Massive: Issue 04 'It's Political'

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Here are the names of 95 journalists, photographers, videographers and filmmakers who have lost their lives:

MUHAMMAD SALAMA

MOHAMED YAGHI

ZAYD ABU ZAYED

ALAA AL-HAMS

ANGAM AHMAD EDWAN

YASSER MAMDOUH EL-FADY

NAFEZ ABDEL JAWAD

RIZQ AL-GHARABLI

MOHAMMED ATALLAH

IYAD EL-RUWAGH

YAZAN AL-ZUWEIDI

MOHAMED JAMAL SOBHI ALTHALATHINI

AHMED BDEIR

HEBA AL-ABADLA

ABDALLAH IYAD BREIS

HAMZA AL DAHDOUH

MUSTAFA THURAYA

AKRAM ELSHAFIE

JABR ABU HADROUS

AHMED KHAIREDDINE

MOHAMAD AL-IFF

MOHAMED AZZAYTOUNIYAH

AHMAD JAMAL AL MADHOUN

MOHAMED NASER ABU HUWAIDI

MOHAMED KHALIFEH

ADEL ZOROB

ABDALLAH ALWAN

ASSEM KAMAL MOUSSA

HANEEN KASHTAN

SAMER ABU DAQQA

DUAA JABBOUR

OLA ATALLAH

HASSAN FARAJALLAH

SHAIMA EL-GAZZAR

ABDULLAH DARWISH

MONTASER AL-SAWAF

ADHAM HASSOUNA

MOSTAFA BAKEER

MOHAMED MOUIN AYYASH

ASSEM AL-BARSH

MOHAMED NABIL AL-ZAQ

JAMAL MOHAMED HANIYEH

FARAH OMAR

RABIH AL MAAMARI

AYAT KHADOURA

BILAL JADALLAH

ABDELHALIM AWAD

THE BRAVEST JOURNALISTS

Bisan Owda, the inspiration behind this week's cover, wears her press vest proudly as she walks around the rubble of what was once her home. She reports fiercely on the devasting war on Gaza.

Four years ago, Palestinian Bisan’s Instagram was filled with photos of her basketball team, selfies, travel photos, her dancing on the beach, her friends smiling, tips of the day, and the occasional activist post.

Today at 25-years-old, she is a journalist, filmmaker and activist documenting the occupational war between Israel and Hamas to her 4.4 million Instagram followers. She shows a war from the inside, where over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. Bravely sharing footage of the conflict when she is in danger of it herself.

SARI MANSOUR

HASSOUNEH SALIM

MOSTAFA EL SAWAF

AMRO SALAH ABU HAYAH

MOSSAB ASHOUR

AHMED FATIMA

YAACOUB AL-BARSH

AHMED AL-QARA

YAHYA ABU MANIH

MOHAMED ABU HASSIRA

MOHAMED AL JAJA

MOHAMAD AL-BAYYARI

MOHAMMED ABU HATAB

MAJD FADL ARANDAS

IYAD MATAR

IMAD AL-WAHIDI

MAJED KASHKO

NAZMI AL-NADIM

YASSER ABU NAMOUS

DUAA SHARAF

JAMAL AL-FAQAAWI

SAED AL-HALABI

AHMED ABU MHADI

SALMA MKHAIMER

IBRAHIM MARZOUQ

MOHAMMED IMAD LABAD

ROSHDI SARRAJ

ROEE IDAN

MOHAMMED ALI

KHALIL ABU AATHRA

SAMEEH AL-NADY

MOHAMMAD BALOUSHA

ISSAM BHAR

ABDULHADI HABIB

YOUSEF MAHER DAWAS

SALAM MEMA

HUSAM MUBARAK

ISSAM ABDALLAH

AHMED SHEHAB

MOHAMED FAYEZ ABU MATAR

SAEED AL-TAWEEL

MOHAMMED SOBH

HISHAM ALNWAJHA

ASSAAD SHAMLAKH

YANIV ZOHAR

MOHAMMAD AL-SALHI

MOHAMMAD JARGHOUN

IBRAHIM MOHAMMAD LAFI

In an Instagram reel two weeks ago, Bisan sat and spoke clearly to her camera. She holds her head high, sitting strong and straight. “It’s crucial to contemplate the fleeting nature of time because the threat of violence looms unpredictably. A bomb could drop at any moment, a mere meter away,” Bisan says.

“We carry our mobile phones, documenting these massacres and atrocities, even as we endure the relentless onslaught of genocide.”

As of March 13th, 90 Palestinian journalists were found dead, 16 injured, 4 missing, and 25 arrested.

Every video, every post Bisan makes is in protest of Israel. She candidly shows her life during war her tears at the bombing of her own office where she made news videos. She risks her life every day to help her people.

Olivia Alexander, speaking on behalf of New Zealand’s Ppl4Palestine says, “Who better to tell the stories of Gazans than Gazans themselves. They have grown up under Israel’s indefinite blockade and know exactly what their people are feeling and experiencing.”

