Nexus '22 | Issue 12 | It just make Cents

A DIFFERENT SORT OF

STUDENT BAR MEMBERSHIPS FROM JUST

$10.95

P/W

STUDENT AND COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE WITH 12 MONTH, 6 MONTH AND FLEXI-TERM CONTRACTS.

Jamie Strange MP for Hamilton East

Electorate & Community Office Level 1 - 475 Grey Street, Hamilton East

jamie.strangemp@parliament.govt.nz Freepost PO Box 18 888 Parliament Buildings Wellington 6160

jamiestrangemp jamie_strange jamiestrange_mp

Authorised by Jamie Strange MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

06

Nā Te Ētita

18

Soapbox

07

News

19

Pass the Aux

10

Jak Fixes Tax

20

Columns

11

Tehana Talks Student Income

30

Entertainment

12

Housing is HARD

34

Snapped

14

Ableism is Putting us in Poverty

35

Horoscopes

16

Whelmed

36

Contents + Centerfold: @photo.arcade Nexus Media Experience facebook.com/nexusnz

Puzzles

@nexusmag

@nexusmedia_nz

社论 / NĀ TE ĒTITA

NEXUS

Fuck u WINZ Without being a debbie-downer, I’m going to bring up not having money as a kid, again, and I apologise in advance. But mostly I’m going to use this editorial space as a means of having a bit of a bitch about how the finance system is set up to see those below the poverty line fail, ruthlessly ripping almost anything positive from the hands of those who deserve it most.

This isn’t going to be some sad piece about me begging for money and for you to understand the plight for Māori & Polynesian everywhere, it’s just going to be a light being shone on the systems there to allegedly help.

Your parents are either the most successful storytellers or completely incapable of spinning some lies into place - mine were the former. We were always painfully aware that there wasn’t any money, or that perhaps Christmas wasn’t going to have presents like all my friends, but that was okay because my mum and dad never let us see them sweat. They would keep it together for the benefit of our own mental health but to the detriment of theirs. This is an important distinction to make, because now I’m constantly spending my adult life trying to pay them back for the hard yards they undertook to avoid us drowning in an abyss of endless bills and ticks needing to be paid. But why am I paying them back, when it wasn’t my problem to start with.

The ika rots from the head, and that’s where you start when you begin dismantling the patriarchal system that allows those to slip through. We, as poverty stricken Māori, are constantly battling on phones for money and for grants from WINZ to satisfy the cravings that are hunger or a desire

for equal living. The bitter taste of unemployment benefits taste sour going down, forming a hearty lump in our throats as we struggle against the taste. Being referred to as bennie kids or pōhara as we wear last years fucked shoes in the heavy rain and suffer from constant colds. The system is designed to fail us, and that’s just the harsh truth.

While the government doesn’t officially recognise a national poverty line, here’s some facts for you to digest as you begin to understand the wealth disparities within Aotearoa. In the 2021 StatsNZ survey on poverty levels, 16.3% of tamariki lived in households earning 60% less than the average median household income.

The easiest, yet unofficial, measure of poverty throughout our country. Of that 16.3%, 68% were Māori or Polynesian – indicating that 1 in 6 Māori/Polynesian children were living with less than 60% of the required income to meet the living wage means within Aotearoa.

These numbers have greatly decreased since I was a kid, with government funds in place to avoid the turmoil we faced throughout the 90’s & early 00’s, but the struggle hasn’t stopped there.

Why now are they only realising the disparities in wealth distribution? Why now are we trying to fix the problems caused by the Treaty and lack of honour through the miscommunicated articles of interest? It’s idealistic of me to think that all problems should’ve been solved earlier, but is it idealistic to think that we should’ve been treating all inhabitants of this land with the same respect we all deserve?

TEAM Ētita Jak Rāta etita@nexusmag.co.nz Deputy Editor Features Tehana De Klerk tehana@nexusmag.co.nz Deputy Editor News Jared Ipsen jared@nexusmag.co.nz Designer Wenyue Ruan - 阮文悦 wenyue@nexusmag.co.nz Advertising & Communication James Raffan comms@wsu.org.nz Contributors Caitlin Walters-Freke Chelsea James Chloe Smith Dave Snell Eilidh Huggan Hannah Huggan Hannah Petuha Hayley James Joseph Riwaka Katrina Jones Keira McGregor Lara Dashfield Libbie Gillard Lily Bradley Nikki Van Dijk Sarah Morcom Simon Winship Stien Huizenga Tys Paterson Seamus Lohrey Sven Seddon Zian Volkov IT JUST MAKES CENTS

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WIHIRI NIUHI / 新闻

Last Wiki This Wiki Jared Ipsen (He/Him) Last week, I received a few comments along the lines of, “but did anything good happen in the world last week?” I mean, probably. But I tend to gravitate more towards the ‘holding truth to power’ type reporting - if you’re after more positive shit, maybe go watch Seven Sharp or something. I’ll try and be better for you, though.

A climate advocacy group have launched a postcard campaign to urge politicians to do something about climate change.

Following the release of the Government's Emission Reduction Plan in May, Nelson Tasman Climate Forum are encouraging citizens to contact their local MP to urge them to implement the recommendations. ‘There is a real risk that MPs will be distracted by other urgent business,’ the Climate Forum said in a statement. ‘[They] underestimate the importance of urgent, decisive action now.’ Rather than running an online petition, the group hopes to ‘load up the MPs’ intrays’ with postcards, which are free to send to Parliament in Aotearoa.

For more information, and to send a postcard oof your own, head to https://nelsontasmanclimateforum. ning.com

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Young people in Aotearoa are a little bit safer this week after ARISE Church’s lead pastors resigned amid allegations of serious misconduct.

Their statement was released quietly last Friday, and was followed immediately by an exclusive interview on 1News (never let a good crisis go to waste, right?). Founders John and Gillian Cameron led a tearful apology during the following Sunday’s service, where they claimed that ‘ARISE is a different church to the one talked about in most of the stories that have been aired,’ - but the church isn’t that different to the over 600 complainants who submitted to independent reviewers Pathfinding over the past six weeks. Following the apology, many ex-members on social media criticized their use of minor key piano music during their final speech, pointing to recent criticisms of Pentecostal churches using certain types of music to emotionally manipulate their congregation. Not only has ARISE Church damaged over 600 lives since their inception, they have also damaged the reputation of the wider church in Aotearoa, which is actually full of incredibly normal, not-homophobic, prochoice people that don’t want to use God as an excuse to make money. Massive shout out to journalist David Farrier, who originally broke this story and has been an invaluable source for our own reporting here at Nexus. Thank you for making the Christian church in Aotearoa a safer place to be. We owe you one.

新闻 / WIHIRI NIUHI

NEXUS

The Government has actually decided to do something about ‘excess profits’ being made by Aotearoa supermarkets.

Earlier this year, the Commerce Commision found that duopoly players and enemies of the people Foodstuffs and Woolworths were making excess profits of $1 million a day, but a recent survey

by Stuff found that 84% of their readers thought the commission’s recommendations didn’t go far enough to bring down ballooning food prices. The Government seems to agree, saying it will be ‘taking stronger action’ to allow for new supermarkets to enter the market by forcing our supermarkets to open up their wholesaling warehouses to third parties. Anti-workers rights advocate and ACT Party leader David Seymour predictably disagreed with Labour’s plan to make groceries more affordable for New Zealanders, claiming supermarket prices are the fault of ‘fair pay agreements’ for employees, and not the bullying of suppliers from Foodstuffs and Woolworths.

The Hamilton City Council is close to finalizing a deal that would see up to 4000 homes being built in the CBD. Stuff reports that Council has applied for a $151million grant from central government’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, which they plan to use to upgrade our ageing central city infrastructure to set the stage for more housing builds.

A 2018 report from Nifa Limited found that Kirikiriroa had a housing shortage of around 4000 dwellings, which has since been exacerbated by the burgenoung housing crisis of the last few years, fueled by greedy landlords and rental agencies. It’s probable that a sizeable percentage of the fund will be siphoned off by useless middle management and bureaucrats at the Hamilton City Council, but hopefully enough of it will be used to create a more affordable city for our people to call home.

