MASSIVE ISSUE 23: The Politics Issue

Cover by Annick Harvey

Editors letter - The politics issue

Kia ora koutou, I can hardly believe as I’m writing this, but this is our second to last issue of MASSIVE for the year. It’s also a very exciting issue exploring the world of politics leading up to election time, that fun 3-year event where you get to exercise your democratic right and vote! We’d love to encourage you to vote, every vote counts etc—we know you’ve heard it all before... but seriously. Your voices deserve to be heard and if this year and the recent events that have unfolded across unis have demonstrated this truth. If we don’t speak up, we are silenced and it’s so important we’re not. Here is a list of voting stations on or near Massey campuses this week, make sure you get your ballot in!

Near Massey Wellington:

Massey University, Block 5, Level H, Wallace Street

Mon 9 Oct - Fri 13 Oct, 10AM - 4PM

Mt Cook School, 160 Tory Street

Sat 14 Oct, 9AM - 7PM

Wellington High School Cafe, 249 Taranaki Street

Sat 14 Oct, 9AM - 7PM

Near Massey Manawatū: MUSA Student Centre Lounge, Massey University Concourse, University Avenue

Mon 9 Oct - Fri 13 Oct, 9AM - 4PM

Turitea School, 208 Old West Road

Sat 14 Oct, 9AM - 7PM

Summerhill shopping centre, 194 Ruapehu Drive

Mon 9 Oct - Thu 12 Oct, 9AM - 5PM; Fri 13 Oct, 9AM - 4PM; Sat 14 Oct, 9AM - 7PM

Near Massey Albany:

Albany Community Hub, 575 Albany Highway

Mon 9 Oct - Wed 11 Oct, 9AM - 6PM; Thu 12 Oct, 9AM - 7PM; Fri 13, 9AM - 5PM; Sat 14 Oct, 9AM - 7PM

Albany Community Hall, corner Albany Highway & Library Lane

Sat 14 Oct, 9AM - 7PM

Westfield Mall, centre court, 219 Don McKinnon Drive

Mon 9 Oct - Wed 11 Oct, 9AM - 6PM; Thu 12 Oct - Fri 13 Oct, 9AM9PM; Sat 14 Oct, 9AM - 7PM

What to look forward to

WEEKLY NEWS

“Outrageous”: College of Sciences could face huge course cuts with over 100 jobs on the line

Sammy Carter (she/her)

In a meeting last Monday, a new proposal to cut Engineering and Plant Science from the university was revealed.

All offerings in the school of Natural Sciences and the school of Food and Advanced Technology at the Auckland campus would also be cut. Auckland students protested the proposal on Wednesday at the College of Sciences staff forum, holdings signs saying, “what about us?” and “stop the cuts”.

If confirmed, the proposal would cause over 100 job losses.

The protesting students followed pro vice chancellor of the College of Sciences, Ray Geor, out of the forum.

Aniva Feau, Te Tira Ahu Pae Pasifika president, said the university consistently assured her that students would be able to finish their qualifications no matter what – but on Monday it said this wasn’t the case anymore.

The cuts would close down the Massey Genome Service, Manawatū Microscopy, and Imaging Centre.

Feau said, “We are alarmed at the rapid pace of these changes,” and

felt if Massey were to be honest with students, it could build trust. She felt Massey had “failed students due to unsustainable financial management, chronic underfunding, and a disproportionate reliance on international students to subsidise the education of domestic students”.

Ray Geor, College of Sciences pro vice chancellor, said the college was proud of its contributions to knowledge creation in New Zealand’s agriculture, food technology, veterinary sciences and animal sciences.

Geor said, “This proposal continues work to shape the academic profile of the College of Sciences in a manner that supports world-class teaching and research in a breadth of subjects and disciplines, whilst also addressing challenging financial circumstances.”

Tertiary Education Union (TEU) organiser Ben Schmidt described the proposal as “outrageous”.

In June, the Government announced

a higher education review in response to tertiary sector-wide protests against mass staff redundancies and a flawed funding model.

Schmidt said with the election soon and new funding promised by the Government, the vice chancellor appeared determined on pushing through her austerity agenda. He said, “All vice chancellors and chief executives of the sector need to stop and wait for the funding review to run its course before continuing to make short-sighted decisions such as these ones.”

He said it wasn’t fair to tell students in Manawatū and surrounding districts that if you want a career as an engineer, you must leave your home and family and move to another part of the country.

“Nor is it good sense to end Natural Sciences and Food and Advanced Technology provision on the North Shore – one of Aotearoa’s most populous and fastest growing areas.” Tell

Students followed pro vice chancellor of the College of Sciences, Ray Geor out of the staff forum. Photos / Niklas Polzer

Brett Kerr Laurie (he/him)

Policies from NZ First want to make it illegal to use bathrooms opposite to your biological sex and remove gender education from the New Zealand Curriculum for all year levels.

The heavily criticized changes would undermine the rainbow community which Massey claims to support –but rainbow reps say Massey isn’t listening hard enough.