Alexander says so many journalists have been intentionally murdered over the past 5 months, “which shows the impact their truth-telling is having against the highly resourced Israeli propaganda machine”.

Alexander says living in a relatively safe nation where our right to protest is protected by law, we have the opportunity to keep pushing these journalists' messages until Palestine is free.

As students struggling with the cost of living, one of the strongest actions we can make is to choose where our money goes. Move your KiwiSaver to a provider like Simplicity, who has no ties with Zionist Israel. And boycott businesses who are in support of the genocide in Gaza, such as McDonalds, Obela Hommus, SodaStream, Starbucks, Dominos, Chemist Warehouse and Spotlight.

If you have any spare coin, donate eSims through Gaza eSims, so Gazans can keep telling us what is truly happening on the ground.

Shukran, Sammy.

18TH MARCH 2024

ISSUE FOUR

MASSIVE MAGAZINE

MĀORI HEALTH AUTHORITY DISESTABLISHMENT CREATES DISADVANTAGES

WORDS BY YESENIA PINEDA A SHE/THEY

Māori have been disadvantaged in the health care system for generations. A year and a half ago, a government review agreed and established the Māori Health Authority.

But it hasn’t lasted long as Parliament passed an urgent bill last month to disestablish the Māori Health Authority, with the aim to make healthcare ‘equal’.

Māori Albany student, Mathew Rope said, “Equal for all doesn’t mean that our most disadvantaged and historically disenfranchised people have the same slice of pie as everyone else.”

The disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority disregards the history between Māori and Pakeha in Aotearoa. “There’s a history of mistrust with Māori and health and if this bill is being removed this government hasn’t put anything in place to replace it, so what exactly are we going back to.”

A letter was signed by more than 700 doctors last month, asking the minister of health how he planned to continue prioritising Māori health.

However, there has been no talk of replacing the authority.

“You can’t solve one hundred fifty years of mistrust and doubt in eighteen months, that's wishful thinking,” Rope said.

STARVATION USED AS WEAPON OF WAR DURING GAZA’S RAMADAN

WORDS BY SAMMY CARTER A SHE/HER

Muslim Palestinians started celebrating the holy month of Ramadan last week with the shadow of starvation and genocide over them.

There is currently no end in sight for Israel's war on Gaza. The past five months saw over 30,000 Palestinians killed and over 145,000 buildings across the Gaza strip damaged or destroyed.

Ramadan is usually a time when Muslims fast daily from sunrise to sunset, breaking the fast with a feast.

However, the European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said starvation was being used as a weapon of war in Gaza.

"We are now facing a population fighting for their own survival,” Borrell said.

The UN warned its security council that at least 576,000 people in Gaza were one step away from famine. This being one quarter of the population.

At least 27 people had died as a result of malnutrition and dehydration at hospitals over the past two weeks, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Borrell said the lack of aid entering the territory was a “manmade” crisis, due to a result of the lack of viable land routes.

"Starvation is being used as a war arm and when we condemned this happening in Ukraine, we have to use the same words for what is happening in Gaza."

"Humanitarian assistance needs to get into Gaza, and the European Union is working as much as we can in order to make it possible.”

Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press on with an offensive in southern Gaza.

Israel does not accept blame for starvation in Gaza, saying it allows aid through two crossings in the south.

However, very little aid is coming to Gaza by land, with aid agencies saying Israeli restrict what comes through the roads.

Attempts for alternative aid were made, including sea and air drops.

Despite their mass displacement and starvation, Palestinians had been seen praising Allah during Ramadan.

People prayed amongst the rubble of bombed buildings. Children danced and sprayed foam as a man sang into a speaker at a school turned shelter. Fairy lights and decorations were hung on tents.

PALMY BUS CHANGES CONFUSE STUDENTS WHO JUST WANT TO GET TO CLASS

WORDS BY ELIZABETH MOISSON A SHE/HER

Longer routes, less bus stops and endless delays are making Manawatū Massey students late to class.

Two weeks ago, Horizon’s bus routes changed to have longer routes distributed around the city, less bus stops and 100% electric buses.

While the new electric buses were meant to be faster, the longer routes cause them to be consistently behind.

Zoology student, Siobhan Barnard, said she was late to class three times, and accidentally took a bus to the airport, due to the confusion of the new structure.

Barnard said, “I am very confused as to why there is almost no buses throughout the day that actually gets you to Massey.”

Vet student Gabrielle Hydes said, “I take a regional bus every day from Martin to Palmerston North, and it does not line up with the Massey Bus.”

“I ended up missing my bus by one minute.”

Hydes also said she must leave class early to catch the only bus that runs in the evenings back to Martin.

Hydes is unable to drive due to their epilepsy.

Psychology student Sarah Goodson said there used to be a bus stop right outside her house. But now she must walk twenty minutes to the next stop.

