Nexus Issue 13, 2013

ISSUE 13, VOLUME 45

08 july 2013

NEW COLUMNS FOR A NEW SEMESTER.

we give our half year director review.

SHEARER: Can the Teacher in Chief make the math work?

oh yeah. It’s RE-O’week!

elcom sue Th

contents

Editorial Team Editor Alix Higby editor@nexusmag.co.nz

Deputy Editors Louise Hutt & Jess Edmonds-Saunders louise@nexusmag.co.nz jess@nexusmag.co.nz News Editor zanian steele news@nexusmag.co.nz Online Editor Alix Higby online@nexusmag.co.nz

Graphic Designer Haylie Gray design@nexusmag.co.nz

Managing Editor James Raffan james@nexusmag.co.nz

Advertising Advertising Manager Tony Arkell ads@nexusmag.co.nz

Contributors C-Ball, Kathlene Cook, Daniel Petersen, Matt Hicks, Morgahna Godwin, HP, Danyell Summers, Dr Richard Swainson, Dr Burton C Bogan, Jess Molina, Caitlin Ashworth, Kelsey Weld, Tony Stevens, Gil Denny, Amber, Nate Ross, Katie Rose Clausen, Hoss and Ayman Aneece, Emma Knapp, Kate Cresswell and Aaron Letcher

Print Fusion Print

Nexus Nexus is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA). The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of Nexus magazine, the WSU, Printers, the editor or any of our advertisers.

Ground Floor, Student Union Building Gate One, University of Waikato Knighton Road, Hamilton online nexusmag.co.nz facebook.com/nexusmagNZ @waikatostudents

issue 13 / VOLUME 45 / 08 julY / 2013 News

[3] News.

[5] University news.

[6] Sports thoughts.

[7] Not News.

Opinion

[10] Third Degree + Guest Rant [11] Random Profile Top 10.

[12] Lettuce to the Editor.

Entertainment and Reviews [14] Film, Gig & Café review.

Horoscopes [15] Book, Comic & Album review.

Horoscopes [16] @Honest_Matt Meets...

Gig Guide.

[17] Eight Ball.

Cool Not Cool.

[18] Puzzles [20] Feature - Shearer’s Last Stand?

[22] Feature - Director Review [24] Feature - REO Guide

Lifestyle

[26] International Amazing Race [27] Religiousity [28] Auteur + Little Beer Corner [29] Google This + Slut DJ [30] Mr Minty Fish + Diary of a Single Girl [32] Boganology 101+ The After Life [34] Alice & Anne + Trendspotting + Slightly Stoned Chef [35] Arts - Katie Rose Clausen

WSU

[38] President’s Column + Veeps [39] Ask Amber + Citizens Advice Bureau + Young Workers Resource Centre

1

Editorial

Editorial

Highlight Reel

By Alix Higby

this week in nexus // Pg: 03

Welcome back, dear friends and mild haters of Nexus. We’ve been parted far too long.

is when the cool people decide who they’re sharing their New Year’s highs with.

It’s B semester now, and your fresh summer thoughts of “doing things differently this time” have either withered and floated away, or you’ve ended up slow-jogging past them in a completely meaningless direction all together. How did we get here, what have we achieved? Let us not count our failures… please. B semester can be the phoenix of your year, if you do it right.

Speaking of being insane at life, Re-O’week is here. We’ve got a guide to the week-long events brought to you by the WSU for your planning pleasure. It’s always a little trickier to manage than the original due to shit weather, but don’t let that stop you. Hamilton clubs were designed with shitty weather in mind, that’s why they invented Hood Street.

Onesies are also acceptable towning gear for Wednesday night, so if you typically bitch out because it’s cold you have no defences left. Nexus thus gives your friends power to peer pressure you into switching your dank,

If this is your last semester EVER, I question your existence in general – does anyone read Nexus past second year? - then hold onto the

“If Leo can build himself up from nothing only to be dropped by some ditzy blonde bitch... you can survive undergrad.”

News from the break Miss all the big news stories because you were too busy having no responsibilities?

Don’t worry, brush up with our crash course on semi-current events, where sarcasm is always free. // Pg: 20

Shearer on Education and other stuff.

We steal ten minutes from the Labour Leader to find out where he stands on a few studentrelated issues like tertiary education, the cost of power, and living in squalor*. // Pg: 22

Directors in Review hope of the end, like Gatsby holds onto the green light (you’ve seen it by now, right?). If Leo can build himself up from nothing only to be dropped by some ditzy blonde bitch, you can survive undergrad.

For the first years, a pat on the head. You’re halfway there, chap! Pretty soon some lost soul will be asking you for directions in the middle of teaching block, and you’ll have slept with half the people on your floor. These occasions are merely initiations and the real decider on whether you’ve successfully integrated into student society will surface upon your return in 2014. Consider branding yourself now. Are you the go-getter type bursting with ambition and wisdom? Are you beautiful, wild and carefree in a way that distracts people from your clear lack of intelligence? Or are you just fuckin’ insane at life in general?

You can always, you know, just be yourself and don’t over think it. I’m just saying, do you want sweet holiday plans or what, cos now 2

drafty flat for the body heat of a hundred of your sweaty directionless equals for a week of temporary regret and lifelong fondness. I don’t know how or why anyone gets laid at these events, but perhaps that’s an exposé for another issue.

While you ponder these ideas, Nexus has laboriously put together an interview with David Shearer and a review of the work ethic and general personalities of the WSU Board of Directors. One of these is slightly more serious than the other.

Nexus delivers an A semester report card on your current WSU Directors. See how they stack up. // Pg: 24

Your guide to Re-O’week 2013: Don’t know which days this week to bother turning up? Answer: All of them. // Pg: 27

Enjoy!

Alix

New Columns for a New Semester!

Our religion column takes on Wicca, and we see just how green the grass is on the other side of graduation in The Afterlife. *squalor may be an exaggeration.

NEWS

NEWS Waikato Students Win At 48 Hours A group of Waikato University students have won the Hamilton final of the Rialto Channel 48HOURS filmmaking competition with their short film called The Empath.

The team of five, named Elysium Exit, is comprised of screen and media master’s students, Jordan Browne, Jake Ngawaka and Daniel Trainor, Bachelor of Music student Jade Browne and Bachelor of Media

Student Condolences Nexus and the Waikato Students’ Union would like to join with the University of Waikato in offering our condolences to the families of two students who tragically passed away in Fiji over the semester break He Meng and Chen Yiyou had decided to spend their final semester break in Fiji, where they both drowned while swimming.

The pair were in their final year of study at WMS as part of a partnership with ZUCC. “The directors and staff at the Waikato Students Union were all saddened to hear about the passing of two of our fellow students “ said WSU President Aaron Letcher.

There is a duty of care that the WSU and the University take very seriously with our

style being more suggestive than literal. “We wanted to break any predictability through the editing and cinematography of the film.”

Elysium Exit went home with four other category titles alongside overall winners:

International student community and we like to believe that anyone who chooses to study here will return to their families at the end with a qualification and some fantastic experiences to tell people about.

Unfortunately for He Meng and Chen Yiyou this will not be the case and that is a tragedy. “ The death of any student is always tough.

The fact that they were international students makes it even tougher for the families who may not have seen them in months.”

He Meng and Chen Yiyou were travelling with two other students who have returned safely to New Zealand. Our thoughts are also with them.

Help for firsttime cheats keeps re-offending rate down More than 200 students were caught cheating at the University of Waikato last year and it‘s a fair bet none of them will be caught again.

and Creative Technologies student Moehau Hodges-Tai. The team’s entry, The Empath, was an abstract, non-dialogue short film, with a converging storyline. Daniel says that the main character in the film feels the emotions of others in a physical sense, hence the title The Empath.

“We wanted to make a film that would leave the cinema with the viewer, a film that wasn’t too obvious about everything. The meaning of our film is open to interpretation, which we hoped would create discussion amongst members of the audience.”

Moehau says one of their key focuses was to keep it original and have an original kind of

Best Director, Best Original Score, Sexiest Looking Short and Best Cinematography.

Best cinematography went down well as the team spent a lot of time developing the look of the film.

“There was a big focus on cinematography which involved a lot of lowlight shots, experimenting with depth of field and even filming underwater; it’s really about creating memorable images that affect and challenge the viewer,” says Jordan.

From this competition, the best 12 films from across New Zealand are selected by judges to compete in the national grand finals, with three of those films being hand selected by Peter Jackson and entered as wildcards.

Processes to help people who find themselves in front of the University’s Discipline Committee go a long way to ensuring people found guilty of academic misconduct don’t commit the same offence twice, Committee chair Lucy Campbell says.

She says the vast majority of cases of academic misconduct are for plagiarism and most of those are because students don’t know how to reference properly.

“A lot of it is referencing and that’s at the lower end of the scale,” she says.

“They can be helped and many go on to be great people. Those straight from school are the biggest problem, especially in subjects with a lot of group work.”

At secondary school, group work often consists of students working together and 3

NEWS

presenting one outcome, whereas at university, students are expecting to produce their own conclusions from group work situations.

Mrs Campbell – a senior tutor in Applied Linguistics in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences – says students should take advantage of opportunities to learn referencing, which are provided during course inductions, and those who miss out – such as international students arriving in the country late – need to be encouraged to find out.

“They need to make some time to learn how they have to do it otherwise we get a discipline issue.”

For those who are found to have incorrectly referenced material, Mrs Campbell says Student Learning, the Waikato Management School’s Language and Learning Centre and Library staff are all well placed to help students learn how to correctly reference others’ work.

At best, for many students in these situations, and for a first time offence, they can be asked to rewrite an assignment in conjunction with Student Learning or the Language and Learning Centre. “This re-education process is the most important thing. It is what helps with keeping the reoffending rate down.”

Other penalties for those in the minority that do re-offend include disallowing assignments, disallowing a paper or ultimately, and very rarely, being kicked out of university.

Mrs Campbell says the dedication of staff throughout the university in reporting possible examples of academic misconduct also helps keep the issue under control.

“The whole university is on this, we couldn’t do this without them. We have very transparent systems and people have got confidence in the system.”

And while she is keen to help those who need it, she has far less sympathy for those caught cheating in exams.

“Cheating in exams shows a level of premeditation,” she says.

“It’s deliberate offending so there is some moral problem there. It is seen as very serious, you can lose your paper in an instant if caught and that’s expensive both in terms of money and academic reputation for a student, as it is recorded on their academic record.”

4

Speaking about ‘The Orator’ Samoan New Zealand film-maker Tusi Tamasese is to give a free talk at the University of Waikato next week.

Tusi is the acclaimed director of The Orator (O Le Tulafale), the first feature length movie shot in Samoa, in Samoan and with a Samoan cast and story.

The movie received widespread acclaim and was submitted to the 84th Academy Awards in 2011.

