MASSIVE Magazine - Issue 16 - 2022 by Massive Magazine

MASSIVE 8 august 2022

What’s inside Massive is registered under the New Zealand Press Council which allows our readers to reach out to an independent forum for any complaints that can’t be solved by Massive Magazine, or its editorial board. Massive is also a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association. The views, beliefs and opinions reflected in the pages of Massive do not represent Massey University. Please send any queries or complaints to editor@massivemagazine.org.nz

News

Features Top Ranked Places for a European Bender

An Abolitionist Perspective on Cancel Culture

Periods - if you don't know, now you know

An Addition To Your Crippling Debt

Columns Worst of the Worst Massey Confessions Sexcapades Solicited Advice Te Reo & NZSL Horoscopes Snapchats Puzzle Time President’s Column

Editor - Mason Tangatatai Designer - Marie Bailey News Editor - Elise Cacace Culture Editor - Elena McIntyre-Reet Sub Editor - Jamie Mactaggart

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News Reporter - Sammy Carter Feature Writer - Mia Faiumu Feature Writer - Lily Petrovich Feature Writer - Aiden Wilson Illustrator - Kimi Moana Illustrator - Sara Moana Photographer - Amelia Radley

Let's be try hards again Mason Tangatatai (he/him)

My try hard era dates back to year 7. I was the kid putting their hand up in class, taking on extracurricular activities, playing multiple sports, even studying. And, while I strung myself thin trying to be the best version of myself, I look back and quickly recognise they were the most stress-free moments of my life. But, as I’m sure with many kiwi kids, the try hard was slowly strangled out of me in favour of seeming cool. This was a big thing in high school, but now that we’re a bit more grown up, why can’t we go back to our try hard selves?! To all you reading this, I’ve compiled a list of try hard activities to try hard at this week. Wake up early: As a night owl this was one of the hardest adaptations for me. For years I’ve sat envious of those put together fuckers who wake up at 6am, read, go to the gym and meditate all before I've opened my eyes. Against every bone in my body, I’ve been trying my best to wake up early, and it’s made a significant change to my productivity. Who knew having a regular sleep schedule makes you less tired! Prioritise tasks: Making a to-do list is a simple piece of advice, but actually knowing how to prioritise what you need to do is where the try hard really kicks in. As lazy creatures we often write up a to-do list, do the easiest, most comfortable activities first, pat ourselves on the back for doing a few easy tasks and then leave the rest for another day. This is a vicious cycle that I’ve been stuck in while writing this editorial. Instead of writing this on the Wednesday when it’s usually due, I’m here at 10:39 on a Sunday night giving you advice on how to be productive. In short, do the hard things first and give yourself enough time to do things well.

Don't fall for peer pressure: Flat mates constantly busting into your room to chat about fuck all? It's time to set some boundaries! Now, not falling for peer pressure does NOT mean you have to neglect your social life. It is more about picking and choosing your times to socialise. I for one, have friends that hang out for long periods of time. This often leaves me behind in what I need to do. Finish your tasks before you hangout, don’t try to trick yourself into thinking you’ll actually do it afterwards. Set yourself up for success: Setting yourself up for success has made the biggest change on my try hard journey, and it's probably the easiest adaptation I've made. It’s all about giving yourself the most possible time during the week to do what you want to do, instead of being stuck stressed over little tasks. Setting yourself up can be as easy as meal prepping on a Sunday so you don’t have to worry about cooking during the week, or just getting your washing out on a sunny day. All of these tasks give you more time to do what you actually want to do. At the route of not trying hard is the possibility of failure. People are more caught up with the fantasy of not trying and not risking the possibility of failure. It’s a matter of could’ve versus would’ve. When we were 15-year old’s trying to make it in a world of societal standards, not trying hard that had a purpose. Now that we aren’t losers, there is no excuse. If you want to relive the glory days, being a try hard is the way to go.

8 AUGUST 2022

MASSIVE NEWS

WHAT’S GOING ON? WEEKLY NEWS UPDATES

Therapy dogs helping students mental health Elise Cacace (she/her)

For those of you lucky enough to have grown up with a family pet, you’ll know how depressing it can be when they’re not around. Students are known to have naturally poor mental health, and not having a furry friend to cuddle with just adds to the problem. However, there may be a solution. ‘Pet therapy’ is on the rise in facilities all around the world - including Massey University - and is known to boost happy hormones, reduce stress, and improve our overall health and wellbeing. Ann Evans from Canine Friends Pet Therapy says, “We just can’t believe the difference. Students come in with solemn faces, all stressed because it’s study week, and they leave happy as and willing to face the day. It’s unreal the difference that a four-legged dog has on you.” Dogs have proven to lower blood pressure through touch and contact,

which in turn helps to calm emotions and reduce anxiety symptoms. Therapy Dogs New Zealand writes, “While a therapy dog is unable to change the circumstances and make everything okay, the dog is a present, available, and reliable source of comfort and companionship. They have an instinctive way of knowing who needs their attention and affection.” Requesting time with a therapy dog is simple. Ann Evans says, “We have a website, caninefriends.org.nz, and on it you can request a visit. Anybody can ask, and if we can do the visit then we will. We have just recently visited Massey University in Palmerston North.” To request a therapy dog visit on a Massey campus, seek permission from the operations team, or get in touch with a member of a students’ association. Maria Millar, a Student Health Counsellor at Massey Albany says, “From my own point of view as a counsellor and pet owner, pets have 4 • Karere

the capacity to be incredibly therapeutic, calming and reassuring due to the fact that they are generally non-judgmental. I’d love it if we could bring pets in.” Humans aren’t the only beneficiaries of therapy dogs. “The dogs love doing what they do, and when anybody loves doing what they do, they do it well. The dogs wear a red scarf that says Canine Friends, and as soon as you bring it out, they know exactly where they’re going and what they’re doing and they are just so excited,” says Ann Evans “They also understand us. They’ll give an extra cuddle to a student who’s a bit tearful, or be extra careful around those who have never been close to a dog. All our dogs must pass an assessment to do this, which is all based on temperament and behavior. They’re all our own pets and it is all voluntary.” “In a student situation, we always go as a group and it seems to improve everything and make students just want to get up and do things. We just think of dogs as our happiness pill.”