IT JUST MAKES CENTS

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NEXUS

WIHIRI NIUHI / 新闻

Small Town Short News Jared Ipsen (He/Him)

A Pōhutukawa tree in Kāwhia is in the running to take out Tree Of The Year Aotearoa.

2022 marks the first year of the Rākau o te tau awards, which aims to recognise significant trees across the country. Described as one of the ‘most culturally significant living taonga for all New Zealand,’ the 1000 year old sacred Pōhutukawa known as Tangi Te Korowhiti is understood to be the final mooring place for the Tainui canoe after arriving in Aotearoa from Hawaiki 800 years ago. Five other trees are in the running to take out the inaugural award, including a pear tree, a Rāta, and a magnolia tree in the gardens of an old mental asylum. Voting is now closed, and the winning tree will be announced on June 5.

Recently discovered food pits in Tamahere have been protected by a new reserve.

Preliminary excavations for the Waikato Expressway in 2015 found nine pre-European storage and cooking pits, with human remains dated to the 1700s later uncovered in 2018. The historically significant area has now been preserved in a 1.8 hectare reserve, called Tirohia Ki Maungatautari. Ironically, archaeologists believe that the pits would never have been discovered if it wasn’t for the new expressway. Ngaati Korokii-Kahukura representative Harry Wilson told Tamahere Forum that ‘the biggest thing for me was actually returning back again, and getting access onto these grounds that we knew about but weren’t actually able to come and physically touch again.’

A large group of kororā have washed up at far north Tokerau Beach.

40 dead blue penguins were found by a local resident last week, and the Department of Conservation reported a further 20 had been found earlier in May. DoC worker Graeme Taylor told RNZ the unusual deaths were due to climate change, with changing sea temperatures affecting food levels and, in turn, the penguin’s resilience to colder winter weather. The kororā is known as the world’s smallest penguin, reaching a mere 25cm, and are currently classified as ‘at risk’ due to their declining population.

DoC expects the frequency of these events to increase as the effects of climate change continue.

Surprisingly, that's all there is for this week because sometimes nothing fucking happens. x

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NEXUS

KUPU WHAKAATU / 特辑

Jak Fixes Tax Jak Rāta (He/Him)

So the budget came out recently, and what that meant for a lot of the tauira throughout Aotearoa was confused brains as they were left scratching their heads in hopes for some semblance of understanding re monetary value in their daily lives. But the words on everyone's lips are: “Cost of living relief”.

The mere thought of $350 given free from a government is exciting in itself, until you start breaking it down. Where the funds are reallocated from- what that means for tax in other parts of our day-to-day living. How does that affect you, humble student on your minimum wage or student allowance payments?

For some of you reading this, you’re only just coming into adulthood.

This means you get to throw yourself into the amazing world that is taxes and generalised income brackets. You may get that payslip every week from The Warehouse or McBurgerFc and think, “wow, a lot of my money is going to tax. What does it mean?”. But what if told you that, as IRD research suggests, that 50% of those with net worths valuing $50 million are paying a lower tax rate than you? Kinda cooked right?

For those of you unaware or unfamiliar with what taxes are, I’m going to break it down for you in the most digestible way. Basically you pay tax on everything you either earn, buy or sell. Aotearoa’s Government relies on taxes to help fund services that ‘benefit’ us. All taxes are paid to IRD, Inland Revenue — the Government’s tax department. There’s two main types of tax you should be aware of: - Income tax — tax on what you earn — or PAYE. - Goods and Services Tax — tax on things you buy — or just GST. These tax types have varying percentages that allow the government to collect from the consumer or income earner as a means of balancing out the economic welfare of Aotearoa. Have I still got your attention? Well the main tax brackets for earnings are as follows: - 39% from $180,001 - 33% from $70,001 to $180,000 - 30%: $48,001 to $70,000 - 17.5%: $14,001 to $48,000 - 10.5%: $0 to $14,000 Taking into account the varying levels of income tax, please spend a moment to comprehend the frustration of realising those earning well above the $1 Million threshold are paying around the same tax as those earning $14,000. Before I hear you say, “oh but they’d be paying so much of their earnings,” that’s simply just not how basic economics works.

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They’d be paying comparative to their earnings as we do with ours, those comfortable under the line of 30%.

Fair tax system A common argument is that the general consumer doesn’t understand income tax enough to converse in everyday situations. While this is such a basic resolution, allowing better education will allow the general public to consume tax media easily. Revenue Minister, David Parker, has recently revealed a plan for a ‘fair tax system’ as the typical New Zealnader doesn’t know how little the wealthiest of our income earners are, only paying 12% of their total income. There’s no alleged plans to introduce a capital gains tax or wealth tax, contrary to claims of opposing potential finance ministers, but rather a system in place that gives equal value to a system unfairly attempting, and failing, to balance income tax.

Rental Freeze With an increase of 7% over the past 12 months in rental cost, the typical renter is forking out $575 p.w on average homes in subpar condition.

Waikato alone has a median price of $520, paired with the average house income being $39,583 ($761.2 p.w), leaving households with a mighty $240 for all other outgoings. While the growth in rental price has changed exponentially since February’s figures, the overall benefit from a freeze in rental prices would mean peace of mind for the common renter. The fear of rising prices disallows us to become excited to have our own places. We can’t just relax with fear hanging heavy.

Up the Green Worried about lower socio-economic households using and abusing marijuana? Want to generate more income without actually taxing heavily on essential goods & services? Start with simply legalising Marijuana.

Not only will it provide jobs for more people, but goods tax on weed has proven beneficial in green states throughout the continental USA. The tax doesn’t need to equate that of the US system, but it’s not far off with a 15% cannabis excise tax being imposed upon all purchasers of cannabis or cannabis products sold at retail.

Cut fuel tax With the current prices of fuel per litre at some of the highest we’ve seen in a decade, calls for an abolishment of fuel tax is coming into question.

The plaster on the wound has been the reduction of 25 cents per litre, but the gas overlords have just combatted that by increasing the buy in cost and raising their prices, forcing servos to match that so they can fairly pay their employees. While an understandable change, how’s about lowering the tax semi-permanently as we claw our way out of this bumble fuck of an economic crisis we’re left in.

特辑 / KUPU WHAKAATU

Ahh, money. For a while I was struggling to come up with an idea for this, but then I was given the topic of student finances. And boy do I have a lot to say about that. While I am one of the lucky ones who doesn’t actually have to worry about it too much, it’s still a pebble in the shoe of nearly everyone I know.

Before I begin, I will admit that New Zealand does do a better job than other countries, *cough* USA *cough*. Domestic students can apply for Fees Free for the first year, and we have StudyLink… such a huge help right? (Please take note of the sarcasm). However, that does not mean that student debt is piling up for people. It’s kind of crazy, don’t you think?

In this day and age, tertiary education is almost a necessity, and yet for the rest of your life you’ll probably be carrying the weight of your fees.

Now, it’s not like any of this can be magically whisked away. So instead, I’m going to lay down some fact and see what the fuck is actually up within student finances in New Zealand. According to a very nice article I found, the average loan is $23,307 New Zealand dollars. The article also states that “A University of Auckland study published in 2019 says it takes 8.3 years for someone with an undergraduate degree to pay off their loan, and 7.4 years for postgrads.” That doesn’t seem too bad, right? Maybe it does. But the honest truth is that many students accumulate so much more than that, plus it doesn’t help that wages can be such a fickle thing, and that many people don’t just walk into jobs after university; gotta start out small, aye?

So where does the problem actually come from? It will never be the student’s fault, obviously – that’s ridiculous to even think about. Is it the university’s fault? Hmm, perhaps. Is it StudyLink? Well I know many people have their words about that. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you the reason. I could go on and on blasting everything bad about capitalism as if telling it to go away will actually make it go away. But that’s child’s play, so let’s get down to business (to defeat the Huns).

The reality is, studying is unaffordable for so many people. Despite all the “help”, many people in New Zealand decide against university. Why? Well StudyLink is a pain in the arse, that's for sure. It also doesn’t help that our futures are uncertain when it comes to finding work in our field of study post-graduate. And, knowing that you have to most likely work your way up from the bottom of the food chain does suck. Like imagine finally getting that one position, getting a comfortable salary, oooh maybe thinking about starting a family (if people still want that because ew, kids), and then BOOM! You’re hit with the realisation that you still have half of your student debt to pay off. Honestly what the fuck is up with this system?

