUT library's APA referencing is very useful and we would like to try to raise more awareness of this among current and new international students.
What do you want to change for AUT’s international students overall? I want them to be more involved in the community as they need to understand that they are in New Zealand not just to secure a job but to travel and experience the culture. I also envision them being more social and to overcome their anxiety and low confidence. I believe that all these issues come to the main core of not being able to integrate in the community which leaves them feeling lonely and depressed. I want them to have an amazing Kiwi experience. Contact Divya at internationalofficer@aut.ac.nz
Design and Creative Technologies Representative
How are you working to combat these? I am currently working with the faculty board members, as well as the Learning and Teaching Committee, to sort through the issues with student assignments and to bridge the gap between students and lecturers. Mental health and stress related problems are very important to address and recognise, which is why we're working towards providing more councillors and immediate professional help to students when they require it.
What do you want to change overall for AUT’s DCT students? The DCT Faculty is quite big and covers four schools of the University. It is a bit difficult for me to be across all the issues that the students are facing because some students are unaware of the SRC. So, I would like to really promote the Student Rep Council and let the students of the faculty know that I'm here for them, to help them, and solve any problems they're facing. I would also like to bring the students together from different schools for fun and relaxing events, to create an involving and understanding environment. We are all in this together. Contact Vaanipriya at dctfacultyrep@aut.ac.nz
Kelsey Cornthwaite
Sneha Patil
Ben Lambourne
What are the three biggest challenges faced by North campus students at present?
What are the three biggest challenges faced by AUT postgraduate students?
What are the three biggest challenges faced by students in the Culture and Society Faculty?
North Campus Representative
1) One of the biggest challenges is the lack of space to hang out with friends and to relax at the North campus. There are also few activities on campus. 2) There is a lack of food choices on North campus, and food options are expensive. 3) Not enough parking spaces and current parking is expensive.
How are you working to combat these? AUTSA run events have and will be increasing at the North campus. I also want to utilise the spaces we currently have in order to get the best out of them. I’m currently trying to get feedback from students about the types of food they would like to see at the campus. I’m also trying to educate and motivate students to use public transport and the AUT shuttle buses as an alternative to driving.
What do you want to change overall for AUT North campus students overall? I want to make sure that the North campus is more vibrant, more engaging and also gives students a sense of belonging and community on campus. As the North campus rep I want to be out there and active within our campus to let students know that I am here to support anyone that needs it. I am here to listen. Contact Kelsey at northcampusrep@aut.ac.nz
Postgraduate Officer
1) Finding it hard to keep the balance between academic and personal life. Most of the postgrads have said that it’s very difficult for them to keep up with the load of assignments along with having part time jobs. 2) They have lots of queries about careers and they often struggle to seek the correct guidance. 3) Some of the postgrads think that there is not enough information or guidance around how to prepare for their research/ dissertation/thesis.
How are you working to combat these? I am making sure that I am always in touch with postgraduate students. I have circulated my official email around so they have direct access to contact me. I am planning to organise an event for postgraduate students at least once a month so that all of us can come together and talk about any issues we’re facing. I would also like to invite experts from AUT to these events so that they can guide postgraduate students. I will also be making a Facebook page specifically for postgraduate students where I can post about events, workshops and careers fairs and keep everyone up to date. Contact Sneha at postgraduateofficer@aut.ac.nz
Culture and Society Representative
1) A lack of engagement with the SRC in the first place. 2) An unclear channel of who to go to for support for different personal or academic issues. 3) Many of the career paths within this faculty require more than just grades (soft skills, co-curricular activities, leadership roles, etc) which aren't all provided in the classroom.
How are you working to combat these? I am going to different lectures within my faculty frequently to help spread awareness of the SRC. I will also be advertising events through the faculty registrars where possible for increased outreach to students. Trying to present myself as a 'first point of contact' for students so that even if I can't necessarily help them myself, I will know who to direct the student towards. I'm planning on making a student representative sub-committee within the faculty that is open to any student to apply for, which will be great to develop students' leadership skills and help to make positive changes within our faculty. (If anyone is interested, then get in touch.)
What do you want to change overall for AUT’s culture and society students? Overall increased engagement for students, both with the faculty and with their own careers. Opportunities are there but students just need to be more aware! Contact Ben at cs.faculty.rep@aut.ac.nz
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giveaways
Student life can be tough, which is why we search the city for the snazziest stuff to give away. Like the look of something? Head to our Facebook page (/ autsadebate) and fill out the survey pinned to the top of our timeline titled ‘Giveaways - Issue 5’
Give a Shit
Pizza!