Goodson said, “People with dyslexia and other disabilities had trouble looking at these new bus timetables. I had to help my partner with Irlen’s syndrome by explaining the timetable to them and circling our specific routes to make it easier to read.”

A second-year Vet student originally from Wellington was worried that the buses will become like the Wellington buses, which tend to be cancelled last minute.

The student said, “It really does worry me, because I enjoyed how easy these buses were when I moved up here. They were at worst five minutes behind. But now I am stuck waiting longer, just like I did in Wellington.”

Bus company, Horizons, was asked about the bus changes and the effect it had on students, but did not provide a response.

DISTANCE STUDENTS DON’T FEEL “HUMAN CONNECTION” IN ONLINE THERAPY

WORDS BY CAITLIN BINGHAM A SHE/HER

Distance students receive worse mental health support than their internal peers, despite a similar services fee.

Massey distance students pay a student service fee of $112.50 per 15-credit course, while internal students pay $135 per 15-credit course.

The fee covers health and counselling services, clubs, cultural groups, sport and recreation, pastoral care, and wellbeing.

Many of these were things that distance students said they would never use.

While internal students were able to access inperson counselling services, distance students were forced to travel to their nearest campus or attend an online therapy session.

Kimberly Knight, a distance student, found it difficult to get an appointment.

“They have very limited hours, so I can’t attend in-person as I work full time.”

Massey’s counselling services were only available from 9-5, Monday to Friday, meaning distance students who worked full-time were unable to access support.

The university’s website promoted TalkCampus, a 24/7 mental health support app that connects students across the globe to provide each other with support. However, this didn’t solve issues surrounding online counselling’s effectiveness.

An anonymous student said, “I didn’t feel like I could be as open about what I was going through via Zoom. It’s hard to create that human connection and feel as supported as I would at an in-person appointment.”

Other students had a positive experience when using online sessions.

Distance student BJ Bolter said, “The online setup was perfect as I was used to Zoom being the norm. I think there’s always better quality face-to-face because the human connection side is helpful. But for the most part, both experiences were on par for me".

Mark Rainer, manager of student life services said, “We recognise that online services are less preferable for some, but evidence has shown that they can be equally as effective or, for some, more effective.”

“Appointment wait times depend on a number of factors, but in general the wait times are significantly less than for private or hospital practitioners.”

MASSEY STUDENTS GET

FREE AND DISCOUNTED PERIOD PRODUCTS

The student association is providing free single-use period products across campuses, and Massey partners with AWWA and HELLO to offer 15% off period undies, cups, discs and more.

Surveys last year found that Massey students wanted the university to provide both single-use and discounted period products.

Massey’s sustainability engagement coordinator Charlie Potter said, “There are lots of low-waste

period products available now, but the more significant upfront costs can be a barrier for students.”

“With our partners kindly providing discounted reusable menstrual products like cups, washable pads and period underwear, it will help our students make choices that will keep single-use products out of landfill.”

Find AWWA and Hello discount codes at your MyHub student account.

BREAKING NEWS: A CEASEFIRE HAS BEEN NEGOTIATED AFTER PLAYER ONE HIT PAUSE SO THEY COULD HAVE THEIR DINNER.

In other news, fighting continues in both Gaza and Ukraine.

More on these events can be found elsewhere, for now we return you to your regularly scheduled programming blowing up a rural Mexican community in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II AAA

Video games have one glaring difference which separates them from everything else they are the only type of media which expects you to fail and try again. There is always a do-over, always one more life. It’s that notion of failure being an inevitability which makes the win so much more satisfying.

You keep going because every kill you get, every goal destroyed, every objective completed, no matter how gruesome, gives the player a sense of accomplishment that cannot be obtained from any other storytelling medium.

In 2012, one game dared to challenge the excitement and achievement offered by other military shooters.

Spec Ops: The Line was released with little fanfare. Appearing to be another run-of-the-mill shooter revelling in the spectacle of war, it instead subverted players’ expectations by providing a (admittedly heavy handed) critique on war and war gaming as a whole.

In its most famous sequence, the game tasks the player with firing white phosphorus on a large gathering of presumed enemy forces, only to then make the player walk through the carnage and find the bodies of civilians. Images of the charred remains of a mother cradling her infant are burned into the minds of anyone who played the game.

Last month, the game was removed from stores.

This might be a coincidence, but it’s chilling to see one of the few games that doesn’t glorify war ripped from shelves 12 years after its release. Meanwhile, civilians are being murdered on the streets of Gaza, with images mirroring those seen in Spec Ops: The Line coming out of the warn torn region.

Today, Spec Ops: The Line is unable to be obtained legitimately. Due to the game's publisher, 2K Games, refusing to renew several partnership licenses, Spec Ops: The Line can no longer be purchased through digital storefronts. And due to the age of the game, as well as it being locked to PS3 and Xbox 360 on console, obtaining a physical copy of the game is easier said than done.