Tusi came to New Zealand at the age of 18 and studied at the University of Waikato, gaining a Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, and later at the New Zealand Film School and at the Victoria University of Wellington, obtaining a Master of Arts

ANTARCTIC BACTERIA MAY HOLD SECRET TO LIFE ON MARS A University of Waikato masters student has been awarded $10,000 to continue his study of microbial communities in Antarctica. Josh Scarrow is one of five Waikato students and among 34 nationwide awarded a Freemasons University Scholarships which have totalled nearly $250,000 this year. Josh’s research focuses on the Beardmore Glacier Region of the Central Transantarctic Mountains where he spent five months with the South Australian Museum team on a biodiversity survey of Antarctica’s Prince Charles Mountains. The research has the potential to inform many fields, including climate change and the search for life on Mars.

degree in creative writing.

He will be speaking about his journey from being a student at the University of Waikato to an internationally renowned director. His two best-known films have both drawn on his formative years in Samoa and are part of his desire to use filmmaking technology to tell unique stories that convey experiences of ‘insiders’ within Pacific culture.

Tusi Tamasese is speaking in Room S.1.05 (S Block) at the University of Waikato at 7pm on Thursday, 11 July, with light refreshments available from 6.30pm.

The event is free but people are urged to register by emailing Nyree@waikato.ac.nz or phone 0272-867-454.

NEWS

UNI smoKEFREE: 6 moNTHs To Go NEWS There are six months to go until the Hamilton campus goes Smokefree. From 1 January 2014 smoking will no longer be permitted anywhere on campus; part of our commitment to providing a healthy working and learning environment.

If you smoke and are thinking about quitting, call the Quitline on 0800 778 778 or go to www.quit.org.nz for free advice and support.

coNsTITuTIoN coNVERsaTIoN dIscussIoN

GET soRTEd FoR B sEmEsTER Students, make sure you get your enrolments sorted quickly. If you are adding or changing papers for B Semester, you need to go online and do a Change of Enrolment via iWaikato during the first two weeks of semester. If you need help, go to the student administration desk on level 2 in the Student Centre.

aucKlaNd pERFoRmaNcE

What are your aspirations for Aotearoa New Zealand? How do you want our country to be run in the future? The discussion Creating a Constitution for Aotearoa NZ – be part of the Conversation will be held on Wednesday 10 July from 1-2pm in K.G.07 and will be facilitated by PVC Maori Professor Linda Smith. www.ourconstitution.org.nz

Join the University of Waikato at the Auckland Town Hall on 10 July at 6.30pm for the NZ premiere of John Psathas’ ‘Corybas’ and ‘Aegean’ by the NZ Chamber soloists, as well as a performance of piano trios by Mozart and Rachmaninov.

WaIKaTo amoNG THE BEsT YouNG uNIs NZ Blood oN campus The University of Waikato is one of the top 50 tertiary institutions under 50-years-old, according to the Times Higher Education (THE) university ranking publication. In less than 50 years the University has grown into a “world-leading institution” with the potential to become a “future global leader” according to THE. Waikato is also in the top 2% of all universities worldwide.

Save a life, give blood.

The NZ Blood Service will be at the Uni Rec Centre from Monday 15 to Thursday 18 July between 10am and 2.30pm.

If you wish to donate, please bring acceptable ID.

A 5

NEWS

SPORTS THOUGHTS The Beauty of the Beast - C-Ball explains why you shouldn’t fix something that isn’t broken.

Before the National Rugby League season progresses any further, we need to understand and accept that the Warriors didn’t just pay a winger far too much money when they resigned Manu Vatuvei. They invested in one of the best role models the game has to offer.

Since Vatuvei signed a two year contract extension and became one of the longest serving Warriors in the process, Rugby League have barked on unceasingly like a pack of blind but rabid dogs, suggesting he isn’t worth it. The general consensus is that Vatuvei patrols the flanks, makes too many mistakes, doesn’t score enough tries anymore and generally just doesn’t do much. These people are wrong.

Some fans have even gone as far to suggest Vatuvei belongs elsewhere. If not at another club, but in the second row. This is despite already having crucified him for being prone to error and questioning his decision making skills. Fans are saying he screws up more often than any other player in the NRL, even when he’s touching the ball less than every other player.

Naturally, these fans actually think moving Vatuvei to the second row is a good idea. They ignore the fact that this means he will touch the ball even more.

They ignore the fact that he will have to take the ball to a congested line of defenders routinely, and deal with the pressures of being expected to offload and make something out of nothing, set after set. It doesn’t make sense.

Make no mistake. In 2013 Manu Vatuvei has been a key part of the Warriors’ revival, both on and off the field. He’s made eleven errors in the NRL to date, which adds up to just over one a game. Shocking, I 6

know. His error prone ways are downright disgusting when you look at some other stars of the game, like Manly’s workhorse Jamie Lyon. He’s made fifteen errors, and English poster boy Sam Burgess has made fourteen himself. Yet no one seems to bother putting the magnifying glass on them. It seems as though every time Vatuvei drops the ball, the blind regain their sight, if but for a moment.

In Manu Vatuvei, the Warriors have surely secured one of the greatest role models the game currently has to offer. And what a time to do it, because I can’t remember having ever read an article involving the Beast drunk, in town being a menace, driving his car intoxicated or groping women and avoiding training to drink vodka cruisers and abuse instagram. Manu Vatuvei has never embarrassed the fans, or this nation.

The Warriors have extended the contract of one of the most devastating players on the field, and at the same time, one of the most gentle and reserved off of it. He embodies every single value the Warriors and every other NRL club should hope to encourage.

Manu Vatuvei is dedicated and loyal, friendly, confident despite the horrors of an Eels game many years ago, obviously loving to his club, and generally the consummate professional. He might not be the best public speaker, but in my opinion that just makes him more human. It shows kids in this country actions speak louder than words, because people love Manu Vatuvei for who he is and how he’s conducted himself, not what he says.

He’s likely to spend the rest of the game burning with desire, a grimace of dedication and determination painted across his face, tearing into the defensive line ball in hand to right that wrong and get something done for his team.

not NEWS

trivial facts If you eat a polar bear liver, you will die.

Humans can’t handle that much vitamin A. The critically endangered Kakapo bird has a strong, pleasant, musty odour which allows predators to easily locate it. Hence, it is critically endangered.

The male giraffe will continuously headbutt the female in the bladder until she urinates.

The male then tastes the pee and that helps it determine whether the female is ovulating. If she is, it’s business time.

Abalones (a snail) have 5 assholes.

Banana Slug penises. First off, a banana slug can be 6-8 inches. The slug’s erect penis be just as long. Also, their penises emerge from their heads. After sex, banana slugs eat each other’s penises. They’re also the mascot of UC Santa Cruz.

Dead people can get goosebumps.

A full head of human hair is strong enough to support 12 tons.

The blood from a human erection has enough blood to keep 3 gerbals alive.

The word “facetiously” contains all 5 vowels and “y” in alphabetical order.

Dragonflies have shovel shaped penises so they can scoop out their rival’s sperm.

THIS WEEK ON TWITTER...

Katy Perry @katyperry Question: if you make a wish on an eyelash... extension... is it still valid?

Sarah Silverman @SarahKSilverman Pic or it didn’t happen RT @Pontifex The Holy Spirit brings to our hearts a most precious gift Jaime Ridge @JaimeRidge24 Hmmm I feel like I want a new bag ?

Miley Ray Cyrus @MileyCyrus has nooooone seen the little rascals?!?!?! #revealingmyage

ColinMathura-Jeffree @colincitizen conversations can be boring but I’ll let them chat because I see my reflection in their eyes & I can start fixing my hair.

Michael Laws @LawsMichael Labour’s next caucus rule - seats reserved for the disabled, the mentally ill, overstayers, gays, vegetarians, the over 70s, the under 20s.

Ben Hurley ‫@‏‬benhurleycom NZ wine industry contributes $2B to the economy. This month I will drink more to make up for those doing Dry July who clearly hate Aotearoa

Honey does not spoil. You could feasibly eat 3000 year old honey.

If you were to remove all of the empty space from the atoms that make up every human on earth, the entire world population could fit into an apple.

Duck vaginas have developed “dead ends” over time to protect them from being raped by other ducks.

A mantis shrimp can swing its claw so fast it boils the water around it and creates a flash of light.

Llamas are born with an extra pair of fighting teeth that they use to bite off other llamas’ testicles making them the only fertile male in the group.

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NEWS

NOT NEWS

NEXUS NOT NEWS WINTER HOLIDAY UPDATE: News you missed while you were off getting pissed...

Critic Less Critical

in local news:

United Have No You Can’t Handle Future As Dunne The Truth is Do..Fucked Professionally outraged bow tied politician and part time ice-cream salesman/ owner of Mr McGroriums wonder emporium / Tenor In A Barbershop quartet / (insert your own here) Peter Dunne was officially demoted by the speaker of the House who ruled that Mr Dunne was now an independent politician. Mr Dunne refutes the ruling stating that he hasn’t had an independent thought in his entire career.

“Mr Dunne refutes the ruling stating that he hasn’t had an independent thought in his entire career.” in hillary news:

Chase Douglas There are no jokes here because choking your girlfriend is never funny.

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In media news this holiday saw the collapse of one of New Zealand’s longest serving newspapers. Please note the term news is intended to be the loosest it has ever been in this context. The truth is that the paper existed because people like naked people. In the absence of naked people the magazine was judged solely on its writing, creativ-

“The truth is that the paper existed because people like naked people.” ity and adherence to the highest ideals of journalism. It closed shortly thereafter. The one thing that will be missed is the piece of performance art they created where an obviously fictitious parody of a news editor spends his days rambling about media and abusing people. It painted a despotic world where journalism lacked any credibility and newspaper editors were appointed to be controversial loud mouths who couldn’t fall over facts if they tried. Fans don’t have to worry as this groundbreaking satire will continue online (http://www.whaleoil.co.nz)

Former Otago Student Magazine Editor Callum Fredric has left Critic after reaching an agreement with OUSA. The agreement centred on them paying him a tonne of money and him doing a lot less writing for the next six months. Mr Fredric has stated that he would love to return to communications but isn’t sure where he could get such a sweet deal again. In totally unrelated news the Waikato University Comms Department has two vacancies.

NEWS

IN STUPID NEWS:

Exploding Fridge Leads To 12 Years In Jail An unrelated exploding fridge has lead firefighters to discover hundreds of marijuana plants being hydroponically grown in a residential house . We would usually add a joke here but I have to go and unplug my fridge.

in INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

Berlusconi Boned An Under Age Working Girl Three time Italian Prime Minister and two time convicted criminal Silvio Berlusconi is heading to the big house, although as a multi-billionaire, media tycoon and owner of sports teams, prison may in fact be smaller than his actual house. Perhaps the weird thing is that the world is still surprised by Berlusconi’s shenanigans. At

this point he could use the phrase “No Mr Bond, I expect you to die” and we wouldn’t be shocked. International reaction has been mixed on the conviction. British Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that hookers were outside the “current austerity budget,” French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault suggested that Berlusconi may have misunderstood a conversation the two shared, “He called me and said that he had a girl working in his room and asked what he should do. I said here in France we would let her eat CAKE.” Back home Prime Minister Key is said to be too shocked to comment as he is grappling with the reality that some problems cannot be solved by simply throwing more money at them.