Smartass is Tree Free TP for those who like a wisecrack. Made from renewable fast growing sugarcane and bamboo fibres, so it's kinder to the planet that grew it. Every day the world flushes the equivalent of 27,000 trees down the toilet, 'butt' smartass is here to change that, and that's the bottom line. Nature called, and we answered. Read the instructions on the left hand side of the page to find out how to enter.
New York is just a trip to Sal's away! With 100% authentic ingredients and original recipes, Sal’s (@salspizzanz) is proud to serve you New Zealand's ONLY authentic NY Pizza! Sal’s has five pizzas to give away to our lucky Debate readers. Read the instructions on the left hand side of the page to find out how to enter.
Un-Burgden Yourself
Brew-tiful Coffee
BurgerFuel fuels the human engine and when you’re a student that engine’s often running pretty hot. Take a break with a free burger from BurgerFuel Queen Street. Debate has 5 burger vouchers to give away! Read the instructions on the left hand side of the page to find out how to enter.
Karajoz organic coffee is the pick-meup you need to drag yourself to that 8am lecture. It’s also Fairtrade and non-polluting. Debate has a few bags of Karajoz plunger to give away. Read the instructions on the left hand side of the page to find out how to enter.
Student Card StudentCard is New Zealand’s number one discount card for students. Get access to hundreds of exclusive discounts from all your favourite brands like Domino’s, 2degrees mobile, THE ICONIC, NEON TV and loads more! Read the instructions on the left hand side of the page to find out how to enter.
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Healthy Communication Skills for the Gen Z Flatter Sam Deakin’s conflict resolution guide for when your flat has more bottles of liquor than actual people but you’re too scared to say anything. We are the loneliest generation to date, in spite of social media’s endless possibilities for connection. Couple this with trying to pay rent, buy groceries and actually have a life and our flatmates can sometimes be the only solution to remedy our desperation for human connection and still have some spare change to buy a scrumpy after a hard week of pretending to pay attention in lectures. But, while sharing rent and Netflix passwords is a dream come true for the unemployed or indebted, many difficulties arise when we attempt to resolve conflict face-to-face; something we’ve likely never had to do without our parents. In particular, flatmates who have no problem living in something more closely resembling a dumpsite than a home become a huge problem. So, when you can no longer handle sharing a couch with week old vomit, here’s a reliable guide to ‘convincing’ your flatmates to dust off that mop without ever even speaking to them.
Evenly divide the workload.
Perfect cleanliness is all about good negotiation and fair division of labour. So take that big, fat roll of duct tape you know is lying in your cupboard somewhere and make a perfect line right down the middle of your flat. Remain on your respective sides and leave them in whatever state of cleanliness you’d like. Make sure that the bathroom is on your side.
Tidy tidy.
For every dish they leave in the sink, you leave two; for every room they don’t vacuum, dredge the carpets with food crumbs; for every rubbish bag they don’t take out, pile food scraps and non-reusable plastic bags as high as you can (but still take the recycling out, you’re not a savage). You haven’t seen sunlight in 12 days. No one can breathe. Something is crawling on your foot…
Get it gone.
If your flatmate doesn’t respect their stuff enough to pick it up, they probably don’t care very much for it. As a caring, compassionate flatmate, you reserve the right to relieve them of these useless, material possessions that are dragging everyone down anyway. Into the trash they go. If your flatmate asks questions or makes complaints, play coy. Recommended response as follows: “I figured since you left it on the floor that meant you didn’t want it anymore.” Or, for the vegans out there, you could recycle those bad boys. Be resourceful: that trashy Hawaiian shirt that makes you cringe when they bring it out for every Sunday sesh would make the perfect tea towel.
Bring in the professionals.
Tired of picking up after your flatmate’s mess? Studylink not paying you enough to be a part-time maid? Bring in the professionals. Hopefully your flatties will stump up with the cash.
Psychological warfare.
A series of small, well thought-out tactics will deliver the final punch and crack even the most strong minded of characters. Cloud the air with multi-purpose cleaning spray, leave dirty dishes in their beds and make sure there’s always a rubbish bag visible out of the corner of their eye. These simple, yet effective, manoeuvres will make them believe they are literally being haunted by the ghost of clean-flat past. No one is immune. Watch your back. Every single one of these methods has been tested by the team at Debate and deemed 100% foolproof. Either way, you’re left with a sparkling kitchen, a squeaky-clean bathroom and, most importantly, peace. Then again, there is the option of being an adult and speaking to them face to face to resolve your issues, but we wouldn’t know anything about that.
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Capturing Love Lost and Love Shared Communications student, Oli Spencer turned his lens to photograph members of the community at the Mount Roskill mosque (Masjid e Umar) following the Christchurch terror attacks in March.