8 AUGUST 2022

MASSIVE NEWS

Make It 16 calls for a lower voting age Elise Cacace (she/her)

Make It 16 is an advocacy group for lowering the voting age in New Zealand. The campaign started in 2019 as a product of Youth Parliament, and has worked its way up to a national network of people advocating for 16- and 17-year-olds to be granted the right to vote. Make It 16 has recently made their case in front of the Supreme Court – the most superior court in New Zealand. “Lowering the voting age to 16 is just another vehicle to have better representation for the issues of our time, which includes the threat of climate change, dwindling mental health systems, rapid inequality and a housing crisis that seems unsolvable for generations,” says Sanat Singh, CoDirector of Make It 16. “We need people in power that are going to be thinking about the long term, and are going to think about how to solve these existential issues. We also need voters that are going to hold the people in power more accountable to those issues.” A common argument against lowering the voting age is that 16-year-olds are not mature enough to vote. Sanat Singh says, “Take a 16-year-old versus an 18-year-old. There isn’t a big difference in maturity levels, and there is a lot of data around the development of our brains and our decision-making abilities that backs this up. I also don’t think maturity is a great indicator of whether someone should be able to vote, because we have people eligible to vote that are far more immature than sixteen-year-olds.”

based on the grounds listed in s 21 of the Human Rights act 1993, which includes age discrimination for those aged 16 and above. The Bill of Rights also states that rights can be “reasonably limited” without breaching the Bill of Rights if those limits are justified. Make It 16 believes that there is no such justification for disallowing 16-year-olds to vote, and therefore their fundamental rights have been breached.

decided by us or our generation. We are systemically being excluded from a democracy that seeks to create a world that we have to fix. Therefore, we need the vote, we deserve the vote and we will get the vote.”

“The window for lowering the voting age has never been better,” says Sanat Singh. “The period of 2022 and 2023 [has] presented a lot of opportunities, and there are still a lot of opportunities to really push for. We “The Supreme Court is not due to pass have local elections coming up, two a decision any time soon, it will be electoral review panels and then the at least a couple of months, and we general elections next year, so not only are going to let them take their time. are conversations about politics and However, the arguments that we are what’s happening in our lives taking representing are pretty fundamental to the front and center, but conversations what we want New Zealand democracy about the way we run our democracy to look like right now, and we hope that are also happening.” the Supreme Justices listened to what we had to say and agree with us,” says “If we want to lower the voting age in Sanat Singh. the next 5-10 years, this is our window to do the most pushing.” “What we really want to do is create a space and a conversation around what The Make It 16 petition is currently young people can really bring to the 6,300 signatures deep into a goal table in our country, because currently of 10,000, which Sanat says is an the state of the conversation is dire. “achievable goal”. As well as signing We tend to underestimate young the petition, Sanat also encourages people a lot, and overlook them and everybody in favour of lowering the dismiss them, and that should not be voting age to give the ‘Make It 16’ the case. The Make It 16 movement, if social media pages a follow, and to anything, is trying to create a world, or help them out by sharing posts and at least a country to begin with, where advocating for the cause. people are not written off like that anymore.” “Whatever spaces you’re located in, or whatever platforms you have, create So why now? Our voting age has been conversations with people and say set at 18 since 1974, why is now the ‘look, what do you think about lowering right time for it to change? Make It the voting age?’.” 16 writes, “The decisions that affect us and the issues that determine To sign the petition, head to the course of our life are not being www.makeit16.org.nz

Make It 16 also believes that preventing 16- and 17-year-olds from voting is unjustified age discrimination under the NZ Bill of Rights Act. Currently, the Bill of Rights has the voting age of 18 set in stone, the same Bill of Rights that states the Government cannot discriminate

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8 AUGUST 2022

MASSIVE NEWS

‘Really surreal’: Students back on campus for 'Housewarming Week' Sammy Carter (she/her)

Despite questionable weather, an entire rebrand, and some false expectations, the students’ associations put up a banger ReO Week. After a semester of few in person classes, our students’ associations were ready to welcome everyone back to campus with Housewarming Week, the new and inclusive ReO Week. Julian Tanaka, team lead of Massey at Wellington Students’ Association (MAWSA), said “Housewarming Week, as a week did go really well even if the weather was shit.” However, the week wasn’t without a few bumps. MAWSA took the risk of putting on Housewarming Fest, a music festival with local bands, artists and food trucks. The event was cancelled due to few tickets being sold and students and staff isolating. The University told MAWSA that students would have on-campus classes this semester, however many classes have remained online. “It was meant to be a big celebration of everyone coming back to campus, which is what Massey told us. So, in a way, it sucks that Massey didn’t follow through with that.” While MAWSA envisioned up to 500 students at the festival, Tanaka said less than 50 tickets were sold. “It was also the biggest event we’ve tried to hold since Covid-19 started so we knew there were some things we wouldn’t get right.” The rebranding of ReO Week was to be

