Nexus 2019 Issue 10 by Nexus Magazine

NEXUS SEARCHES ITS SOUL

ISSUE 10 VOL 52

13.5.19

New Flat? No Worries!

Appeal Week 10-17 May

Rent everything you need!

We have a large range of appliances and furniture for rent and you can share the cost between flatmates! COMPUTING

ENTERTAINMENT

WHITEGOODS

FURNITURE

+ MORE!!

Call 0800 111 313 or visit mrrental.co.nz

Text ‘FORT’ to 4483 to make a $3 donation

UP TO

40% OFF

07 856 2227 float.clinic serenity.float.clinic 24 Grey St. Hamilton East

dent u t S % 10 nt* Discou) (bring

FLIGHTS, TOURS, BEACH BREAKS & MORE STA TRAVEL WAIKATO Waikato Uni, Gate 1 waikato@statravel.com Terms and conditions apply. 09 856 1300

SELF-AWARENESS:

DON'T PLAY YOURSELF

whelmed.

CONTENTS

Editorial

Flatting Stories

FOMO

Drinking Games

News Feature

Permission Slip

Easy News

Full Exposure: Alpha Coda

whelmed.

This VS That

Feel Good News

Sports

Entertainment

Random Audit

Reo Tauira

Campus Fashion

UnderEmployed

Waikat Flats

Grow The Fuck Up

Horoscopes

Feature:

Procrastination Station

Reviews

Valid

Grace Mitchell Nexus Editor editor@nexusmag.co.nz

Kim Sare Deputy Editor kim@nexusmag.co.nz

Todd Harper News Editor todd@nexusmag.co.nz

Contributors TĹ?mairangi McRae vp@wsu.org.nz

Ashlea Curran Designer design@nexusmag.co.nz

30 31 32 35 36 37 38 41 42 44

Blind date

James Raffan Managing Editor james@nexusmag.co.nz

Snapped

Self-Awareness

Luka Love luka@nexusmag.co.nz Jared Ipsen jared@nexusmag.co.nz Sophie Miller sophie@nexusmag.co.nz

Nexus Classroom Sarah Graham - Centrefold Yuwei Wan Joshua Ziegler - News Feature Swabeehaa Bi

Nelson Cooper nelson@nexusmag.co.nz

Benjamin Harcourt

Caitlin Walters-Freke lachie@nexusmag.co.nz

Cover

Scott Smith

Tayla-Dee tayladee@wsu.org.nz

Makayla Wallace - Tidd makayla@nexusmag.co.nz

Raaginee Rajah raaginee@nexusmag.co.nz

Dylan Todd dylan@nexusmag.co.nz

Kahn Stevenson

Advertising

Chelsea Grove

Danielle Marks danielle@nexusmag.co.nz

Jessie Burnette

Kendrah Worsley + Tara Overwater comms@wsu.org.nz

Stephanie Balson

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

EDITORIAL Grace Mitchell Nexus Editor editor@nexusmag.co.nz

One of the most awesome things about Nexus is giving a platform to people doing cool stuff. I mean, it’s a fucking job and a half and I’m behind by 20+ lectures, but that part I dig. This week a couple of us hauled some cameras down to Nivara Lounge and filmed an interview with local band Alpha Coda. Well, Hamilton may not quite rival New York, but did you guys know that we have a sick little underground music scene tucked away on Victoria Street? Prove that you’re as alty as your mum jeans + old skools outfit combo and support some local beats. In fact, we’re so proud of our definitely-not-shitty town that we’ve made a news feature, inspired by a piece written by Don Rowe, out of proposing a new capital for the country: us. Auckland and Wellington are too pretentious, anywhere in the south island is too bloody cold, and the wider region simply already has too many animals to make room for politicians. Grounded Hamiltonians can knock the multitude of egos from the Beehive down a few pegs. Exams are drawing closer and we’re all feeling a little worse for wear, so naturally, you might want to consider having a few nights off before knuckling down to some serious study. Tōmairangi has written up a great feature on self-awareness you may want to check out - that entails being aware of yourself, your actions, and also being aware that you need to get some bloody study done. However, when you have 3 tests and 2 assignments due in the last few weeks, we understand it’s a little difficult to decide whether you’d fare better from a quiet night in with the books or a “quiet night” out with a few bevvies. So, because we care, we’ve provided you with a wee permission slip that permits a night off the mahi. That’s interspersed with a few cheeky drinking games and some solid gold flatting stories, just because. 5

Omg that hot guy from the club is here

the sevens are going offf

FOMO!!!

girl you are missing out

wish u were here!!

just won $50 on the pokies

FOMO

15 MAY

Creative Spaces at the Wellbeing Hub - Every weekday between 1–2pm. Monday: Lego Tuesday: Music Wednesday: Microvolunteering or gardening Thursday: Candle making/ Knitting/Crochet Friday: Nature walking

16 MAY

CS³ Careers Fair - 12-4pm in S block. The Computer Science Students' Society is hosting a careers fair for computer science, design and software engineering students from.

Act up. Fight back. Fight ignorance: Speaking back against homophobia Dr Tāwhanga Nopera will present on the contemporary wave of phobic discrimination. 4–5pm in the Wellbeing Hub.

Bitchin’ Bingo - 7:30pm Come to the Zone Sports Bar in the SKYCITY Hamilton building for a game of cheeky R18 bingo. Hosted by Bingo Mistress Viv. Free entry, book by calling the bar.

17 MAY

Hospice Bucket List Banquet 6-10pm, Claudelands Event Centre. $180pp for a night of fine dining, entertainment and beautiful decor with proceeds going to Hospice. Contact Hospice for tickets.

18 MAY

19 MAY

Quadrant Pool Competition Fancy a game of competitive pool? For $5 you can enter the prize pool and compete. 4-5pm, Quadrant Bar.

13: The Musical A cast of local teenagers in a great coming of age show about a boy moving from New York to Indiana. $25 for students, tickets from iticket. co.nz, 7.30-9pm, Riverlea Theatre. Free yoga in the Bay Need a study break? We have free lunchtime yoga sessions on Tuesdays from 1.05– 1.55pm at Tauranga City Yoga (TCY), across the road from Tauranga CBD campus. Only two sessions remaining.

Last week, Spinoff writer and UoW Alumni Don Rowe wrote a piece for the Herald suggesting that Hamilton should be the capital of NZ. He also managed to pick up a copy of the Nexus in the Hilly and wrote us an email with some pretty complimentary things to say. To show our gratitude, we’ve stolen his concept and created our own list. So here it is, our totally original article about why Hamilton should be the capital city of NZ. Let’s face it, The Tron has long been touted as ‘the city of the future,” most famous for its mighty awa, a set of world-renowned gardens and the fact we have a significantly lower chlamydia rate than Taranaki. But we’re a little sick of waiting for the “future,” so we think it’s time for Hamilton to become the capital city of New Zealand. With an estimated population of 190,000 by 2031, Hamilton is the perfect city for the biggest little capital in the world, with a lot more going for it than you might think. No longer do we have to place our pride solely on the fact that, well, at least it’s a pretty quick drive to get out of Hamilton and head somewhere more decent. University of Waikato Earth Sciences Professor David Lowe says that when it comes down to it, Hamilton would be a superior capital to Wellington, with better roads and a rather central location when it comes to the rest of the country. But we do have faults. 8

“Times have changed. I'm not a demographer or a politician, but it should be considered for two reasons: firstly, the risk of serious natural disaster is probably lower in Hamilton, as we don't have a tsunami risk...And we do have faults, but they may not be as frequently active as the ones in Wellington. “Quite literally: the city has some 25 faults running north to south, with at least five severe shaking events in the past 20,000 years and some which pose a risk to its hospital and university. We were sitting fairly smugly here until about 25-years ago when we discovered these wretched faults." The Tron as a lot going for it, which would cater for the inevitable rise in the population if the city was to become the next capital city of NZ.

. Stunning scenery: a mighty river, a bucketload of lush green farmland, a somewhat scenic lake, and some actually pretty decent (not kidding) botanic gardens, Hamilton is chock full of beautiful scenery.

. World-class attractions: take to the skies in a hot air

balloon, visit New Zealand’s only tea farm, or check out red pandas, Sumatran tigers, chimps, lemurs, giraffes and rhinos at the Hamilton Zoo. (Warning: the Outback is not, as the name suggests, home to kangaroos, however it may be home to some interesting animals).

. Culture: Waikato Museum has more than 38,000 objects in its collection. There's a myriad of public art around the city, from classic bronzes commemorating Waikato history to the famous statue of Riff Raff. Tourists who really want to take a dive into the university culture scene can simply drive by Greensboro on a Saturday night.

. Fresh food thinking: Wellington hipsters finding a new

home will welcome the craft beer bars and breweries including Good George and Craft Beer Garden, and lovers of fine dining can appreciate establishments like Palate, Chim Choo Ree, and Gothenburg, with the added bonus of the fact very few people in Hamilton actually own nice clothes, so there’s no need to feel inferior. Along with this, you can sample the wares at an array of markets sprinkled around the city, including night markets, clothing, crafts, and of course fresh fruit and vegetables from local growers. Volare croissants from the Sunday morning Claudelands markets are reason to move in themselves.