One of the few games to try and critique the super-soldier fantasy industry just vanished.

Unlike film and television, games allow the audience to be in the driver’s seat. You’re not watching the action, you ARE the action. You are an active participant in conflict, killing hundreds of thousands of any forces in the name of protecting the ‘free world’.

I feel like films critiquing war can never stand on the same level as video games, as no matter how hard a movie tries, it’ll never be able to make the audience feel like they’re pulling the trigger. There will never be a movie that gives the viewer the same emotional response as Spec Ops: The Line. The feeling of firing on what you think is a massive enemy encampment, only to be made to trudge through the bodies of civilians YOU killed is not possible in any other medium.

Video games are a medium built for exploring topics like this. Yet whenever war is concerned, mainstream developers only wish to put the player in one position: the hero.

Call of Duty 2’s British campaign focuses on the conflict in Egypt and Africa. Battles my greatgrandfather fought in are playable.

My great-grandparents fought in the Second World War. They watched their friends bleed and die around them, and came out alive with scars so deep we never saw them. Their experiences are the basis for countless shooter games, and now we’re seeing real-world conflicts mirror the experiences we use to unwind.

I don’t feel excitement or pride when replaying these levels. I don’t feel like the hero anymore I feel uncomfortable.

Uncomfortable knowing the houses built from polygons and early 2000s textures were real, they belonged to real civilians caught up in real conflicts they never asked for.

While we might create fictional countries to use as the backdrop for fictional conflicts, it doesn’t change the fact that these games could not be further from fiction. They’re the daily lives of civilians in Ukraine and in Gaza.

Video games are an escapist medium. People play them to leave reality, not face its harshness head-on. It’s no surprise that playing the game which makes you feel bad for killing is less appealing than literally anything else.

But if facing the truth about what’s happening overseas is too much to stomach, why are we still giving ground to the super-soldier fantasy.

Gaza and Ukraine are burning, and we’re kicking back playing Call of Duty like it’s not happening.

The civilians caught in these conflicts don’t get to hit pause. Their livelihoods are decimated, and we’ve made it into an entertainment product.

IN WAR, THERE’S NO RESTART. NO SECOND LIFE. GAME OVER DOESN’T EXIST.

A POSTMORTEM From a Journo Student

WORDS BY KIRA CARRINGTONA SHE/HER

“Can we please watch the news?”

little me would beg at 6pm. We would flick on Newshub and I would watch in awe, ready to one day be a journalist just like the people on my screen.

19 days ago, my heart dropped. Newshub, the place that inspired me to get into journalism, is closing in June.

And then, barely a week later, I read that TVNZ may cut 68 jobs

Mmore alarming. It felt like another nail in the coffin of an industry we are fighting to be a part of.

Second year journo student, Leonie Sheehan got a call from her mum.

“She said, 'oh yeah did you know Newshub is closing' and was like, 'fuck, okay'.”

“I thought about it and I'm like shit.”

Third year Grace Kane spent thirty minutes reading articles about it.

"I looked it up and l was like oh my god this is really sad."

It's a weird contradiction, going to class and listening to teachers talk about how vibrant and fun a life in journalism is, then going home to another headline of mass layoffs at yet another news organization.

The Wall Street Journal, Pitchfork, Sports Illustrated, The LA times Newshub and TVNZ

Second year Bex Hogan said, "I can't deny that there's a whole new niggle at the back of my mind."

"This industry is tough and even if you do 'break out', your job and experiences are never promised."

Beyond a personal tragedy, the closure of Newhub leaves a gaping hole in the mediascape of New Zealand, not only leaving TVNZ as the last TV broadcaster standing but removing the voices and perspectives that Newshub represented and their capability to create real change.

My favourite journalist is Newshub’s Paddy Gower. Not only is he insanely talented, but he really cares about the stories he tells.

In 2022, he met a girl with cystic fibrosis who was struggling to obtain the lifechanging drug Trikafta. He advocated tirelessly on her behalf, bringing attention to her story, putting pressure on the Government until it became impossible to ignore. Pharmac agreed to fund the drug for everyone with the condition in New Zealand.

And then there's us. The journalistic hopefuls of tomorrow. When my class and I visited the TVNZ Wellington newsroom, the bureau chief announced to the room “The future is here!” Journalists came up to us and told us about themselves and what they were working on. You could feel the comradery and the passion in the room.

Now their jobs could be on the chopping block too.

I’m left wondering if there is still a place for young journalists. Sandwiched as we are between mass layoffs and the imminent rise of AI.

A few days ago, I messaged Paddy Gower, telling him how sorry I was about the closure of Newshub, and how much he and everyone there inspired me to pursue journalism.

"You will have an amazing career," he told me, "I promise. Just focus."

For better or worse, this is the life I have chosen. Newshub may be gone but the news cycle will keep going.

I only hope I will have the chance to be a part of it.

THOMAS

THE GHOST OF A VICE CHANCELLOR?