inclusive to students of all ages. “When you think ReO Week you think freshers, but we wanted it to be everybody.” This ReO Week was the first of its kind, with a collaborative effort across all student cohorts. Tanaka said Massey asked them to work on some things together, including branding, a clubs’ day and a mature students' wellbeing day. Julian said the first collaborative ReO Week “was a good start, it was a good trial run”. Elizabeth Hodgson, President of MAWSA, said, “ReO Week went really well with what we had to offer. Obviously, we had to cancel our Housewarming Festival event which was a bummer.” “We didn’t get the numbers we were hoping for and that’s okay. If the students don’t want it then we obviously need to redirect our energy somewhere else.” While one event was cancelled, Hodgson was stoked to see students getting amongst it at other events, especially the clubs’ day. “It was really surreal and really great to see students on campus.” Hodgson said the associations called it Housewarming Week because they wanted to create a vibe of welcoming students back to campus and having a housewarming party with them. “I’m super excited for people to be welcomed back into the space and really feel like they have a home here at Massey.” Jake Law, President of Auckland Students’ Association (ASA) said, “Compared to semester one, we had a really good O Week.”

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He said the Wednesday clubs’ day was awesome, especially compared to the semester one clubs’ day which had a 100-person limit. “Semester one clubs’ day was really unfortunate but this one was really good. We had about 120 students and lots of staff and members of the public came over.” Similarly to MAWSA’s Housewarming Fest, ASA had an event that didn’t go as expected as well. “We did have a drag bingo on Thursday that didn’t get well attended. It was such a good event and the drag queen was amazing and we had such good feedback from the students that did come, but there were only about 10 students at each session.” “We actually had some students that wanted to come and play pool in the student lounge and didn’t want anything to do with the drag bingo so that was a bit of a shame.” Law said Massey Albany’s student population since Covid-19 is reflected in how the events are attended. “Before Covid-19 we were up to 6,500 students, I think in 2020. And we’ve dropped down to 3,500 now.” The Thursday Housewarming Party was held at The Merchant Pub in Albany with some giveaways and open bar tabs. “The party we had at The Merchant was quite a rager, we had half the bar and at least 60 people.” Law was happy to be collaborating with the other students’ associations and combining names and designs for ReO Week. “Our students are here for the student experience and it's so nice to see students back and enjoying these events and memories.”

8 AUGUST 2022

MASSIVE NEWS

Monkeypox is a here, but let's not go blaming people Mason Tangatatai (he/him)

You may remember when Covid-19 entered New Zealand's shores in early 2020. Panic filled the country and with that panic blame was placed on various communities across the motū. With Monkeypox now in New Zealand, experts warn kiwi’s to not have the same overreaction. This comes after the head of the World Health Organisation declared the Monkeypox outbreak an international public health emergency. University of Auckland Associate Professor and vaccine expert Dr Helen Petousis-Harris explained that the WHO's emergency setting was a call to action rather than an indication that we should all panic. "This isn't a disease like Covid in that it's not super infectious," she says. Monkeypox is spread through close contact with someone who has been infected with the virus. "You can get monkeypox from sleeping in the same linen as somebody, by wearing their clothes and certainly from hugging and kissing." While the virus has spread rapidly across the gay community in Europe

and the United States, Petousis-Harris says transmission isn't contingent on sexual orientation. "It's a very democratic virus, it will infect anybody," she says. "This is something we need to be aware of and we also need to be wary of not stigmatising communities about this because it won't help in controlling this." Petousis-Harris says that one of the biggest local risks in the local context is that the virus is used as a weapon in prejudiced narratives – which also became apparent during the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak. "With Covid, we saw the stigmatisation of people of Asian origin at the beginning," she says. "We also see this play out with other emerging infectious diseases that affect people who are poor. You often have people saying: 'Ah, it's just because of hygiene or whatever…. It's not a real danger'." Petousis-Harris says prejudiced narratives could lead to vulnerable groups being targeted while also contributing to others not taking the virus seriously enough. The good news is that the smallpox vaccine has proven effective against monkeypox – and we have a global

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stockpile of the vaccine around the world. "The reason there are stockpiles of smallpox vaccines is because smallpox has remained a bioterrorism threat, so maintaining research on the vaccine and therapeutic anti-virals has been ongoing all of this time, even though the disease was eradicated by 1980," she says. "There are not only stockpiles that have been maintained for decades but also new vaccines." In recent weeks, the Ministry of Health said it was still acquiring doses of the smallpox vaccine to protect the local community against the virus. The variant of monkeypox spreading around the world has a much lower mortality rate than other variants that could kill as many as 10 per cent of those infected. For this reason, Petousis-Harris is confident that the country should be able to handle the outbreak if the number of cases does escalate further. "We know how it's transmitted, we know how to prevent it, and we have treatments. We just have to work with communities to make sure that it's not stigmatised."

European Bender Top Ranked places for a

I’m in Europe at the moment, really pushing the limits of Massive’s remote work policy. I spent three weeks travelling around and spending alternating days either on the rark or completely hungover. A boring travel article from someone you do not know ranking cities you probably have already heard about sounds as boring as watching golf. Instead, I feel it’s important to address the real hot-button issue of how fun it is when you’ve drunk too much - or just enough. I absolutely did not go on a Europe trip to ‘find myself’, I went on a Europe trip to see some cool sights and test the stamina I have for an international bender.