. Black sand beaches: Hamilton is an inland city, but with

black sand beaches, great surf breaks and relaxed coastal holiday spots like Raglan, Port Waikato and Kawhia harbour only a short drive away, we can sort of claim them. Hamilton trumps Wellington on many factors. Wind here doesn’t suck quite so bad. We’ve got one of the best café scenes around. Our recently engaged Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern came from down the road. Our street art doesn’t include murals dedicated to a ranga called Ed Sheeran. You probably didn’t even know that there’s a number of feel-good, citizen-led initiatives around the place such as a book exchange, the NZ Book Fairy picnic, and of course every family’s favourite: the annual guerrilla petanque tournament. Hamilton City Mayor and a man who embodies everyone’s weirdest uncle, Andrew King, says that Hamilton just beats everybody, hands down. It's just a matter of when. "...We all know that Wellington isn't the right place, it's a dying town. It's just a matter of where we build the Beehive really, we could build it up where the old courthouse was." “The city owns an airport with existing permission to expand. It will be Auckland's second airport one day".

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

That’s right, when we asked the elected official of this city he said we should be the capital city because we have an airport. Fuck. So instead, we decided we would ask other prominent Hamiltonians why Hamilton should be the capital city. “Well it’s the current PM’s home town and no other city has as many Bridges” said subliminal master MP David Bennett, who simultaneously refused to name Jacinda but worked ‘Bridges’ into his answer. He’s lucky we aren’t doing this piece in two weeks because “Hamilton has a lot of Collins” is a stupid fucking answer. Labour MP Jamie “not established enough for a nickname yet” Stange believes it is popular enough. “We had the highest visitor numbers this summer. People love visiting Hamilton so much, let’s make it the capital city. Also, it would save me flying to Hamilton each week!” Vice Chancellor and star of the upcoming movie “Harry: Life After Hogwarts” Neil Quigley took the opportunity to have a dig at his Victoria University colleagues recent branding issues, stating, “I am trying to contact Grant Guilford to discuss transferring all of Victoria University of Wellington’s ‘capital city’ brand collateral to Waikato, but he hasn’t returned my call yet.” Meanwhile, the actual mayor of Hamilton John Lawrenson didn’t think it would be too much of a stretch because “We have experience at being the capital of other things”. Grace Mitchell, Nexus Editor, was also asked and said she didn’t give a fuck and to stop bothering her on a Thursday when she still had two-thirds of the magazine to write before the 6pm deadline. It’s time to boot Wellington off its perch in a swift gust of shitty wind and make our proud city work as a capital. Let’s have a parliament on the river, right next to our new theatre. Throw in a Duck Island kiosk, a Good Neighbour, and a Bar 101 living side by side in harmony. Top it off with weekly autograph signings from Damian McKenzie, Stephen Donald, Jacinda Ardern, and Kimbra. It’s time to return power to the honest, hard-working Waikato-born stock; it’s time to make Hamilton great again. Kirikiriroa is the city of the future and that future is now.

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

SHORT NEWS FOR TALL PEOPLE A quick round-up of the student-focussed news you may have missed last week. ZERO CARBON The government announced the most significant and ambitious climate change bill the country has ever seen with the Prime Minister stating, “New Zealand is a food-producing nation. We have to become a sustainable food-production nation." Climate Change Minister James shaw added, "if we waited to invent the technology to get to the moon before we set the target of getting there, we would have never of got there," which isn’t technically true but kind of poetic. MORE TE REO SIGNAGE The WSU wants to see more bilingual and Te Reo signage on campus and intends to investigate and create a proposal for students.“The new Tauranga campus and its multicultural features is leading the way but it’s a reminder that we could do more on our Hamilton campus” said Vice President Maori Kyla Campbell. AGGRESSIVE GINGER GETS REAL Education Minister Chris Hipkins referred to parents who refuse to vaccinate as “pro-plague parents,” before

"The latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea." Official comment from Game of Thrones on the coffee cup accidentally left in S3, Ep4.

"You're telling me they had TWO YEARS to put together a decent show and they couldn't even spot the goddamn Starbucks cup in Winterfell??!?!" one Game of Thrones fan wrote on seeing the coffee cup in S3, Ep4.

"Despite being born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I have never had a s***on a golden toilet," says Maurizio Cattelan, creator of the Golden toilet being installed at Blenheim Palace later in the year.

doubling down and suggesting "those kids actually are the ones who most deserve to learn about science.” His Facebook feed is going to be chaos this month. SECRET SOCIETY SCARFIES ISN’T REALLY NEWS Last week more than one news site led with a story about an Otago University Secret Society called the Selwyn College Good Cunts (SCGC) and the deplorable behaviour they displayed at an Indian restaurant. This included being abusive to staff, being aggressive with other patrons and apparently “leaving the toilets in such a state they were unusable by other patrons.” In short, the news here is that Otago Halls students are morons; it’s sad but it isn’t exactly news to anyone. CANNABIS REFERENDUM DETAILS ANNOUNCED If you have tried to use social media in the last week you probably would have seen 30-40 posts on the government announcing its non-binding cannabis referendum. With Green drugs spokeswoman Chloe Swarbrick stating, "today's announcement shows we've built consensus across Government for a transparent and detailed law that will give voters the clarity they need before voting in the 2020 cannabis referendum."

2.2 Billion

the amount Avengers has made in the first 2 weeks.

54% the percent of forest loss in Brazil in 2018.

$12.50 the eye watering price of avocados at the moment.

the amount of people who’ve texted the Blind Date guy.

number of weeks Cary Cocuzzi had been living in his ex-girlfriends attic before he was arrested.

200,000

The amount of plastic bottles that have been reduced thanks to edible water pods at the London Marathon.

the amount of outfit changes Lady Gaga had at this year’s Met Gala.

1 Million

the amount of species under threat of extinction. 11

Jared Ipsen jared@nexusmag.co.nz

One of the biggest lies we’re sold (partly thanks to the psychopaths at Facebook) is that everyone is doing okay all of the time. Perfectly filtered posts filled with wide smiles and good friends and crowning achievements and clean fits - when your only experience of the world is through your phone, it’s easy to think that everyone has their shit together...apart from you. The truth is, everyone struggles, all of the time. One of the biggest frustrations in my life (and what I’ve been trying to combat through my own writing) is that the majority of people lie all of the time about how #authentic and #totallygreat their lives are. All this does is reinforce the stigma of mental health, push our dark thoughts and insecurities further down, and of course make money for our new God, The Great Algorithm™. Now, we’re faced with the problem of trying to make sure all our friends are okay when they last thing they want to admit is that they’re not doing okay. It can be really hard to tell if your mates are in the sunken place if they don’t feel comfortable reaching out, but because we’ve all played a part in creating this culture of silence; it’s our job to pick the people around us up when they fall. But how do you tell if the people you love are spiralling downwards? You have to keep an eye out for subtle signs: they might stop caring about things they used to enjoy, like that underwhelming Night King episode of Game of Thrones. They might stop showering or looking after themselves, and choose lying in bed over going out. They might stop eating.

Their room might be full of dirty laundry and rotting half cups of tea. They may even have cuts on their wrists or thighs. Even though you may have noticed some of these things, one of the hardest fucking things to do is pluck up the courage and ask your friends if they’re okay. It can be scary to enter that space with someone, especially if your relationship with them has never gotten down to that deeper level. But in spite of that, it is so important to be there for the people around you. New Zealand has one of the highest suicide rates in the OECD, and every time you get the courage to ask someone if they need help, you could be saving their life. You don’t have to fix their problems, give them great advice, or even give them any advice at all - all you have to do is listen, sit with them, and walk alongside them through the mud and muck. Pearl Buck once reckoned that “the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members.” And, every once in a while, we’re all helpless - held down by depression, anxiety, and self-doubt. We have to be better at supporting our friends when they’re being fucked by life, and we have to be more transparent about our own struggles to destigmatize mental health in New Zealand. So check in with your bros every once in a while. Ask them how they’re holding up. Bake them a banana loaf. Take them out for coffee. You never know who’s life you might be saving.

whelmed. 12

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

FEEL GOOD NEWS

Kyle Rohrig and his blind canine Katana successfully hiked 1,100 miles across the state of Florida. Despite

recently becoming visually impaired, Katana still managed to complete the hike, though was often assisted by being hoisted onto Kyle’s backpack.

A recent survey of sea life within the Pacific Ocean has revealed that the endangered green sea turtles have made a comeback in Hawaii and other neighbouring regions, either remaining stable or increasing in population since the early 2000’s.

Trinity D’Autorio, a 3-yearold who is fighting cancer, was given a magical Disney tattoo session (temporarily

drawn with sharpies) in Florida as she wanted to be just like her dad.

An end to the AIDS epidemic is possibly in sight, as a Carlsberg has become the first brewery to abandon plastic packing rings, instead opting to glue the beer cans together.

monumental study finds drugs that are capable of stopping HIV transmission.