No Wonder Detroit Is Going Broke A michigan resident was found guilty and sentenced to community service and probation after cops found over 800 marijuana plants on his property. Again no joke here because we are busy organising travel arrangements but we do have a fridge for sale.

Is China advocating Blowjobs for Money?

According to the highest court in Guangdong province not only is oral sex not an act of prostitution but any “mastabatory or breast massging service” is also outside of the scope and can be performed in massage parlours without fear of prosecution. So consulting our leaderboard China has: legal blowjobs, sex robots, saki, and the largest growing economy in the world while in America you can’t drink a 16 ounce soda in new york, Janet Jackson hasn’t been on TV since we saw her breast in the superbowl and the guy who mentioned the government was spying and listening into your calls is being persecuted and currently living in a Russian airport. Well done land of of the free.

9

oPINION

THIRD DEGREE GUEST RANT Exchange Student Edition 01_ Why did you choose to study at Waikato?

02_ What was the highlight of the break?

03_ What are you most dreading about B semester?

Rachel 20, Engineering.

01_

Because our school has a good exchange program here, and people have always said New Zealand is Beautiful.

02_

I went to Montana and saw the mountains. They were really pretty.

Ashley 20, Graphic Design

03_

I think my Engineering papers will be hard!

01_ I’ve always wanted to 02_

I went to a friends cabin for a weekend.

Corey 19, Political Science

01_ I probably won’t get another opportunity, and I’m a huge LOTR nerd.

02_

I work for a church, so I got to organise events for kids.

03_

I’m not excited for my psychology and gender class, as I tend to shoot my mouth off a lot with the other gender...

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I am against one way door policies being enforced on bars in Hamilton for two reasons.

Firstly. There is no solid, conclusive data that proves one-way door policies reduce alcohol related harm. There really isn’t. Any one who wants to talk about success elsewhere uses the Newcastle example.

These same people don’t talk about the other one-way door policies that were trialed in Australia or NZ and there wasn’t the same decrease.

Secondly. I believe that the best place for someone to drink a controlled substance like alcohol is in a controlled environment like a bar.

There are lots of laws that govern how bars need to operate in order to sell alcohol. They need a license to start with and this requires them to provide security, food, trained staff, non alcoholic drinks and transport options. Surely this is safer than hanging out in the street or drinking booze in a supermarket carpark.

Our city council is made up of a group of clever people but unfortunately some of them think that after midnight chaos reigns in our central city streets. Sure, we have the odd night where it’s busy and there are a lot of people floating about but the streets are not filled with people fighting and vomiting.

come here and the best opportunity is when you’re at school.

03_ Nothing really, no!

One way doors for Hamilton bars – no thanks!

The south end of our fair city has a vibrant night life. We are applauded by visitors for having a good number of outlets in close proximity to each other. It’s a great place to go out. You’ll always find something or someone to keep you entertained.

If you enjoy going out in Hamilton and the freedom to bar hop then make sure you have your say. Like a Facebook page, start a petition, call your local councilor or if you’re feeling particularly democratic make a submission to the council so they know how you feel.

Nathan Sweetman

OPINION

RANDOM PROFILE

TOP TEN Top Ten things we’d put a quota on - given the change in labour rules to implement a female MP quota, we thought we’d come up with some quotas we’d like to see.

LJ Pijnenburg

10_

Reasonably priced coffee places on campus – minimum of one.

Did you study at Waikato and what was your degree?

No I didnt study at Waikato. I received a Full Academic/Sporting 4 year scholarship to play Football (Soccer) at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). This was a year after the University of Waikato crushed my dreams of receiving a Hillary scholarship and entrance to studying at the university of my beloved home town.

If you could create the ultimate music festival, who would be your three headline acts?

Main acts: Bob Marley, 2pac and Stevie Wonder Smaller Acts throughout the day: Jackson 5, Elvis Presley, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Reeves, Lionel Ritchie & the Commodores, Nate Dogg, Creedence Clear water Revival, Sam Cooke, Santana, Smokey Robinson Metallica TLC....too much to mention, could go all day.

What would be your pub quiz topic of choice?

WWF Superstars and their Finishing moves.

What would you do if you won lotto?

Keep it as far away as i can from parliment so that those clowns dont get any!!

Other than that, id make sure my family never had to pay for anything again. Then take all my friends who are struggling financially on a “Cheer up my freinds, this is only the beginning” retreat somewhere in the world.

If we came over for dinner, what would you cook?

Fish n Chips from the Maori fullah on Alfred st just off Heaphy Terrace. Made with love bro.

If you had to either walk, bus or skate to work for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

Probably walk aye even though roller skating would keep it oldskool!

What are you most looking forward to this RE O Week?

Suppose I should say the whole thing as I am organizing it. The Mid-Winter Christmas feast is gonna be primo!!

09_ Convicted opera singers – maximum zero.

08_ Lecturers who can’t use PowerPoint – we’ll only take 5 and they can’t all be from computer science.

07_ Tights as pants – Just no.

06_

Balding ginger narcissists – one.

05_ Drunken Irishmen in leadership positions – two.

04_ Batshit crazy weirdos – 50.

03_ Mathletes – ()27+12(568)0 02_ Philosophy students – are there any of you to begin with, or are you all living in a creation of my unconscious self.

01_

United Future members – 499.

SUMMER JOB ' O' FO RAWESOME CHRISTMAS COOKIES SSELLE SELLER

SEE U US IN THE LIBRARY FOYER JULY 10, 0900-1400HRS WWW.COOKIETIME.CO.NZ WWW

APPLICATIONS A PPLI CLOSE JULY 28

KICKS CASH KUDOS

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OPINION

LETTUCE TO THE EDITOR. Nexus loves getting your letters. We also love it if they are funny, intelligent and well written. Mainly we will be happy if you keep them under 250 words, it saves us having to cut them down. Please remember to give us a real name when you send them in even if you want to write with an alias. Email us at Lettuce@nexusmag.co.nz or... facebook.com/nexusmagNZ

#nexuslettuce.

A Tale of Two Stories.

person captive audience is a pretty big thing for any potential advertisers to ignore).”

Dear Nexus

The IBC which runs Contact FM, has no problem with advertising within reason. We have done campaigns for Skinny, Bennetts, Roadshow Films etc, this is the opposite of what is stated above. We adhere to the 3 minute per hour advertising rule (roughly 6 ads per hour) stated by the Student Radio Network (i.e 95Bfm, RDU, Radio 1 etc), something we have always done. We do not believe excessive advertising present in commercial radio, it is about the music.

1st; i was fapping like crazy last week. must have fapped on average 4 times a day for the last 2 weeks. the reason? i was reading up cases on sexual crimes as part of my crimes lecture. some of those cases were quite explicit and being the sex deprived male student i am it got me aroused. always felt bad afterwards but kept going back for some more.

2. I tried weed for the first time on the weekend. me and couple other random dudes at a party were sitting in a circle and they past around the joint. i was the last one in the circle and by this time all of them were already mile high. got the pipe. deep puffs and as i do this the circle of life from the lion king starts playing. everyone is stoned now. i start waving my hands around. they start waving their hands around. the rest of the night was us playing out the lion king on the lawn. 8/10 will smoke again.

John

Ironically “Contact” is listening to you...

We have discussed speakers on campus previously with the University. This again is something that has been worked on, but does require permission. As an organisation we can not do anything until approval. Secondly in the interim we have donated both local, national and international music to the “Music In Garden Place” sound system programme. We also help with organising and time into running local and national gigs within Hamilton: Circle J, Flying Nun 30th Anniversary event etc. We also opened Contact FM’s the Fridge Recording Studios to help with local music production and live to airs.

I would be more than happy to clarify any points that have been raised or discussed by Matt.

Many thanks Lauren K.Bell Contact FM

Nexus is getting closer to the Zodiac Killer Hi Ping Ping, Your letter regarding the Zodiac Killer peaked my interest. I too know of this man, as well as all others in my social circle. We call him CRG (crazy rapper guy) as he can be seen rapping along to his music as well as enjoying that coke he always has.

As far as I’m aware he is actually a person, however, I do feel that you are right in your assumption that he is everywhere at once. I once saw him walking around the uni as I was hopping on a bus to town, and saw him in centreplace when I arrived.

I know for a fact that he does go to uni, but cannot tell you how or anything about him.

CRG, if you are reading this, hello, and thank you for the many sightings over the years, we always enjoy seeing you at the strangest places at the strangest times.

Regards, The CRG enthusiast

Matt Hicks” Where the station falls down is the fact the signal barely makes it out the uni gates (it’s not that bad, but it’s not even city-wide).”

Dear Editor, I am writing to clarify some issues regarding Matt Hicks opinion piece on Contact FM. There was a couple mistake made in relation to the article.

“Now I know the present Contact crew isn’t really keen on creating a commercial operation, but in my opinion a little money coming in can’t be a bad thing (a potential 13,000 12

As a low power frequency station, we have to operate within certain guidelines presented

by Radio Spectrum (government organisationoversees radio frequencies). This also means that no low power station is protected from other rogue stations causing interference to their signal. This has been an on going issue for the station and other reason why the IBC has been meeting with the powers that be in regards for a solution for the Waikato region.

DISCLAIMER Letters published contain the opinion of the writer and the writer alone. Nexus publications take no responsibility for the content or opinions so expressed. By submitting your letter you give consent to its publication in Nexus and subsequent public scrutiny. Letters are the authors own work and Nexus will not edit to compensate for lack of intelligence or coherency. Nexus reserves the right to edit or refuse to publish any letter which breaches any law, is defamatory to any person, or contains threats of violence or hate speech.

NOTICES

13

entertainment & reviews

LIDO CINEMA film

The Great Gatsby Rating: If, like me, you studied The Great Gatsby for NCEA English, your view of the classic American novel might be slightly skewed; either by your frustration at Nick for being the world’s most useless narrator or the fact the “American dream” is one of the most depressing themes ever. However, whether you view Gatsby as an adaptation of that book you were forced to read or if you’re new to the story, Gatsby is at least coherent enough to be enjoyable either way.

The costuming is truly beautiful and the sets are amazing; you cannot deny that is it filled with all the splendour of the 1920’s. The soundtrack adds an interesting facet to the movie. Luhrmann is no stranger to using the soundscape to create contrast (think Romeo + Juliet), however only two songs reference the jazz music which was consuming society during that period. The special effects are clearly intended for a 3D medium, while seeing it in 2D makes them appear forced.

Leonardo diCaprio is an excellent Gatsby; however whether the term “old sport” is as over used in the novel as it is in the movie, I cannot remember. Carey Mulligan brings life to Daisy Buchanan, a character who can seem very dull in the novel. Luhrmann does adequately communicate the importance of Fitzgerald’s symbols, the eyes and the green light, ensuring it’s used to cheat the system by many an English student in the future.