Elena McIntrye-Reet (she/her)

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6. Marseille

Marseille is renowned for being the most dangerous city in France. If I was travelling by myself, I don’t think I’d be as comfortable having a night out there. Luckily, my travel companion was a male friend who speaks fluent French so I felt slightly safer having a night out. Marseille is a tourist attraction, so naturally drinking there is quite expensive. We went down the beach with a bottle of wine that cost the equivalent of $4 and drank in secret because there was an alcohol ban in place. Once we were economically drunk, we Lime scooted into the centre of the city and went to an “English Rock Bar”. I wasn’t keen on the idea because when I’m drunk the last thing I want to listen to is fucking Oasis blasting through shitty speakers. To my pleasant surprise what greeted me was a wonderful combination of pop divas and classic white people songs like Mr Brightside. There wasn’t even a sniff of Wonderwall. It was fun and the bartenders went around with water guns filled with vodka spraying it into people’s mouths, which is an alcohol delivery system I’ve never experienced. All in all, the experience was pleasant, but walking home was a fucking nightmare. There are rats literally everywhere in Marseille, the little fuckers come out as soon as the sun goes down like it’s the Boxing Day Sale at Briscoes. Walking home when you’re off your tits and having to contend with hundreds of rats crawling out of every drain or hole in the road is not something I would wish on my worst enemy. For that reason alone, Marseille gets my last place position, the absolute trauma of it all.

5. Amsterdam

It’s a well-established fact that Holland isn’t known for its drinking culture. Every corner has a dozen copy and paste British tourists visiting coffee shops and looking absolutely chuffed that they can smoke openly. Instead of having a big night on expensive beer, we thought it would be a great idea to get legally stoned and then go visit the Science Museum. This is the best call we could have made; the exhibits were interactive and I had the time of my life learning about planets and the human body. It was pretty fun walking around the streets of Amsterdam and feeling like a massive tourist. Alcohol was expensive and weed was cheap, and I don’t know a single person that wants to smoke a joint and then go to a club. I had two of the most restful nights of sleep in my life and wasn’t hungover for my flight the next day. Bonus points for not seeing a single rat in the street.

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4. V ienna

Known for schnitzel, the opera, and being home to the art school that rejected Hitler - Vienna held a lot of expectations for me. We decided to go on a free walking tour in the morning, but it was hotter than a mild butter chicken so we ducked out after the first stop. We headed to Prater Park - one of the longest running amusement parks in Europe. We went on a few rollercoasters that rivalled the Log Flume at Rainbow’s End and then decided to have a drink. One drink turned into several and we thought it would be an excellent idea to go on a huge rollercoaster while we were seeing double. Then we went on the bumper cars, and I showed no mercy to the families with small children who were enjoying a nice day out. After traumatising some European tourists, we headed into town where we consumed Aperol Spritz to excess. We went back to the hostel bar and, like true economic queens, topped up the drinks we paid for with a water bottle filled with vodka. I felt myself getting to an embarrassing level of intoxicated-ness and took myself to bed for a long four-hour sleep before our train. Unfortunately, that sleep was disturbed by two people who decided a shared hostel room was an ideal place to have a quickie. Vienna was a unique place to be drunk and the nightlife was great. The train ride the next day was not.

3. Westport

We were in Westport the same day as the All-Ireland grand final, the biggest Gaelic football competition in Ireland. The cheapest drink was Guinness, naturally, so we knocked back a few of those before switching to something lighter. Drinking a pint of Guinness feels like eating a whole bowl of Weet-Bix and you just end up feeling bloated and gross. We were staying with friends on a farm so we drank outside and I felt classy as fuck drinking red wine and eating cheese. It was a nice change of pace from intense nightlife and I didn’t have to pay for a single drink. We argued over who would be in charge of the aux and then went inside to play with the dog. Any form of pet when you’re drunk is a godsend, but this was an 80kg St. Bernard so my whole life felt like it had peaked. His name was George and I miss him more than air, even though he tried to eat my hat while it was still on my head. Even though Gaelic football is the most confusing sport I’ve ever watched, being able to sit in a pub with people who actually knew what was going on was a very cool atmosphere. Wine + cheese + huge dog = a high ranking for Westport. 10 • Aronui

2. Prague

Prague earns a high ranking mostly because of the price of drinks. It was NZ$3 for a pint of beer, and the food was cheap too. This meant that the kebab after a night out was more satisfying than ever before. We met some English girls and played the British version of King’s Cup, which has different nonsensical rules that I was not a fan of. It took about 30 seconds to twist everyone's arm and we headed into a club that the hostel receptionist recommended to us. The club had four different floors, live music and a pizza shop. It also had a gated entry and two terrifying bouncers that were not in the mood to chat. It felt a bit surreal and I got lost multiple times. Getting free drinks was easy because of how inexpensive they are. Being able to take a break for a slice of pizza before heading back into the throng of things was extremely convenient. Points for pizza inside the club, points for $3 beers and points for the two Kiwi guys we met in line who were from Gizzy.

1. Berlin

Berlin has a huge reputation for having crazy nightlife, the clubs stay open until midday and the famous ones are exclusive and hard to get into, especially if you look like the biggest tourists to ever walk the earth. We didn’t bother trying to get into Berghain, because we weren’t nearly edgy enough and looked like the most basic bitches to ever walk the streets of Berlin. Instead, we went to Tresor, where we waited three hours to eventually be let in at 3.30am. Waiting in line sounds like hell, but we were allowed to drink in public and the queue itself meant that we could drink and make friends before we entered. They covered our phone lenses with stickers and told us there was a strict no photography policy. The club is underground and in an old factory so it was fucking huge. I wish I’d worn my Fitbit because the absolute distance I would have racked up would blow my step stats up hugely. Everyone was dressed far cooler than me and the music was insanely loud. Despite this, it was one of the coolest nights purely for how unique the experience was. When we left it was nearly 7am and we went straight to Maccas for a double cheeseburger (extra pickles), before heading to bed and sleeping until 2pm the next day. Berlin takes the cake for really putting my stamina to the test, and boosting my ego hugely for being let in to what is meant to be quite an exclusive place. 11 • Aronui

Mia Faiumu (she/her)

Illustrated by Kimi Moana (she/her)

An Abolitionist Perspective on Cancel Culture

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In the first lockdown, you would have watched as your Instagram feed filled up with tirades of abolitionist rhetoric, and never ending posts showing plain black squares.