The policies would mean trans people at Massey legally couldn’t use the bathroom of their gender and the Bodies that Matter paper would be the first chance anyone has to learn about gender in formal schooling.

Albany rainbow representative Ben Watt said NZ First candidate Lee Donoghue was “uneducated” on TVNZ’s Young Voters’ Debate last week, and questioned if the policies are against the human rights act. Donoghue tried to defend his party’s stance claiming, “we’re not on another planet”, and blamed high rainbow community suicide rates on gender education in schools.

Watt said, “NZ First has historically been rainbow-phobic and transphobic,” with party leader Winston Peters voting against homosexual law reform and marriage equality.

Watt pointed out that Massey had a history of its own and “definitely” wouldn’t recommend Massey to

anyone in the rainbow community, citing more rainbow-safe universities like AUT.

He called the relationship between Massey and its rainbow representatives, “for lack of a better word - fucked up”.

Watt said Massey had been out of touch with the rainbow community when making changes that impacted them, like the botched “gender neutral” bathrooms in Albany’s Innovation Complex.

After labelling the “gender neutral” bathrooms with the symbol of a male and female, Massey denied claims non-binary students were pointed to disabled toilets.

Watt said, “It seems like we’re there just to tick a box, but we’re not actually there to fulfil any other need.”

The rainbow representatives had raised concerns with Massey throughout the year but were usually ignored, as in the case with Massey’s Rainbow Tick.

The Rainbow Tick only applies to staff, not students.

Representatives felt the Rainbow Tick had lost its relevance and suggested Massey should obtain the Pride Pledge, a more active demonstration of rainbow support.

Six months later, Massey had still made no change.

However, in May Massey launched Kāhui Irarau, a social platform “designed by and for takatāpui and rainbow communities.”

Watt said it wasn’t as empowering as it claimed to be.

Earlier in the year, rainbow

representatives raised concerns Kāhui Irarau wasn’t listening to the student voice, to be told it was basing events off a 2022 student survey.

Kāhui Irarau also faced funding cuts in August, restricting them to two events per campus for the rest of the year. Watt said Massey “could do much more” as a university, considering the Wellington campus still doesn’t have a rainbow room.

Manawatū received the first rainbow room just three months ago, while a “temporary” room for Albany was to open this semester.

Watt said Massey is better than it used to be but is still “too conservative”.

Diversity and inclusion advisor, Connor McLeod, didn’t confirm any plans for a Wellington rainbow room and said students with “ideas about a space on their campus” should contact rainbow@massey.ac.nz.

McLeod said the Pride Pledge hadn’t been proposed at this stage, but again encouraged students to submit ideas to the Rainbow and Takatāpui Advisory Group.

The diversity and inclusion advisor said Massey’s rainbow representatives have a significant role with a direct line to senior leadership members.

“There is always work needed to strengthen representatives’ impact – and with the rainbow rep positions being new in 2023, changes regarding collaborating with rainbow reps are not only invited but expected at this early stage.”

NZ First will suppress the rainbow community, but rainbow reps say Massey already neglects them

Massey University takes back money for students’ free period products

Sammy Carter (she/her)

Massey University has halved the amount they originally committed to for free period products for students— but the student association will be spreading them out starting this week.

Late last year, the university had committed to a budget of $12,000 for single use period products that were meant to go out in semester one this year. However, a spokesperson said this was “adjusted”.

In an email in July, the university said the funding had changed to $6000, halving the original amount.

Te Tira Ahu Pae Pasifika president Aniva Feau asked Massey, “What are you spending all that money on anyway if it was already budgeted for this?”

The student association budgeted $14,000 for period products, and while it’s happening later than it

hoped, it’s sticking to it. Currently the University of Canterbury, University of Auckland, and the Victoria University of Wellington Student’s Association (VUWSA) all offer free period products for students.

Feau wanted pads and tampons to be placed in female, male and disabled toilets that are most popular on each campus, such as library toilets.

She felt Massey had tried to take advantage of the fast turnaround of student reps, saying it often promises one thing then changes its tune later.

Feau felt the project had been overshadowed by the association’s amalgamation, as well as communication and technical issues on her end.

A Massey spokesperson argued that late last year, the university and Te Tira Ahu Pae both agreed to “adjust” funding to $6,000. However, a memo and email sent to Massive from late last year suggested Massey was

committed to the $12,000 budget.

The spokesperson said the lack of progress on the initiative had been due to Te Tira Ahu Pae representatives not attending several meetings where decisions were required.

“Then, late last month, Te Tira Ahu Pae advised it would go its own way without discussion or communication after months of attempts to progress this partnered project.”

The spokesperson said while the association will fund an initial four-week pilot of free single use period products, the university will be working in partnership to explore the option of reusable period products.

The university and association are seeking feedback through their period poverty survey. Let them know which bathrooms you want period products in and more.

Period Poverty - Have your say

Future of Education debate says a whole lot of nothing about cuts for universities

Sammy Carter (she/her)

On September 28th, an election debate was held with candidates from five major parties at Victoria University, called the ‘Future of Education in Aotearoa New Zealand’.