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Film Reviews
James Page takes us through what’s worth watching.
Us (2019) Dir. Jordan Peele Jordan Peele, off the back of his hugely successful debut feature Get Out (2017), returns in scintillating fashion with his new satirical horror, Us. Peele’s already seemingly auteur directorial style in terms of social commentaries, black protagonists and gutsy plot lines are further explored in this second attempt as writer/director. Us follows the Wilson family, who endure a long night by horror standards, coming face to face with their terrifying doppelgängers during a holiday in Santa Cruz. It’s really up to you to figure out how they got there, and what they want. However, I think that you’ll be able to agree on what ensues - a truly mesmerising performance from Lupita Nyong’o (Adelaide
Wilson) as she seeks to protect her family and bring an end to these creepy, jumpsuit wearing, scissor stabbing, unforgiving identical strangers. Yeah - it’s pretty whack. But throughout the twists and turns that unfold within this gripping narrative, the film provokes important questions. Most notably ‘are we our own worst enemy?’ The film focuses on a clear theme of duality, and can also be interpreted on a global scale - honing in on massive social commentaries, whilst poking fun at the current political climate in the US. It’s clever, it’s eye-opening and it will most certainly make you want to look up theories as to what the hell that ending was all about. It makes you think, and a film that makes you think is a film well done.
Daffodils (2019) Dir. David Stubbs Welcome to the age of musicals reborn! You’ve had Bohemian Rhapsody, La La Land, The Greatest Showman, A Star is Born and now your very own Daffodils... the Kiwi musical you had no idea you needed. Set to the soundtrack of the classic New Zealand bangers you know and love, Daffodils is the charming, sweet, and surprisingly heart-wrenching love story of Rose (Rose McIver) and Eric (George Mason). Told from the perspective of their now grown up daughter Maisie (Kimbra), the film is set in a very New Zealand backdrop. It’s really refreshing to see, and it couples well with Mason’s crashing Kiwi accent, which is so heartwarming on the big screen.
Green Book (2018) Dir. Peter Farrelly It’s the 1960s, and Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) is nothing but a working-class Italian-American bouncer. But when offered a job to drive African-American classical pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) around the deep south of America on a tour, Tony begins his own journey of self-discovery whilst Shirley makes an unlikely friend. It’s poignant, it’s loving and it’s uplifting. Self-condemnation is a big theme player in this film - but it’s the way this theme is delicately written through brutal honesty and hardto-watch scenes that makes Green Book so brave and so important. It’s a film that sadly reflects just how complicated people can be, and I’ve not seen two character arcs this good in a long time after our heroes face these complications.
The reimagining of these Kiwi classics does take a second to get used to, but once you give yourself over to the ‘internal monologue through song’ format, things really pick up. Whilst not every song seems to make sense in the context of the story (one particularly puzzling Darcy Clay/Blam Blam Blam mashup sticks out) it is in fact a nice celebration of pure homegrown music. If you’ve ever wondered what an argument looks like when one party is screaming Dave Dobbyn at the other – well now is your chance to find out. Charming, nostalgic, and honestly quite sweet, if you do choose to see Daffodils I recommend you bring with you plenty of tissues and a strong sense of national pride. As well as maybe your mum, she’ll love it.
Green Book, despite being set in the 1960s, draws way too many comparisons to our modern world. Mortensen and Ali deliver such authentic performances, and these are only elevated by the immaculate writing and razorsharp directing of Farrelly. It’s easily one of the best of 2018. Not just in terms of its importance to society but also the impact it has on you in the cinema. If you're an awards geek like myself, you might want to know that the film notched up five Academy Award nominations and went on to win three of them. The highly coveted Best Picture, Supporting Actor for the flawless Ali, and writer/director Peter Farrelly’s original screenplay also took home gold. On evidence, each of these wins is fully merited, but you’ll have to go soon if you want to catch this one on the big screen.
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Kingsland Larissa Howie talks to the group about hospitalisations and their upcoming tour.
Life is good. Waking up buzzed from the night before, revelling in the afterglow of summer and embracing youth in full spirit.
they could’ve just replaced Will with some other singer, they admit it was rough to see him in such bad shape. The group describes
“Timing wise I think this is sort of the only chance we could get,” says Eliot. Although he jokes they could just start making baby
This is the vibe captured in Kingsland’s latest single ‘The Motto’. But, only a few weeks after the song was written, a devastating car accident left the band’s lead singer seriously injured, and the lyrics gained an eerie new meaning.
themselves as now being “pretty tight” both musically and personally due to their newfound appreciation for one and other.
merch.