Cancelling people, much like incarceration, does not look at the root cause of harm but rather isolates and punishes people without deeper considerations.

You would have watched all the Instagram girls posting ACAB in their captions, screaming ‘defund the police’ and seemingly rising to abolitionist thought. It felt hopeful, for a second, until capitalism roared its ugly head and reminded you of the way social causes become commodified to enhance people’s brand.

Accountability is not synonymous with punishment.

As everybody’s eyes were on the Black Lives Matter movement, there was a moment that hinted towards a wider public understanding of the need for abolition. As people started calls to defund the police, the goals of prison abolition felt more achievable, more obtainable. As time has passed though, it’s apparent that the collective thinking has become warped from the original message of abolition.

The same girls seen posting ACAB in their captions are simultaneously encouraging their followers to send hateful messages to individuals that have disagreed or wronged them online. While it is true, that in absolutely no situation should individuals who perpetrate harm not be held accountable, it is also true that exiling individuals from their community only further entrenches negative behaviours through isolation and loss of support. We are seeing cancel culture going down a dangerous path, where there is no room for nuance, or healing, or transformation. We need to be able to move towards solutions that look to solve the root cause of harm while still ensuring restoration and accountability. It is possible for those perpetrating harm to be held accountable in ways that also provides for their transformation and education. While call-out culture can be functional for those committing harm in positions of hierarchical power, such as politicians or influential white supremacists, this is not productive in situations of your own echo chamber and group chat.

It is possible to strive for restorative forms of justice that hold individuals accountable. Realistically, the majority of those who perpetrate harm do not receive life sentences, meaning that at some point after serving time they will leave their prison cells. It is therefore likely that these people will return home to the same communities in which they’ve perpetrated harm, and often to live with the same people they’ve hurt. Therefore, it is not productive to rely on solutions that only ostracise and shame individuals. This only further entrenches their negative perceptions of the world and offers no support to remedy their harms and behaviour. Abolitionist thought strongly believes that all individuals have the capacity for change and should be given the chance to remedy their wrongs. We need to find ways to hold people accountable while enabling the perpetrator the time and resources needed to hold accountability and heal themselves. These things do have the ability to coincide together. As most issues are, this is largely caused by a lack of resources and support from the government to support criminal justice interventions that don’t rely purely on incarceration. It shouldn’t be up to the close friends and family of those committing harm, who will not be professionals, to be the sole support system or foundation for change in this individuals life. There needs to be avenues available that show perpetrators of harm the ways in which their behaviour is affecting others and ways they can change this. As individuals, our part to play is to put forward belief that every single human being deserves the opportunity for change. Cancel culture does not afford that simple tenant; rather rendering individuals incapable of taking accountability and transforming their mindset.

We need to look towards different and better solutions for justice.

We can’t buy into a culture of shaming people online when they disagree with our opinions. This only further entrenches an ethos of punishment that leaves no room for individuals to understand their wrongdoings or even remedy them. True accountability stems from acknowledging the harm that you’ve caused through an understanding of the root cause of the behaviour and a further desire to repair the harm that has been caused.

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PERIODS if you don't know, now you know

Lily Petrovich (she/they)

Illustrated by Sara Moana (she/her)

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This article is a summary of menstrual cycles from someone who is not a proffessional. Every uterus is different; if you need help or want to understand it properly see a professional. Half of us get periods, and we all know it isn’t really spoken about it unless we’re around other uterus-owning folk. Men’s testosterone levels are spoken about day after day. Period talk is taboo, boy talk is expected. But our menstrual cycles affect our lives, every single day, and means our hormone levels are constantly changing throughout the month.

Menstruation: The bloody beginning

This is the period; your cycle begins the day you start bleeding. This is the typical low energy state. This is where overall our hormone levels are low. This makes us feel flat, tired, moody, unmotivated - like our moods are shifting at a hundred miles a minute. Pretty basic, if you have a uterus you know the life and probably haven’t even needed to finish this paragraph.

Period talk tends to put the image of the white, culturallyappropriating, curly-haired, hippie lady who is against showering; or those folk who finger paint using their period blood. But when it comes to menstrual cycles, they are pretty onto it. (I don’t mean the blood art thing but if that’s your thing, you do you. I won’t be buying any pieces, thank you.) See, we’re always in our cycle. We tend to think it affects us when we’re PMSing on our period, but it’s always changing. This means bursts of motivation followed by days of no energy; or flirty confidence to rage the next. I think we can all feel a little crazy about it sometimes but we’re not that unstable, we just have a uterus. We generally get our periods roughly once a month, though everyone varies. When you think about it, it’s oddly convenient that our bodies sync up with a man-made way of organising time – months exist because we say they do. That’s because calendars aren’t MAN made but woman made. The first ever calendar was made by a woman tracking her cycle to understand the fluctuations. This is literally why we organise time in months - our menstrual cycles determine what our hormone levels are, hence how we feel, hence some historical legend mapped out lunar calendar. While in history this was significant, particularly in nonpatriarchal cultures, we’ve forgotten this. But there’s a movement to understand and talk about them more, and there’s a fucking good reason for this. So here’s the basic gist of the menstrual cycle, but please bare in mind the time frames and how they affect you is different for everyone.