NEXUS

Do you ever get so frustrated when trying to make your point that it physically pains you and then your head starts to spin because now you’re irritated too much, and somehow you start making no sense? That’s how I feel writing this, because I can’t comprehend why the world is so shit. I am genuinely so lost in the whole student finance ordeal. And I get that university can’t be free, that’s just cracked because uhh taxes? But it’s like, why does it cost an arm and a leg just to study?

I love how this piece is supposed to be about Nexus fixing the recession and yet here I am having a sook for all the people that are absolutely crushed by the weight of their student fees. I’m sorry, let me try to be serious again.

Okay, so I’ve talked about university fees a bit, so let me talk about our trusted friend StudyLink. I haven’t had too many problems with it, and I’m fortunate enough to qualify for the Student Allowance. However, I honestly don’t think I should. The system is fucked; there are people who need the help a whole lot more than I do, and while I’m eternally grateful for qualifying for it, the amount of people that are getting cheated on by StudyLink is incongruos. Did I use that word right? Probably not. What I’m trying to say is that many students are in situations where they need the help of StudyLink’s allowance, and StudyLink is meant to provide for students in need, but they don’t.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on what makes a person qualify for it.

Or actually, do. All this talk of parents’ income is utterly ridiculous! When we graduate high school, most of us are eighteen or turning eighteen in a few months, yeah? We’re legally considered adults. Many parents see that as a one way ticket to saying “I’ve done my part, now it’s your turn to survive in the real world”, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing on their part. However, StudyLink is still asking for parents’ income like it affects students’ lives. News flash: many students don’t have the financial support of their parents (I’m not shit-talking anyone's parents before you think I am, I’m just saying it how it is). Because of this, students turn to loans which accumulate so much more debt because, not only are they using it for university fees, they’re also using it for living costs etc.

I don’t know how to fix this; I’m one person who’s studying english and political science for crying out loud. But I do recognise the problem. And I know most, if not all, of you do too. So, what do we do about it?

Ahh, university. Best years of our lives, right?

Tehana Talks Student Income Tehana De Klerk (She/Her)

IT JUST MAKES CENTS

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KUPU WHAKAATU / 特辑

Housing is HARD (tehe) Lily Bradey (She/Her) & Jak Rāta (He/Him)

Tiny Homes Tiny homes are genuinely becoming one of the most realistic options for our generation in terms of future homes. Depending what style and size you are interested in, they usually cost from $20,000 to $100,000. I love tiny homes; I could easily see myself living in one with a loft bed and a sunny reading nook. They are possibly not ideal if you are claustrophobic, tall, or if you have any family, however they are suited for some.

Pak n save Mill Street carpark This is the perfect prime location! Central to town, free WiFi, great bargains, and low food prices! (Not sponsored by paknsave.) You basically only need a car, or a cardboard box and you are away. Also, there’s only an 85% chance you’ll be robbed or attacked by someone on drugs!

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Recent prices for buying homes has become unreasonable with Kirikiriroa reaching a new high for median cost of a 3 bedroom house at $847,591, with our median income at $39,583. The maths isn't maths-ing my friends and something isn’t right. We’re not trying to be cynical, but the reality is, we’re all going to struggle to find houses within our lifetime without the untimely death of a rich overseas relative or if you somehow crack the code with lotto. This week, Jak and Lily work together to give you a list of suggestions to help you combat the current housing crisis, but we’re no experts so take these with a grain of salt (if you can afford it).

Split a Room Half serious, but sometimes sharing a room in a flat can cut costs and you can basically grow a sibling bond with someone you’ve never met.

You get to be in the same room all the time as someone who could potentially sniff your hair as you sleep, or stare intently as you sleep, or spoon you as you sleep. They’ll watch from the corner of their eye as you change post-shower.

You’ll have an audience if you bring a sneaky link around (great for exhibitionists). Perhaps sharing a room isn’t all that, but at least you get a cuddle buddy most nights!

特辑 / KUPU WHAKAATU

NEXUS

Couchsurfing Now, it’s a tale as old as time but it’s a good one so trust me on this.

Those couches that you picked up off the street during O’week? Yeah, well chuck a tiger print blanket on her and you’ve got yourself a bed that would rival any fancy hotel on a good day.

The benefits are there, and you get to hang with different mates every week. Results!

Sleeping at the gym Chances are you took up a sweet deal on a gym contract like some chump, but all is not lost because there’s gotta be some good to be found in that sweet, sweet 24h access card (unless it’s a staffed gym, sorry to you). You know the squat benches? Well they double really well as a bed. And if you’re feeling really risque, try laying down some of the workout mats and turning them into a bed; that’s for sure comfier than any box spring with shitty Kmart sheets.

Papakainga If you aren’t sure what a papakainga is, it’s basically an extended whanau living together in a commune type situation. For example, this could be a large house shared by 15-20 extended family members. Sounds like a tight squeeze, but not if it’s built with 6 bathrooms and 3 lounges.

Papakainga could also mean a group of small houses on ancestral land that live closely together. Another great idea!

Splitting costs with extended whanau means it could be affordable to build a house! You just need a family. You also need to have a reasonably functional family if you want to avoid conflict. Possibly just don’t invite your weird uncle into the discussion.

Sugar daddy’s house Have several older men in your Instagram dms telling you you’re gorgeous and deserve to be treated like a queen? Take them up on their offer! How could it possibly go wrong? I can only see benefits with living with your sugar daddy: free food, accommodation, free clothes, and an old man telling you how hot you are. May as well benefit financially from creepy entitled men hitting on you for once! You may have to move to the United States or Nigeria as this is where they live in my experience, what an adventure. Perfect plan. 10/10.

IT JUST MAKES CENTS

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KUPU WHAKAATU / 特辑

The theme for this week is “money,” and so originally this article was going to be on the different support paths you can take as you study, or something along those lines. But after the events of this week? I am angry, and heartbroken. So you know what? Get ready for a tough conversation. Because the willful ignorance and ableism of the community - everyone from doctors to our peers- is putting our disabled community in poverty.

And trigger warning, it discusses hospitalisation.

First of all, let’s address the idea that disabled people can just “go to the doctor and get a referral.” This is often said by those who have the luxury of only needing to see their GP every so often, most often for antibiotics. Disabled people are often scrutinised at doctors appointments. We often have to prepare for these appointments and gather all of our evidence and then BEG for doctors to refer us. Even if our referrals get accepted yes, they can be declined, even in the public system - then we have to beg doctors and prove why we are worth their time.

And that, to be quite frank, is disgusting. And it often comes from the idea that young people “can’t be disabled,” and so are either “anxious” or “dramatic.” And that's IF we can get a close appointment. Often we have to wait for months, even if it is for something urgent like running out of life changing medications or needing to see a crisis team. Emergency appointments? We are often told our disabilities can’t lead to emergencies and so we need to wait. Which can lead to irreparable damage. So please, don’t talk to us about emergency appointments.

Now, let’s address the medication issue. We tend to have to beg for medication - whether it's for mental health or for pain - and repeat prescriptions for pain medication? Not going to happen.

I got told “you can just get a repeat prescription” for my CRPS - a syndrome that puts me in so much pain I get taken to resus to make sure we can get my pain under control before my heart rate clocks higher than 180bpm, as many of my friends have witnessed - this week by multiple people. You really think getting a repeat prescription for oxycodone is a thing? Or diazepam? Do you know how insane we would look? If I asked my doctor for that, I’d be laughed out of the office. So no, me and other disabled people who have chronic pain and similar conditions have to go to the doctors regularly to prove we need the medication. Which we will do, because we understand the 14 N.12 / V. 55

risks and we understand that these are controlled substances.