Around 3,000 kg of garbage and waste has been collected from Mount Everest so far as Nepal’s 45-day ‘Everest Cleaning Campaign’ gathers momentum, making good progress on their goal of 10,000 kg.

A new study has found that global suicide rates have decreased by 32.7% since 1990. ‘Sea Hero Quest,’ a video game designed to detect early stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia, is reportedly working effectively – it

is said that every two minutes spent playing the VR game is equivalent to five hours of lab-based research.

Husband and wife plant 2.7 million trees in 20 years to restore a destroyed forest.

A stray cat, appropriately named Sgt. Stubbs, was gifted new legs with the

help of University of Wisconsin students and a 3D printer, after both legs were amputated due to infection.

Café owner has been delivering free soup for

one year to stranger going through chemotherapy.

Mathematician reports breakthrough on non-toxic pest control which doesn’t harm bees. 13

TOP 10 Things We Should Take From

the Aussies. They tried to claim our pavlova,

Phar Lap, the flat white and Crowded House, so it’s time to fight back. In true Australian fashion, we’re taking these things with no real claim.

MULLET OF THE WEEK: Jacob Skeen

Steve Irwin - he loves animals, rocks a pair of stubbies, and remains the goodest gc on telly (RIP). We’re taking him. The Block Australia, among other reality tv shows - just like the New Zealand version, but - let’s be honest less shit. The entire eastern coast - it’s just across the ditch, so technically it’s just like the opposite border of a really huge Raglan lake, right? The average attractiveness in the population - Let’s face it, we could really up our game with a tan and a surfer bod. The koala - another chubby animal that kind of does fuck all? It would fit in well. The Hemsworth brothers - we’ll offer you one Russell Crowe, Jacinda’s fiancé and half of Six60 in return. Ugg boots - have you been to Pak’n’Save? They’re definitely ours. Budgie smugglers - Kiwi blokes might be a little far on the shy side for this one, but we say flaunt your speedos, and flaunt them proudly. The Sydney Opera House - if you squint and look from a certain angle, it vaguely resembles the Southern Alps. Conspiracy? We think yes. Vegemite - now this one’s a joke - when it comes to your ‘mites, fuck Vege, up the Mar. 14

This interview was conducted over the phone with a previous University student and Varsity rugby player Jacob Skeen, who made it pro. We actually found this fella because his mullet was filthy enough to get posted on a rugby meme page (@ rugbyrampage). He’s played a number of games for Waikato, the Māori All Blacks and is now playing in Tokyo for the Ricoh Black Rams. Chur Jacob. Can you tell us what was involved in your decision to get a mullet?

Yeah, so, with our season last year we made quarter-finals and I had decided a while before that I had long hair, down to my shoulders, and I was keen to just shave it off...I decided I would make a Give a Little page and try to raise some money for a charity back in New Zealand and whoever made the biggest donation could choose the haircut. Have you seen any other mullets while you’ve been in Japan?

Nah, not one bro. Not one at all. All the Japanese pretty much have short black hair, tidy as, so I definitely stood out. Were there any specific words from Dan Carter about the haircut?

I caught up with him after the game, got a photo with him and he said that during the game he was looking at me and couldn’t tell if I was serious or not and it was on his mind during the game, he didn’t know if I was taking the piss or not. So, we’ve seen the other photo, is there any more powerful combination than the mullet and the handlebar moustache?

I think that’s pretty powerful; I think the guy’s that decided to do it, their inspiration was Hulk Hogan, the old Wrestler, that’s what they were sorta trying to go for...They were actually talking about dying the moustache blonde as well, but I was like “fuck that”. My scalp and stuff after it was bleached was burning, and I was like “I’m not too keen to burn my face”, so I talked my way out of that one. But that was the inspiration, a Hulk Hogan sorta set up. How much did you raise?

Just over $6,000 NZ, so I was pretty happy, it went towards a charity back in New Zealand that was looking after my uncle who had cancer. A hospice in North Harbour, so it was quite cool for him to see that and yeah, he really appreciated that.

WHAT'S HOT

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

DIMINUTIVE POST

đ&#x;&#x2019;Ś

. When your lecturer lets the class

vote on how much you get for your assessment.

. Starbucks in Winterfell. . Not remembering your night out in . Looking in the mirror â?¤ . Girls who drive Swifts. . Colouring in.

WHAT'S NOT

Since the first half of semester, the number of skateboards and their variants on campus have dwindled. Students walking between classes have reported feeling safer without fear of being hit from behind, and a signficant decline in those heart-racing moments when a skater flies past you with zero warning. However, the number of Thrasher hoodies spotted around campus has almost doubled, causing much confusion on the truth as to who can actually skate.

Arts Department Struggling with Class Participation After New Album Drops Lecturers from Waikatoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences have expressed their difficulties in teaching their students due to the release of Mac DeMarcoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s album Here Comes the Cowboy last week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The amount of students Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve caught with headphones in is astounding,â&#x20AC;? noted one professor. Due to such an effect from DeMarco, concerns are mounting over the upcoming release of Igor by Tyler the Creator, and the effect that this could have on exam participation come June.

AUX

LinkedIn request

town but waking up with a wallet full of cash.

Confusion as Number of Skaters Dwindles on Campus

PASS THE

. David Bennett sending you a

IT'S CALLED SELF CARE Spotify: nexusmag

. Guys called Ben. . Your friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mum beating you in beer pong

đ&#x;&#x2DC;Ľ

. Cameron Road Royale Indian raising their lunch curry special by $1.

. James Charles. . Halo by BeyoncĂŠ (controversial opinion).

. Heavy drinking as a substitute for a personality.

. Skabs (skinny abs). follow us

I Havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Been Taking Care Of Myself Alex Lahey

You Can Do This Hard Thing Carrie Newcomer

Not Good For Me Vanmiran

Rise Up Andra Day

Dry Your Eyes The Streets

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nothing Holdinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Me Back Shawn Mendes 15

REO TAUIRA How to manaaki manuhiri on a CLUBS SPOTLIGHT: student budget Waikato University Teaching Mahara Hepi

Oh the plight of practicing manaakitanga on a student budget. How many times have you been caught out on your last $7, empty cupboards and pay day is still two days away? Too many times I bet! But how many times have you been caught out on your last $7, empty cupboards AND a bro on the couch that has nuk the pūtea? Do I get a nibble box from Cameron Road and hide away so I can eat it by myself? Or do I buy a loaf of bread and a five pack of Mi Gorengs and hope they last? Let’s be honest – most of us have been at either the receiving or giving end of this unfortunate stick (wink wink). Growing up Māori, concepts like aroha, whānau and manaakitanga are foundational. How you choose to live out or portray these concepts shows your standards as a person. For Māori, the true measure of a person’s character comes in their ability to look after others. The cool thing about being a student is that no one really expects you to have much of a ‘standard’ because, y’know, every student lives in a dirty flat, and eats bread or noodles for every meal cos we can’t cook. Cue the eye rolls. The truth is, we see these values lived out every damn day by tauira Māori. No bed to sleep on kare? I have a bit of mattress and the perfect arch in my back for you to spoon. No money for a sneaky Sunday sesh? Lucky I like to drink that tasty $10 Kristov and Raro. Still hungry from breakfast? E hoa, he kai kei āku ringa! Our wallets might be crying, but I’m sure our tūpuna are too, tears of joy, and to be honest, I couldn’t think of a greater honour. It’s this Māori girl’s dream to paddle her waka wairua back to Hawaiki and have my ruhi stand on the shore saying, “you’re bloody neat alright my moko. I see that time you spent your last seven bucks on an extra loaf of bread and some Mi Gorengs to feed your luggage of a mate.” Cos that’s just who we are. We accept care and kindness, wrap it up in beeswax wrap (cos PKP that’s me) and give it back tenfold because “aroha is something, and if you give it away, it will come right back to you”… 16

Association

WUTA is a new students’ association here at the University of Waikato. It is an opportunity for likeminded and ambitious education students to develop their teaching philosophy, through insight from industry leaders at WUTA events. We also aim to connect current Waikato University Education students’ at different stages of their degree, get feedback from first-year teachers in the workforce, and see what future employees are looking for in up and coming teachers. Head over and like our Facebook page @WUTA.UoW for more info and updates on future events.