Follicular phase: Vibe city

This phase is probably the trickiest, and definitely the least known one. It sometimes goes by the ‘preovulatory phase’. Shockingly, this is the phase before you ovulate. It starts before your period ends, after the first couple of days (though some sources say it starts with your period, and others as it finishes). You might notice you feel great once you get your period sometimes. This is because here, we get a fun lil hormonal friend called the ‘folliclestimulating hormone’. Essentially your uterus is forming ‘follicles’ which are like little pockets or bubbles that hold a few eggs, as they mature, the strongest one survives. Here we feel more inspired, happy, and motivated. But, like with most things in life, stress and illness will play big a factor in how much of that change we notice. While there’s a whole hell of a lot more to this weird little bubble in time, this is a basic ass run down.

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Ovulatory Phase: Slay the day away

Back to something a bit more familiar, it’s breeding time, baby! This is a great phase! This marks halfway through our cycle, and as you probably know it’s when you’re most fertile. It’s when our eggs are shipped off from the ovaries to the fallopian tubes. This is our sexual prime, our bodies want to go out and find a mate to reproduce. We’re excited, high energy, more social and open to new experiences. This is the flirty, confident bad bitch version of yourself who comes to visit. It’s great, but it’s also why sometimes we can feel unstable, going from one extreme to the other in the span of two weeks: every single month. But this is why recognising these patterns is important, instead of dipping as we go into the next phase and think ‘what happened to that girl from last week’? We just need to adapt our lifestyles to our hormones and know those hormones are coming back.

Luteal Phase: Fuck this shit

PMS! The most exciting part of our cycle (yeah, nah), where we go from our emotional height to what for a lot of us is is the lowest of our cycle. Here our bodies are thickening the walls of our uterus to prepare it for a little tiny embryo (what science calls the foetus before the eighth week). The hormone released in this stage: progesterone, increases your bodies capacity to create the stress hormone (called cortisol). What this means is that if you’re already stressed, struggling mentally, or just tend to be a really busy person, you’re far more likely to be impacted by these hormones. As boring as it is, the best way we can fight it is the whole cheesy ‘taking care of our body’ thing. Taking things slow, skipping booze for the week, a healthy amount of sleep, and eating healthy and fulfilling meals all help. Getting ahead or knowing what you need to get done when you’ll be PMSing before you start (while you're peaking during ovulation) is another way you can help offset cortisol levels. If you manage and understand it’s your body and not brain making these emotional changes, they genuinely do feel less intense.

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These cycles really aren’t a bad thing. Yeah, it can feel like we’re unstable but the only reason they suck so much is because is we really live in a man’s world. But it’s just a system, and really only an issue under capitalism where consistent weekly routines are expected of us. Men’s natural bodies are used as an excuse for just about anything but it’s never a good enough excuse when it’s a woman. Unfortunately, science hasn’t yet uncovered a lot about women’s health (the entire vagina was only fully mapped out in the 2000s). But we are learning more and more each day, and we’ve gotten to a point where universities are woman dominated. Interest in menstrual cycles is still growing, and hopefully we’ll get to a point where we all understand our different phases, how we’re affected by them, and slowly adapt our habits to match it.

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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! Its...

Illustration by @geegebee

Aiden Wilson (he/him)

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“My bookshelf full of Diary of a Wimpy Kid is hella classed up by my unused Norton Critical Edition of The Arabian Nights!” – me As stupid as this may sound, I don’t think many of us realised at the start of our degrees just how expensive everything was gonna be. In the words of Apone from the 1986 film Aliens, “Every meal's a banquet. Every pay check a fortune.” While he talks about serving in the space military, I think this is a sentiment that can very much be applied to student living. If anything, it’s teaching the majority of us to be money smart which can be difficult in a capitalist hellscape where everything is pretty and shiny, and our gatherer instincts tell us to collect random tat. What it is also teaching a lot of us, is that books are fucking expensive and for what purpose? I’m going to present you with a scenario, and if it hits too close to home, I’m very sorry. You’ve gotten your course readings on Stream for the semester, the list of required texts and what not. It gets to day one of the semester, where you sign in and look at the course resources only to see PDF extracts of the book you’ve just dropped big bucks on. Not just extracts, but entire chapters, the only chapters you’ll need to study for the semester. Yet here you are, $200 (excluding shipping) poorer, because you were told to buy a super duper ultra-rare physical copy of the book as a required text. In the business, we call this “getting straight done dirty, son”. Finding out that you’ve just poured moola into something only to get it for free is a huge slap in the face. It’s like buying Halo Infinite on release day only to see it free on Game Pass when you get home (I’m not salty about it at all I swear). It’s nice to have it physically, but is it really worth all the money you just dropped when you’re being provided with it in a digital format? The main issue with this, for me at least, is the lack of transparency as to what WILL and WON’T be available. And even when there is some transparency, it’s usually so vague that you end up buying something to only be provided what you needed. When the majority of us are on tighter budgets, knowing where we can cut costs down in our courses would be an absolute godsend.

And while we’re on transparency, how about some when it comes to a text being actually required versus it being very heavily recommended. Yes, the course work may revolve around the idea that you’re reading the text, but when you have the option to study completely different works not even in the same genre that aren’t the text, you may have just found out you purchased an expensive book all for nothing. That example is a bit more personal, but I am sure there are at least some of you who know the exact scenario I just described. While the long run solution is our lecturers being more specific in advance about which texts are TRULY required, or just the digital copies being provided all together, there is a much more quick and fun way to get what you need…