But trying to diminish our experiences by saying we just need “a repeat prescription” and therefore “our medication isn’t necessarily an emergency?” Please, fucking check yourself. Try walking a mile in our shoes for a week, I don’t think you’d say that to ANY OF US. The last big one I got a lot this week? I pretend to be disabled “for the money.” ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Studylink alone has a TWENTY SIX PAGE FORM - not including the evidence you need to provide such as medical certificates, doctors support, prescriptions and bank statements, etc - that you have to fill before you usually receive no more than $30$40 a week. That wouldn’t cover travel to our appointments, let alone our medications. Memberships to St. Johns. And because of our disabilities, we are less likely to be employed and more likely to struggle with money and affording literally anything. You think I- or anyone else- would choose this life? To choose to have our bodies analysed and to have to prove our health is falling apart in order to get assistance? It’s humiliating.

You have no idea. As a result, we often have to choose between seeing a doctor, and eating. Paying for medication, or paying rent. This is our lives. And because you don’t always see our worst, you accuse us of faking it. Organisations like WINZ and Studylink- as well as our doctors and specialists- make that God damned impossible.

Most of the ableism I - and my friends - deal with is from other students at the university. And I myself have spent most of this week in tears trying to explain the reality of our experiences to others, just to be invalidated and ignored just because their experiences weren’t the same. Please know that your experiences are ones we pray for. We wish we had them.

Don’t add to our trauma by acting like this doesn’t matter. We struggle to get financial support, to afford our medications, to see doctors. We struggle to afford to live. You want to help?

Educate yourself. Fucking think for a sec. Because making our lives easier only happens when people listen to us and try to enact change. Your ableism and your willful ignorance to our reality is leaving us in poverty. And it leaves us heartbroken and angry. And we deserve better, because we are human too.

LISTEN NOW ON

NEXUS

MARAMARA MARAMARA KŌRERO KŌRERO / 专栏 / 专栏

Whelmed Panic Stations

by Rachael Elliott

Dave Snell (He/Him)

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Several peerthan men for doing the same work.

Nothing I’ve gotten older, it's morphed into “What am I going to do?”. When when it comes to some of this stuff, it's not healthy for me to shut managed since thethe housing crisis so…

Jury’s inreviewed over the last Knowing few decades like feeling unappreciated to make I was a teenager, why would get louder my head.studies With the down. it will pass is useful, because I know thatyou I’mwant not shownposition. that wom*n outperform to stayBut in bed day. what I’m experiencing out. in my head building, I’d curl up into a ball inhave noise the foetal actually having amen heart attack. not all sharing the be key areas that make for I seem withdrawn or angry. Me talking about Then I’d start yelling it at the top of my lungs.inMymany armsof would with others can mean leadership: self-awareness, kindness, Maybe because we’veallbeen taught are 10 Recent fromlikethe NZ protecting Health survey up over stats my head I was my face.good My parents would it in this column is helpful, andit’s let’s be honest, columnists reported that women socialself-serving skills, and different ways not to raped but boystheir still understandably not knowaged what15-24 to do.were They’d self-control, try to pull myhumility, arms pretty and just want to appear allbe knowing or heal experiencing anxiety and but depression moral men haven’t been told not to rape us? That deep down or try to talk me down, at the endatof the day itsensitivity. just neededWhileown shit,outperform right? us in unprovoked aggression, psychopathy, down, some men think they’re entitled to double the rate of men the same age, and to calm down itself. The only thing that would work would be playing greed, and the kinds of our smiles, our time, and our bodies, even Māori to youth 1.5 times more to tonarcissism, music calm are me down.

I used to golikely to sleep Metallica’s Nothing " Why am I telling you this? haveMatters a diagnosis of anxiety disorder than Machiavellian tendencies Else on repeat. non-Māori. Our trans, non-binary, gender that create things like white Catharsis? Maybe I can rationalise crime, mishandling queer, and takatāpui whānau are even Nowadays it comes as a “What am I more going tocollar do?”. My thoughts global pandemic and it by saying that if you experience marginalised, so they’re deeper in the Iofdoa for start racing about how even all these treatments my Crohn’s the need for hole. are just holding back the flood gates. My brain tells me thatthe one#metoo it too, you’re not alone. " movement.

And yet they’re day those flood gates are going to burst and it’ll be over. I won’t So able don’ttotry andwon’t tell me stillI’ll in charge.

And you be work, be that able there to feedisn’t my afamily, have to sell all societally constructed, gender specific, askI can’t us why we need my collections of stuff, and then what?

I shut still down. share Saying that the world is getting more stressful and you just need to when we say itno. kyriarchal component our mental health what I’m thinking withtoanyone.

I lay on my sidefeminism. on the couch, and get over it isn’t helpful. Talking about more is. You’re not abnormal crisis.

The till effect of gender-roles theget angry, that can help. and you’re not alone. If you’re able to reach out, well done, because try to wait it passes.

Sometimes,and if I can I digress. Whythat arewill wom*n more Maybe allAtfucked up least, because negative of these throughout Anger is experiences a bit of a misunderstood emotion. IAnyway, find it motivating. help you recognise this,we’re I hope. the very you we’re share your life, often starting before you even likely to struggle with their mental health more likely to experience mental and Jumpdafuckup by Soulfly is particularly motivating for me. If I can’t something with a selfish columnist in the Waikato. realise what is happening, is a very large than men?

MaYBE iT’s ThEiR HoRMoNEs? physical violence and abuse than men, and get angry, I just have to wait till it passes, and try to distract my mind Are comes wom*natmore to be anxious and trauma is directly linked to the development andwatching specific something risk factor on for TV. mental by The illness.

Panic mostly night,likelyTake care. because Not to mention the I’m facttrying that we’re usually mostly.

Often when to sleep.

Luckily,depressed I have a very floofywe do all the emotional of anxiety, depression, and a host of other left literally holding the baby (or the sibling, labour or because men aren’t allowed to mental illnesses. or parent or grandparent). have feelings? Either way you can thank the patriarchy, and the solution is feminism.

Maybe, until we sort that out, wom*n are going to struggle more with their mental Despite being the gold fucking standard of humanity, wom*n (yes, all wom*n, inclusive) Perhaps we’re anxious and depressed health than men.

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专栏 / MARAMARA KŌRERO

NEXUS

Soapbox Inflation has me Deflated

by Lara Dashfield

Katrina Jones (She/Her)

Prior to moving out of home and being cut off from the bank of mum and dad, if you’d ask me about inflation, I probably would have assumed that you were talking about the child infested, bacteria hoarding and hell sent Inflatable World or a pool floatie. However, now that I have to pay my own bills and thankfully never have to go to Inflatable World ever again, I understand inflation (just a little bit).

Quite simply, inflation is the rising cost of things. With Aotearoa’s inflation rate hitting a 30 year high of 6.9%, and the rising cost of living, most of us can no longer afford to even get 6.9% high.

Now they say that the constant rise of inflation is due to the postpandemic world and the ongoing war in Ukraine. But I honestly couldn’t give a flying fuck about the pandemic anymore, and I would like to tell inflation to take a test and isolate for 7 days so I can afford a block of goddamn cheese. And don’t get me started on Putin- I feel as though I need to watch what I say here as you never know how many Russian spies are among us.

" Now it’s $6.50 for a classic cheese pizza. It’s literally cheese, tomato, flour, yeast & water " It's hard to understand the whole inflation rate at 6.9% thing, but the easiest way to describe it is: remember when Pizza Hut value pizzas were all actually five dollars? Now it’s $6.50 for a classic cheese pizza. It’s literally cheese, tomato, flour, yeast & water, and yet it costs more than ¼ of the hourly minimum wage (as an ex-

Dominos employee ik the secret formula). I remember when petrol was $1.80 per litre sometime last year - it’s almost double that now, and it literally costs an arm and leg to fill up your tank. On the plus side, it’s forcing me to walk more because I am literally too poor to drive everywhere.

Now it’s no longer poor uni students who are experiencing life below the poverty line, it’s half of the fucking country. Now, the Government tried to help by doing things like raising the minimum wage, which I personally believe has made things worse (controversial ik) as businesses need to raise prices in order to afford to pay their employees a higher wage and a lot of employees who are earning above minimum will not see a pay increase, but they will still see an increase in living costs.

Stupid inflation has made small businesses, cafes and even retailers have to raise their costs, making it harder for me and many basic bitches to afford our weekly trip to Glassons, Starbucks and nail appointments. It’s also made basic necessities such as toilet paper, bread, eggs, cheese, and milk become so expensive that families cannot afford them.