WORDS BY SAMMY CARTER A SHE/HER

She runs a university that had a $40 million budget deficit last year, and is on its way to have a $30 million deficit this year. She’s cut over 280 staff. She wants to sell 50% of property that Massey owns.

And yet to many, she seems to be an untouchable woman at the top of the university chain. Students don’t feel like they know her, staff don’t feel like she listens to them. I sat down with the rarely sighted vice chancellor Jan Thomas in Wellington’s Tussock Cafe.

My first impression of Thomas was unexpected. After being told she would be in a rush to get back to Palmerston North, she arrived 15 minutes early for the interview and told me to take my time.

However, there was a floating expectation in the air.

Her communications team emailed me prior to the interview: “We’re really keen to foster a relationship between you/Massive and Jan and the other SLT members etc as best we can. I just ask you keep this in mind with your interview and write up.”

“If things aren’t fair and balanced, it will be difficult to get your requests over the line in the future.”

Just to ram home the point, Thomas’ publicist sat down with her at Tussock Cafe, and took out her notebook and recorder.

But I had my own notebook of questions.

First up, I wanted her to know that a lot of students don’t feel like they know her, in the way that Victoria University students know their vice chancellor.

In my three years studying at Massey, I’ve never seen Thomas around campus or at student events and many have told me the same.

She didn’t agree.

“I'm not sure I am behind closed doors ... I try to locate myself in the cafes if I possibly can so that people can come up and have a chat.”

But she didn’t attend any of the recent O-Week events.

“Yeah, well I have a busy schedule but if I can, I do try and get to those sorts of things.”

Thomas occasionally holds staff forums to consult on staff and course cuts. Often, these forums happen without student knowledge. But why not hold forums for students to say how they feel about their courses and teachers being cut?

“I'm open to considering that but I have to say I'm kind of pretty busy.”

She says her deputy vice-chancellor of student engagement, Tere McGonagle-Daly, holds things like student forums and spent a lot of time engaging with the student association.

She went on to say that McGonagle-Daly would be someone I, as the Massive editor, will “know very well”. You would think so as he is the head of student engagement... I've never spoken to the man.

She says there are student reps on the council and academic board to account for the student voice.

While Thomas says “students” (emphasis on the plural), there is one student seat on the Massey council. Leaving the vote 12 to 1. The academic board is similar, with student seats being outnumbered 35 to 5. At the academic board meetings, there is no allocated time for these students to speak. Students must submit an agenda item and are restricted to stay on topic.

Thomas argues all proposals for change involved students through the pro vice chancellor in charge. The main form of consultation open to students was through a Massey email, in which students got vague responses if any at all.

I also asked Massey’s student association general president, Hennessey Wilson, if he’d seen the university hold anything like student forums. His answer was a flat “No”.

“Her style of leadership and the decisions she's making show that she's completely out of touch with her own staff and her own students.”

Wilson says the association requested to meet with Thomas and the pro vice chancellors about cuts last year. “Not a single one of those requests were meet with an invitation for a meeting, apart from the head of science who actually agreed to meet us but then ghosted us after that.”

He says Tere McGonagle-Daly agreed to meet the student association once a month. “He often misses the meetings and it’s sort of like talking to a brick wall.”

Thomas’ busy schedule gets her an impressive pay slip. She was last reported to earn $586,000 dollars annually, over $100,000 dollars more than the Prime Minister's salary. Her pay has been under constant debate, many arguing she should take a pay cut to help the university.

“I don't think too much about my salary,” she says.

“I get a set salary from the Public Service Commission through our council. What I do with my money after I get it in my bank is my business and no one's ever going to know what I do with it.”

But the question hovering in my mind, and many others, is if Thomas will be making cuts to the College of Creative Arts this year. She carefully maneuvers around this question. “I cannot ever rule out that we won't engage in some staff reduction.”

However, you could argue all vice chancellors have to make tough decisions, hired to perform a ‘bad guy’ job. Thomas laughs at this honest remark. She received death threats and hate last year. She says, “I'm a human like everybody.”

But she focuses on making the university great. Her second five-year term finishes in 2027 and she intends to stick around for it.

The interview ended with pleasantries and polite goodbyes. Her media training showed but I was satisfied, getting to ask the questions I wanted. Thomas should do more interviews she’s good at them.

HURRICANES POUA

Embrace the Political Pulse of Being Māori

WORDS BY CAMERON MCCAUSLAND-TAYLOR A SHE/HER

Hurricanes Poua are ditching orders and taking their Māoritanga off the sideline and onto the grass, protesting the Government’s Te Tiriti changes.

The rugby players altered their pregame haka two weeks ago to include the words “puppets of this redneck Government”.

After their big boss said the team would stop the players came in harder a few days later with another haka.

“Governments are temporary, the Treaty will endure. Poua will endure,” the players shouted out in Te Reo.