However, the politicians had almost nothing to say about the huge job and course cuts facing universities over the hour and a half.

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) recently cut a further $51.8 million dollars to Massey University, University of Otago, Auckland University of Technology, Victoria University of Wellington, and Polytech Te Pūkenga.

Labour Taranaki MP Angela Roberts was asked by Massive why she didn’t take the opportunity to acknowledge the cuts happening at universities under the Labour government.

Roberts felt the questions didn’t bring up the topic, and she wasn’t wrong. The debate was filled with questions about the primary and high school sectors, while university students filled seats waiting for acknowledgment.

Course cuts had begun at Massey with up to one third of the papers currently offered on the chopping board.

The TEC had encouraged universities to cut staff as a solution to their financial problems.

Roberts said, “Of course they’re encouraging universities [to cut staff], because they don’t have enough money.”

“I don’t think that is the solution, but at the moment it’s the only solution, because the problem is not enough funding.”

She said the funding model needed changing, but when asked why Labour didn’t change it earlier, she said, “That’s a really good question.”

“Too little too late? I don’t think that means that we can escape having to do it.”

uni cuts who?

Victoria University of Wellington Student Association (VUWSA) president Jessica Ye was disappointed that the cuts weren’t discussed.

A few days before the debate, VUWSA and other student associations sent an open letter to the TEC asking the question, “How can we have confidence in the TEC to provide independent, high-quality advice on a problem when it has played a direct role in creating that problem?”

In June, the Government announced a higher education review in response to tertiary sector-wide protest against mass staff redundancies and a flawed funding model.

The open letter asked the TEC to ensure the Higher Education Funding Review was led by a mixed group of independent experts, university staff, and students.

She said the TEC “seems to be running the Minister of Education”. She said ACT’s Chris Bailey and NZ First’s Andy Foster weren’t all that clued up at the debate. When the panel was asked what makes a great education system, Foster said he wasn’t prepared to answer.

“It would have been good to have people prepared to talk about education,” Ye said.

Meet the Candidates

By Tui Lou Christie

Meet the Candidates is a card game designed to teach you about the upcoming election. It aims to be a fun and accessible introduction to 5 major political parties, some of their top candidates from the list, and what each party and candidate stands for, according to creator of the game, Maya K Templer. “I feel like there needs to be some sort of social justice aspect to my work for it to be fulfilling for me,” she said. Maya is an artist, designer, and animator living in Ōtautahi. Her work ranges from comics and gig posters to music videos and animated shorts. Maya’s style is distinct but versatile, and the game, released this September, features 85 caricatures and illustrations showing both MPs and major policies and topical issues. “I really care about politics,” Maya told me when I sat down with her for an interview. “I care about young people engaging in politics.”

The gameplay is based loosely on Magic: The Gathering, but with the different types of cards switched out to represent candidates, policies, and powers. Maya says the game is “about engaging with politics in a fun way, through play… It might be a little more accessible to some people than reading articles.” Policies are used to call your candidates into play and they are based on major issues for this upcoming election like health policies, crime policies, and environmental policies. Each candidate has a special ability, attack and defence stats, and a short bio that introduces you to the candidate and what they stand for. “When I pitched the project originally, people assumed it was like Top Trumps or collectible cards. I feel like if you’re collecting things, you collect them and get bored of them, and they’re not necessarily engaging in the same way that playing a game is.”

“We made each party its own playstyle. So, Labour has really high defence, National has really high attack, ACT has really whacky abilities that really throw you off… Te Pāti Māori are stacked in terms of playability but there’s only 5 cards, so some of the Labour Māori cards connect to the Te Pāti Māori cards…

it’s like a whole

little universe.”

The process started around April, with Maya completing the first sketches of the 10 Labour and National candidates before moving onto more intensive research in May. “For my research process, I would watch the candidate’s maiden speech (for those that are already in parliament), and it was really awesome for getting a sense of why they came into Parliament. Then I would read their bios on their website, and if they have a Wikipedia page, and then I would go through the last three years’ of articles about them and

trawl through and see what info came up. So, I would have this big page of notes, and from that I would write a little bio, and then take that and make it even shorter, because the amount of room on the cards is not huge.” What Maya’s done is no small feat: this research process was repeated for all 45 candidate cards. “It was a lot of weekends just sitting at home reading articles,” the artist said. This research was just the beginning. Maya is already a lover of card games and board games and says the board game group that she plays with regularly were a huge help. “They’ve been helping me playtest it and work out the mechanics, and make it play as a game that feels easy and you can play it quickly… I wanted to make it as fun as possible to engage with, because politics isn’t always fun to engage with.” Through this playtesting and sharing the work, Maya gradually changed and improved the gameplay. “There were a few big revelations. Originally there was one draw pile, but we split the policy and power cards and there’s a deck that you can draw candidates from, and you choose which one to draw from each turn. It meant the chance of you drawing the card you need to play one of your candidates was a lot higher. That made it easier to play.”