We live in a first world country for Christ sakes, necessities shouldn’t be unattainable. The only people truly benefiting off inflation are the rich, Putin (maybe?) and landlords (because they’ve always been greedy fucks). While ordinary people are left to suffer, inflation makes me want to deflate.

IT JUST MAKES CENTS

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PUORO / 音乐

Capitalism can choke Jak Rāta (He/Him)

Here’s some tracks you can dismantle capitalist pigs to.

Halsey - New Americana Honestly, just rock up this song because of the vibes alone. Halsey, while a little bit annoying, still has hella bangers and you need to be taking note of some of the lyrics of the song, they’re gonna become relevant later and I'm sure there will be a test.

Madonna - Material Girl

Cage The Elephant - Ain't No Rest for the Wicked The name says it best, ain't no rest for the wicked. Damn right my dude, I won't be resting until this capitalist society decides to chuck out its values and shut the fuck up. Always listen to Cage The Elephant when you want to dismantle capitalism.

Taylor Swift - Getaway Car I think she mentions money a couple of times in this song, but it was more about the irony in the title of this song as I discuss fucking capitalism but now it's about getting away from the damage that you create from burning down an existing government structure. Plus this song just fucking slaps.

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Is there a problem with a song so obvious it punches you right in the face with its blatant commentary on societal issues?

Obviously not in the most obvious way, but nothing screams bad bitch like dancing to Material Girl and thinking up a socialist society. Fuck yeah Madonna.

Paramore - Rose-Colored Boy ABBA - Money, Money, Money Come on now, do you know ABBA is the moment. There is no way you can make a playlist about capitalism, or money, without mentioning the greatness that is money money money. Jam out this bitch while you're planning your inevitable takeover of The Beehive.

This is more about calling out the patriarchy, but the patriarchy and capitalism kinda go hand-in-hand so I don't see a problem with adding this one to the list. At the end of the day, capitalism can't really exist without patriarchy and its hooks in society, without their ability to have forward thinking.

运动 / HĀKINAKINA

NEXUS

Becca Caffyn Tehana De Klerk (She/Her)

I’m sure that lately everyone has been vibing to Harry’s House, crying when ‘Matilda’ comes on. Because of that, you’re probably trying to find more songs that just… hit different. Well friends, local folk singer-songwriter Becca Caffyn reached out to me with a sneak peak of her new song ‘Stair Kids,’ and HOLY SHIT. The talent. So, here’s a little interview to get all of you on the Becca hype-train.

Nexus: Who are your top three inspirations?

Becca: Lyrics are my favourite part of songwriting, so I’m really inspired by people who are great lyricists, particularly a lot of female singer-songwriters. If I had to pick my top three right now, I’d say Phoebe Bridgers, Holly Humberstone, and Lizzy McAlpine.

Nexus: Do you remember the first song you wrote? If so, how much do you think your writing has changed since then?

Becca: The first songs I ever wrote were very much based on what I thought a song should be, so they were happy love songs and they were terrible. When I write now, I often write with the idea that no one ever has to hear the song if I don’t want them to, which means I have no constraints with the topics I choose to write about.

Early songs of mine were very hypothetical, but now that I’m a bit older I have my own stories to tell. It really helps to balance out the broader, conceptual ideas with real details and firsthand experiences. Meeting more writers and musicians has meant I cowrite often now, which I never used to do. I also tend to craft my work and set aside time to write and finish songs, instead of relying purely on sporadic moments of inspiration.

All that said, I still don’t write good happy love songs, so that hasn’t changed.

Nexus: Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?

Becca: I’m a big op shopper. My mum and best friend are both into buying secondhand too, so I go with them pretty often. There are just so many benefits to op shopping, and so many cool pieces to be found. Upcycling clothes and jewellery is really appealing to me,

using existing things that I like and turning them into things I know I will really love wearing.

Nexus: What song has currently been stuck in your head?

Becca: There always seems to be something playing in the background in my brain, so I have a few songs on high rotation.

‘Matilda’ from the new Harry Styles album is a big one right now.

Nexus: Tell us about ‘Stair Kids’: what inspired you to write this song? How excited are you to release it?

Becca: I wrote ‘Stair Kids’ during a songwriting week at the studio I was based out of last year. It was my first year out of high school, and we were reflecting on how you and your friends change when you are all given the freedom to completely make your own choices, so that’s what we wrote about. The song just flowed out of the conversation in the room that morning, and turned out to be something we really loved.

‘Stair Kids’ is my debut single, and I am ecstatic to finally be putting it out. It’s been so rewarding showing it to people who have seen me working on my music for the past few years and seeing them get excited about it too. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m so ready to introduce myself and for ‘Stair Kids’ to be out in the world.

Nexus: What are your ambitions for the rest of the year?

Becca: ‘Stair Kids’ is the first of the releases I have planned for this year, so the rest of the year will involve putting out a few more songs and doing some gigs. Now that live music is back and hopefully here to stay, I’m really keen to play my songs live and do a few headline shows. I have a goal of playing 100 gigs in the next few years, so I have a lot of work to do there. I’d also really love to hear one of my songs on a student radio station.

One of the exciting things about doing music is the opportunities you don’t see coming, so I’m looking forward to seeing what might come after my releases.

IT JUST MAKES CENTS

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MARAMARA KŌRERO / 专栏

DOPAMINE MAKE BRAIN GO BRRRR Remember that feeling of opening a birthday card and seeing a crisp $20 note fall out? Why did your brain do that? It's just a piece of plastic with no actual physical benefit, right? Well, it all comes down to a little molecule called Dopamine.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter. These are naturally occurring chemicals that play a key role in transferring information across the body. Dopamine, in particular, is responsible for our sense of pleasure and reward. Whether it be listening to your favourite music or enjoying a delicious meal, your brain interprets these activities as enjoyable and releases dopamine which activates a particular part of the brain known as the striatum. Activation of the striatum is what we recognise as pleasure. When completing a task or achieving a goal, dopamine is there to give you a pat on the back for a job well done. Dopamine also plays a massive role in motivation. If your brain determines that doing something won't produce high levels of dopamine, you feel less inclined to do it.

Some things release more dopamine and leave our brain wanting more. This is an addiction. Our brain becomes used to high levels of dopamine and begins to reduce the production of dopamine and associated dopamine receptors. Decreases in dopamine levels create a feeling of withdrawal as we need something to increase our dopamine, leading to addiction. Drugs such as cocaine and nicotine in cigarettes and vapes contain chemicals that are similar to ATP. These doppelganger molecules bind to adenosine receptors and instigate a chemical reaction to release lots of dopamine in the

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brain. Your brain likes to have lots of dopamine despite knowing the negative effects of the substance. This is why it's difficult to quit.

Alcohol and coffee can have similar effects. Sometimes, everyday things such as eating can develop addictive tendencies. That feeling of craving sugar after a sweet drink. That's a mild form of addiction.

As long as something is seen as rewarding, the brain will crave it.

It has been recently found that anticipation actually causes higher levels of dopamine. From clickbait titles to commercials, companies often exploit this to keep you coming back for more in search of reward.

Since the dawn of humankind, we have assigned value to an object to be given in exchange for goods and services. This is the basic concept of money. While these days, it's mostly digital, it still instals the same sense of fulfilment in its use. Spending money produces dopamine as we are receiving something that we know is enjoyable.

And receiving money also produces dopamine as we are rewarded for doing something.

However, like anything that releases dopamine, we can become reliant on it for satisfaction. They say

"Money makes the world go round, round," and it does this with the universal currency of dopamine.

专栏 / MARAMARA KŌRERO

NEXUS

YOU KNOW WHAT STUDENTS HAVE? Money to spare - or at least according to Studylink. Here’s a quick breakdown of the max you can get a week for those of you who are lucky enough to not get living loan costs: - $281. 60 total for the week.

- Rent (for me)= $170.

- Fuel= $20 (I can’t use public transport, don't @me about it).

- Food= $60-70 depending on what’s on special.

(Leaves me with 80 to save or pay extra bills that pop up- like my car shitting itself again… note – don’t get a Volkswagen) - Average appointment for a psychiatrist= $600 upwards.

Dear Studylink- tell me HOW THE FUCK students are meant to get help, if they aren’t lucky enough to get a funded appointment?

