From the Editors

Kia Ora,

I’m Alana, the new co-editor of Debate alongside Nam. If you’ve been a religious reader this year you may have seen me whipping up articles as the feature writer, giving my unsolicited opinion on a wide array of topics.

As excited as I am to be the new co-editor with all the challenges that come, the task is also a bit daunting too. I have a bad tendency to pull myself in lots of different directions, and end up feeling pretty burnt out and run down. Creating a whole magazine issue in two weeks is no easy feat, but I’ve got an amazing co-editor with me and a whole team of passionate and talented individuals who work hard to bring you amazing design work, news stories, features and the odd horoscope. It’s also incredibly exciting to think about the new direction of the magazine, getting contributors from all over the university to share their own perspectives, ideas and creativity on campus.

Feeling burnt out is common no matter what life stage, whether you’ve just started university, ventured out into the working world, or are trying to balance the two together. I struggle to find that delicate line between having way too much going on, or nothing at all to occupy my time. Boredom can feel agonising, but also who wants to be so stressed and busy there’s no time to stay up to date with Love Island? I love to have structure to my days,I think we all do to some degree. But it’s also important to take time out of the grind, to center us, calm us and give us space. I hope you can also take some precious time for yourself, in the form of reading Debate front to back on your spare hour off from class, listening to that podcast you’ve been recommended five times, or cooking a comforting meal of pasta at the end of a long day.

And I’m Nam, Alana’s co-editor of Debate for the rest of this year. If you’d told me a year ago I’d not only be paid to write, but also eventually run this humble magazine I’d give myself a hug and probably take it a bit easier. As cliché as this sentiment is, feeling lost is very much normal so don’t be too hard on yourself – I know I often am. Shoutout to Alana for writing her letter first which took the pressure off me to put together something as well-rounded as hers – future editorials will hopefully be cowritten as we settle into the role. Growing pains, then, felt like an appropriate place to start. As a topic adjacent to coming of age, we felt it was a strong option to go with and I hope that’s reflected in the pieces we have for you here. Our not-so-secret weapon, Lucy, has some alarmingly relatable content – who doesn’t have eco-anxiety? – and David shares what it’s like for older students returning to study. If you’ve been following the news like the informed student you are, Justin and Justin also have a couple of updates on the shambles that is student accommodation.

With the rest of the semester coming in hot, we’ve also got our eyes set on what we can do to end on a bang. Vesbar Debate takeover? Board games at the office? Who knows.

Ngā mihi, Alana and Nam