Next was refining the text on each card through multiple processes. “I’m not a writer, I don’t come from that background. I was really grateful that people came forward later and were able to help me edit them because it made a huge difference.” Maya says it was important to her that the cards were as unbiased as possible. “I didn’t want to sell something and claim it to be unbiased when it is.”

“So, I created my version and sent it out for feedback… I put out messages on social media like “I really need feedback on these cards” and I put them all up on my website for people to read. I explained that I’m biased towards the left in the way that I write and my own beliefs, and asked if there were any specific things I should change or cards that seemed too biased… There were a few people that went through them and gave me really good notes, like “this card is really mean,” or, “you could put some policy here instead of this scathing quote.””

“So, I went through them all with that feedback and rewrote a few, and then I went through them all with a journalist for the final version to edit the tone and check my grammar and make sure that they were overall appropriate. I was really grateful.”

“My intention is not to make people vote a certain way, it’s just to encourage people to vote and to engage.” Rather than encouraging you to vote in one direction or another, Maya just wants you to take an interest in the election, learn about each party, and make your voice heard. You can check out all the cards, and Maya’s other work, on her website, www.mktempler.com, where you will also find a link to the free online version of the game on Tabletopia. Find more of Maya’s work on her website and her Instagram account, @mktempler.

Politics at the Party

By Molly Richards (she/her)

Generally, talking politics at a party is a bit of a buzz kill. Not to say the conversations aren’t important to have, just a heated discussion on the state of our country backed by Mr 305 beats is an odd one. Aside from the saying ‘never discuss politics with friends’, I felt I couldn’t hold such a conversation if I wanted to. Politics in my mind are at a Game of Thrones level of intricacy. Yet, I am a little ashamed to say that I could rattle on about the Seven Kingdoms’ politics for longer, and in a concerning amount of detail, than our country’s. Trying to understand the intricacies makes my head hurt. I simply know very little in that regard, a fault that has rendered me silent during the politics conversation amongst my peers. As a disclaimer, it is not for the lack of care, nor is it for wilful ignorance, it is that I had no clue where to begin.

Up until recently, with the elections coming up, I hadn’t been all that engaged with politics. I don’t want to be seen as a complete idiot; I understand it’s important to be informed. Unlike GoT (excluding the 8th season), present politics and policies have a very real impact. I just have little understanding on the subject and I’m a little bit afraid to ask my peers for fear of embarrassment. I know I mustn’t be alone in this. I’ve only been eligible to vote for one election now so I expect that I can’t know everything, and politics is one of these things.

In an effort to become more informed, I’ve been looking into tools to get some unbiased information. I am by no means pushing any view, only ways to get those like me to feel like they can contribute to the discussion and not sit in uncomfortable silence. Of course, you don’t have to talk politics, I won’t make you, but it’s always good to know what’s going on, and to vote. I also won’t tell you who to vote for, that’s for you to decide. So, if you are clueless like I was, here are some of the places I visited to learn more about the parties currently partying.

Vote Compass

4 stars ★ ★ ★ ★

I had been recommended to investigate Vote Compass (votecompass.tvnz.co.nz/nz2023). Even if you don’t know where you sit on all the topics you can still try out this tool. It asks you a series of questions to which you can respond on a scale of ‘much less’ to ‘much more’ or even ‘I don’t know.’ At the end of the quiz, you can see how you align with the parties. You can also go into each topic, such as education, public transport, and housing (to name a few) and see

where each party sits. Very easy to use and I recommend as a starting point if you want to get a big picture view on the political standings. 4/5 stars.

Friends & Family

3.5 stars ★ ★

Your friends and family: I get this maybe a bit contradictory to my earlier statements but the people who you surround yourself with may be able to help you. You don’t have to agree with each other, but peers in a similar situation could offer you some insight. You can discuss what is important to you, at the end of the day it is a decision about who will be representing you. 3.5/5 stars – did kinda kill the vibe but learnt a lot.

Policy.nz

4.5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I also looked at Policy.nz. On the website, like vote compass, you can go into each issue topic and explore the stances of all the parties. Here you can get a simple overview of where the groups stand on issues that you are interested in learning more about. I get that this isn’t the most entertaining reading you’ll do, but it’s not excruciatingly boring. You can also select a party and read the who’s who. Putting some names to faces isn’t a bad idea either. If you think of it a little like the houses in Game of Thrones, it makes for a fun little challenge. 4.5/5 stars. Tools like these make it a little easier to get your head around all the terms and ideas, without driving you mad and hopefully help you vote informed. Which to be honest, I’m glad for. You don’t have to study night and day to get a picture of what’s going on. There is no shame in admitting you are trying; this is what I’ve learnt. I don’t have the time to spend every minute learning about every nuance of the political climate. I simply don’t have the mental flexibility to cope with the weight of it all. I’ve found it draining and at times infuriating, but I do give a shit about what’s going to happen. So, no matter your current understanding or stance, try and get informed. Do some research, find where you sit, and don’t forget to vote.

Illustration by Annick Harvey

Illustration by Eden and Kai Laing

Illustration by Kai Laing

“Can I See Your Driver’s Licence, Please?”