Micro-Voulteering - The Postcard Picnic

Young Engineers Society - YES Mixer

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

Files

Edit

View

Help

How to Calculate Your GPA To calculate your GPA, you’ll need your paper points and the grades you received for those papers. Basically, you want to multiply the paper points by the grade you received for each paper, then add the answers you get for each paper and divide it by the total number of points. It is important to note that when calculating, you only include points for papers that are level 300 and above (unless you’re applying for something before you’ve reached 300 level). Here’s an example: I earned an overall grade of 95% in one paper and 76% in another paper, both of which were worth 15 points. I would calculate my GPA like so: ((95 X 15)+(76 X 15)) ÷ 30= (1425+114) ÷ 30 = 85.5

UNDER EMPLOYED Files

Edit

View

Help

Working Space Calculate your own GPA here:

According to the table, I’d have a GPA of 8.0. Letter:

Percentage:

Grade Points:

A+

90-100

85-89

A-

80-84

B+

75-79

70-74

B-

65-69

C+

60-64

55-59

C-

50-54

40-49

0-39

Not into calculating it manually? Just Google GPA calculator Waikato and you’ll be able to calculate it online. 17

GROW GROW THE FUCK GROW OW THE FUCK UP THINGS TO DO TO GET GROW FUCK UP GROW THE OUT OF A FUNK FUCK U YOURSELF UCK UP ROW T THE OW THE GROW GROW THE FUCK UCK U UP CK UP W FUCK UPGROW GROW THE FUCK GROW THE FUCK UP FUCK UP THE G GROW THE GROW TH GROW THE UP FUCK UP FUCK UCK UP FUCK UP F GROW THE OW O GROW THE THE FUCK UP G CKFUCK C UP UP GROW W THE F GROW FUCK THE UP GROW TH THEFUCK UP GROW THE FUCK UP FUCK UP We’re at uni, we’re heading into winter, and exam season’s coming up. Let’s face it - sometimes the ol’ mental health can take a bit of a hit. We're not talking about depression or anxiety or anything like that. This is more of a ‘man, I’m feeling a bit low at the mo’ kind of thing, which can be pretty tough in its own right, and dang hard to pull yourself out of sometimes. Here’s a few hot tips on things you can do to try and help yourself.

Spruce your room up a bit I’m not talking major overhaul, just a little bit of effort to get yourself up and about for the day. Get out of bed, make it, open the curtains and the windows. If you’re feeling up to it, pick up the clothes that are on the floor, or change the bed sheets. Even if it’s all you do for a day, be sure to get out of bed. Shift the movie marathon to the lounge and take your duvet with you if you must, but just make sure you physically get out of bed. That way when bedtime rolls around again, you’ve got a nicely made bed to snuggle into. Have a shower Us humans have this thing called the mammalian diving reflex, which can be found in all vertebrates. Our amphibian ancestors used this response to slow their heart rate and lower their body temperature to conserve energy while moving through the water. Being in the water has a calming effect as an evolutionary throwback, particularly in colder water, so it’s a great way to relax when you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed. For the same reason, swimming, face masks, and even just splashing some water on your face can help you chill when need be.

Write it all down Writing is cathartic, meaning it provides mental relief through emotional release. Grab a notebook or a diary or even just some plain paper and get that shit out. It doesn’t need structure or good grammar or

correct spelling; just take your stresses and worries out of your own head. Sometimes simply having them on the page in front of you will help make them seem a little less important and a little easier to overcome.

Go for a walk and get some sun At the risk of sounding a bit too much like your mum, I’m going to go ahead and tell you to go outside and get some fresh air. We’re lucky that Waikato boasts the prettiest campus in the country, so take a walk around the lakes, the field, or even just have a perch on one of the benches and watch the world go by. Sunlight and some good old vitamin D can do you wonders. Depending on how you’re feeling, the gym can often be a tad too much for your mental and physical hauora, so sometimes a nice stroll is the just the answer you’re looking for. Nourish yourself Your body needs food and water, so make sure you eat something. You don’t have to prepare a threecourse meal, just make sure you’re giving your body and your mind what they need to keep on keeping on. Coffee doesn’t count, and neither do energy drinks. Drink water and eat some proper food, even if it is some toast or some pasta. Look after yourself.

Simply put, life can be hard sometimes. We’re not going to be able to tackle every day head on, so sometimes watching The Office on the couch instead of in bed is the best we can do. But to quote the words of the wise Jonathan Van Ness, ‘Self-care is an inside job.’ Start by putting yourself first and doing what you need to do; we won’t judge you for it.

W THE GROW ROW THE FUCK UP UP FUCK UCK UP W THE W THE T GROW T GROW ROW THE GROW UP FUCK UP FUCK U FUCK UP GROW THE W TH GROW FUCK UP FUCK K UP W THE K UP GROW THE GROW THE FUCK UP FUCK UP HE P GROW OW TH THEGROW THE THE HE FUCK UP FUCKGROW UP FUCK UP GROW THE GROW THE FUCK UP FUCK UP GROW GROW THE FUCK FUCK UP GROW THE NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

Tōmairangi McRae vp@wsu.org.nz

Absolutely no one: Aunty Tōmai: She baaaaaack! With some more advice, opinions and Māori translations that you didn’t ask for!

SELF-AWARENESS:

DON'T PLAY YOURSELF

Let me start off with the statement that I am by no means an expert on this shit, I’ve just recently had a huge shift in lifestyle that resulted in me stumbling (and falling face first might I add) into the world of selfawareness. Boooooooy, did that pavement made of my own negative thoughts, behaviour and self-doubt hurt when it hit me in the face. Basically whānau, ya gurl was recently released from a long-term relationship that had become toxic due to our lack of self-love and selfawareness, resulting in us treating each other pretty badly and creating an environment of unhappiness. But I’m not here for a pity party (unless it involves twerking and tequila); I’m here to own both my good and not so good qualities, which hopefully will inspire you to do the same. ‘Woke’, ‘spiritual’, ‘on-one’ and ‘conscious’ are all ways that us millennials describe self-awareness these days. Unfortunately, new profiles on Tinder, Bumble or Grindr are the closest things to self-awareness that we get. Uncle Google reckons self-awareness is to be conscious of your own character and feelings. At this point you’re probably like, “Cool that’s all I need to know about self-awareness and I don’t need to read the rest of this feature because I’m already ‘woke AF’.” But if you answer yes to any of the following questions, then keep reading pal and don’t play yourself, because my rant might be more helpful than you think. So! Have you:

. Struggled to talk about yourself in interviews or a cv? . Been nervous in social situations and wanted to get the fuck out of there?

. Felt hurt due to the actions of a friend, family member or romantic partner?

. Been told you weren’t a nice person to be in a relationship with?

. And finally, ever felt personally victimised by your own bad choices? (You know what I’m talking about. Yes, those 3 extra shots that you didn’t really need sis/bro) 20

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

Cool! Me too! I used to hate talking about myself and especially when it came to selling myself at a job interview. I too have had one too many tequilas that slapped me over the back of the head (continuously for the ENTIRE next day) and I was told time and time again that I had issues I needed to sort through in order to be happier in myself and treat others better. Personally, I was gobsmacked because I thought I was an amazing girlfriend/friend/daughter etc and I could do no wrong. I was an aaaangel! Engari kao (but no), I was, in fact, part of the 85-90% of society that lack self-awareness (according to Forbes. No, I didn’t pull this number out of my pooper). For about two weeks after I joined the newly single club, I wallowed and wondered what I must have done or what I could have changed about myself to prevent the end of the relationship. I genuinely didn’t see anything wrong with ignoring my partner on a 6-hour drive just because they pissed me off. I never stopped to think about how it would make the person that you love feel if they were being neglected. Although to some it may seem small, lots of small instances like this built up and contributed to their decision to leave. Maybe if ya sis didn’t act like a moody toddler that needed a nap (I literally was at the time fam) and had I been more aware of my own actions and feelings, this situation could have been avoided and we both would have been happier. The three main areas I’ve found that can benefit from becoming self-aware in your life: your career, your relationships, and your relationship with yourself. Psychologist Tasha Eurich has said that self-awareness is vital in a successful career. Those who are more selfaware tend to perform better at mahi (work), receive more promotions and also lead more effectively. Companies with more self-aware professionals have shown stronger financial performance. She says that there are three reasons for the disconnect from selfawareness, stating that, “First, we naturally have blind spots. We’re wired to operate on autopilot, unaware of how we’re behaving, and why. There’s also the feel-good effect: we’re happier when we see ourselves in a more positive light.” Finally, she says, "the last factor [is] 'the cult of self'; the idea that we've become more selfabsorbed as social media has exploded in popularity." She’s not wrong there. Technology advancements have meant that we are able to connect with others around the world at the click of a button, which means

we put more of ourselves out on display through the internet. We’ve become so engrossed in how we’re portraying ourselves on social media, that we forget to focus on how we’re portraying ourselves in real life and understanding who we really are. There are ways to find out why we act and feel the way we do, but you have to be willing to do the dirty work because let’s be tūturu (real) - a lot of us don’t want to look at ourselves as we’re scared of what we might find. We don’t want to believe that we may have some undesirable characteristics because want to think we’re a ‘good person’ right? I asked the saaaaassy and down to earth author/ motivational speaker Hana Tapiata about the benefits of self-awareness in your career. Hana believes that when you know yourself, your skills, what triggers you or what you’re trying to work on, you will know who to stay away from and why. You know what to put in place in terms of self-care routines and boundaries because you know yourself; you are self-aware. You’re aware of your natural and normal state, so if you go into a space and start acting out of character, you can recognise it and decide on the best way to act for yourself and your career. In my few years on this earth I’ve had jobs where I’ve worked for some amazing, supportive bosses and some that definitely could have been better. I saw them react out of anger and yell at their staff in situations where they let their ego, their own negative self-talk, control their actions. If they were aware of those actions and characteristics, they could have chosen to handle that situation differently, maybe in a more professional way or in a way that was truer to their character. Self-awareness can also have a profound effect on your relationships. As someone who has experienced relationship breakdowns, both romantic and platonic, I’ve previously looked at the relationship and wondered what went wrong or blamed the other person for the breakdown. Yep, you guessed it, I often believed I was never at fault or the cause of the breakdown. I’m sure y’all can all relate, right? I spoke to Briony McKenzie, a passionate, relatable millennial and founder of Untapped - her life-coaching business - about the benefits of self-awareness for your relationships. Briony believes that you can only love others as deeply as you love yourself. In order for this to happen, we’re required to do some really deep holistic work on ourselves with full self-acceptance and self21

we operate from our ego, not our true self and well...It. Changed. My. Life. You’re welcome.