Personally, I’m going through the process of ADHD diagnosis – got told to go private – looked at the cost, said fuck that and continued to struggle. Studylink very much does not cover that. Buying a bloody block of cheese for myself puts my budget off – so to say the least I do not have that kind of money. After bitching to the student health centre enough I got referred through the DHB only to be diagnosed with anxiety???? I again went down the path of trying to get a referral. And luckily, I got myself a funded appointment through the Uni with a clinical psychologist, who promptly diagnosed me with ADHD. Now here’s the thing- she can’t prescribe meds- only a psychiatrist can. So now I’m waiting for yet ANOTHER REFERRAL. But if I could have afforded a private psychiatrist I’d already be where I needed to be.

My main point I’m bitching about here in my little ramble is the fact that for students, who have no other income except Studylink, and whose parents can’t help them financially, seeking a diagnosis for something affecting your study is a hell of a journey.

The only advice I have is keep pushing. I know I still have it better off than some, so I’m grateful, but at the same time it would be great if there was an additional loan concept for mental health through study link. And if there is already a system for that they don’t make it known, or at least I haven’t been told.

From a pōhara/broke-bitch IT JUST MAKES CENTS

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MARAMARA KŌRERO / 专栏

Money, the thing that makes the world go round. Nevermind the existence of gravity, this stuff will bring you back down to Earth.

Unfortunately though, it’s not always used as a force for good. Fossil fuel companies - I’m looking at you.

As always, I’m writing about climate change. And for this week’s issue, that means there’s a lot to unpack. There’s a lot to write about if you’re trying to explain the history, forces, and systems that have led us to our current economic system. For now, I’ll do my best to put it simply.

We live in a world where nature is worth more, financially, dead than alive. A tree is worth more dead than alive, animals are worth more dead than alive. Oil is worth more when it’s burnt than it is staying in the ground. The Amazon rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, New Zealand’s expansive biodiversity- it’s all worth destroying to the past of no return, because it’s worth more that way. Those who profit from these activities have turned our attention to what they want us to look at. Even when they know it’s destroying our planet, even when they know the consequences that it is having now and into the future.

The fossil fuel industry, aware of the consequences of climate change back in the 70’s created a multi-decade, multibillion dollar disinformation campaign to ensure public discourse and policy maintained their profit. It started with repositioning global warming as a theory and economic scaremongering, and now ads that push greenwashing, carbon footprints, and that fossil fuels are ‘part of the solution’.

Not only is this form of economic thinking causing the issue, it’s also making every attempt to hinder climate action. In almost every piece of legislation the New Zealand government has passed around climate action, agriculture has been excluded or exempt because of its role in our economy. Despite contributing 48% of emissions, dairy products are our largest export group. We shouldn’t rely on market-based emissions if the New Zealand government intends to make meaningful cuts in our emissions.

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Where this leaves us today is a society that is obsessed with sustained economic growth, regardless of the consequences, which is affecting us in other ways too. In New Zealand, the poorest 50% own 2% of all wealth. That means we live in a country where one half owns 2% of wealth and the other half owns 98%. More so, under our economic system, everything is produced for a profit.

Food isn’t made to produce food and homes aren’t built to house people. When it’s not profitable to feed people, or ensure everyone has shelter, we let the food go to waste, the people starve, and the homes stay empty.

We prioritise our constructs of economic growth over basic human rights and needs. So when the climate crisis threatens our rights, that isn’t enough to constitute action from leaders, corporations, and those in power.

What I hope awakens people to how screwed up and frightening this economic theory is, is that we are also the trees and the animals.

The loss of life from the climate crisis, from the floods, hurricanes, and wildfires, is deemed less important than the current profit to be gained from fossil fuels. What that means for humanity, is that we’ve created a way of thinking that places expansive loss of lives and the environment is placed below something we created. Are we interested in scapegoating humanity for the greed and corruption of a tiny elite? What would it mean to construct society around our actual values and lives?

The purpose of what I’m writing is to make people enraged and engaged, but not defeated. This is an economic system, which means it can be changed. We are capable of constructing ourselves within planetary and ecological boundaries. In fact, we have for the vast majority of our history, and many Indigenous cultures keep earth-centred philosophies alive to this day.

It’s our time, now, to find our collective voice and power to stand up to that elite that is risking our lives and livelihoods. Make sure to follow @climateactionhub on Instagram or email me at Hannah@ envirocentre.org.nz to get involved.

MARAMARA KŌRERO / 专栏

专栏 / MARAMARA KŌRERO

NEXUS

Why you should be a Marxist Do YOU hate hustle culture? The idea of a 9-5? Racism? Gas prices?

Rewearing underwear?

If so, I’d like to introduce you to the title Marxist and why you should be one. Previously in ‘Marx is My Cousin’, I introduced you to communism, defined what it means, and discussed why it’s relevant nowadays. This topic on Marxism is in some ways similar. Today, we’ll start by outlining Marxism, strip away the gate-keeping of this academic word as people often ask, ‘what does that mean?’

A Marxist is someone who supports the works of Karl Marx. You might’ve heard the name Marx in sociology or chucked around (improperly) in anti-vaxx propaganda. If you aren’t familiar with this guy, hear it from me. Marx wrote a bunch of anti-status quo manifestos in the 19th century. He critiqued the current way of living as it was characterised by increasing divisions between the poor and rich, extending work hours, and an increasing focus on individualism. In other words, he said working be bad and we need alternatives otherwise we will continue to be poor and sad.

This is where being a Marxist becomes important. The 19th century way of living adapted overtime but kept the same premises.

Nowadays, we live in a similar framework to that which Marx critiqued: long hours such as the 9-5, rising living costs, the divide between rich and poor being bigger than ever. For a more concrete example, it’s becoming impossible to rent a house in Hamilton. The housing crisis means ridiculous and unaffordable housing. Families/ people are forced to stay in rentals which limits available rental property. That means us students will have a difficult time finding a flat. Take it from me who went through 34 rental applications over the course of three months before landing one. If you despise the living conditions in this modern world, congratulations! You have the same values of a Marxist.

Why should you care about being a Marxist? Because most things in life suck and we need to do something about it. I don’t want to work in an office for most of my life and go on holiday once a year. I don’t want to invest in stocks. I don’t want to buy into hustle culture and pump my ears with Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, or Jordan Peterson.

I don’t want to feel alienated from myself, my body being used for labour. Because the more I think about modern working conditions, the more unnatural it seems to me. We are not made to sit in front of screens for eight hours, long commutes, and burnouts. In Marx’s time, his work incited uprisings across Europe. People wanted change, liberation from strenuous living conditions, and I believe we’re no different. Be my comrade, be a Marxist.

IT JUST MAKES CENTS

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MARAMARA KŌRERO / 专栏

Recently I’ve been overwhelmed by the influx of mates that have become OnlyFans stars. Not overwhelmed because my close friends are popping their asses all over the internet, but rather the screenshots of implied incomes, and their bank accounts overflowing with gratuity from older men just frothing at the idea of owning something. Though there’s never any judgment from me because sex work is work at the end of the day, and you gotta get your bag somehow.

So let’s have a kōrero with one of my friends that have made rent several times thanks to the beauty that is OnlyFans. Their identity is gonna be kept secret, unless you love the idea of their content…

(This was impromptu and over drinks, so yeah) Dr. Sex: Do you, like, post all the time? What’s your posting schedule like?

OF Boy: Not all the time, I kind of like to have small breaks in between big posts. It helps keep up excitement and has my fans wanting more and willing to pay more for PPV and some of the more intimate stuff.

It’s all about understanding supply and demand, whatever that may be.

Dr. Sex: I have thoughts. PPV? Like pay per view? Are you selling a live boxing match?

OF Boy: Bruh. No. The way OF works for me, is that I post teasers and more covered stuff on my main page. So you pay that initial fee and that gives you access to my back catalogue and whatever posts I put up within the month. Then there’s DMs, and that’s where you’ll find things like fucking or dick.

Dr. Sex: Right… I mean it’s blunt but regarding PPV, what do you charge for that? My concern would be that it seems like you’re

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almost deceiving the user and deliberately misleading them into thinking they’ll have complete access to, well, you.