By Elizabeth Chan

‘Drivers License’ by Olivia Rodrigo played in my head as I stared at the screen with bloodshot eyes.

Earlier that day, I failed my learner’s licence test for the second time.

The song made it seem so easy to get a driver’s licence, to the point a breakup was more important than actually passing. People bustled about behind me, oblivious to my exhaustion as I pulled away from the cubicle. Later, a Chinese woman slightly older than me exclaimed in triumph that she passed her theory test. My mother and I watched her, exhausted and frustrated that we had both just failed the same test, a couple of times.

“This test is rigged,” I said. My mother silently returned a weary smile because she had already passed both the theory and practical driving tests decades ago with flying colours in our home country, Malaysia.

Yet, upon coming to New Zealand, she had been treated as dumb because people assumed her to be unable to speak English because of her colour, despite English being her first language. Now, these feelings have been invisibly amplified as we churned out another $20 each just to fail the theory test again.

While I was tired from failing the theory test twice despite studying hard for it, she was even more tired from retaking the theory test and later on, the practical test, because she had already gone through driving tests when she was in Malaysia. Even though the driving tests are different since road rules depend on each country, the test feels impossibly hard. What was even harder was the fact that we hardly had a choice but to take it just to gain a convenient ID. A mere card used as proof of identity verification in anything from applying for an IRD number, picking up items from online shopping through ‘Click n’ Collect’ to collecting controlled medical items. How does one get about in a foreign country when they need to sit for a test that’s tricky to pass just to show that their identity is not a fake? Just to prove that they have the right to be accepted and treated as one of the people here? Just to prove that we are not illegal immigrants just because we look different and just because our I.D. cards show a different country of origin instead?

Driver’s Licence: An International Student’s Perspective

From high school, we all talk about what it would be like to drive, when we plan to take the driving test, what car we would like to buy, or whether we should just rely on public transportation. In places where driving tests are highly difficult to pass, higher road safety is expected. This is a good thing since people can drive around without having to worry about getting into road accidents. After all, everyone around me said that the restricted driving test is the hardest since it’s the practical test. However, in reality, road accidents still happen and it doesn’t take very long to see that there are drivers who don’t abide by the traffic rules. This is despite the high standards raised by the restricted tests. While some of us are pretty satisfied with taking public transportation, there aren’t many other options to get some ID.

It turns out my mother and I were not the only ones who faced these difficulties with getting a learner’s licence.

Liu Xinran, former student of Massey University, said that the theory test to attain a learner’s licence was difficult because there were many small details that needed to be remembered, such as the cost of a fine. Liu agreed that it was unfair that a driver’s licence was needed for almost everything to get about. On the brighter side, when asked whether she still wants to try to get a driver’s licence, she said that she will re-take the test in October because re-take tests will be free from October. According to Stuff, people will only have to pay the application fee for driving tests from October 1, while the fees to change, rebook and cancel tests will become free.

I appreciate what the government is doing by scratching those fees, but I would personally prefer if there were more userfriendly methods for identity verification, since it still takes loads of time to attain a driver’s license. I’ve recently learned about Kiwi Access cards, which seem like the best option.

Previously known as the 18+ Card, they’re a Government recognised form of photographic ID and evidence of age card that doesn’t require sitting a test to get. This is far preferable to passports or visas which take ages to dig out and don’t feel very safe to carry everywhere. The chances of getting mugged are never zero.

As university students, we’re already doing our best to manage our time between our studies and (for most of us) our part-time jobs. Having to squeeze in more time to learn to drive, only to fork out more money each time we need to re-sit the test is not very student-friendly.

Te Pāti Māori: Best for Everyone

By Cameron McCausland-Taylor

I’m a Te Pāti Māori supporter through and through. Their unapologetic advocacy for tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake, their people-focused policies that aim to lift up our most vulnerable members of society, their ability to make us as Māori feel proud and confident in who we are and what we offer. Their level of representation has never been so powerful, having made huge strides in the last three years. To be honest, only three years ago, they weren’t even on my radar.

The first time I was eligible to vote, I was 20 years old in the grim year 2020. Initially, I went into election mode with the fullest intentions to vote Labour, given the advice to vote for a big party so they definitely get in. Growing up in a National voting whānau (fuck National, btw), I was determined to not let Judith “Talofa” Collins run this country. However, that’s when I learnt the beautiful concept of coalition, with a lot of kōrero about a Green and Labour coalition coming to rise. Politically, I aligned strongly with the Green Party (still do), and so decided to give them my party vote.

80 years old, my koro is a loyal Te Pāti Māori voter. When he said he was going to vote for them in the 2020 election, my ignorance crept into my judgment. I’d grown up hearing nothing but bad things about the party, how they had no chance of making a difference because of being a minor party with small polling results, especially having been kicked out of Parliament entirely in 2017. But in hindsight, my koro was ahead of the game, seeing the potential in Te Pāti Māori that many of us were blind to.