mastery. Only then can you have that with others. In terms of a relationship with yourself, Briony says that “The longest relationship we have is with ourselves. If you discover what internal thoughts and self-talk is and master that, it transforms that relationship with yourself. With mindset work we have the ability to rewire the brain with neuroplasticity.” She understands that through our thought patterns, we have the ability to create our reality. Like when you’re running late, stressed and anxious and everything seems to be going wrong, vs when you’re positive, calm and beautiful synchronicities start happening. These two completely different realms are created from what's in the mind. When looking for sources and tools to help me in becoming self-aware, I came across Hana Tapiata’s book Self Awareness Doesn’t Begin With Self, which speaks to understanding who we are through Māori ancestral knowledge. As a young Māori woman myself, it was super relevant and relatable for my own self-awareness journey. Hana says that the tools, methods and philosophies of our ancestors are incredibly beneficial and vital for becoming self-aware. She states that “Whakapapa (genealogy) acknowledges everyone and everything that came before you. In terms of the Māori worldview, I am those who I descend from and they live on through me.” I was also fortunate enough to experience a weekend workshop with Briony and maaaaan did that start the process of cracking open the jar of ugly truths I didn’t want to know about myself. The benefits to her work are endless, but particularly when it comes to life-coaching, she says “Life-coaching provides people with an insight into what is subconsciously causing us to act the way we do and making us aware of it. This then allows them to have a choice in their lives. To produce different results to what they already have.” There’s a lot that we’re taught as we grow up, but we rarely get taught how to become aware of ourselves and why we do what we do, which can have negative effects on our relationships, mindset and ultimately our lives. But it’s not too late amigos! I’ll leave you with a few things that might help y’all kickstart your journey to becoming more self-aware: 1. If you have a phone (and I know y’all do), download the podcast app and start listening to Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations with Eckhart Tolle on his book A New Earth. He talks about awakening to our life’s purpose and touches on concepts such as understanding how 22

2. Briony McKenzie’s mantra: inner world creates outer world. Inner success in your mind helps to create your outer reality. She learned this on her personal journey with using mindset work to completely alter the way she lived her entire life. So maybe have a go at thinking more positively or try more positive self-talk for a few days and see the difference it makes. 3. Another Briony McKenzie treat: on her website for Untapped, there are freebies including a course and a workbook. The workbook takes you through a series of journaling prompts that reflect on the week that’s been and what you’ve learned and also helps you to plan ahead for the week to come. It’s a small, short exercise that has made a huge difference for me personally, so I can defs vouch for it! 4. And finally, get REAL with yourself! Did some of the situations I mentioned resonate? Are you ready to maybe try and understand yourself a bit deeper than the surface? Well, let’s get you started on a few questions now then yeah?

. . . . . .

What am I good at? Who are my idols and why? What’s my definition of success? What stresses me out? Do you think your ego gets in the way? Are you living your life for yourself? Anyway, that’s enough from me. Til Grace lets me loose on these pages again, e hoa mā! Peace, love and A + grades!

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

ANONYMOUS

Album - blackbear It wasn’t long ago that blackbear was one of the few edgy, wave-riding leeches of pop music that actually managed to utilise the sounds and styles they hijacked in a way that was interesting. The subtle banger Idfc brought him to most people’s attention half a decade ago, and in the years following, he brought out hit after hit, in his solo work and through the eclectic Mansionz project with Mike Posner. As time went on, however, blackbear’s sound and image has become more and more just that of a coked out asshole, piggybacking off whatever sound was making waves, and this 18-track slog of an album ANONYMOUS simply embodies blackbear’s descent into mind-numbing Hallensteins background music.

Better Off Single - Tijay

As well as running her own business, Arowm, and being one of the raddest people around town, girl crush Tijay goes ahead and drops this banger of a tune on us. Better Off was released on the 26th of April and has been making it rounds already honey, with good reason too. Take the voice of an angel, some very honest lyrics, add the easy listening beats and we are reminded of self-worth and all those times wasted on the wrong people. Idk if it’s because I really fucking need this right now, but I suggest adding it to your morning mantra. P.S There’s merchandise, so you know she’s the real deal.

Dancing with the Stars NZ TV Show It's entertaining, but there's no David Seymour twerking so how good is it really?

Go Loko - YG, Tyga, Jon Z Single Like Gasolina, but slower.

The Met Gala 2019 Event Good, but nothing can beat Pope Rihanna of 2018.

I Rise

Single - Madonna Madonna has released the second single from her upcoming new album Madame X, featuring Emma González, a survivor from the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018. I Rise seems to be Madonna’s answer to the many social struggles facing America at the moment, ranging from gun control all the way to homophobia and the acceptance of those who identify as LGBTTQIA+. Despite some mildly inspirational lyrics and some heavy auto-tune, the song just seems to be Madonna rebranded for the millionth time; the same old style just disguised as something new and different. Unfortunately, it falls a bit short of the mark.

The Lolly Cake from UniMart Food It’s the only that gets Nexus to print on a Thursday. 23

D I L A V Best Things To Stop You Getting Bored Of Cheeseburgers Dylan Todd dylan@nexusmag.co.nz You ever go to McDonalds and just be like, “Damn, I don’t want to just get a double cheeseburger combo this time bro. I wanna try something exotic, something that takes me to another world of McDonalds delights”? Because listen, hear me out, I can introduce you to a few things that might make you go absolutely bonkers. New Items On The Menu can take you by surprise. Look, I get it, you don’t wanna risk trying something new because it might be stink as. But tell me these don’t sound phenomenal: Almighty Texan BBQ Burger, AKA, Macca’s answer to BK’s amazing and delectable Rodeo Burger. It’s got that juicy mix of BBQ sauce and mayo on a couple of those BIG unit patties that Big Mac’s can’t help but envy, with some crispy ass bacon and some caramelised onions. But a meal’s not a meal without some dessert, so grab another of the exotic new products they’ve got at the time I’m writing this; the Raspberry Custard Pie, aka everything the apple pie wishes it could be. Sweet, smooth and creamy, it’s an absolute delight that, honestly? Shits on every other pie offering Maccas has given us. Sundaes with other toppings? Slap. Ever think to customise your sundae? Probably not, because everyone calls me a madman for it. A lunatic. But 26

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

believe me, they’re the lunatics for missing out on a chocolate sundae with added strawberry topping, an actual masterpiece in flavour combinations. It’s like an ice cream you’d buy from a gourmet ass indie store, but all from the comfort of the golden arches. And don’t get me started on chucking some of the McFlurry toppings and a flake on top of a caramel sundae. Absolute ripper. Don’t want to betray the classic double cheeseburger too hard and just want some tips on how to spruce it up a bit? Trust me, I’m a professional when it comes to the customise button at Maccas. First step, get one of those deals, either the cheeseburger and chips for $4 or the lunch special with a drink and sundae for another dollar on top. Chuck on Swiss Cheese, the most powerful item on the Maccas menu; it makes everything a bit better. Salt and Pepper are a great addition too for a little bit of that white boy seasoning punch, but don’t trust Five Cross Maccas to not absolutely fuck it up with a teaspoon and a half of each, turning your delicious morsel into something disgusting and awful. Feel like

a Big Mac but don’t want to fork out as much extra? Add another patty and Big Mac sauce for just a couple extra dollars. Now we’re looking at a delight. But hey, this might be a bit tame for some. Here’s where the real flavour shit happens. Add a hash brown to your burger; it’s like the gourmet version of putting your chips under the bun. You could be a basic bastard and add some crispy bacon, but that’s a bit too ordinary, even if the flavour does slap. Really, just don’t be scared to really just say “fuck it” and hit random options under customise; you never know what’s lurking round the corner. After a tasty treat of a burger, your mouth might be left yearning for some liquid nourishment to quench the thirst engulfing your tongue and throat. Ever wonder what Frozen Fanta flavour combinations ball the hardest? Here’s some tips. Raspberry and Vanilla is basically the taste of a McFrozen McDrink McFloat, but without the awkward grossness of mixing the slush with soft serve. But if you’re someone with questionable taste who doesn’t like the sound of that, take it to the tropics and go for a Mango and Pineapple, even if it is the beginning of winter. Or just send it and buy a Blueberry and Lime; just try it bro you might be shook.