Louise Hutt

GIG

Auckland Art & Craft Fair Rating: One could say that the Auckland Art & Craft Fair is like the RnV of markets. It is up there among the top fairs in the country: 1. It has the big boss of all sponsors in the form of Frankie magazine 2. Heaps of people travel to Auckland for it 3. Famous people/bloggers/ artsy hipsters are all under one roof 4. Floral crowns everywhere. Aside from the gold coin entry, the great thing about it, though, is that it happens twice a year. So if you’ve missed out on this one, there will be one again towards the end of the year.

Upon entering we got a sticker that had “I support handmade” on them for us to stick to our clothes. Then there were the stalls... two full rooms filled with handmade goodies. It was hard to decide where to go first, but tackling it room per room was a great strategy.

Although packed, it was still easy to navigate around the place.

It seemed like everywhere I looked, there was something that would catch my eye. Every inch of space was covered with such beautiful art and craft that even I felt creative just standing there. While I ended up purchasing a few goodies, the highlight of the day was meeting so many creative people.

Handmade things are definitely special (Check out Alice & Anne, our very own crafty divas if you haven’t yet), and supporting talented artists is just another way to celebrate the arts.

pay & cafÉ

The Chocolate Lounge Rating: There is nothing a woman loves more after a long, hard week than a chocolate pick me up.

The Loroma Chocolate Lounge ticks all of the boxes.

As you’re walking towards the lounge the smell of sweet, sweet chocolate begins to fill your lungs. I chose last Sunday to do this review, Mother’s Day, so the café was packed with people all treating their Mums.

My friend and I ordered then found a table and waited for our drinks and sweets to arrive. The staff were friendly and our stuff arrived quickly. I got a mint hot chocolate and my friend got a caramel mocha hot chocolate.

We shared a piece of red velvet cake and a caramel slice.

Our hot chocolates were full of flavour and came in these cute spaceship looking cups.

At $5.40 they are quite pricey but the taste of real melted chocolate really shone through.

The treats were great if you have a sweet tooth and were priced from $4.70 - $6.50.

The overall impression is that this is a great place to come if you’re in need of a chocolate indulgence.

Laura Tynan

HOROSCOPES ARIES

taurus

gemini

(21 mar - 20 apr)

(21 apr - 21 may)

(22 may - 21 june)

CHANGE: Do something that scares you. Try not to do things that scare others because pepper spray takes three days to get out and that shit stings.

RELAX: Especially if you are a first year. You probably haven’t even been told they drop the pass mark to 30% in B Semester. Chill out.

CAUTION It has been a week now and that rash isn’t getting “less purple”. Time to go see Dr Kimbra’s Dad.

14

entertainment & reviews

BOOK

Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury Rating:

album

Culdesac

I’ve read a whopping three whole books during my extended tenure at university, with Fahrenheit 451 being the latest, and absolute greatest.

Childish Gambino Rating:

The book paints a picture of a society that is fuelled on instant content, facts, single day wars, fast cars, shunning of intellect and a general nonchalance towards the value of human life. Above all, books are outlawed and upon their discovery, burned.

MARC ONE COMIC

The story follows a fireman, whose job it is to respond to tip-offs on the whereabouts of books and to then go and burn them in a firestorm of kerosene. Over time however, the fireman begins to wonder if this is how it has always been…“There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.”

‘Hark! A Vagrant’, by Kate Beaton, is a clever little book. A history major, turned cartoon strip(ist?), Kate Beaton has managed to make a career out of condensing much of history into silly comic strips. Here we have a collection of her work together in one place and fans of hers have been well treated; this really is a nice collection. More than just dumping her work together and being done with it, each strip is accompanied by the author’s own commentary. These notes added a ton of interest for me and were often as funny as the clips themselves.

Throughout this book, the reader is bombarded with vivid imagery, with no attention to detail spared. It forces us to question the world we live in today, how quickly technology is advancing, how the dynamic of social interactions has changed, and most importantly where our ‘knowledge’ is coming from. Many parallels can be drawn between the fictional now, and the now we live in.

While this book might not be for everyone, I believe it is a valuable and insightful 60-yearold piece of literature and a must read for every thinker out there.

“Our civilization is flinging itself to pieces.

Stand back from the centrifuge.”

Hark! A Vagrant Kate Beaton Rating:

The thing about comic strips of this nature is that not all of them are winners. These run the gambit from ‘too clever for their own good’ to just plain unfunny, and given the historical themes it constantly flirts with pretentiousness but is mostly quite funny. I’ll leave the rest to Kate herself: “If you learn, or look up, a thing or two after reading these comics, then I’ll be more than pleased! If you’re just here for the silly stuff, then there is plenty of that to go around, too.”

Daniel Petersen

Recently Childish Gambino (aka the black guy from TV show Community) put out his new mixtape, Royalty. I’d heard good things, but on my internet searches were coming up with nada (mainly because Mr Gambino’s website was down and I’m useless at basic tasks). But I stumbled across foreverchildish.com, a fansite that had both the new mixtape, but it also reminded me of my favourite Gambino album, Culdesac, which remains on the site for free.

Gambino opens with Difference and he is quick to remind us that he is different. He’s not your standard rapper and he doesn’t do “hood” rap. At the same time this isn’t pretty safe hip hop like Ugly Ducklings or Will Smith, it sits somewhere in between. I Be On That is one of the highlights as it straddles these two concepts superbly. My favourite song is You Know Me with its plodding yet aggressive beat, Gambino’s slick lyrics and a catchy hook. The lyrics Gambino delivers are an eerie combination of smart metaphors and clever storytelling. The lyrics are brilliant, even if he is being told to “stick to the right business and stop making rap music for these white kids-es.”

The lyrics are great but are not necessarily heads and shoulders above other current MC’s like Lupe Fiasco or Joey Bada$$, but it’s the beats that set this album apart. They’re modern, dynamic and set the lyrics off with rakish strength. With backing like this, the album could really do no wrong

Miley

http://www.mk1.co.nz/ www.facebook.com/Mark1Comics

Hp

cancer

leo

virgo

(22 june - 23 july)

(24 july - 23 aug)

(24 aug - 23 sep)

LOVE. It’s not as exciting as stranger sex, casual sex, random sex or multiple partner sex but you’re at University now so why not try something new this week.

JEALOUSY. That green eyed monster is a bitch. But not as much of a bitch as the blue eyed monster talking to your ex in your tutor group like last semester meant nothing to him. Mark your territory.

CONFUSED? Ask yourself “What Would The Cast Of Geordie Shore Do (WWTCOGSD)” Then get on with your life put down your horoscope and make your own decisions. You’re a university student for fucks sake.

15

entertainment & reviews

@Honest_Matt Meets...

gig guide Welcome back, folks! Hope the holidays treated you well. What better way to ease you back into study than by partying? Ahh, student life.

Tuesday Pirate Party Bar 101 Here’s hoping you meet a Captain Sparrow Johnny Depp type of guy on the night. No, this isn’t a Tui ad.

Wednesday

Matt Hicks talks to the Wellington bred and currently Norway based Adi Dick about his new EP Layers, moving house and his career to date.

How long did your new ep ‘Layers’ take to make?

The EP has probably been 5 or 6 years in the making. It never really started out as “the EP”, just songs I started working on after “Our Place” came out in 2007 and I’d moved to London to live. Some of the songs on there were written not long after that move and during my time in London and some were written in the 3 years since I’ve been back.

Any standout tracks on the album you think we really gotta listen out for?

I think “The Message” is a standout for me.

When I wrote it it was a change in songwriting style for me and I love the ambiguity of the lyrics, although they make total sense to me. I’m definitely going to explore that type of songwriting more and it reminds me of Beck circa “Odelay”. Also, I think the beat on that tune is pretty killer too and the sample chop work on it (if you were to hear the original) is pretty wicked.

How would you describe your sound to someone not in the know?

Electronic beat heavy soul music with a penchant for bass and the spirit of analog sound.

What do you do (work/study wise?) when you’re not doing music?

I’m a designer at Trade Me. Focusing on user experience, user interaction and general usability of the site.

Skint House Bar, 6-9 pm Before you get on the piss, why not enjoy some food? $5 pizzas and special drink deals with student ID. Onesie Party Agenda Nightclub Winter Onesie Land Bar101 Onesie White Out The Outback Inn This time last year, Agenda launched the first ever onesie party. Needless to say, the night went off. Now The Outback and Bar101 are joining in too.

Thursday What’s been your finest crazy rock n roll moment so far?

My greatest gig to date is definitely when I played at the Prince of Oman’s wedding at his Palace in Oman. I got flown there and when I arrived there were two buses to take passengers to the terminal, one was for everyone else and the other was for me… while they went to the terminal and through customs, I got to skip that and go straight through the diplomatic/royal entrance, then driven straight to my hotel. That was some fairytale action right there and something I’ll never forget.

Read The Full Interview SouNZgood.co.nz Like SouNZgood on Facebook Follow SouNZgood on Twitter @SouNZgood

Beerfest The Outback Inn Safe to say you know how this works by now...? $15 for a 1L stein from 7pm!

Friday Flat Frat Party Agenda The only reason to go out on a Friday night.

Be sure to register for entry!

Saturday Our:House Hamilton The Outback Inn Three stages (Main Stage, Soundscape Stage, Something Real). This is not to be missed!

Jess Molina

libra

scorpio

sagittarius

(24 sep - 23 oct)

(24 oct - 22 nov)

(23 nov - 21 dec)

PONDER Why do people say “It’s always in the last place you look.” Of course it is! I don’t find it and then keep looking.

LAZY Me too (Insert your own horoscope here)

HAPPY On the first week back? Not sure what you are taking but please send some of it to Nexus Magazine, Gate 1 Knighton Road C/O...

16

08 entertainment & reviews

COOL VS NOT COOL

eight ball

tHREE THINGS THAT ARE AWESOME RIGHT NOW AND THREE THINGS THAT AREN’T SO MUCH. COOL Mid Winter Christmas.

You can’t go wrong with a hot meal and good company.

Welcome to the 8 ball. In the depths of my gooey black ass I will answer the secrets OF THE universe. You may not like MY answerS but lets be honest who else is going to tell you the truth, ugly.

Will there be a Maori Smurf?

Is that code for something? Am I reading too much into this? What is life?

Getting in first for tutorials and labs.

No classes on Fridays thank you very much

When North West grows up will she ever go down south?

Clever guy. You just wait, North West is going to own the Southern Seas.

Am I a bully? You better answer this.

I don’t feel safe talking about this with you.

My lecturer keeps looking at me, should I crack him g? ”Crack him g”?! Are you fucking kidding me. Get a dict-ion-ary.

See what I did there? I rhymed my sentenced to coincide with your ghetto feel but also whilst having respect for the English language. If you say quickly it sounds like rap - don’t forget the arm movements.

Free breakfast.

Arise & the WSU definitely know how to look after students.

Was Julia Gillard stupid to call a vote or was she just happy to have one?

Julia Gillard’s hair is full of secrets.

NOT COOL Struggling to find a winterfriendly town outfit.

Can I wear thermals to town?

Wet socks.

Gross, just gross.

Thinking you can cross the green.

Hello mud, my old friend.

Sleeping with you tutor, yes or no?