“The song was just completely different after that,” says lead singer, Will.
The group were grateful that Will could return to the music scene far earlier than expected, reuniting with the band in August last year.
Before ‘The Motto’ was even released, the indie darlings were performing the song as an encore at Galatos. The band, featuring Will Giles (vocals/guitar), Jared Gullett (lead guitar), Eliot Witters (bass) and Josh Smith (drums), say they weren’t even sure if it was sounding good initially. “It wasn’t really finished but we played it anyway and people were just shouting that line back ‘live while we still can’ so it struck a bit of a chord.” In the week following that performance, lead singer Will was driving home from band practice and “ka-boom-fah”, his reality changed dramatically. He soon found himself hospitalised and without the ability to walk or even talk. ‘The Motto’ had just been recorded and was the only thing Will had to listen to during his time in hospital. “It was very haunting in some ways to be able to listen to myself sing when I couldn’t talk,” he says. The Auckland based band of four produce a Kiwi surf rock sound they say is “palatable to the masses,” and, after the past year, making music is something they don’t take for granted. Although the boys tease that
“We hug and kiss each other before we leave band practice now,” they joke.
“My recovery could have been a hell of a lot longer and we might have not been together - it’s bit of a testament to the whole band to stick together through hard shit - as cheesy as that sounds.” ‘Live while we still can’ is a lyric that now rings truer than ever with the Kingsland boys as they seize the opportunity to make the most of life; embarking on their debut tour within the next few weeks. It’s a dream that seemed very unlikely to come true a year ago. “This time last year these guys came and visited me in the hospital and I couldn’t walk or talk properly so it’s pretty crazy to be here now. I’m going on tour, releasing new music and I’m able bodied,” says Will. Tying in with New Zealand music month, the timing of this national tour couldn’t be any better. And for Kingsland, it was now or never...Especially with two of the members, Eliot and Jared, prepping to become Dads later this year.
The tour kicks off down south in Dunedin, where the band hopes their sound will “go down quite sweetly” with the student audience. They’ll then travel to Christchurch and Auckland, ending their tour in Wellington.They’re eager to “test the waters of the music scene in the central city,” with their Auckland show being held at ‘WinWin’, an up-and-comer in the world of music venues. The show is expected to be big, with a line-up that includes local musician Harry Parsons. The group says they hope to be a part of something that can bring Auckland’s music scene back to life. Another thing that they’re hopeful about is that their Auckland show might appeal to the typical broke student as “it’s so cheap some might even call it free,” according to Bass player, Eliot. He also adds that students new to Auckland should skip out on Bar101 for a night and come see them live instead. And with the crazy year the boys have endured, the crowd should prepare for a rather special performance. “When you sing those lyrics it’s a bit of a reflection on the past year for all of us,” says Will. So if there’s anything to take away from the scare the Kingsland boys have experienced, it’s that we should, first and foremost, live while we still can.
Catch Kingsland Friday 24 May at Win-Win, Auckland w/ Harry Parsons and Bay Street Band.
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5 things you should do if you give a shit about your future career By Sharleen Shergill Kim Kardashian's booty and crappy memes are things a lot of us fixate on and our careers should be another thing we give a shit about.
Bust Down When Blueface said Bust Down Thotiana he meant sit down with your thots – I mean thoughts. Hit the library, get your grades in order. It’s time to switch from sicko mode to study mode.
Get a fire bio In this case, update your CV and Cover Letter. Head to the employability lab (WA202) where experts will help you get this sorted so employers start raising an eyebrow.
Shoot your shot AKA sign up to AUT Internz (internz.aut.ac.nz). There are a range of paid internships based in New Zealand waiting for you. Turn on notifications for roles and start applying for jobs! Think of it like sliding into DMs but instead of getting ghosted or left on seen, you actually end up with a job and $$$. #MakingMoneyMoves
Collab It’s all about networking and building a team. Look at Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. Sweet niblets!
Go worldwide Be like Pitbull by applying for international internships on AUT Internz. Live the dream in New York, Chicago, LA, Vancouver or even Singapore. These are all paid internships and you can express interest in 2020 internships now! Signing up was the best decision I made – I landed a role in Chicago and now in Auckland too. BTW your flights and visa are paid for so you have nothing to lose! Sharleen Shergill is in her final year of a Bachelor of Communications and Bachelor of Laws. She is a super-user of the AUT Internz recruitment service, having scored an international scholarship to intern at Chicago creative agency TimeZoneOne in 2018 and a local internship for Online Asset Partners in 2019.
Best of the Worst: 2-Minute Noodles Debate’s Zoe Holland investigates. Illustration by Dayna Patel.