Stupid shit your flatmates did Love em or hate em, we all have a story or ten to tell about the folk we live with. We asked for the dumbest things your flatmates have done or said, and boy are there some stunners...

Liam @Mitch was struggling for rent so he let @Thomas shit on his face for $80.

Maggie @Sarah suggested that we turn the fridge off throughout the night to save power.

Ben @Caydan left our (gas) oven on turned on all night cranked up, fuck knows how it didn’t set the house on fire.

Libby "you have the most given blow jobs in the flat you are now called "big thot".

Isabelle “I would only let Josh Brolin fuck me if he fisted me with the fucking gauntlet.”

Ellie @Mitch remember the time you brought a trolley full of curry mix to the flat and sprinkled it everywhere?

Dakota “it wasn’t me that left that shit stain”.

Emmelena @Isaac driving 5 hours home to the flat arriving at 5.30am to realise he forgot his keys...

Maggie @Kaleb once said “don’t worry Sarah if Ben has chlamydia then I will probably have it as well because I shared a drink bottle with him.”

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

Munter Old flatmate told me vaccines cause autism because her little brother got a vaccine when he was born and got autism so they took the vaccine back out and now he doesn't have autism. She was training to be a midwifeâ&#x20AC;Ś

Madeline Had a flat mate who got so drunk he forgot where he was and pissed all along the hallway wall and on the carpet. Then proceeded to steal our other flat mates duvet, vomited all on it and slept in it. And in the morning he decided to use a vacuum to clean up the vomit and piss...

Staci When old mate @Cody decided to jump down the stairs and cracked his head open on the ceiling

đ&#x;&#x2122;&#x201E;đ&#x;&#x2DC;&#x201A;

Joel when @Prince asked if you needed to cook chicken.

Matheson @Daniel plugged the multi box into it'self and couldn't figure out why the TV wouldn't work.

Casey When @Hayley came home from a night out and ate a bowl of cat biscuits thinking it was cereal

đ&#x;&#x2DC;&#x201A;

Maraea While at an agricultural uni, I met a nice guy named Sheep. Later, I asked my mate why he was called Sheep. Turns out he screwed a sheep at a student party, somebody took a photo and plastered it all round uni. Now, how baaaaad is that?

Michelle Hooked up a toilet to the hot water - revolutionary! I ď¸?you, @Stefan.

â?¤

Marek @Reon dropped square and woke up with a new couch

đ&#x;&#x2DC;&#x201A; 29

S E M A G G DRINKIN Kahn Stevenson Kahn@nexusmag.co.nz

Netflix and Booze

The art of mixing booze with a night in

blast the song over the speakers and take a drink every time you hear the title.

Looking for something to spice up your Saturday night, but don’t want to go out because it’s getting too cold? Well grab a blanket and a couple of drinks and turn on the TV to try these games that don’t even require you to move from the couch.

CHEERS TO THE DJ - Simple game of drinking every time someone skips the song halfway through. Bonus shot if the same song gets played twice in a row, or twice in the same night.

TV + Film:

Sports:

FOUL BALL - A game of drinking whenever the players LIGHTS, CAMERA, SHOT - Everyone has their favourite screw up. Drink on every foul ball, out of bounds, step, forward pass or handball. It's basically drinking every show, and with the beauty of an internet connection, time a rule is broken. each show now has its own set of rules for drinking. When it comes to the likes of The Walking Dead, PREDICTIONS - Can be used to predict the winning try drinking at every time a walker gets shot in the team of the game, or for the likes of predicting who you head, or when Rick yells at Carl. It’s Game of Thrones think will be the key goal scorers or players (for example, season, so try taking a shot every time Jon Snow and in the NFL draft) and drink if you’re wrong. Daenerys sleep together, someone's naked body graces the screen or someone dies. If you’re applying FAIR PLAY - The sports drinking game for those of you it to your favourite movies, drink every time there’s who don’t care about sport but still want to be one of a flashback or somebody’s superhero name is said in the Avengers movies, or if you’re smashing out a Harry the boys. Drink with each one of the following rules: if someone explains the rules of the game, if someone Potter marathon, every time somebody says Potter’s complains about the ref, if you check your phone out of full name, Ron says “bloody hell”, or Hagrid says “I boredom, if one of the player's names makes you laugh shouldn’t have done that." Personalise it as you like. or if you hear a players name you actually recognize. HATS ON - This one requires you to put a hat, beanie Pornhub: or baseball cap. All you do is place it on the corner of your screen, and whenever a character within the SEARCH PARTY - Feeling a bit frisky? Open up the site frame ‘wears’ the hat you take a shot or drink. Works of your choice and choose two or three random (not well but beware, it can often result in a waterfall in necessarily porn-related) words to search. If they come crowded scenes. up in the title or in the video, watch and drink every time you see whatever that word is on screen.

Music:

BEAT ON REPEAT - This is the classic music drinking game. Using songs that repeat certain words or phrases like Roxanne, Thunderstruck or Beat It, just 30

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

Here at Nexus, we believe that everyone has the right to a good night out on the town. the only catch with such a night is getting permission from the missus, boyfriend, flatmates or maybe even the RA. We understand the struggle this may be, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come up with a simple permission slip you can fill out before you go out for a crazy drunken adventure on Victoria street.

Nexus gives permision for ______________________ to attend a night out Reason for the outing (please select one) Birthday

Event/Costume party

For the Boys

Because why not

Other(specifiy)

For the Girls

What night will this take place on (please select one) Hospo Student Friday Saturday Other(specify)

How long will the night last (please select one) Just a drink or two

A few hours

All nighter

How much will be spent (please select one) One or two drinks

A few drinks and shots

A few drinks and maccas

Who cares, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m drunk

Date ___/___/_____

Signed __________________

FULL EXPOSURE: ALPHA CODA

Nexus had the pleasure of chatting with Rob, Dave, Aleks and Kicker from Alpha Coda one dusty night in the Nivara lounge amongst a few beersies. With their upcoming gig in the same venue on the 14th June and a new single on the cards, there was plenty to chat about...we regret that we didn’t record the part where Rob told us about playing naked on stage - but there you go, that happened. To hear their music, find them on Spotify and check out their socials. NEXUS: Is there an exciting backstory to the name Alpha Coda? Rob: it’s not exciting, but it does have a meaning I guess. There’s a band called Filter, and I was listening to a song and there was some life and death stuff happening in it, and then I thought, well there’s like the start of life, the end of life, but what really matters is what’s in the middle. So alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, so that’s the start, and then the coda is the end of the piece of music which is the end, but I was talking about the stuff in the middle, which is the meat of the life sandwich. NEXUS: What are your thoughts on the Hamilton music scene? Dave: It needs more bands. I mean, it’s good when it’s good, but it needs more people. Aleks: Yeah, it’s sort of forever changing and you get really hit and miss nights, so sometimes you’ll come down here to play a gig and you’ll get maybe ten people, and then another night there’ll be eighty. I remember when I was around the age of 18, and there was different pubs and they were always filled when there were bands playing, so it needs more people to want to interact with it rather than just stay at home and watch it through the comfort of their phones. 32

Rob: We’re lucky that Nivara Lounge is here, because

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

really all of the original gigs happened here. And actually the last gig that we played here was with an Auckland band called Glow Becky, and then there was a local band called silver surfer who opened, and another band from Auckland called Bad Sport, and that was a cool gig, it had a really good vibe. silver surfer had heaps of people come in to support them. Not every night is like that, but there’s so much potential, there are some really good bands. NEXUS: Your song Make Us Cold came out last year, and we have to say it’s pretty darn good! What was the process that went into making that? Aleks: Typically what happens is Rob will come to the rest of us with the main idea of a song, and it’s at that point we add all our own twists and bits and saying ‘nah we don’t like that bit it sucks, kick it out, let’s put this bit here instead,’ and we sort of fiddle with it until we like we’re hearing. And we get a bit excited at band practice, and if we’re having fun playing it and feeling it then that’s sort of how a song comes about. Kicker: I’m sorry Rob, I’ll always dismantle your songs really bad. Rob: The cool thing is, Kicker with his drums can change the whole feeling of a song, so even if there’s an idea at the start, it’s quite cool that it doesn’t determine how it ends up. Aleks: Make Us Cold originally was a piece of music called ‘Happy Rock,’ so it’s gone from that and then with Kicker driving it through, it’s turned into something a bit less happy. Rob: And with whatever’s happening at the time as well,

so like there were no lyrics, there weren’t any words to the demo when it was first done. So with the political landscape and some of the stuff that goes on, it gives you inspiration into what the song could be about and what the lyrics could be. And it turned out it was kind of like a slightly darker, more political moment. NEXUS: So on a night out, what bevvy do you guys choose? Aleks: Vodka, all day long. And not like Smirnoff, because that’s absolute rubbish. Polish vodka, if I can. Usually straight if I can help it too. Rob: I’m probably scotch, or if I have to drive the bandwagon with all the gear after a gig then it’s something like a beer with a citrus twist. A light beer with a citrus twist, but that’s because these guys make me drive the bandwagon. Dave: Oh vodka, or like a Sol or a Corona. Kicker: I was raised on Waikato, it’s like the first thing I ever drunk, so thanks to that I can drink pretty much anything. But a spirit, I’d say Jameson, I’ve got like eleven empty bottles on my shelf. NEXUS: Do you guys have any nicknames for each other in the band? Rob: Well, we’ve got Kicker. Aleks: We call Dave ‘Gravy.’ Rob’s known as ‘Rib,’ which is slightly amusing because he’s actually vegan. I think that came just because my phone kept autocorrecting Rob to Rib. And I get called Dimples. Rob: And that’s just because the rest of us are jealous. 33