PHOTOS:

NGĀTI AWA, NGĀPUHI, TE ARAWA, WAITAHA

Late last year, the government proposed redefining Aotearoa’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi. The proposal claimed the bill would ensure “the same rights and duties for all New Zealanders”. However, by making us all one and the same, it threatens the tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake of Māori that Te Tiriti intended to establish, as well as ignoring the unique rights and responsibilities of us as tangata whenua.

Winston Peters, our Māori deputy prime minister Winnie, is throwing a hissy fit about the Hurricanes Poua protest. He took his moaning about the Hurricanes brand insulting the Government to X (Twitter).

“The Hurricanes may well lose support and viewers because the CEO has a bunch of naive players damaging the brand by attempting to wade into partisan political activism without any concept of reality”, he wrote.

Here’s the gag that Winnie, who is Māori himself, is failing to remember being Māori is ALWAYS political.

Whilst this haka was a deliberate decision, being Māori is ingrained into almost everything we do, influencing our decisions whether we see it or not. Whether you’re in politics, on the rugby field, or simply walking on the street existence as a Māori is inherently political 24/7.

The Poua team, with many of the players Māori, don’t just leave their cultural identity on the sideline.

Their place on that field is the result of mokopunafocused decisions that our tīpuna fought for.

Take the year 1960. The All Blacks selected no Māori players to tour South Africa due to their apartheid laws. Fast forward to the 70s, Māori players were allowed to travel with the team as “honorary whites”.

My Koro, as a teenager in the 1950s, also wasn’t selected for sports teams simply based on the fact that he IS Māori.

Rugby players of Māori descent always carry their culture with them as they play. They are always part of the bigger picture that factors in their whānau, hāpu, and iwi.

David Seymour, Winston Peters, and the others in Parliament are disgustingly spreading this “we’re all Kiwi” bullshit narrative, a dangerous attempt to downplay and erase Māori culture.

In the same breath, New Zealand still wants us to use haka during rugby games as ‘Kiwis’, but to only use it in a way that is politically easy to swallow.

Don’t take some of our culture whilst simultaneously trying to squeeze the rest of it out of us.

WORDS BY JESSIE DAVIDSON A SHE/HER

FOR GOVERNMENT!

THE TERRIFYING ONLINE MOVEMENT STAKING ITS PLACE IN NEW ZEALAND POLITICS

TRIGGER WARNING: BRIEF MENTIONS OF RAPE, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, AND MISOGYNY

Alpha male influencers are swinging New Zealand to the right. And after electing our most conservative coalition Government in years (National, ACT, and NZFirst) one has to ask: Has New Zealand just placed three alpha males in charge of our country?

I decided to figure this out for myself by asking Young ACT and Young National members. However, in true alpha male fashion, they ghosted me.

MASSIVE

MASSIVE

So instead, I travelled back to 2016. The year of Pokémon Go, chokers, and the heightened resurgence of misogyny.

With the beginning of Donald Trump’s Presidency came a reign of alpha male influencers. Popular manfluencers Andrew Tate and Ben Shapiro preached about the crisis of modern masculinity, and idea that the modern man has given into the inner workings of feminism.

Ben Shapiro tweeted to his 6.6 million followers about the ‘masculinity crisis’ in 2021: “If you need any proof that American masculinity is under attack, just go see a marriage counsellor and watch how quickly the conversation devolves into a bunch of nonsense regarding the so-called ‘sexual needs’ of your wife.”

Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed 'king of toxic masculinity' Andrew Tate famously described women as “intrinsically lazy” and puts the blame on them for being sexually assaulted. Tate is currently in Romania facing charges for rape, human trafficking, and exploiting women. Despite all this, Tate has 8.9 million followers on X (Twitter).

Manfluencer followings are primarily made up of teenage boys who are seeking role models during this vulnerable and impressionable time in their lives. When manfluencers take this place, these boys adopt terrifying radical views. And with the changes our Government plan to make in sex education curriculum, these boys won’t have the tools to combat misogynist manfluencer teachings.

For our alpha male coalition leaders, our current sex education curriculum is a big no-no. NZFirst leader Winston Peters said “woke ideology” in school curriculums shouldn’t be taught to students. While Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said sexuality issues should be taught by parents at home. As a result, our Government is planning to scrap gender, sexuality, and relationshipbased education from the sex education curriculum.

NZHerald said education officials had been warned about a possible “generation of radicals” being influenced by the views of manfluencers. Parents and teachers are calling for action before more students are indoctrinated.

Holly Bamber, club leader of Greens@VIC, agreed, saying if action isn’t taken, misogynistic attitudes "can only grow and make these boys more and more radicalised”.

Manfluencers aid in creating more radicalised voters. Bamber believed this had contributed to less young people swinging towards the left, as we saw in our last election. Bamber explained Chris Luxon’s businessman persona appeals to radical demographics as it matches the manfluencer ideology of “being as successful in business as you are with women”.