In the words of one of the worlds leading contemporary philosophers, “I Need To Have Surgery To Look Beautiful For The Man I’m In Love With So I Feel Comfortable With The Way I Look When We Get Married” and also, “My Surgeon Can’t Perform Surgery Tomorrow So I Need To Wait Until This Week ;( “ Amanda Bynes, 2 July 2013

capricorn

aquarius

pisces

(22 dec - 20 jan)

(21 jan - 19 feb)

(20 feb - 20 mar)

DESPAIR. Week one of 12.

DISAPPOINTMENT Planning on seeing Superman: Man Of Steel this week?

CELESTIAL Mercury is perfectly aligned with Pluto but no one gives a shit anymore because some scientists decided pluto wasn’t a planet. Way to ruin an awesome horoscope International Astronomical Union.

17

entertainment & reviews

Puzzle Page Complete the puzzle page, be the first to bring it in and show us, and you’ll win stuff!

Each oval contains a different number 1-11. Follow the clues to find the correct location of each number in the Numerator diagram.

Note: ‘Left’ or ‘Right’ is from your point of view and means any location along the same horizontal line. ‘Above’ or ‘Below’ means any location along the same vertical line.

Clues: Number 9 is below 5 and left of 6.

Number 1 is below 4 and right of 3.

Number 8 is below 10 and right of 2.

Number 6 is above 7 and left of 11.

Number 2 is left of 4.

Across 1. Come into existence (9) 7. Desert plants (5) 9. Entice (5) 10. Paddles (4) 11. Pugilist (5) 14. Brass instrument (5) 15. Wood file (4) 18. Magical incantation (5) 19. Last letter of the Greek alphabet (5) 20. The history of a word (9)

Down 2. Profit (4) 3. Country (6) 4. Moderate (9) 5. Performer (5) 6. Pig pen (3) 8. Rotund (9) 12. Downhill ski race (6) 13. Lance (5) 16. Make a request (3) 17. Hard work (4) 3 letter words EMU FIR ILK NEE PEW

18

PIE TEE WET 4 letter words CARD DARE DOME FACE HERE HIVE LIFT LISP RISE ROUT SANE SLUR STEW TARO TELL WIRY

5 letter words AURAL CURRY CURVE DAIRY ENROL ERROR LURCH SLICE 7 letter words CHALICE CHIMERA HOSIERY REFEREE 9 letter words DOMINANCE QUERULOUS QUICKSAND SCRIPTURE

LIFESTYLE

29 Hood Street, Hamilton Central

Ph (07) 9811321 * Discount applies to WINTEC or Uni Waikato card holders main meal only. Max discount $25. Must present student/ staff card prior to bill payment to redeem offer. Not valid with Frequent Diner Card, Kid’s Eat Free, $9.90 lunches or any other offer or discount. Valid at Hog’s Breath Hamilton.

19

Feature

Shearer’s Last Stand?

Louise talks to Leader of the Opposition, David Shearer, on the state of teaching, education, and why Labour thinks we should vote for them.

Instead of preparing for my exams, I spent my valuable study time getting lost in Melville, trying to locate David Shearer. Feeling like Guy Williams at a press conference (awkward and ill-equipped), I ended up at Melville Intermediate School. I must have hid my unease, as the assistants flocked around asking “Hi, have you been introduced to David yet?” Seeming more like a school principal than the leader of the opposition, Mr Shearer was set to be served lunch by some very eager eleven and twelve year olds. Melville 20

Intermediate’s Koha Cafe is an example of how food in schools has multiple benefits, as the food is not just eaten by but also prepared by the students.

As someone who regularly used a similar programme while at school, I’m aware of how important services like this are. However, our current government has been not making life easier for those at schools, especially teachers. I was able to speak to Mr Shearer for ten minutes and asked him about Novopay,

how he feels about the teaching profession and why students should vote Labour in the next election.

Having been a teacher yourself, how do you rate the status of the teaching profession in NZ? I think they do a great job and at the moment there is too much putting down of teachers by this government. I’ve been in so many staffrooms where teachers are disillusioned and they are not valued as we should value

feature

them. If you look at what they do throughout our society, next to families teachers are the most influential people in children’s lives and we need to value them in that way.

Considering the development of charter schools as well as the continuing Novopay disaster, would you want to be a teacher now?

I would not want to discourage anyone from becoming a teacher, it is an incredibly satisfying profession. But I think you’re absolutely right, charter schools are undermining our education system. We have an excellent education system in New Zealand, we are consistently rated in maths, literacy and science in the top ten in the world and yet we’re copying the practices of countries that are ranked much, much lower than us. What we need to do is be confident that we have a great education system and doing things we believe are right, instead of mimicking the United States or other countries where teaching practices are less than optimum.

Schools are being put at the centre of New Zealand’s social problems (children who aren’t getting enough food, going without healthcare, etc), do you think schools are the place where the state should be delivering their social services? Is a school’s role purely educational, or should it be the place of social welfare as well as education?

I think that schools could do with more support. Obviously schools are primarily designed to be an institution for learning but you can’t ignore the fact some kids come to school less prepared than others. We have to make interventions wherever we can.

Food in Schools is an example and my vision is that it picks up the kids who haven’t had breakfast or lunch and who don’t have the same opportunities as kids who do have breakfast or lunch. What I don’t want Food in Schools to become, is that the school takes over the responsibilities of the parent. With Food in Schools we are treating a symptom of a bigger problem but what we need to be doing is working with the parents and finding out within those families what’s going on that doesn’t allow those kids to be properly fed before they go to school.

In the 1970s, tertiary students had free education and many people in Parliament now, including yourself and John Key, were at university during that time, do you feel that you understand the consequences that making changes to student loans has on current students?

I understand it, but I’m sure I don’t feel the

same pain many students do today. I went through university on a teaching scholarship and I was bonded to work for three years afterwards. I think we should be looking at overseas models much more than we are at the moment. But the other change that has happened is that we have far more young people going on to tertiary education than we did when I went through university.

After being a teacher for 4 years, you went back to study to complete your Masters.

Bringing into consideration the job climate now, the number of students who are going back to do graduate study, and the changes to student allowances, would you have been able to afford to go back to graduate study?

I would have racked up a big loan in order to be able to do it. I worked in my holidays so I was lucky because there were jobs around at the time and I didn’t have to pay fees for my masters. If both of those were applying to me now, I would be in debt.

Under Helen Clark’s government, there was a push for highly skilled, professionals in New Zealand, and there was an expectation that the majority of people would go to university. Where does the Labour Party now stand on having a highly skilled population?

Very much the same as Helen Clark. There’s absolutely no doubt when you look at any

are too low. Student’s will benefit in the same way as all consumers. It will bring down their power bill between 10 and 12% which means one or two power bills will be eliminated from their yearly power bill.

With the high number of students who go flatting, do you think bringing in regulation criteria for rental properties would improve not only students’ quality of life, but also other people in low socioeconomic areas?

Our policy is called a Healthy Home Guarantee that would obligate, over time, all landlords to ensuring their rental properties are fully insulated and that an efficient heat source was installed. It’s been shown that every dollar that you spend on doing that will save you $6 in health costs. So it actually means, in reality, that the taxpayer is subsiding through the health bill, the nonheating of rental properties. So it’ll make an enormous difference to people’s wellbeing and it’s the sort of thing done overseas. I don’t know why we can’t have minimum standards in New Zealand.

What are the three main reasons students should vote Labour in the next election?

What does the 2013 Labour party stand for?

We have always been the party for education and we have led on all our education policies for years and been progressive, while this government has been regressive. Everything

“I would have racked up a big loan in order to be able to do it. I worked in my holidays so I was lucky because there were jobs around at the time and I didn’t have to pay fees for my masters. If both of those were applying to me now, I would be in debt.” developed nation, the higher the education levels of that country the more economically prosperous it is. I am really worried at the government limiting student allowances and student support for most students who are going for more than three years. What we’re seeing now is a downturn in the number of students who are going on to higher education and ultimately if we don’t change that, we will be worse off in the future, as a society. A very short sighted government made those decisions.

What impact do you feel the NZ Power scheme will have on students?

It will bring down their price of power by at least 10%. John Key said power prices aren’t too high and I think that’s rubbish. I am yet to meet somebody who thinks power prices

you’ve seen from this government has been about putting costs on students rather than enabling students to get ahead because that’s what we believe should happen. We believe in a diversified economy, an economy that isn’t reliant on milk powder and is actually about creating jobs which will keep our graduates here in New Zealand and stop our talent going overseas. We want to create opportunities through our power prices and affordable housing for students and for young people going on into the workforce to make a real difference in young people’s lives. So it’s education, jobs and changes in our society.

Louise Hutt

21

feature

How did we get here?

Every year Nexus interviews politicians. From the smiley and mildly smug to the harsh and abrasive and sometimes even the genuinely naive. We have met them all from prime ministers to Hamilton West Ward Council hopefuls. They are the reason we don’t vote.

We are cynical and jaded and broken and for the most part it’s because we have been let

down by politician after politician. The morally conservatives with extra-marital affairs, the liberals with offshore accounts and memory lapses, even the planet-loving eco-warriors who get their significant others to expound their virtues to the Waikato Times. People say the last person to enter Parliament with honest intentions was Guy Fawkes, we think it may have been Nexus alumni and Waikato resident Nandor Tanczos who went into Parliament and left it exactly the same way, slightly baked.

Perhaps you do need to be a slight narcissist or psychopath to want the fame that comes with public office. Either way every year the WSU gets 500-2,000 students to go through the same process of electing student representatives. A quick poll of the

AAaron Letcher (President) Bio: Aaron is easily the most competent and effective of the directors this year.

Unfortunately as with most things presidential he is graded on a different standard. From Hekia Parata to Saph Gillard where does Aaron actually sit? Time will tell to an extent.

He ran on a “lesser of two evil’s ticket” and hasn’t exactly set about endearing himself to the student public since but like Burlusconi or his beloved Maggie Thatcher he has done everything he has set out to do and overall the Student Union has been better for having him in the role.

Meeting Attendance 100% Ability A Effort A Likeability C Attitude BMost Likely To: lead a small army of child soldiers in the future.

School Report Comment: Aaron is a high achiever but his lack of consideration for his peers has left him a little isolated. Also what sort of high school kid is bald?

B+ Danyell Summers( VP) Bio: Danyell came to a second term office promising to bring a bit of Summer with her.

She also had a slightly boastful email address.

She is lovely, but her current Nexus column talks about how your 20’s are important and actually states : Let’s not end up in jail; don’t go home with that douchebag guy; and I know it’s cliché – but don’t even go near those drugs” Which has to make you wonder is she simply better than me or is she from the ‘50s.

Meeting Attendance 100% Ability B + Effort B + Likeability A Attitude B-

Every year the WSU then ask you what you want from them. This year might be a year to finally think big! A supermarket on campus, a bar, parking? The sky’s the limit but the secret is to get involved after that. Vote in this years election and then make sure they are doing the job you put them in there to do.

For our part we thought we would let you know how the class of 2013 is doing.

Bio: Te Wairere is that girl you knew in high school / or first year. The one that puts her name down to join every club, to be part of every team and to help out with every tutorial.