SMOOTH PEANUT BUTTER

Full sure

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the final showdown. Since the world began (well, since John Harvey Kellogg invented Peanut butter in 1895), smooth and crunchy fandoms have been at war. Today, I will prove why crunchy is obviously your best friend. Crunchy peanut butter brings both personality and taste to the table. The ragged appearance is comforting and screams, “if I was a person I’d live in sweatpants," whereas our smooth counterpart comes across as a little bit pretentious; you know, the “can I talk to the manager” type. As far as taste is concerned, the addition of peanuts successfully turns the ultimate snack into a great filler. For those of you looking for a little less guilt in the weight gain department, look no further. Crunchy peanut butter contains less saturated fats and a 2% higher protein value. It also has a heap of fibre to keep your tummy happy and healthy. Crunchy peanut butter is like Waikato University: diverse. It is diverse in texture and in taste, eliminating disappointing one note, boring old sandwiches. And don’t worry peanut allergy fighters, there’s something for you too! Springbrook has a no nut crunchy peanut butter with delicious sunflower seeds so you can still feel that crunchy peanut butter love.

expo-

CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER

On Monday night when that sweet Studylink paycheck comes in, you have to make some serious choices. Like, what the fuck can we afford to eat after the bills go out? Enter our good old friend, peanut butter. Next key question: crunchy or smooth? The obvious answer is the OG, smooth peanut butter, and it’s easy to see why. Smooth peanut butter was made for toast; it actually wants to spread. Crunchy peanut butter will fight you the whole way and leave you with weird lumpy bits. Blend it up with a banana and milk and you get a creamy, protein-rich smoothie. It’s in the name: nobody wants a smoothie that isn’t smooth. And while I’ve never heard of peanut butter cookies made with crunchy peanut butter, that thought offends me anyway. There’s just more flexibility in what you can do with smooth peanut butter. And, real talk, if you’ve ever suffered from lack of government-subsidized dentistry and a student budget, then you’ll know deep in your teeth that the answer is smooth. Crunchy peanut butter is straight vindictive: if you have a cavity or a missing tooth, that shit will head straight there and dig its nutty claws in. Smooth peanut butter loves you and will never do you wrong like that.

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

HIGH FIVE Sporting Comebacks: 5. Tiger Woods - After years of back injury, 4 back surgeries, a car accident, infidelity, a divorce, DUIs, being dropped by multiple sponsors and falling into the Worlds 1,193rd place in 2018, he came back and won his 15th career major nearly 11 years after his last triumph, at the 2008 US Open.

England can fuck right off! This season has seen three remarkable comebacks in the UEFA Champions League: United vs PSG, Liverpool vs Barcelona, and Spurs vs Ajax. All three resulted in victories to unfancied teams and while the games themselves were thrilling, they ultimately led us to the most boring and pointless final in recent memory. Think about all the exciting narratives that would have accompanied a PSG vs Barcelona quarter-final. The new money and excitement surrounding Paris, desperate to prove itself a legitimate player on the world stage taking on the embodiment of the global attractive football game. Mbappe vs Messi; the return of real Madrid villain Angel Di Maria to haunt old rivals. Christ, who wouldn’t want to see that. Then there were the perennial underdogs, Ajax of Amsterdam, who ran the whole club for just a shade under Paul Pogba’s transfer fee. Total football built on youth, skill and work rate. The principles of Dutch master Johan Cruyff that he then took to Barcelona to set up a dynasty. They were minutes away from achieving the impossible and booking their first final since before the Vodafone Warriors existed and they were robbed by a balding Brazilian in a Spurs side who almost dropped out of the top four. Imagine the Cruyff vs Cruyff super spectacular that would have been Barca vs Ajax. Even the one mildly interesting English story, Machester City’s shot at besting United’s treble, was snatched away. In its place we have a boring North London vs Liverpool clash we have seen a thousand times before. Will I watch it? Probably. Will I cry, shout or feel at all invested? No. Fuck you England, you ruined my Sunday morning drinking session.

4. Muhammad Ali - After being banned from boxing for almost three years, Ali missed some of the peak years of his career before he was eventually allowed to return to the ring. In 1974, Ali pulled off one of the great upsets by beating George Foreman in an eight round knockout. 3. Niki Lauda - After winning a Formula One World Championship and almost securing a second, Lauda was massively injured and burned after his car crashed and exploded into flames during a race. Incredibly, he returned to racing 43 days later at the Italian Grand Prix. He went on to win two more drivers championships. 2. Bethany Hamilton - At the age of 13 as a rising surf star, Bethany lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark, which seemed to end her dream career. However, one month after the attack, Bethany returned to surfing and within two years had won her first national surfing title. 1. Monica Seles - Seles was stabbed by a deranged spectator while playing at a tournament in Germany. It took Seles two years to return to tennis, but when she did, she won her 10th and last Grand Slam singles title with victory at the Australian Open.

NEXUS SPORTS FACT The news that Japan would make their medals for the 2020 Olympics out of recycled metals was applauded around the world, but lesser known is the fact that gold medals haven’t been made out of actual gold since 1912. They’re mostly made of silver. 35

Random Audit -

LEGAL201 - Public Law By all rights, I should be bored to death. Law is a dull subject, taught in dull lectures, full of arcane jargon, and the professions these poor students are aiming to go into will soon be replaced by robots. Yet, and I hate to say it - it’s kind of fascinating. It covered a few things, like the differences between legality and morality. No, they aren’t the same (after all, have you met lawyers?). Just because something is legal does not make it right, nor does something illegal make it wrong - so maybe that thing I did on O-week won’t get me fined, after all. We also looked at the ideas of the philosophers John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham. Broadly, they reckon that society should aim to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of people. That’s a deep quote for you to ponder, my friends. The lecturer pointed out that she has studied law and has her own interpretations, but that each student here will have to (and should) do the same. The poor dame may be opening a can of worms considering what we know about law students and their love for voicing opinions, but hey, good on her for making a point about critical thinking. It’s a skill so often missed in the public discourse of codified ideas, whether in law, philosophy, politics or religion, where we engage in simplistic thinking to our detriment; or, y’know, something like that. The lecturer today encouraged her students not to fall prey to it. It’s good to know all this is being taught to the next generation of prosecutors, judges, law clerks and future Netflix law show actors who will walk through the many grey areas in the determination of that lofty ideal of Justice. If law lectures are all actually as good as this one was, I would encourage anybody from any discipline to pop into a random law lecture some point. Fuck, you might just come out a better person.

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

Danielle Marks danielle@nexusmag.co.nz

Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous I have never seen more rich people showing off how much money they have than at the Met Gala. Nothing makes me feel more middle class than seeing celebrities walk around butt naked except for a bedazzled gown (honestly one of the most iconic Rihanna looks of all time). The thing is, fashion is 100% a classist paradigm. The way you look easily shows off how much money you earn. People our age are donning Thrasher hoodies and Vans so that everyone knows that they spend a lot of money on clothes and that’s what we deem to be cool. Money is the epitome of fashion. The more you spend on a shirt means that it will last longer due to more durable fabric. The less you spend contributes to supporting slave labour in giant factories in some corner of the world. Fast fashion is cheap. That’s why we flock to it. Do you think as a poor university student, I’m going to spend $30 on a plain white t-shirt when I can hit up Kmart and only drop $7 on the same thing? Choosing more sustainable fashion sources, where the environmental impacts are reduced in the process of creating your beloved pants, is on the rise. But when prices of pants are above $100, where do we draw the line in becoming oppressive environmentalists? More and more, environmentalism seems to be becoming something that involves looking down on other people for not being more sustainable. However, even with a

steady income, it’s still difficult to make those decisions when you have to pay for expensive rent, power, and food. Clothes come as an opportunity cost compared to the more important needs in our lives. We live in a time where people are increasingly willing to sacrifice paying for decent food to instead go out on a shopping spree and cop more clothes that they probably don’t need. Potentially the only bad thing to come from schools phasing out home economics from the curriculum is a lack of knowledge around how to fix your broken clothes. It’s even almost seen as weird as mending your clothes and accessories when fast fashion is calling your name. Even second-hand shops, which are supposed to be a source of affordable, sustainable fashion have, in many places, become the opposite. With thrift hauls dominating YouTube, many shops have taken to lifting their prices to match the rising trends. Just look at K Road to take your pick of self-titled op shops which, if your pockets are as empty as mine, are shops with very little opportunity. Growing up, my fashion sense was always picked from my brother’s hand-me-downs. I will never understand how the fuck we managed to get to a place where fashion reigns more supreme than being able to feed ourselves. I guess the only good thing about celebrities being able to show off how much money they have through fashion is that we can see how consumerism really is the biggest evil that we as a society are all subject to. 37

WAIKAT FLATS THE PEN

After witnessing a flat Fortnite sesh, a quick game of uno, and a team effort to get the garage door open, Nexus got to bear witness of a close-knit flat family in action. With the chicken out of the freezer and thawing on the bench, and a pink wall “for all the girls to taken profile pictures in front of,” we think it’s fair to say that a few of these lads might be looking to lock in a lady in the near future. House husband, anyone? Want to land yourself a spot in the mag and some free Sal’s pizza to boot? Get in touch with us at editor@nexusmag.co.nz 38

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

A PUNCH IN THE FACE WITH A FISTFUL OF FLAVOUR

UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO STAFF AND STUDENTS PAY

JUST $1.70 ONE WAY ON BUSES IN HAMILTON WITH A BUSIT CARD.