Manfluencers are creating a dangerous world for boys to learn from, girls to grow up in, and women to live in. Taking away necessary topics in our sex-ed curriculum will only make this situation worse. So, what will our Government do when the consequences of manfluencers becomes too pressing to ignore?

I would have asked the Young ACT and Nats... but I was ghosted.

MASSIVE

HEY FERGUS, MY GIRLFRIEND LIKES BONDAGE BUT I'VE NEVER DONE IT. ANY ADVICE?

You’re in the right place. I might never want to be tied down by a relationship but sign me the fuck up for bondage. Tying someone up or being tied down yourself — let me show you the ropes.

First off, you gotta know that bondage is meant to be the perfect amount of rough. Seriously. Some sheep once tied me up but she got too excited. She cut off the circulation to my dick and I thought for sure it would have to be amputated. Can you imagine the horror? So yeah, make sure they know what the fuck they’re doing and they aren’t the equivalent of a tradie apprentice who just messed up the plumbing. I’d be happy to come join you and your girlfriend and blow more than just your minds (no homo though).

If you were a hot boyscout back in the day like me, I’d use this to your advantage. Take that knot tying class into the bedroom. If you wanna get her really wet, put on your old boyscouts uniform too. Your balls might hang out of the tiny shorts, and your pecks might bust through the shirt but that's for the best. It will really help you get into the knot-tying character.

Honestly, you humans had the right idea with the bucking bronco rope me up, ride me hard, and you’ll find out exactly why everyone is chomping at the bit to have a go at me. And hey, instead of leaving you in suspense, I’m gonna tell you to try suspension as well. Find something strong enough to hold you or your girlfriend up, and soon enough you’ll be fucking like rabbits. There’s a reason why people who get tied up and turned on are called rope bunnies.

BILL MASSEY MAYONNAISE

William Ferguson Massey is the namesake of Massey University. He was the New Zealand Prime Minister from 1912 to 1925. He is often known for his racist actions during his career. The Immigration Restriction Amendment Act was passed during his term in 1920, aiming to limit Asian immigrants. That year he said, “Clearly, we want to keep the race as pure in this Dominion as it is possible to keep it.” He went on to say, “I am not a lover or admirer of the Chinese race, and I am glad to know that the number of Chinese in this country is not increasing.” In 1913, over 1,400 labour workers went on strike for two months. Massey dispatched a squad of baton wielding farmers and police on horseback, named ‘Massey’s cossacks’, to take down the workers.

A METRIC TONNE OF RACISM

A

HEAPING OF ABUSING THE PRIME MINISTER JOB TITLE

A

HEAVY BATON OF VIOLENCE TOWARDS LABOUR WORKERS

A GENEROUS SCOOP OF WHITE IRISH BALDING

ONE 2021 MASSIVE COVER CALLING HIM A “RACIST PRICK” (WHICH CAN BE SUBSTITUTED FOR ICONIC)

A LONG SAD TEAR FOR A UNIVERSITY NAMED AFTER A DICKHEAD

In my first year, I went a bit wild. I met this guy in the halls who lived a few doors down. We kept seeing each other in the line for the bathroom, and we finally got talking. One night after coming home from town, we shared an Uber back. I was feeling carsick and all the vodka crans finally caught up with me. He helped me up the stairs and back into my room. Things got heated and so I tied my hair up, if yk what I mean. He was really into it. But when he finished, something was wrong, he went bright red.

His dick was so crusted over, his cum was trapped (there seemed to be a lot of buildup). When he tried to clean and peel, all of the pressure released into my face, his face, everywhere. I obviously had a few too many drinks and didn't see or taste any of the signs. When I finally realised what happened I spewed all over him, in his mouth and everything. He then returned the favour and after a few minutes back and forth, we started cleaning, silently. A few weeks later a new girl moved into his room. Never drinking vodka crans again.

ARIES TAURUS GEMINI

That planner you wanted to maintain? You might want to check it. There’s not mounds of homework to do yet, but you still don’t want to forget it. You can’t procrastinate your work forever.

Those new doc martens sitting in your cart need to wait until your next paycheck. Impulse shopping is out, paying rent is in.

You feel indecisive about if you chose the right degree or not. Well too little too late because drop out dates are over. You ain’t getting your money back, so get on with it.

Please don’t fight a Massey vending machine this week. Those things are monsters and will knock you out without hesitation. If your snack doesn’t fall, I would suggest a tactical retreat.

Your TikTok addiction is ruining your sleep schedule. Put the phone down and have some sleepy time tea. Or at least buy some blue light glasses so you don’t lose your eyesight.

SAGITTARIUS

You’ve been avoiding talking to your flatmate about an issue that is bothering you. Dishes, bins, cleaning — something needs to change, and it won’t if you keep tiptoeing around the problem.

CANCER VIRGO

It’s way too soon in the year Your Instagram story is screaming ‘attention seeker’ this week. Chill out with the no caption crying photos.

get a good grade.