2-minute noodles. A beautiful, flavoursome, convenient and hella cheap meal. But there are so many... How does one simply know which type to choose? I decided to rate 5 different brands to see which came out on top. My body hated me for it, but my bank account didn’t.
Suimin Spicy Thai
Indomie Mi Goreng
These noodles are like no other. They have enough spice and flavour that I could eat it all again and again. There’s also a good mixture of vegetables so you can keep up that 5+ a day.
Indomie noodles are great - I’m not gonna lie. They have spice, flavour and whatever you could wish for in your boiling watered noodle cake. They’re often a favourite.
Cost: $1.49
Cost: $1.70
Stars: 4/5
Stars: 5/5
Choice Beef Noodles
Just Noodles Ramen Spicy Chilli
Trident Tom Yum
These noodles surprised me. For 60 cents I was expecting them to be shit, but they were pretty damn good. They were in less than two minutes (aaaamazing) and had a nice range of mixed vegetables, herbs and a yum not-too-beefy beef broth. BONUS: For 60 cents you get a free fork.
I am a person who likes spice so when the noodles have ‘spicy chilli’ in the name I expect some HEAT. And, well...I didn’t get a lot. There was no spice until I ate well over half of the noodles and they were sitting in the water. I would say it was a solid 3/5 for spice, hot, but nothing that made me grab some water.
These are top of the tier when it comes to 2-minute noodles. Fancy rice noodles, a heap a flavour and a whole lot of spice, unite! For $1.50 they are totally worth it and why not switch up your old and tired noodles for a more shmancy type? But if you’re not into spicy food you may want to steer clear as these are a solid 4/5 when it comes to spice.
Cost: $0.60 Stars: 4/5
Cost: $1.00 Stars: 2/5
Cost: $1.50 Stars: 5/5
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recipe
Tofu Seafood Chowder It’s time to give a sh*t about food waste because it’s not only a major contributor to climate change, but it ultimately impacts future generations’ food security. In this recipe, we’re going to say yes to blemished, inconsistently shaped, and odd sized produce -because these qualities do not determine the dish’s final flavour profile, presentation, and nutrient content.
This recipe also utilises New Zealand’s least-utilised vegetable part: the broccoli stalk. According to Love Food Hate Waste NZ, Kiwis throw away over 2,500 tonnes of broccoli stalks and leaves every year. It’s a lot of waste. So, let’s give less of a sh*t about how fruits and vegetables look, starting with this tofu seafood chowder, and give more of a sh*t about pampering our taste buds and nourishing our bodies.
Ingredients
Method
•
1 onion
1) Remove skin of onion, carrot, and potato. Roughly dice them.
•
1 carrot
•
1 potato
•
1 broccoli stalk
•
3 tbsp butter
•
1/2 cup white wine
•
1L fish stock (or vegetable stock)
•
5 slices of wholewheat bread, roughly
2) Cut off the dried bottom of the broccoli stalk and use a peeler to remove the outer skin before dicing it.
torn up into smaller pieces •
500ml milk
•
300g tofu, cut into approximately 1cmx1cm cubes
•
300g seafood marinara mix or your
3) In a big pot (at least a 5L-sized pot), sauté chopped onion in 1 tablespoon of butter for approximately 1 minute over medium-high heat.
6) Add 1/2 cup of white wine to the same pot and let it evaporate over high heat. 7) Add stock and allow the mixture to boil for about 10 minutes. 8) Turn down the heat and add bread pieces. As they break down, the soup will thicken. 9) Add milk right after the bread pieces have disintegrated into the soup.
4) Add diced carrot, broccoli, and another tablespoon of butter and sauté for approximately 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
10) Add tofu and seafood, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes over low heat.
5) Add the last tablespoon of butter and diced potato. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
12) Season with salt and pepper.
11) Just when the seafood is cooked, add cream and turn off the heat.
choice of fish •
250ml cream
•
Salt and pepper to taste
Melissa Koh is a third year BA student double majoring in Culinary Arts and English & New Media. Follow her dining and cooking adventures on Instagram: @melicacy.
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WORDFIND
puzzles
Mind Care Shit Importance Observance
Bother Waste Tutelage Empathy Correctly
Guidance Welfare Health Protection Understanding
Chemistry Togetherness Mindfulness Aware Sensitivity
Circle all the words in the wordfind, tear this page out and pop it into the box on the side of the red Debate stands. Do it and you could win a motherflippin’ sweet prize!
Name:
Email:
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Want to see your work in Debate? We're forever on the lookout for writers, illustrators and creatives to contribute to the mag. Want to see your work in print? Email us at debate@aut.ac.nz. Too easy!