OF Boy: Oh, I make it abundantly clear that I have paywalls as a means of combating anyone thinking they own me or my body.

They’re not entitled to shit unless they pay me. It’s kind of toxic, but they don’t have to come to my page if they don’t want to. The price depends entirely on what it is. Things like my dick, which isn’t that new anymore, I’ll charge like $5 for a few photos and a short video.

But recently I made some porn with my girlfriend (she’s also an OF creator) and that was like $25? I don’t know, it’s a weird one since there’s not that much business advice.

Dr Sex: I was gonna ask about your girlfriend and whether or not she knew. I guess if it makes sense, then keep at it?

OF Boy: Well there’s an expiration date for sure, so I’m trying to just get my bag now before I’m too old or the platform loses its appeal.

There’s always a worry that I’m ripping people off, but I remind myself that they don’t have to pay for shit and they could just ignore me. It’s their choice.

Oh also there’s tips and I do requests and things like that. That’s where the real money is. I’m nothing like the Tana Mongeau’s of the world, coming on for a month and making millions, but I make more per month than I do as a tradie. It’s all good fun and I can get my klt off and make some cash.

Some final words from me: only do OnlyFans if you’re ready to receive scrutiny and criticism for your body or your ethics. Sex work is work and you shouldn’t feel embarrased of disgusted in your decision to fuck on video. It’s your life and you need to feel comfortable in your decisions to make content that gets people off.

Just be safe and do your research aye.

专栏 / MARAMARA KŌRERO

NEXUS

Well, it’s finally that time of the year when all of you assholes that walk around in NBA jerseys without watching basketball at all tune in for the NBA Finals, and no - Lebron isn’t in the finals this year.

Why? Because he’s trash and washed up and it’s time to learn the name of another basketball player. Luckily for you, here at Nexus we’re giving you a quick run down of the finals so you can sit there and pretend to know what the fuck is going on. And even though my beloved Raptors got eliminated in the second round, I’ve been kind of paying attention to the rest of the playoffs, so I know exactly what’s going on. Kind of.

Who are the players I need to be looking out for?

So wait, what’s going on in the finals?

There’ll be a game every few days this week until someone wins four of them. They’re usually on around midday NZ time, and there are plenty of illegal streams you can watch if you Google ‘nba streams reddit.’ Just make sure you have your adblocker on when you use these websites, unless you really do want to know this one simple trick doctors don’t want you to know to make your penis enlarge.

Otherwise if your parents have Sky you can watch the games on ESPN - just get ready to see the same three ads over and over again for the next three hours. Oh yeah, by the way the games take around three hours, sometimes more. What a joy.

A team called the Boston Celtics is playing a team called the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals to find out who is the best team in the world and also which player will be assigned a Kardashian to date for their upcoming second season on Hulu. The finals are a best of seven series, meaning the eventual champions will have to win four times against their opponent to get the ‘chip. Teams don’t necessarily have to play all seven of the games - it’s whoever wins four times first. The Warriors are probably slight favourites to win, as they’re a bit of a dynasty, have been to the finals six times in the past eight seasons, and Steph Curry has the power of Jesus Christ behind him.

I’ve never watched basketball, what does it all mean?

Who knows, really. Who even cares. The goal is to get the ball in the basket more than the other team. Once your team gets the ball, you have 24 seconds to get it in the hole at the other side of the court, unless you’re James Harden in which case you can just pretend to get hurt by another player and get a couple of free throws. Free throws are when the refs fix the game for ratings and advertising money in their attempt to make the NBA generally unwatchable.

Why are there so many fucking timeouts?

They need to squeeze in as many ads as possible, especially in the finals when casual fans such as yourself tune in during the playoffs.

Again, generally unwatchable.

The aforementioned Steph Curry is considered one of the best of all time at getting the ball in the hole, and he plays for the Warriors. You could watch him if you like. I can’t name a single Celtics player off the top of my head but I’m sure they’re pretty good - they got to the finals, right? Celts are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA too, so it’ll be mildly exciting to watch them try and stop Steph Curry from getting the ball in the hole.

How do I watch the finals?

Sports is stupid, why should I care?

Everything is stupid when you think about it for long enough. How is basketball any less stupid than a marketing degree, or whatever hot garbage Netflix is shoving down our throats this year? Watching people who have dedicated their entire lives to being as good as they can at one specific thing is pretty dope, unless you’re one of those joyless bastards that makes jokes about ‘getting a try’ in basketball, or people playing ‘sportsball,’ or how you really hate the word ‘moist.’ We get it. You’re super funny.

Who’s gonna win?

Maaaaaybe proooobably the Warriors, although they must be kinda trash because old-ass Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Craptors beat them with ease a few years ago, so anything is possible. They’re both pretty good teams. I just hope everyone has fun, you know?

IT JUST MAKES CENTS

27

NEXUS

MAHI TOI / 艺术欣赏

“we’re all just flowers” Alexander den Heijer once said; “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”

I like to think that that’s how life goes.

We’re all just flowers, and somehow we never leave environments that don’t make us grow.

Is it because of the comfort?

The joy it brings to be needed but not wanted?

Does anyone ever realise, that people can love us, But do they like us?

I often think about how much sunshine our own flower would gather, if we just left the environment in which we do not grow.

Why stay trapped in a soilless garden, when we could shine in a field of green?

Where the bees ponder aimlessly, and rain pours so gently at just the right time.

I believe that there are people out there who don’t just love us, they like us as well.

And the difference in the feeling of the two, is only found when we grow somewhere else.

Somewhere that isn’t our comfort.

Somewhere that we aren’t paralysed in the fear of others opinions.

Somewhere, where your precious flower will grow.

Somewhere beautiful.

Chelsea James (She/Her)

28 N.12 / V. 55

Dr Gaurav Sharma MP for Hamilton West

43 Pembroke St, Hamilton Lake (07) 8 37 38 29 gaurav.sharma@parliament.govt.nz /gmsharmanz @gmsharmanz /gmsharmanz

Authorised by Dr Gaurav Sharma MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

Wishing you a great academic year ahead

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NEXUS

AROTAKENGA / 点评

90%

Stranger Things Season 4 TV Show | Libbie Gillard SPOILER WARNING

Eddie Munson *cough cough*.

I like boobies. You like boobies. Vickie likes boobies! I mean ugh,,, everyone likes Stranger Things!

The storyline, overall, is great. The main monster this season, Vecna, was really cool and well designed. I actually enjoyed the twist at the end with the 3 different characters all turning out to be the same person. Would have just been happy with 2 characters intertwining, but I guess the Duffer Brothers wanted it to tie into previous seasons as well and add a bit more pizzazz? They didn’t hide their inspiration for Vecna, name dropping Freddy Krueger and even including the actor to play Victor Creel. Both Vecna and Freddy love killing and tormenting the teens of a town using their minds. For a fan of classic slasher films it was a nice addition. The lake Watergate was also very Friday the 13th, another classic slasher targeting teenagers.

Stranger Things season 4 volume 1. 7 episodes. 8 hours and 56 minutes. And your boy watched all of that in 2 days. First of all, let me just say that this show is just as stunning as always. Each setting from Hawkins to California to Russia is so distinctly visually pleasing to look at as well as being oh so 80’s. Mrs Wheeler really upped the ante on the whole 80’s milf vibe. The camera work in this season is also once again very commendable. Beautiful transition after transition, especially the one in episode 7 with the two groups of the Hawkins gang biking simultaneously in the regular world and the upside down. MWUAH! Although there were some not so beautiful aspects. Some of the CGI moments were a bit odd.

Stranger Things pulls a Grand Moff Tarkin moment and de-ages Eleven on multiple occasions. The sheer discomfort this uncanny valley child gave me was incredible and honestly scarier than any Demogorgon or Vecna-related death. Thankfully, they decided to just have regular Millie Bobby Brown act out the flashback scenes with a demon CGI young version of her being shown in reflections on mirrors. This slight issue of ageing at times did rear its ugly head.