AQUARIUS

Buy an anti-bug mattress topper this week. You might get some creepy crawlies up in your sheets if you don’t. Morning showers could substitute this for a while.

Going grocery shopping sucks, but stop putting it off. You’re actually spending more money on takeaways every night you put it off.

You have a feeling that a friend of yours is only your friend because you text them first. Go radio silent to test if the friendship is real.

DITCH IT!

ACROSS

5. Drag queen duo. Trixie and __________ (5)

7. Macbook brand (5)

8. 2010 Film about King with a stammer (3,5,6)

12. Where was the New Zealand treaty largely signed in 1840 (8)

13. Palestine flag includes colours red, green, white and __________ (5)

15. President in The Hunger Games (10,4)

16. Ariana Grande’s new album (7,8)

20. The New Zealand Prime Minister (11,5)

21. Original New Zealand capital (7)

23. Massive Magazine previous issue theme (4)

24. Winner of best actress at the recent Oscars (4,5)

CROSSWORD.

DOWN

17. Politician vandalised to look like Ken on an election sign (5,7)

18. US first lady from 2009 to 2017 (8,5)

19. Podcaster in Romanian Prison (6,4)

22. Cost of living ________ (6)

1. Marie Antoinette famous quote (3,4,3,4)

2. New Zealand activist that helped women get the right to vote (4,8)

3. Te reo word for Albany (5)

4. Schoolbag (8)

6. What party is Chlöe Swarbrick the co-leader of (5)

9. Meghan Markle TV show (5)

10. McDonald’s nickname in New Zealand and Australia (6)

11. Executive Wing of New Zealand Parliament building (3,7)

14. President of Ukraine (9,9)

PRIME MINISTER

HAROLD THE GIRAFFE

“GET IN THE VAN.”

MINISTER OF FINANCE

RIHANNA

“BITCH BETTER HAVE MY MONEY.”

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

EMMA WATSON

“I DON’T WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO DECIDE WHO I AM.”

Dream

Celeb Government Dream

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTERS

FLIGHT OF THE CONCORDS

“FINALLY, ROBOTIC BEINGS RULE THE WORLD.”

MINISTER OF EDUCATION

BRIDGIT MENDLER

“COOL IS OVERRATED. BE A GEEK FOR WHAT YOU LOVE.”

MINISTER FOR M ĀORI DEVELOPMENT

JULIEN DENNISON

“I DIDN’T CHOOSE THE SKUX LIFE, THE SKUX LIFE CHOSE ME.”

GOVERNOR GENERAL

“LIFE IS GOOD WHEN YOU HAVE A GOOD SANDWICH.”

MINISTER OF CLIMATE CHANGE

LEONARDO DICAPRIO

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE “ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT.”

MINISTER OF HEALTH

DR. PHIL

“I’M GONNA OPEN UP A CAN OF WHOOPASS ON YOU.”

OPPOSITION LEADER

KIM KARDASHIAN

“GET YOUR FUCKING ASS UP AND WORK.”

CO-CHAIR OF THE PRESS GALLERY

GUY WILLIAMS

“I'VE COME HERE TO MAKE A COMEDY PROGRAMME, AND TO EXPLOIT HĀWERA'S PROBLEMS.”

MASSIVE

“RAISING AWARENESS ON THE MOST PRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OF OUR TIME IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER.”

MINISTER OF TRANSPORT

LEWIS HAMILTON

“I WAS BORN TO RACE AND TO WIN.”

DEPUTY OPPOSITION LEADER

KRIS JENNER

“YOU’RE DOING AMAZING, SWEETIE!”

CO-CHAIR OF THE PRESS GALLERY

TRISHA PAYTAS

“I WAS AN INTERNET TROLL FOR A MINUTE, NOW I CAN’T STAND THEM.”

KEANU REEVES

EDITOR IN CHIEF SAMMY CARTER SHE/HER

SUB-EDITOR NATALYA NEWMAN SHE/THEY

HEAD OF DESIGN BELLA MARESCA THEY/THEM

MANAWATŪ REPORTER ELIZABETH MOISSON SHE/HER

TE AO MĀORI ILLUSTRATOR KEELIN BELL NGĀTI MANIAPOTO, NGĀTI POROU, NGĀPUHI

ŌTEHĀ REPORTER YESENIA PINEDA SHE/THEY

STAFF WRITER AIDEN WILSON THEY/THEM

STAFF WRITER JESSIE DAVIDSON SHE/HER

ILLUSTRATOR JESS SKUDDER SHE/HER

PĀMAMAO REPORTER CAITLIN BINGHAM SHE/HER

STAFF WRITER KIRA CARRINGTON SHE/HER

COVER ART BY BELLA MARESCA

CENTREFOLD ART BY KEELIN BELL

HOROSCOPES BY NATALYA NEWMAN

DREAM GOVERNMENT BY JESSIE DAVIDSON

MASSIVE P*SSY POCKET POCKET WOULD NOT PROVIDE PURRRNOUNS