JUST SHOW THE BUS DRIVER YOUR UNI ID TO RECEIVE THE DISCOUNT.

TAURUS APR 20 - MAY 20 Your starmap is showing strong new connections this week. Before you leave the house, be sure to shower, or suffer a repeat of your humiliating past.

SCORPIO OCT 23 - NOV 21 As Pluto shows her faces, your deepest fears will be revealed. Use the next three days to tell them the truth or the stars will do it for you.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUN 20 Geminis with their Saturn in Pisces have a reputation for being lazy, but don’t worry, this doesn’t apply to you. Your terrible attendance and addiction to video games are in no way reflective of this.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 - DEC 21 We sense a comet on the horizon. Keep yourself well stocked with snacks this week, you’re scary when you’re hangry.

CANCER JUN 21 - JUL 22 You’ll tell everyone it ended on good terms, and that you remain friends. But heed our warning of an unexpected revelation, in which everyone finds out they actually blocked you on all social media.

CAPRICORN DEC 22 - JAN 19 Mars has moved into the anxious zone this week, Cap. Best think twice about plagiarising your last few assignments luck is not on your side right now.

LEO JUL 23 - AUG 22 This week, Jupiter’s pull over you will make you hostile to change. We’ll tell it to you straight - no one likes your ranty Instagram stories; it might be time to shut the fuck up.

AQUARIUS JAN 20 - FEB 18 Venus is shining luck on your love life this week; the time has come, Aquarius, stop fucking around and choose one of your admirers to get freaky with.

VIRGO AUG 23 - SEP 22 The stars are sending us a message... break it off with your current significant other, you’re not a rehabilitation centre.

PISCES FEB 19 - MAR 20 The Gemini sun is moving into your sky in the next coming days. You better not flake this time around, a coffin is sure to get you in the mood.

LIBRA SEP 23 - OCT 22 The orbits are changing this week, and you may find yourself feeling lost and confused. Ensure your phone is fully charged before town, your mates are sure to ditch. If in doubt, the old blokes in Shenanigans will look after you.

ARIES MAR 21 - APR 19 Saturn and Venus are competing for your moral compass. We get it, all the good looking ones are in relationships, but hands off hun; no one likes a homewrecker.

! ! ! ! ! ! PROCRASTINATION ! ! ! STATION ! ! !

! ! !

"##$%&& '()*+(,-*.

/0Ã¿ 2 Ã¿3Ã¿45657Ã¿89':

"##$%&& '()*+(,-*. "##$%&& '()*+(,-*.

/0Ã¿ Ã¿ :#$%&&'()*+(,-"# *.#$%&& '()*+(,-*. /0Ã¿ Ã¿2Ã¿34546Ã¿74)8 (. 3Ã¿45657Ã¿89'"#

/0Ã¿ ! 2Ã¿3Ã¿456 Ã¿89:)2Ã¿34546Ã¿74)8(. /057 Ã¿ !9 Ã¿

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! HARD

/0Ã¿ !! 2Ã¿3Ã¿45657Ã¿89':

MEDIUM

EASY

"##$%&& '()*+(,-*.

"##$%&& '()*+(,-*. "##$%&& '()*+(,-*.

/0Ã¿ Ã¿ :#$%&&'()*+(,-"# /0Ã¿ ! Ã¿2Ã¿34546Ã¿74)8 (. 3Ã¿45657Ã¿89'"# *.#$%&& '()*+(,-*.

Ã¿ /0Ã¿ Ã¿3Ã¿4/0 56Ã¿ 57Ã¿89: )2Ã¿34546Ã¿74)8(.

20 by 20 sigma maze

lABYRINTH ! ! ! ! !

"##$%&& '()*+(,-*.

/0Ã¿ 2 Ã¿3Ã¿45657Ã¿89':

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! PUZZLE ! many times can! you How spell Radar ?

"##$%&& '()*+(,-*. "##$%&& '()*+(,-*.

/0Ã¿ Ã¿2Ã¿34546Ã¿74)8 /0(. Ã¿ ! Ã¿3Ã¿45657Ã¿89'"# :#$%&&'()*+(,-"# *.#$%&& '()*+(,-*.

/0Ã¿ 2Ã¿3Ã¿4/0 56Ã¿ 9 Ã¿ 57Ã¿89:)2Ã¿34546Ã¿74)8(.

Name:

Created with TheTeachersCorner.net Word Search Ma NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

M W

O W M

W M

MANAAKITANGA TIKANGA KĀPATAKAI Manaakitanga - to care for PUNE- poor Pohara PARĀOA Hōhā - annoying RUHI Tikanga - Māori customs WHĀNAU

WORD LOCATOR

POHARA PŪTEA RĀTAPU Whare - house WAIPIRO Pune - spoon NURARA Waipiro - alcohol MOKO Whāngai - to feed PONO

Pūtea - money

Parāoa - bread

Kamerana - Cameron

Nurara - noodles

Kāpata Kai - pantry

Matekai - hungry

Rātapu - Sunday

Ruhi - ancestral women

HŌHĀ KAMERANA WHARE Moko - grandchild WHĀNGAI Moenga - bed MATEKAI Whānau - family MOENGA Pono - honesty

SNAPPED

Keen for some free BurgerFuel? Simply snap us the shitfest of your student lifestyle for the chance to win. Prizes can be claimed from the SUB

WINNER

NEXUS MAGAZINE / ISSUE 10

BLIND DATE

He’s a dog-loving surfer boy with golden dreads and half an engineering degree. She’s a sweet dogooder with talent for a good debate or a solid gram caption. Will these two wholesome young things find love? SHE SAID: On the way to my first ever blind date I yelled to my friends “as long as he’s nice I will be happy.” When I got there he was very polite and charming, not my usual type physically but his general vibe was pretty good. We found out that we actually went to the same high school a couple of years apart, and that I used to go youth group (lol) with his sister. We agreed not to buy any food and ended up splurging on a fancy ass bottle of wine and enjoying the perks of a bar tab (thanks nexus). The general chat was pretty good, not as free flowing as I would have liked and I think our lack of common interests kind of set us back. I found that for most of the night my mind kept wandering back to someone else who I was desperately trying to get over. My date was lovely but I think it made me realise how much I liked someone else. Thanks for the date, you were awesome and I wish you all the best.

HE SAID: So, started off the night with a couple cold ones before getting dropped off at House. I got there 5 minutes early and was seated at a quiet little table with the big ass deer head mounted above it which I thought was pretty neat at first. However, as the night went on drunk me kept forgetting that there was a deer just above my head, so I’d nearly poo myself each time caught a glimpse of it. I don’t think she realised though so it’s all good. Anyway… The lass arrived fashionably late, but I was just glad someone showed up. She had clearly put in a lot of effort to get all dressed up and was looking beautiful. The conversation flowed easily and we quickly realised that we had gone to the same high school but didn’t recognise each other… potentially because she was 3 years below me. She had good chat though and seemed like a real nice person. We decided to do the least studenty thing and ordered a bottle of wine that neither of us could properly pronounce the name of and was bloody delicious so kudos to my date for picking a good one. Once the bar tab ran out we shuffled down to shenanigans for a cheeky drink seeing as it was hospo night it would’ve been rude not to. We continued chatting away there for a bit until her mates came and dropped me off at my flat on their way back to college hall… Eww. All in all she was a real nice girl and it was a fun night. Would definitely recommend. Cheers Nexus

Brought to you by House on Hood. If you're keen for a Blind Date, email editor@nexusmag.co.nz

MEMBERSHIPS FROM $9.20 P/W

fvmzm

89.8 WEEKDAYS 6-10AM

FLETCH VAUGHAN MEGAN

READ

WATCH

EXPERIENCE

REVIEWERS - ARTISTS - FEATURE WRITERS - ONLINE COLUNMISTS

Nexus is seeking volunteer contributors with stories to tell in 2019. If you think you're ready to write then email: Editor@Nexusmag.co.nz READ - WATCH - EXPERIENCE