While it sounds great in theory she has spread herself pretty thin. Great when she is in the office and B semester will probably see her there more.

Meeting Attendance 100% Ability BEffort C + Likeability A+ Attitude A Most Likely To: need a personal assistant School Report Comment: Te Wairere’s extra curricular activities are in danger of affecting her course work. Otherwise a bright and competent student.

Final Grade B+

B

Most Likely To: be Judy Bailey School Report Comment: Danyell is always positive and has a great attitude however her constant desire to seek a solution that benefits all parties has at time led to problems.

Final Grade B+

B+

Final Grade A-

Te Wairere( VP Maori) 22

green today revealed none of the 15 people we asked could tell you more than three directors.

Mark Savage Bio: Mark is punctual, quiet and competent.

We are pretty sure these are the same phrases they would have used to describe nine out of ten of the world’s last major serial killers. It is important to note that we are not calling Mark a serial killer just suggesting he shares a lot of their traits.

Meeting Attendance 100% Ability B + Effort B + Likeability BAttitude B +

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Most Likely To: NOT be a serial killer

Attitude B

School Report Comment: Mark is a hard working student, polite and always friendly.

Most Likely To: Work For LinkedIn

Final Grade B

C-

School Report Comment: Daniel is an intelligent young man who should disabuse himself of the notion that his opinion is fact and that he is the most knowledgeable person in the room. Such a delusion has real impact on his learning.

Final Grade B-

Meeting Attendance 71% Ability B Effort D Likeability B Attitude CMost Likely To: Be Prime Minister or Unemployed (there really is no middle ground here) School Report Comment: Logan has a lot of potential and if he chooses to apply himself we can expect big things.

A Roy and Loren Bio: Neither director was voted in. They both filled vacancies and as a result still kinda have that new car smell and desire to please.

Meeting Attendance N/A Ability A Effort A Likeability A Attitude A

Daniel Farrell Bio: A former writer for Nexus and current stand-arounder for Contact FM. Daniel was once the right half of left vs right. By that we mean he looked at things from a conservative bent, more often than not he was the “wrong” half of left vs right. We loved him anyway and after losing the presidency to Gollum Daniel has set about being a solid if largely unspectacular director. Fun fact: he does an awesome Little John and a pretty decent cover of Nirvana’s Polly.

Meeting Attendance 71% Ability C Effort B Likeability C

Meeting Attendance 57.1% Ability B Effort C Likeability B Attitude C Most Likely To: Make a B semester comeback like Rocky in Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV and Rocky VI

Most Likely To: Both are first round draft picks with potential franchise player written all over them.

School Report Comment: Reagan’s attendance is severely limiting his otherwise obvious potential.

Final Grade C-

School Report Comment: Starting a new school can be difficult and both Loren and Roy have adapted to the challenge well.

No Photo Avaliable

Final Grade A

Final Grade C-

B-

Regan Johnstone Bio: Regan is both cool and frustrating at the same time. A smart guy, and an excellent academic transcript aside, Regan just hasn’t really found the place he is most comfortable yet and that leads to erratic behaviour and confusion. A clever director when he is around but he narrowly beat out Logan for worst attendance.

Logan Reynolds Bio: Not only does he have an X-men sounding name but Logan came in to the WSU with all the credentials you could ever ask for. President of the Youth Council, an active liberal voice in politics and social issues. He just forgot the most important rule in democracy “Decisions are made by those who show up.” His less than stellar attendance record combined with not actually being available for O-Week (due to jet lag) mean we will be calling for a better second semester from Logan.

C-

No Photo Avaliable

B-

Brennan Chappell Meeting Bio: Brennan has become so good at agreeing with Aaron that the last few council meetings you could barely see Aaron’s lips move. If they can get Brennan to talk while Aaron drinks water they can take that show on the road.

Meeting Attendance 85.7% Ability B Effort C Likeability B Attitude C Most Likely To: Be the friend of the current douchebag boyfriend in every single romantic comedy ever.

B

Courtney Quinn Bio: Courtney was last years star performer and in our semi-biased opinion she was the director of the year and a potential VP candidate. However this year for whatever reason she hasn’t been as active. That isn’t a criticism, life gets in the way.

Meeting Attendance 85.7% Ability A Effort C Likeability A Attitude B Most Likely To: be an early childhood teacher.

She just is.

School Report Comment: Courtney is an outgoing student who can do anything she sets her mind to.

Final Grade B

School Report Comment: Brennan is popular, outgoing and funny but shows no interest in things that don’t affect him directly.

Final Grade B23

feature

REO 2013 Mon 8:30am Arise Mobile Pancake Breakfast.

Tue

Wed

Thur

8:30am Arise Mobile Pancake Breakfast.

8:30am Arise Mobile Pancake Breakfast.

8:30am Arise Mobile Pancake Breakfast.

10am

Music Club Morning Tea

10am WSU Clubs Day (til 3pm)

10am

Music Club Morning Tea

11am

Get Toasted with House

11am

12pm

Mid Winter Christmas

Director Nexus Delivery 10am

Keep the Car

Music Club Morning Tea

11am

Get Toasted with House

WSU Soup Kitchen

Get Toasted with House

WSU Soup Kitchen 12pm The Edge Meat Pie Mile

12pm The Edge Hour

1pm WSU Acoustic Lounge 12pm Clubs Day continues 2pm The Great Consultation 3pm Clubs Mixer Level Zero

1pm WSU Acoustic Lounge 1pm WSU Acoustic Lounge 2pm The Great Consultation Xbox Tournament Time -

Black Op’s 2

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2pm Doing the Rounds

5pm

Get in my Van - Transport to Skint Night.

Xbox Tournament Time -

Fifa 13

6pm House Skint Relaunch

8:30pm The Rock Pre-Town Feed

9pm-3am Get in my Van - Uni Bus Stop

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tUESDAY 12PM

tHURSDAY 11AM 25

LIFESTYLE

international AMAZING

R A C E

26

LIFESTYLE

Religiousity After getting called some nasty names for our Easter issue we decided to leave religion to the religious. Each week we’ll have someone talk about their views on religion. Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, whatever man. Our door is open.

I consider myself to be a witch. I am a practicing Wiccan, and I do not have warts, cackle, sacrifice babies, nor summon demons.

These are common misconceptions about witchcraft, all of which are incorrect.

Wicca as a religion is hard to define, because it is a spiritual practice and often personalised to the practitioner. There are many branches of the belief system, each Wiccan having different traditions and views. This does not make any one of us ‘less accurate’ than the others. The term Wicca describes a modern

pagan religion, mistakenly perceived as a form of Satanism. For a start, Wiccans don’t believe in a heaven or a hell, or Christian inventions like Satan.

Despite the differences in each individual’s traditions there are similarities in theology, celebrations and morality. There are two teachings that are fundamental to moral beliefs of all practitioners. The first is the Wiccan Rede: An it harm none, do as ye will.

That means as long as you do not deliberately harm others or yourself, you are free to act and take responsibility for your actions.

The second is The Threefold Law. The moral teaching of that is whatever actions a person performs will return with triple force. These basic teachings discourage doing harm, and illustrates that witches are not evil conjurers as the stereotype suggests.

Another similarity between traditions is theology with most Wiccans believing in duotheism. This duotheism is the balance between the Moon Goddess and the Horned God, seen as lovers and equals, who embody the universe. The God and Goddess who aren’t just higher beings watching over their creation but are in the life energy of everything. Another theological similarity among some Wiccans is the idea of polytheism, believing that there are many deities. Wicca, being such a personal religion,

can again take this belief in a number of separate paths, including believing in a pantheon of deities similar to the Greek, Celtic or Norse immortals, or that all Gods and Goddesses are each a many-faceted being.

The eight sabbats are holidays that Wiccans celebrate. These are based on ancient pagan celebrations. They are placed equally around the Wheel of the Year, consisting of the solstices and equinoxes, and the crossquarter days. Some of these holidays have been used by conventional religion and are being celebrated worldwide (though at the wrong time of year for us in the Southern Hemisphere). The Wiccan holidays observe the continuity of life and perpetual growth, as exhibited by the annual birth and death of the sun.

One of the most important things about Wicca as a religion and lifestyle is the freedom it grants. For us to pick Wicca is to say ‘We are free to control ourselves and we do so in a way that feels as responsible as possible’.

To me, being Wiccan means celebrating the natural growth of the seasons, and each life.

I celebrate the Moon Goddess and Horned God, who can take many names but remain a singular being watching over me, and others.

To me it’s the cyclical and steady pattern of the future, as well as finding happiness in each day.

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lifestyle

Auteur Dr. Swainson on film and the Holocaust..

I’ve recently begun watching a mini-series that I have not seen since it was first broadcast on New Zealand television in 1979.

“Holocaust” was critically well received but somewhat controversial in its day. There were debates in both schools and domestic dwellings as to whether it was appropriate for children to be exposed to such a ‘realistic’ depiction of the horrors of Nazi Germany.

Unsurprisingly, in a world where “Schindler’s List” has set the bar high for Holocaust drama, the mini-series has dated. Whatever the laudable intentions of the its makers, everything seems too clean and pat with an abundance of expository dialogue designed to signpost every wretched turning point in the genocide. Ironically, the story of the SS officer who becomes one of the architects of the Final Solution is more compelling than the tragedy of the Jewish family at the show’s centre. The quiet restraint of Michael Moriarty in the role avoids any obvious stereotyping and is more disturbing for it, giving a sense of how ordinary Germans became methodical mass murderers.

Auteur House stocks “Holocaust” as well as number of other feature films on the subject.

What follows is a list of some of the best.

1. “Shoah” (Claude Lanzmann, 1985). A candidate for the greatest documentary ever made, this 9 hour 20 minute examination of the Final Solution is without a single frame of period footage. Instead, Lanzman interviews both survivors and those complicit in the crime, including a remarkably frank former concentration camp guard. The film has its own unique rhythm, with purposely repetitive shots of trains entering Auschwitz and slow, tracking camera movements around the ovens.

2. “Schindler’s List” (Steven Spielberg, 1993).

Not without its detractors - and let down toward the end by some invented melodrama when Spielberg gives way to his inherently sentimental impulses - this epic adaptation of Thomas Kenneally’s historical novel manages to powerfully convey both the horror of the Holocaust and the rare courage of those who stood against it.

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3. “Night and Fog” (Alain Resnais, 1955).

Only 35 minutes long, Resnais’ astonishingly poetic work juxtaposes concentration camp footage with philosophical voice over.

No other Holocaust documentary is as intelligently conceived or executed.

4. “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” (Vittorio De Sica, 1970). Less to do with the mechanics of the slaughter than the incremental growth of antisemitism in Fascist Italy, neither the formal beauty of this film nor the romantic subplots detract from its sense of tragedy as a wealthy Jewish family gets its comeuppance.

Little Beer Corner Brews and Eats.

5. “The Grey Zone” (Tim Blake Nelson, 2001). A suitably bleak and understated dramatisation of the only armed resistance attempted by Auschwitz victims. Chillingly conveys an atmosphere of death and despair.