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! Its… A SERIES OF COMPLETELY ETHICAL AND NONDUBIOUS WAYS AROUND THIS ISSUE!! Totally ethical and safe yes yes At times our lecturers may “accidentally” let slip that they’ve found a site where you can obtain the eBook for free, but you “totally shouldn’t do this as it’s not gonna be good for the book’s sales, but we can’t stop you if you wanna go to this link here”. Jokes aside about eBook piracy (which you totally shouldn’t do. You wouldn’t download a book illegally, right?), the fact that many understand how expensive the costs of these texts are, to the point where they IMPLY THAT WE PIRATE THEM INSTEAD OF PROVIDING A DIGITAL COPY is just absurd. But once again, this approach brings its own issues when we come to the subject of multiple editions. Don’t you just love that you cannot purchase the $30 cheaper copy, which is nearly identical, because it’s not the correct edition of the book? I know that the translations or whatever are more up to date in later editions, but are they? Are they really? So, what’s the best way around this? How do we get our lecturers to start giving us a little more transparency, or even providing an all-digital copy of the text, just the passages we ACTUALLY NEED at the very least? I don’t fucking know I’m just a dumb third year who’s miffed that he paid a hundred bucks for Halo when he could’ve had it for free this whole time…

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WINTER WEDNESDAYS 12 PRICE ENTRY *

For visits on any Wednesday in August wellingtonzoo.com

200 Daniell Street Newtown *

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Visit the website for terms and conditions

worst of the worst

movie reviews Every week I’ll be watching the worst rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes so you don’t have to. I’ll be doing one every week until the final issue where I’ll review the worst movie ever made (according to a random article I found). What are my qualifications you ask? I took Introduction to Media Studies in my first year and got a B average, so I think I know what I’m talking about. I’m going to watch each of these movies and decide whether it is rightfully on the worst movies of all-time list, based on my expert opinion. Elena McIntyre-Reet (she/her)

How many fucking movies can you make about a shark? The answer is, apparently, four. We’ve jumped forward in our list of the worst rated movies of all time all the way to number nine. This week it’s Jaws: The Revenge. I’ve seen the first Jaws movie and I’d say it’s a good introduction to scary movies. It’s got the right amount of 1970s cringe paired with some genuine tension. I don’t appreciate what it’s done for the reputation of sharks, though - who are often friendly guys who just want to enjoy their home in the ocean without being bothered by humans. Like a lot of scary movies, Jaws: The Revenge is short, coming in at an hour and 32 minutes. Similar to other movies on this list, this movie shows the consequences of pushing for a sequel when one really isn’t required. I’m very easily scared; I block my ears when I flush the toilets on planes and jump when the lights flicker. However, this movie just made me laugh. There were a few scenes where I had hope, but the rest of it just felt like one of those fan-made edits that people make of Marvel movies. The movie lacked any tension, probably because it's about a guy who has a long-standing rivalry with a big scary fish. You’d think that with the critical reception to each Jaws film being worse than the one before that they would stop making them, but no. The producers of Jaws will go down in history as being completely unable to read a room. There are obviously good actors in it, Michael Caine makes a valiant effort to give Jaws 4 a sense of quality but it fails. Jaws: The Revenge is the fascist cousin disowned from the family and you actually end up rooting for the shark. I would encourage everyone to avoid watching this movie like the plague, it truly does suck. Jaws: The Revenge gets a confident 5/5, 5 being the absolute worst.

CONFESSIONS Everyone loves a scandalous confessions page. You’re never sure if what people saying is fake or not, but that’s what make these pages great. Massey Confessions is a facebook page based from the mighty Manawatū. These legends anonymously post unfiltered content from the very students you see in your classes every day. Below are a selection of some of the finest confessions over the summer, with a sprinkle of Massive commentary. Go and give the page a follow, you won’t regret it.

COL

Fuck off U

weed Steal their

and smoke

it yourself

u'll bounc

ing, yo Head up k

e back

ps with o b in the wo jo a se o o h n't c Or just do people

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mething

iss up or so

p rely host a @MUSA, su

SEXCAPADES

Fucked a fan Only Fans has been a revelation for me. It’s given me a way to express my creativity while also paying the bills, and some. Although Only Fans has provided a luxurious life for me, I don’t like to bring it into my dayto-day activities. Dating can be hard as an only fan model. So, when I’m going on dates, or meeting people in town, I don’t let them know what I do for a living, unless I see them as something special. The story starts on tinder (as they all do). I was talking to this dude, he had great energy and I felt like the conversation was going places. It was a plus that he was pretty handsome too. I decided he would be good to meet up with and have a drink. We met up, hit it off, headed back to his place and I put my skills to work. After fucking for what felt like an entire night, he slipped into the shower, but left his phone behind. Me being the nosey bitch I decided to check his phone, to see if i was the only one. What I found was mortifying.

When unlocking his phone, I saw his screensaver. It’s a picture of a fully naked girl. It took me a moment to realise, but the girl in the photo looked awfully familiar, and after a moment of starting, I realised it was me. This guy had been subscribed to my Only Fans and knew who I was. Cheeky bastard. But it gets worse! I only have a few thousand followers, so I wanted to check out who he was. After finding his username and searching it up in my chat bar, I was shocked. This man had spent HUNDREDS of dollars on my content. He once even requested a pair of worn panties. When was he going to tell me, was he ever going to tell me?! When he came back from the shower I asked if he knew what I did for work. He knew he was caught and proceeded to tell me that he knew I was a slut and would be easy to get into bed with. Thanks buddy, next time I hook up with someone I’ll check to see if they’re a fan.

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SOLICITED ADVICE

Solicited advice is a weekly column where an underqualified anonymous guru answers the questions you want answered. This won’t include the stock-standard, sugar-coated advice you’re used to hearing – we’re talking about the truths that are REALLY on your mind.