What many people in this country don’t realise is what’s best for Māori truly is best for everyone, and we need this Māori voice within our political scope in order to create meaningful change. From a student perspective, many of Te Pāti Māori’s policies lend themselves in our favour. As said by Te Pāti Māori member Debbie Ngarewa-Packer in a 2022 Metro Mag article The Rise and Rise of Te Pāti Māori, “Inequality, cost of living, housing, health and opportunities for our rangatahi are the issues the next election will centre around.”

Let’s look first at their incomes policy, more specifically their student support plan, dedicated to ensuring that there is an adequate income to survive on whilst our cost of living continues to rise. As Te Pāti Māori points out, Māori tauira are more likely to face barriers in tertiary education. Some proposals put forward include:

• Increasing abatement rates for benefits and student allowances

• Establishing a universal student allowance and DOUBLING these rates

• Free public transport for students at all levels

• Getting rid of the living cost factors of all student loans, as well as getting rid of the total student loan for those who work in Aotearoa for five years

Yes, this plan was created with our Māori tauira at the centre, but it also has potential to hugely benefit the wider student population. How many of us are routinely being fucked over by our hefty student loan, our measly student allowances that barely allow us to get by on a weekly basis, transport barriers that prohibit us getting from A to B? What’s best for Māori is best for everyone, you see? By lifting Māori tauira up, we can all flourish together.

We then move onto Te Pāti Māori’s tax policy, aiming to move the tax burden from the poor to the wealthy in order to achieve economic justice. Due to the ongoing effects of colonisation, Māori are overrepresented statistically when it comes to poverty, homelessness, youth crime and more. With the richest 10% in this country owning 50% of the wealth, while the poorer half scrapes by on 2%, Māori whānau, Māori tauira and the wider student population are deeply affected by these issues. Potential solutions under this policy are:

• Removing GST from kai, as well as stricter regulations against supermarkets increasing prices (on average, whānau could buy SEVEN WEEKS OF FREE FOOD per year under this policy!! Game changer.)

• Mighty tax cuts for almost 90% of Aotearoa. It’s fair to assume that students, even those working part-time, earn less than $30K a year. Under this policy, they would pay no tax and get an extra $82 a week and $4,270 a year.

• Unoccupied dwelling or “ghost house” tax. With a multitude of whare left empty for long periods of time in a housing crisis, a tax rate at 33% of the market value will be implemented after a six-month period of no tenancy.

When it comes to affording nourishing kai as a tauira, the struggle is REAL. The fact that buying fresh fruit and veggies is not an option for the majority of us is shocking, so I’ll take that GST cut, please and thank you. An extra $82 a week also has huge potential to make our day-to-day

living easier. Personally, I’m on $281 a week from student loan, having to work 18 hours a week in addition to my studies just to survive. After rent, I’m left with $81 a week, so to increase that by double would make such a huge difference. Finding affordable housing, or even housing in general, is also a fucking mish, so it’s gutting to see that in the 2018 Census, there were 191,649 unoccupied dwellings in Aotearoa. That tax would push these owners into obtaining tenancies, providing more options for Māori whānau and our tauira nationwide. We ALL deserve a safe, healthy home to call our own.

Despite Te Pāti Māori’s journey up the political ladder, Aotearoa is still in fear of being “divided by race” (fuck the ACT party, btw). In reality, they’re not afraid of race division. They’re afraid of Māori leadership. Afraid of us finally gaining the power that we’ve always rightfully deserved at the decision-making table, because if that’s a reality, it means the Pākeha systems can’t get away with beating our people down. They are so afraid, in fact, that on Friday night, Te Pāti Māori candidate Hana Maipi-Clarke had her home broken into and vandalised. 1News said this appears to be the first time that a “politician’s home and personal property has been invaded to this extent”. Yet, Hana doesn’t let this stifle her passion and pride to be Māori, calling herself “a māramatanga to us that we belong in these places… I am not scared.”

I’m proud to say that Te Pāti Māori completely proved me and many others wrong. Small but mighty, their radical representation has taken Aotearoa by storm, and for the first time in history, they hit a record 5% in the polls earlier this year. My koro was truly onto something, a hard-hitting reminder for me to trust in my wise kaumatua, those who have seen it all before I was brought onto this Earth. If he could see the potential, who was I to doubt him?

In an Instagram story I reposted recently, @kaiadelvene reminded us of that trap I fell into three years ago - voting for a small party is not a wasted vote. We’re not a twoparty system and coalition with a bigger party IS possible, although understandably, Te Pāti Māori refuses to join National or ACT due to their anti-Māori policies (fuck David Seymour btw). If you’re Māori, this party is for you, so make your vote count. If you’re non-Māori, do what’s best for Māori, in turn to receive what’s best for you. Honour Te Tiriti, honour tāngata whenua on this land you live, and exercise your voting rights effectively. If not Te Pāti Māori, then PLEASE go Green, who share many of our core values. Nevertheless, Te Pāti Māori have undeniably proven themselves as a worthy opponent in the political game, and I am staunch in my decision to give Te Pāti Māori my two ticks when the time comes around. Are you?