6. “The Pawnbroker” (Sidney Lumet, 1965).

Groundbreaking drama about a Holocaust survivor struggling with post-traumatic stress syndrome. The flashback scenes were the first depiction of concentration camps in a mainstream Hollywood film and still pack a punch.

Richard Swainson

whilst others can be sweet and even sour (in a good way, trust me). Colour. Beer ranges the colour spectrum from the palest yellow, to golden, amber, red, brown to the darkest shade of black, also known as black. Texture.

Beer can be very light in body and crisp but it can also lend a creamy richness in some styles. Beer is also carbonated (no shit) meaning it can act as a nice palate cleanser between different beers and dishes.

So give these pairings a whirl at your next dinner party when you’re out to impress It’s fair to say that we spend a decent amount the freeloaders. Crave a ring-burning curry? of our (adult) lives drinking and eating.

Bring out the heat with a hoppy pale ale or Mingling with friends, family and better halves IPA. Breakfast hangover cure means manuka whilst indulging in fine beverage and cuisine smoked bacon – try a pilsner which will cut can help ease the monotony of the daily through the greasiness but retain that smoky grind, be it study, work, sleep. Heck, many goodness. For the sweet freaks – perfect cultures cherish, embrace and downright live harmony means a rich stout with vanilla by it, even having the cheek to close up shop icecream, raspberries and chocolate mashed mid-day to eat, drink then sleep it off for a few up as one. I’d even like to flip the script and hours, only to return to work to close up shop. introduce the beloved cider. Get your pork on, So what am I trying to get at here? I’m not literally. Apple and pork play well together. entirely sure, but I’m pretty certain it involves being merry with food and drink.

The most important thing to remember, But not just any drink. I’m pointing directly, albeit modestly and bashfully, to beer. Think about it, what beverage is more versatile and diverse as the humble ‘beer’? None I say.

Let’s have fun with matching different styles of beer with food. But first, a few basics on what to observe. Flavour. Beer can be bitter,

lucky for you reader, is that there’s no right or wrong answers to beer and food pairings.

Easy aye. Trust your palate, go and grab some beers and do a little experimenting yourself.

You won’t be unhappy.

Nate Ross

lifestyle

Google This Stuff we wasted time on.

Slut DJ Sex, Drugs and Our:House?

NoHomophobes.com http://www.nohomophobes.com/#!/today/ Ever wondered how much homophobic language is used in social media?

NoHomophobes.com aims to point out that using the words “faggot” or “no homo” are more harmful than they seem.

FeministTaylorSwift on Twitter https://twitter.com/feministtswift Improving Taylor Swift’s lyrics one tweet at a time. Gems include “Today was a fairytale / You were the prince / I was a beautiful submissive girl with no personality / It was kind of a terrible day actually”

Two Monkeys Get Paid Unequally http://www.youtube.com/ watch?feature=player_ embedded&v=meiU6TxysCg An excerpt from Frans de Wall’s TED Talk, where he shows you what happens when you don’t pay two monkey’s equally for the same work. Hilarity ensues.

Weird in Wellington http://weirdinwellington.com/ If you ever feel like Hamilton is a bit too bland, just check out Weird in Wellington; a collection of the strange shit that pops up in our capital city.

Infinite Nap http://infinitenap.tumblr.com/ “A comic for the young, the confused and the unconventionally witty”. Nuff said.

Nearly everyone has an Our:House story, they’re like Rhythm and Vines stories but more, er, mid-year and quite possibly shorter - but still just as full of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. Tim Phin, the owner of the internationally renown brand, has hosted some of the worlds biggest acts including David Guetta, Skrillex, Deadmau5, Avicii, Caspa and some of New Zealand’s biggest crowds - which many of you would have already been in.

He also used to bring Our:House down to Hamilton once a year. However, he had taken a few years off from the Waikato invasion, with the last one in 2011 selling out with over

STDs and hangovers. Plus it provides the perfect platform to get a few months worth of stories for this inappropriately named DJ Slut column.

Before I started to write my first Nexus column in a while and reflect on my own bad decisions I asked one of my well-known DJ friends what his favourite memory of one of the gigs were, he said: “The first time I tried cocaine was at Our:House a couple of years a go – I went into a toilet with a gay dude at one of the huge festivals and he gave me some. I was really quite worried it was date rape drugs and he was going to kidnap me but it turned out to be coke – so I was pretty stoked. I also became pretty good friends with the guy – so that’s pretty sick” My stories of the gigs centre more around funnels, shots and skulling competitions and the downsides of those funnels, shots and

“I’m just stoked someone is putting on a huge event at the end of Re-Oweek – it’s the perfect exclamation mark for a week of bad decisions, STDs and hangovers.”

2,000 people.

This week, on the Saturday of Re-O:Week, he has teamed up with DJs/promoters Greg Stack and Scott Tindale from Soundscape to put on a three zone event at Hamilton’s most popular nightspot – The Outback Inn. They’ve got a heap of awesome international acts as well as some of New Zealand’s most popular producers and DJs but really, who gives a fuck about that? I’m just stoked someone is putting on a huge event at the end of Re-Oweek – it’s the perfect exclamation mark for a week of bad decisions,

skulling competitions. That’s what I’ll be doing on Saturday, getting Hamilton Wasted and making some of my own Our:House stories. *Our:House Hamilton features 18 acts over three zones including Tom Piper (Australia/ Ministry Of Sound), A-Tonez (Australia), Redial (Australia), State Of Mind, DJ Sir-Vere (Mai FM), Tim Phin (George FM), Stack & Piece and many more. Tickets are only $20 from WSU Level Zero during Re-Oweek and Dastickets. co.nz and Texas Radio.

Your friendly neighbourhood Slut DJ

29

Lifestyle

Diary of a Single Girl Mr Minty Fish Minty Fish talks to guys stranger than her. It is possible.

Took to the mean streets of Ham East to ask a few guys that would bang your sister and not call her the next day, a selection of questions. It’s possible that I asked them in a really civilised manner. A professional office interview, if you will; but instead I probably just had a fuck load of shisha, some red Scrumpys, and then just kind of yelled words into peoples faces. #voteforjizz.

Would you rather have penis’ as fingers, or a finger as a penis?

-Penis’ as fingers. For the ladies.

-I have huge fingers so I ain’t even mad brah.

-Penis fingers with special gloves that I can pee through.

Would you rather go to Altitude, or go to a club that people like?

-A club that people like. Is Altitude even a thing?

-Whatever doesn’t ‘X’ me.

-Wherever my 5 new penis’ can thrive.

Would you rather orgasm every time someone made eye contact with you or never at all?

-Orgasm everytime you made eye contact.

-If I ever got arrested, I’d look the cop right in 30

Sex and the strange man.

his eye. Let him know the seriousness of the situation.

Would you rather be hot as fuuuuck up until the age of 25 but then become hideous, or look mediocre your entire life?

-Hot as fuuuuuuck til 25 then ugly -Hot. By 25 I might as well give up anyway.

-Mediocre, give the other guys a chance for once #playa #youevenliftbrah?

Would you rather be able to go back in time or go to the future?

-Go to the future, no point living in the past man.

-Pretty keen to kick it with Bill Cosby. If he’s dead then I’ll pop back a few years.

-Future. Then I can re-invent Google.

-You’re an idiot. That’s the past.

-Na cos... oh wait. Yeah man, the past and I’d invent Google.

-Fuck you’re a dick.

Would you rather eat an overly salty chip or an icecream without sugar?

-Wasabi Ice cream ALLLL day.

-Salty chip. Carbo load yo.

-Overly salty chips are fine. I don’t even know what ice cream without sugar would be.

Like, ice?

Thanks man. Love yo nikkas.

MMF.x

I met this guy the other night and it made me wonder what exactly is socially acceptable to say to someone you’ve only just met. In New Zealand we pride ourselves on being pretty chilled out, but try and discuss how penises look weird with a random girl in town and see how fast she can run away. You may roll your eyes and doubt me when I say that I brought a random guy home for the first time the other night.

The experience was enlightening to say the least and I realized just how lucky I have been in the past to have encountered guys who were not necessarily nice but at least seminormal. The male I brought home had the darndest habit of letting just about anything come out of his mouth. If the funny looking penis comment wasn’t bad enough there was a much more personal and wtf stranger comment that I’d rather not share with the Nexus readership as it involves my private parts.

Not knowing how to escape the next morning I tried “my car doesn’t have a warrant so my flatmate has to drop you off” way. This seemed too subtle and while my flatmate waited in the car I was given a tour of his house. I had hoped this would be the end of him but unfortunately I saw him in town a couple of weeks later. My friends and I discovered he wasn’t just strange but had stalker tendencies and when I “went to the bathroom” he continued to follow my friends asking where I was for nearly an hour, figuring eventually they’d meet with me again. Oh bless Hamilton and all it’s strange occupants.

Next time I’m getting character references.

WSU

JEANS FROM $50

BEANIE

S $10

LS HEAPS OF SPECIA

31

FEATURE

It’s not every day you get to talk to the Commanding Officer of a Naval vessel. And as I found out, it wasn’t going to be my day – because Commander Sandra Walker was out of mobile coverage. Understandable really, considering she was currently observing an operation off Great Barrier Island.

‘I was just drinking coffee and eating biscuits, to be honest’ she muses the next day. Back in range but still at sea, Sandra explains that between those coffees and biscuits she had also been observing the preparation of another vessel for an upcoming mission, readying it for shallowwater bomb-disposal near the Solomon Islands.

A well-earned coffee break, I’d say.

Sandra explains that it’s all in a typical day’s work for an Officer; ‘there are an infinite number of bizarre jobs you can do.’ And with the opportunity to change roles and tackle new opportunities on an ongoing basis, she’s done a fair few of them.

While Sandra enjoys her time at sea, she entered the Navy first and foremost for the skills she’d gain. As she says, ‘it became an easy option when I realised they were going to develop me from the day I walked in, until the day I chose to leave.’

And those skills have taken her far. Just last November, she became the first woman to take the helm of a major fleet unit in the Kiwi Navy; the largest ship in it’s fleet of eleven, in fact. As Commander of the replenishment vessel HMNZS Endeavour, she now leads a crew of 54, providing fuel and logistics support to other ships during 32

operations and exercises – a role which sees her travelling the globe.

At school however, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do – until a Navy recruiter walked in. Not yet instilled with military promptness, Sandra was ironically late for this meeting. However, she still arrived in time for her attention to be grabbed by a role called ‘Hydrographic Surveying’, inducing in her romantic notions of charting maps like Captain Cook.

She was also drawn in by the prospect of having the Navy assist in paying her university fees; coming from a

“...at just 19 she had her first solo experience, navigating a $120 million vessel with over 250 crew onboard.” solo-parent family, she couldn’t fathom having to pay for her own studies. This, coupled with the Navy’s willingness to train her from scratch while earning a full-time salary, made the choice easy.

Only two years after beginning her training, Sandra qualified to navigate a frigate – and at just 19 she had her first solo experience, navigating a $120 million vessel with over 250 crew onboard. Responsibility, and opportunity, comes early as an Officer she says – and when it starts coming, it doesn’t stop.