How should I spend my $350 from the govt? Up to you g, but some tight options: • • • • •

10-ounce bullion cast silver bar 0.43% of my student loan 121kg of carrots A personal video from Kevin from the Office Almost 4 oodies but please don't because I find them weird

Is going to the grad ceremony worth it? To let you in on a little secret - I am a graduate (eek) and have attended two other people's graduations too. They are long and horrible. The only thing that makes them enjoyable is when someone graduates and their whanau celebrates with a haka or mean waiata. Otherwise, they are hell and the butchering of the names HURTS. That being said, I don't think that you really go to grad for you, but for the people in your life, so I think (if you like ur family lol), listen to what your family wants to do. If your family are all excited and keen then go for it. But if they're not really fussed, then maybe just have a nice dinner and take some nice photos. I'm pretty sure you can hire the garb independently from graduation if need be.

Are masks scams? I'm afraid I am the incorrect person to be asking this too and I suggest you ask - and indeed trust - the experts, who are of course doctors, virologists and the like. Being curious and unsure is fine, but literally why for the love of God would you ask an anonymous column in MASSIVE MAGAZINE of all places about health advice when you could potentially legit die??? Seems like a goofy thing to do?? Trust the expert's babe and for one in my life... I'm comfy to admit... I'm not one! Do you have a question you’re dying to have answered? DM Massive Magazine on Instagram and look out for next week’s issue. Also, follow us while you’re at it x 26 • Rangitaki

Te Reo and NZSL Words of the week Revitalising Te Reo Māori and NZSL is of paramount importance. Take a few minutes out of your dat to learn and memorise these words.

It’s the least we can do.

Hikoi Walk

Kanikani Dance

Oma Run

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Horoscopes Cappy, Cappy, Cappy … try to spend less time organizing your desk and your notes and more time actually learning and studying! A clean desk can only get you so far in your degree.

While you’re complaining about whatever it is this week, Cancer, why don’t you write a submission to the council and put your pessimism to good use! Be the change you want to see in the world x

Cancer

Capricorn

Aquarius

Pisces

Aries

Not everyone deserves to be your friend, Aquaman! Take some time to reflect on your worth and then cut the people out who don’t match your energy. Lighten the load, bby.

Leo

You do not always have to be the one putting in the effort – stop giving 100% when they’re only giving 50%. Are you a doormat? Then why are you letting people walk all over you?! Stop taking shit!

Virgo

As one of the most passionate signs, the stars tell me it is time to channel that passion into your academia rather than arguing with your mates. Try speaking up in class! Or do your readings!

Libra

You have to try being less of a Sensitive Sally this week, Taurus. Or at the very least, why not actually speak up when you’re upset rather than internalizing it? Idk, just a thought x

Scorpio

Taurus Something big is about to change, Gemini. We know you’re adaptable but buckle up! In the wise words of Dolly Parton, “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” Slay!

Gemini

Start a podcast or something. Seriously, no one in your life can be fucked listening to your drama anymore. Maybe a stranger on the internet will? Good luck, babes!

Check your negativity bias this week, Virgo! For every one flaw you find in a person, try to find two amazing things about them as well. You’ll be surprised at how effective this is for not being an asshole <3

Be on extra caution this week, Libra. The stars are saying a run-in with the law is of high probability. Don’t worry though, if anyone can charm their way out of it, it’s you. Check your blind spots!

Don’t fight against your emotions this week Scorpio – lean into them. Ride the wave, baby. Write in your journal, or better yet, write on a plate and then smash it at a tree or something. Therapeutic af.

Rather than using Google this week, Sag, I encourage you to explore the full breaths of your curiosity and instead use the library whenever you have an inquiry. Retro!

Sagittarius 28 • Rangitaki

MASSIVE_MAG MASSIVE

ODA T Y

MASSIVE

Send us snaps to get featured in next weeks edition

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Puzzle time e m i t e l z z u

1 3

6 7

18 19

Across 4. 5. 7. 9. 11. 12. 13. 14. 16. 19. 20.

Maori slang, shortening of cheers (4) How many dots on a dice? (7,3) "How can I be _ my B@#$% is gay" (10) What planet has the most moons? (6) Who has won the most Academy Awards (4,6) Smallest Country in the world (7,4) Where is the 2022 Commonwealth Games held? (10) Inflated sense of self importance (10) Te reo for jump (4) Lightest element (8) The legal profession, as an institute (3) 30 • Rangitaki

Down 1. 2. 6. 8. 9. 10. 15. 17. 18.

Crayfish in te reo (5) Ranked in terms of levels of importance (9) What country do the SprinkBoks play for? (5,6) Most followed TikToker (5,4) What is rum made from? (9) NZ's best medal placing sport (6) Disease spread by pirates (6) Everyones favourite after town snack (5) 4th letter of Greek alphabet (5)

20 by 20 orthogonal maze

Get Lost

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LAST WEEKS CROSSWORD ANSWERS ACROSS: 1 RHYTM, 3 GUITAR, 4 SHEERAN, 9 DNB, 10 PARAMORE, 1 BABY, 14 INSTRUMENTAL, 17 KANYE, 18 SOPRANO, 19 YEET DOWN: 2 HEAVEN 4 SIXTY, 5 ELECTRONIC, 6 DRUM, 7 LORDE, 8 MARIMBA, 10 PUNK ROCK, 12 SHAAN, 13 SEACREST, 15 JUKEBOX,16 STAR

The target is to create as many words as possible from the letters within the Word Wheel.

Word Wheel

Sudoku

Presidents Column

You're a star!

Stephanie

M@D

Feeling overwhelmed in your course? Unsure if you’re going to get that assignment in on time? Family and life taking over time for you to study? Being a distance student can sometimes be hard, more demands from family, no set hours to attend lectures, and sometimes those around you just don’t understand your study commitments. Don’t stress, breath, talk to your course co-ordinator, ask for extensions, contact support@mad. ac.nz as our awesome Student Experience Exec can help you with the processes of what you want to do, or help with advocating your case. If you really don’t want to continue, withdraw before it’s too late to get financial or academic penalty.

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