Glossary:

Tino rangatiratanga – self-determination, absolute sovereignty, etc

Mana motuhake – self-determination, independence, sovereignty, etc

Tauira – students

Te Tiriti – Treaty of Waitangi

Tāngata whenua – people of the land

Hana Maipi-Clarke. Photo / RNZ News

Sexcapades

Outed by Onsen

Don’t freak out right now but, if you’ve had sex in a hot pool in the past 24 hours, this is dedicated to you.

Last week my absolute angel of a boyfriend surprised me with a trip to Queenstownhe’s loaded, I’m a gold digger, don’t ask Kanye about it. Anyway, lover boy who is way more of a simp than I ever could be (that was a joke), had planned the whole thing better than Kris Jenner planned the Kim and Kourtney beef and I won’t lie, kids, I was frothing it. I’d officially entered my lover girl era.

We got a boujee room at the Hilton overlooking Lake Wakatipu, drank a shit tonne of bubbles and when the clock struck 5, we headed off to the one, the only, the whitest of white girl locations in New Zealand, Onsen Hot Pools.

I chucked on a teeny tiny bikini, he wore his jocks and after approximately seven seconds of admiring the Shotover, we were pashing more than two loved up teens alone for the first time.

Everything was going swimmingly - pun intended, and I decided to slip my hand downstairs to give him a bit of a handy. He was getting into it, I was hazed over in

horniness and - keeping in mind we were way too many drinks deep, we went rogue deciding it was a good idea to shag in the tub.

Sorry, Onsen but it’s really your own fault for creating such a romantic environment. We did half of the deed, because even though I’m a bit of a yolo girl, I have enough class to not let any jizz get in the pool - and I didn’t want bad karma.

Unfortunately, my good intentions were not reciprocated by the universe and our romantic trip to Queenstown ended with a visit to the pharmacy for some cream to treat my povo yeast infection. On its own it doesn’t sound so bad but, I’d convinced my boyfriend I was the most perfect woman in the world and now he knows I’m a mere mortal. So, thanks Onsen, thanks a lot for outing me.

Ps. 10/10 would still return.

Happy

vibes always, Girls Get Off

Solicited Advice

From Pocket

Solicited advice is a weekly column where Massive’s own four-legged Agony Aunty, Pocket, shares her wisdom and experience with you all. She speaks only truths.

Pocket, I’m struggling to put my vote in this year, I feel so disengaged from politics. Surely none of it matters and my vote won’t make a difference.

Let me stop you right there. Your vote matters, you matter. As a cat I understand that the planets and stars revolve around me. I am the centre of the universe. I think you need to check your perspective because surely you matter a bit? At least as a feeding and patting device for us cats. So make sure you vote. Because if you live in this world, then politics affects you.

Secondly, didn’t you know that voting is a snack opportunity? There are some voting stations held in malls and near cafes even, you could grab a bite with a friend on the way? I’ll be checking the bins down near Mount Cook School and definitely Wellington High café while voting is open. Plenty of discarded chips and sausage rolls in there I reckon. Finally, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain. I’ve perfected my gromp face but I’m allowed to complain because I didn’t elect any of these two-legged idiots into power in the first place. Cats rule. Facts.

Do you have a question you’re dying to have answered? Massive Magazine on Instagram or editor@massivemagazine.org.nz and look out for next week’s issue - no question is too difficult for Pocket.

Aquarius Pisces Aries

Jan 20 - Feb 18 Feb 19 - Mar 20

Dreamy- minded and humanitarian, Aquarius you need to vouch for yourself a little more this week. Remember no one is going to believe in you for you. Exam. Job interview? First date? You got this.

Pisces you are way too emotional. No one likes a souk. Harden up.

Mar 21 - Apr 19

You pointer hungry ram head- slow down Aries or you will alienate yourself.

Apr 20 - May 20 May 21 -

Stop talking so much bull Taurus. Remember to be your authentic self.

21 June 22 -

You might think you can get ahead by being duplicitous Gemini, but history has shown, fakers are always caught out.

Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra

22

Try some diplomacy cancer and stop being such a crabby git.

July 23 - Aug 22 Aug 23 - Sep 22 Sep 23 - Oct 23

A natural leader Leo, sometimes you need to let others have a turn at leading. It’s not all about you, boo.

Virgo stop being so virtuous all the time. No one likes a goody- two shoes. Also, remember to let your hair down once in a while. Exams are over soon.

Libra we know you love your freedom but consider other people’s feelings when you eat the last chip. You’ll be more popular if you do.

Scorpio Sagittarius

Oct 24 - Nov 21

Scorpio you need to calm it with your sharp tongue. Try a few sweet words once in a while and watch your influence grow.

-

Sagittarius if you run away from every conflict nothing ever gets resolved. Sometimes you have to be in it to win it.

Capricorn

You boring fart Capricorn. Stop writing todo lists and live a little.

Get Schooled: Election Policies for Uni Students

By Aiden Wilson (they/them)

To quote a certain boyband, oh my god we’re back again. Today, we’re going to be having a look at some of the policies presented by the major political parties which will affect tertiary students.