Since then, Sandra has travelled the world. From docking in ports throughout South East Asia, gaining world-class

FEATURE

training in London and Sydney, to surveying Stewart Island, she has gained experiences that others can only dream of – all as part of the job.

She has also been able to explore her passion for people development. Pursuing various roles in HR management within the Navy, she has helped develop strategic organisational policy, instructed young Officers through their basic leadership training and even taking on the position as Director of Naval Recruiting for 18 months. She’s also completed undergraduate and postgraduate study, both supported by the Navy.

And although she’s considered leaving the Navy before, Sandra says the diversity of jobs available to her has meant she has been able to navigate her own unique career path through the organisation, her roles moving in

“...if you stay six months or six years, you will not regret the time you spend in the Navy.” line with her own personal aspirations. Plus, she says she still enjoys being able to work in a career that ‘contributes to social good.’

From her own experience, Sandra says that even if an individual isn’t sure if an Officer career is for them, if they’re lured by the prospect of leading others they should just give it a go: ‘It doesn’t matter if you stay six months or six years, you will not regret the time you spend in the Navy.’

But what of her home life? Sandra says she and her fiancé, Dave, have managed to strike a good balance. Living an hour out of Auckland, they enjoy being away from the city, allowing Sandra to indulge in her passions for gardening, beekeeping and generally being a ‘hippy-at-heart.’ Although she says she’d be quite comfortable getting away from it all and living off the land, she does admit she might eventually get itchy feet if she left the Navy.

But why would she leave? Especially when she seems to be able to get away from it all – including mobile reception – at work too.

33

ALICE & A Lifestyle

Alice & Anne

By ALICE & ANNE

Getting down to the basics of perfumes.

Perfume; the stuff that makes you smell like Katy Perry or Taylor Swift, or whichever other celebrity isn’t selling enough albums.

Perfumes date back to the ancient world, with Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran) and Egypt. The world’s first recorded chemist was a perfume maker (and a woman) called Tapputi and ancient perfumes contained distilled flowers, oils, herbs and spices. A Persian chemist called Ibn Sina is responsible for the process of distillation, which is how most modern perfumes are created.

Eau de Parfum or Eau de Toilette?

The perfumes which are sold in department stores and pharmacies mostly come in two types; Eau de Parfum (EdP) and Eau de Toilette (EdT). The difference is the concentration of aromatic compounds (essential or perfume oils) in a solvent (usually ethanol or ethanol and water). Eau de Parfums are around 10-20% concentration, while Eau de Toilettes are 5-15%. There is usually a significant price difference between a bottle of Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette. Because of their higher concentration, Eau de Parfums tend to last longer and smell stronger than Eau de Toilettes. Eau de Parfums can last up to six hours while Eau de Toilettes between 2 to 4 hours.

Trend Spotting

By ALICE AND ANNE

Campus Trends

Roll up your sleeves, B semester is in.

important when selling perfumes as it forms the first impression of a smell. However the middle and base notes are the most important notes to the wearer – as they are the scents which can be smelt over a longer period of time. Middle notes form the main body of a perfume and base notes are an even richer and deeper scent than the top and middle notes.

The fragrance wheel Perfumes can be categories in several ways, but the most current and frequently used system is the fragrance wheel. There are four major families; floral, oriental, woody and fresh. They’re then divided into 13 sub-groups.

If you’ve ever worked in fragrance, like both of us, you’ll notice there is a clear demographic for each family. Perfumes like YSL’s Opium is mostly bought by older women and falls under the oriental family. Woody and oriental families tend to be for an older audience while floral or fresh fragrances like Daisy by Marc Jacobs or L’Eau d’Issey by Issey Miyake are almost always for a younger audience.

SLIGHTLY STONED What makes a scent The actual breakdown of a scent is described in ‘notes’; top notes, middle notes and base notes. The top notes are what can be smelt immediately when sprayed. They’re incredibly

SLIGHTLY STONED CHEF Hunger Busters 34

However, the most important information we hope you take from this is that you have to pull Nicki Minaj’s head off her perfume bottle and to watch out for the giant and incredibly creepy cut-outs of Justin Bieber in stores which stock his perfumes.

Stay beautiful, Alice & Anne

Gather slices of bread, butter, canned spaghetti, cheese, onion and some bacon or ham.

Butter the bread and cut the crusts off if you wish too.

lifestyle

Arts Katie Rose Clausen Katie Rose Clausen is an emerging young creative from New Zealand.

At seventeen years of age, she is a fine artist, illustrator and photographer, well known for her delicate feminine aesthetic.

You can contact her at katie.clausen7@gmail.com Or visit her portfolio of work at www.katieroseclausen.tumblr.com She also blogs at www.pencilandpaperprincess.blogspot.com

Stuff the bread into a muffin tin butter side down.

Fill the cases with spaghetti, cheese, onion and bacon (or whatever tickles your fancy).

Bake at 180C for about 15mins until golden and crunchy. Enjoy!!

35

WSU

President’s Column Aaron makes a joke about Alzheimers.

Welcome back.

It was good while it lasted, but the holidays are over. Say goodbye to the warmth of the sun, and hello to fog, rain, and hail. I hope you all enjoyed your break, and are refreshed and ready to settle down for another semester of 9am lectures that you should have gone to but didn’t, late night cram sessions the day before a tests, and buying essays online. It’s a hard life sleeping in until 11, checking your Facebook in lectures and drinking all night – but somebody has to do it, and I commend you for your efforts.

Chances are if you are reading this column it’s 9am on Monday morning, and you are bored already. I understand that the first week of semester is a depressing occasion, but don’t forget it’s Re-orientation week – that should be enough to excite you in itself. The WSU Team has been working away tirelessly behind the scenes for weeks to provide you with one of the best B semester orientation lineups in recent years, all delivered on a shoestring budget.

This year we are trying to kick off what we hope will become iconic student events, unique to the mighty Waikato, that you will reminisce about fondly when your body is too old and decrepit to get out of bed, and your Alzheimer’s has kicked in. You won’t remember your spouse or children, but you will remember B semester orientation 2013, well, at least the parts you were sober for.

So come along to Level Zero each day for your chance to get your hands on a car, strip down to your drawers and participate in the soon to be infamous “Meat Pie Mile”, or enjoy a mid-winter Christmas feast – and let’s not forget the re-launch of ‘Skint night’ at House bar on Wednesday. If you can’t appreciate $5 beer, cider, and house wine then you probably aren’t a student. There are also $5 pizzas, but eating is cheating.

The Waikato Students’ Union will be putting on free shuttles to town, ‘Get in My Van’ from 9pm Thursday and Friday with The Rock FM, so be sure to meet us at the bus stop outside Unimart – Because taxi’s are expensive and drink driving is bloody stupid.

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Veeps Your twenties count – try not to do anything stupid.

Many young adults think that what we do in our twenties doesn’t matter too much. We’ve got all the time in the world to be serious about life, right? Although for many this is true, what we fail to recognize is that not only does our brain have it’s last major growth spurt, but the decisions that we make in this time are often consequential throughout the rest of our lives. Between the ages of 18 and 35, most people complete their studies, begin their careers, get married and have children. Others lose pieces of their minds to drugs, develop addictions, and end up in jail or car accidents. For most of us in the western world, our twenty-somethings are the years in which we make our biggest, most life changing, path-determining decisions and I think that we should do our best to make these decisions wisely. This week, as we enjoy re-oweek and all that it has to offer, and throughout the rest of the year, lets try to stay aware of the fact that our decisions today can have life altering implications. Let’s not end up in jail; don’t go home with that douchebag guy; and I know it’s cliché – but don’t even go near those drugs. Have fun, but let’s not spend the next 50 years paying for it.

WSU

Ask Amber This week Amber shamelessly plugs Fix My Life Week.

Hi everyone and welcome back to another semester. For all the new students, welcome to university! I hope all of your study breaks were filled with magical adventures, and wonderful yet colourful memories all refreshed for the semester.

On a more productive note, whilst you have all been on holiday, I have been busy planning a week dedicated to all of you students here at university. This week that I have been busy

Young Workers Resource Centre As the manager and educator for the Young Workers’ Resource Centre (YWRC) in Hamilton, Tony Stevens is an advocate for young people in the workplace, and he has some good news for worksavvy international students.

If you are an international student struggling to come to grips with working in New Zealand I’ve got some good news for you.

A new website has emerged to help international students understand the realities of working in New Zealand.

The website www.nzstudywork.com is an Immigration New Zealand initiative that

planning is called FML: Fix My Life Week. This week is all about bringing helpful coping tools and seminars to students.

FML: Fix My Life Week will be happening during the third week of the semester (22 July- 26 July in Hamilton, and 29 July in Tauranga). You will be able to catch me talking in your lectures, outside your faculty bringing you a free feed, and in Level Zero of the Library holding information seminars on careers, starting your own business, buying your first house, and council elections.

I will be updating the Waikato Students’ Union Facebook page with events and locations throughout the week. So make sure you are following us online.

Interested in attending but would like to know some more information? Feel free to contact me on advocacy@wsu.org.nz or flick me a message on 0272065011.

I look forward to meeting you all : - )

provides up to date information about working in New Zealand for international students.

Information and education is key – it’s a lot harder to be exploited when you fully understand your working rights and responsibilities.

The coordinator over at Settlement Support New Zealand (SSNZ), Jovi Abellanosa, promised me the website provides all the information international students need to know when considering job-hunting during their stay.

“For many students work and finding work is an important part of their stay,” she said.

“There has been a lot of media coverage around exploitation of migrants including students, so it is in their best interest that they fully understand and know their employment rights to get the most from their study and work experience in New Zealand – and so they don’t get exploited.”

From a young worker’s perspective, nzstudywork.com fills a gaping hole as far as employment information for migrants. Even locals can benefit from some of the information about working rights on here.

Citizens Advice Bureau Contract OUT! Do you understand what a contract is? It is a binding document which, if you sign, there is no legal way of getting out of!

So please read any contract you are given very carefully - don’t sign immediately, think about it and if necessary seek advice.

Some of the contracts which are causing problems: Fixed term rental contracts - there is an excess of rental housing in Hamilton at the moment (and will be for some time) so you don’t need a fixed term contract to get a good rental.

Mobile phone contracts - do you really need a 2 year contract? If you break it you can be charged a large sum of money.

Gym contracts - you can’t get out of a gym contract if you change your mind.

Extended warranty contracts - you do NOT need these! The Consumer Guarantees Act covers all you need to protect your purchase.

There are many other types of contract – some necessary like an employment contract.

Same rules apply read them carefully and seek advice if needed.

The Citizens Advice Bureau has a lot of information on contracts. They can give you information about this or other inquiries you might have. Visit them at the Village Green by Waikato Print 11am – 1pm, Mon – Fri or phone 0800FORCAB

As well as English, the website is available in basic Chinese and Korean, although there are no immediate plans to offer translations in other languages. It even has a section for employers, highlighting things they need to consider when hiring migrants.

So check it out www.nzstudywork.com 37