It has been 6 years since the start of Stranger Things, but only 3 inuniverse years have passed. They have 20-year-olds playing 15-yearolds, and 30-year-olds playing 18-year-olds. And yea you can tell,

30 N.12 / V. 55

Loved catching up with the gang once again and the actors all do a wonderful job this season. David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, and Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield all produced stand-out performances. Maya Hawke and her character Robin Buckley will always hold a special place in my heart as well. It was a shame to see some characters take a backseat this season though.

Mike, Jonathan, and Will all just kinda didn’t do a lot which sucked even if Mike is annoying. The split up of the OG gang allowed for other relationships to flourish, including a potential rekindling of Steve and Nancy’s season 1 romance. Dustin also was fantastic and showed off immense charm that made me love him even more. New character Argyle also provided great comedic relief.

Overall this season, well the first half of it, was really good and I’m excited to see what the last two episodes have in store for us in July.

点评 / AROTAKENGA

Dancing with the Stars

Reality TV | Caitlin Walters-Freke (She/Her)

NEXUS

50%

You may or may not remember that a few weeks ago, I did a review on the first two weeks of Dancing with the Stars NZ. It was negative but it was almost as if someone at Mediaworks read my last review and did something about it. This caused the show to improve for a bit… and by that, I mean two episodes. (Spoiler alert btw).

If you don’t know the format, read my last review which covers it. However, they changed it from being a 50:50 split between judge score and public vote by incorporating a dance off for the bottom two which is solely based on the judge’s opinion. I think that was a much better way of doing the show because it meant the people with dancing ability stayed (clearly, I’m still salty about Eli’s premature departure).

I was truly pissed when COVID reared its ugly head and took out my two favourites (Eric and Loryn and Rhys and Phoebe) in one week. They then brought back the two weaker couples to replace them, but I “coped” and found a new favourite in broadcaster Brodie Kane and her partner Enrique.

The finale felt as if it was not to the same high standard as in previous years but, frankly the whole series seemed quite rushed with fewer couples competing. As I predicted last time, Jazz and Brad won which was fair because they did consistently well.

Ultimately, I’m hoping for a better season 10 (if there is one).

Demon Slayer Anime | Tehana De Klerk (She/Her)

87%

It’s been a while since I did a review on the most mainstream anime out there. So, I’m back with Demon Slayer. Why? Well because I really don’t want to wait a year for the next season and writing about it means I can rant. And, it’s also because the teachings in anime are just brilliant.

Yo. YO. Demon Slayer is fucking cool. It’s kinda predictable, but I still enjoy it. The animation is top tier, and the fighting sequences, oh my fuck. And ugh, my poor heart can’t take my comfort characters going through so much.

Demon Slayer has a sick as storyline. A kid (Tanjiro) comes home to find his family dead, but then realises his sister is alive but has been turned into a demon and said kid goes on to become a badass demon slayer with lengthy inner monologues and two cracked teammates. Sounds awesome to me.

I gotta mention the Entertainment District Arc purely because that shit was so cool.

My boy Zenitsu was doing God tier work in his sleep; Thunder breathing, first form, thunder clap and flash, GODLIKE SPEED? Bro. And then Nezuko going ballistic at Daki? And Inosuke, I love him; totally out of touch with the norm but he’s got talent. Tanjiro though, wow. Mixing his fighting styles together? Beautiful. And I like Tengen, he’s got style. Gotta be flashy, right?

Not gonna lie, I feel bad for a lot of the demons, but, someone better kill Akaza because he did my man so wrong. RIP Rengoku. Set your heart ablaze.

IT JUST MAKES CENTS

31

NEXUS

WHAKANGAHAU / 娱乐

Don't quote me “I'm so silly. I be laughing” - Lil Nas X, replicating my brain when I got ghosted for the 10th time this week

Crush of the week

“First thing you should do in the morning is drink water” - Straight fax from Wiz Khalifa

Millie Bobby-Brown “How u bag the baddest? Treat it like it’s average?

I could do you nasty, but I’m moving past it”

Miss Girl showed up and showed off with the recent drop of Stranger Things Season 4 Part 1, and we couldn’t be happier. While a lot of us may look at the young actress as ‘just a child’, she’s been showing us she’s anything but. Serving looks and absolutely destroying the mould, Millie is killing it and we love her.

- Latto just saying what we’re all thinking

“Thought u were a real one.”

Also, fuck yes to the Blonde sis!

32 N.12 / V. 55

Twitter Treading

Clickbait Moodboard

- Pour one out for Future

娱乐 / WHAKANGAHAU

Diminuitive Post 1

2

3

Top 10

Students inspect damages on campus Does the Village Green have crop circles? Are extraterrestrials coming to visit? Was there some big ass doof that left us with the marks on the grass? Who knows, but the brand new grass is fucked.

NEXUS

ways to make easy money

10.

Feet pics don’t really take that much energy, trust me.

9.

You know that one weird neighbour who keeps offering you cash to mow the lawns?

Just me? Okay…

8.

Sell your things. Semen, Eggs, Plasma. You name it, sell it.

7.

Clothing is overrated, start a DePop and DeClutter.

6.

Not saying you should start an OnlyFans buttttt….

5.

Proof-read your fellow classmates' work, it’s good fun editing ;)

4.

Deliver leaflets for The Warehouse – is this still relevant?

3.

Apparently you can share your browser history for like $100, if you’ve got the balls.

2.

Put your room on AirBnB.

1.

Sue Amber Heard.

Groundbreaking Performance Wailing could be heard from the J basement hallways late last week, but the sounds couldn’t be effectively traced. They thought it could be a crying first year, but it’s likely to be the ghost of J block.

God is crying Students have become painfully aware of their sins as God lets it rain all over the ground. Creating puddles and turmoil everywhere they can. Or it’s global warming, fuck knows.

IT JUST MAKES CENTS

33

SNAPPED NEXUS

ATAPAKI / 学生体验

Keen for some free BurgerFuel? Simply snap 'nexusmag' the shitfest of your student lifestyle for the chance to win. Collect from the SUB.

WINNER

34 N.12 / V. 55

D

PANGA / 益智游戏

星座运势 / WĀHEKE

NEXUS

AQUARIUS JAN 20 - FEB 18

PISCES FEB 19 - MAR 20

ARIES MAR 21 - APR 19

You’re going to be blessed this week, and it’s all thanks to the penny you picked up a few days ago. And no, not the person, the coin.

Hate to say it, but when the apocalypse starts you’re going to be the first to die.

And it’ll probably be an accident, not some heroic action scene.

Have your ears been ringing lately? It’s probably a sign. Of What? Who knows.

Maybe you should start to repent just in case.

TAURUS APR 20 - MAY 20

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUN 20

CANCER JUN 21 - JUL 22

If your ex messages you saying that they miss you, for the love of all things good, do not give them another chance. Or do, and suffer the consequences.

You should really put yourself out there; you’re a lot cooler than you think you are.

Just don’t be a psycho bitch and all will be good.

Don’t know if you remember, but there are a few assignments calling your name. Crack open Moodle and get to it.

LEO JUL 23 - AUG 22

VIRGO AUG 23 - SEP 22

LIBRA SEP 23 - OCT 22

Ugh, you’re so dramatic. Pull yourself together! Tony Stark didn’t sacrifice himself for the world just for you to be moping about in bed. Go for a walk, breathe some fresh air, and like, have a shower.

So, you tried to flirt your way out of doing something important, huh? Look, that might work on certain people, but maybe refrain from trying that on your lecturers, it’s creepy.

You really gotta start paying attention to your surroundings. Tripping over a rock is fine, but walking into traffic? Come on, do better.

SCORPIO OCT 23 - NOV 21

SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 - DEC 21

CAPRICORN DEC 22 - JAN 19

You give Chase Atlantic vibes. Dark. Kinda mysterious. Really good with your words but mumble a little bit. Oh, and you’re always high. Why is that?

When you’re at a “sleepover”, stop asking random questions while the other person is trying to sleep. Or you can continue to be a menace to society, it’s entertaining.

You’re definitely that person who still counts with their fingers. Don’t worry though, some people find it… cute?

IT JUST MAKES CENTS

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NEXUS

PANGA / 益智游戏

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益智游戏 / PANGA

NEXUS

Simple Puzzles 4 Simple People

Maze

Boggle

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L Copyright © 2022 Alance AB, https://www.mazegenerator.net/ IT JUST MAKES CENTS

37

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