If you’re reading this, you’re most likely a student of Massey or another uni in New Zealand. If not, you’re probably my mum and dad who read all my work (hello Toni and Nick, hope you’re well).

With this election being nothing short of important, it is vital that all who are eligible to vote have the tools and knowledge to do so confidently.

The following article will present policies relating to us students, things which will affect not only those continuing study in the years to come, but maybe even those who will be finished within the next year or have finished and have unpaid loans.

Read on, educate yourself (if you need it) or refamiliarize yourself if you already know these policies.

Labour

Under the current Labour government, New Zealand tertiary students have seen:

• The implementation of ‘first year fees free’.

• Multiple increases to both student allowance and student loan living costs.

If Labour are re-elected, they will:

• Invest an additional $128 million to increase tuition subsidies at degree-level and above by a further 4% (in 2024 and 2025).

• Improve transition support for neurodiverse students moving between secondary schooling and tertiary education.

• Restore the requirement for university councils to have two paid student members and ensure students have a strong collective voice in the decisions made by tertiary institutions.

National

Initially claiming they would remove it, National have since said they will NOT abolish first year fees free if they are

elected into government. National will also

• Pay nurses’ and midwives’ student loan repayments up to a total of $4,500 a year for the first five years of their career, provided they remain working in their profession in New Zealand.

• Incentivise international students to study in NZ by fast tracking visa processing, diversifying the countries NZ recruits students from, and increase the hours international students are able to work each week from 20 to 24.

Greens

For their 2023 election policies, the Green party is proposing:

• Introduce a universal weekly living payment of $385, including at postgraduate level.

• Ensure courses that require work placements pay students at least the living wage.

• Address the impact of student debt by increasing the threshold for student loan repayments and reducing the repayment rate.

• Work towards a student debt write-off.

• To strengthen student voice in tertiary governance and return to default student union membership.

• Overhaul funding for the tertiary sector to ensure a wide range of course options, quality teaching, decent pay and working conditions for staff, comprehensive student services, and rigorous research.

• Reform student accommodation, through compliance requirements under the Residential Tenancies Act, to ensure high standards of housing and pastoral care.

• Ensure all tertiary institutes uphold te Tiriti o Waitangi and deliver equitable outcomes for tauira Māori.

• Fully resource Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to increase opportunities and pathways for kaupapa Māori education.

• To require tertiary institutes to provide disabled students with equitable opportunities to achieve their individual capabilities and participate in all aspects of tertiary education life.

ACT

Much like the previous article, ACT does not seem to have any information available on current tertiary education policies. I ask again, deliberately hidden or just no policies? You decide.

• It should be noted that in previous years, the ACT party has said they will put interest back on student loans. Back in 2016, this idea was introduced as one of their policies, but since 2020 they have gone back on it.

• A Newshub article stated that Labour’s Instagram had a post in September of this year claiming that a Nats/ACT coalition would cause interest to be added back as well as fees free being outright cut, something which ACT is claiming as misinformation. However, multiple sources (The Post, The Spinoff, PolicyNZ, and Newshub) have all stated that ACT would remove fees free.

• Still doesn’t answer the question – DOES ACT have any policies pertaining to tertiary education? If they do, they are not available on their website, and are not easy to come across even with very specific search questions.

And That’s just focusing on the university side, not even mentioning that this policy allows for people to undertake fees free work-based programs instead of university if they wish.

You could make the argument about students undertaking this first year for free, then not completing their degree due to dropping out after once the first year is complete, to which I would argue that even some tertiary education is valuable. Students who complete only the first year of study because it’s free and they can, are still getting knowledge or skills they might not have otherwise. They are still coming away with more experience than they had going in.

It’s an excellent system, and one that SHOULD be kept in place.

Aiden’s two cents

CAUTION: The above article is an unbiased rundown of the facts. It only shows off policies and facts provided by the parties themselves, whether shown on their websites/other publications, or from quotes given to news outlets.

THE FOLLOWING SECTION IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION AND VIEWS. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ THEM, SKIP AHEAD TO THE CONCLUSION.

I was a “fees free” first year. If it wasn’t for my first year at university being free of charge, I may not have even started my degree. Having the guarantee that my first year would cost nothing, no matter what happens, was a huge motivator to actually give it a go. Yes, I would not have had to pay upfront costs, as I got Studylink funding, but the money spent on my first year would have needed to been paid off eventually. What I’m getting at is this: first year fees free has been a motivator for many, including me, to actually give studying a go when they may not have otherwise.

In conclusion

Like last time, this article was designed as a tool to inform, and not sway you in any particular direction. I have my thoughts and opinions, and you have yours. While I do care who you vote for, I’m not going to try change your mind and only really care that you vote.

With that being said, EVERYONE should hopefully be voting. History has shown that one vote can be the deciding factor in who will be running our country next. Don’t sit back and think you’re not important in this selection.

As of the 2nd of October, I can say that I have voted. I hope that if you haven’t done so already, you’ll be able to soon. And I sincerely hope that when you go into your local voting space, you do so confident in your choices, and confident that your say truly reflects who YOU want to see in power.