07
19.04.21
Salient Magazine
1
03
Editorial
04
Letters and Notices
06 - 13
News
14 - 17
The Politics of Drug Law Reform, with Chlöe Swarbrick
19 - 21
Centrefold
22 - 24
Winter is Coming
25 - 30
Columns Shit’s Fucked, Shit’s Good (25), Rice to Meet You (26), $10 Drugs (27), To be Frank (28), UniQ (29), VUWSA (30)
31 - 35
Culture Poetry (31), 420 Sneakers (32), Go to High Snacks (34), Cuba Dupa (34)
36 - 38
Entertainment
About Us Salient is published by, but remains editorially independent from, the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA). Salient is funded in part by VUWSA through the Student Services Levy. Salient is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA).
Complaints Complaints regarding the material published in Salient should first be brought to the Editors in writing (editor@salient.org.nz). If not satisfied with the response, complaints should be directed to the Media Council (info@mediacouncil.org.nz).
The views expressed in Salient do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, VUWSA, or the University.
Sink your teeth into it!
2
Editorial
Loneliness Sucks We’re extra vulnerable to loneliness at the moment, and we’re not talking about it enough. We might not be able to identify loneliness until we don’t feel it anymore. Like when you’re super pissed off and you don’t know why, until you eat a burger and realise you were just hungry, you might feel shit until you catch up with a real friend and feel the warmth of connection.
Loneliness is highest in people aged 15-24, although it is experienced across the population. It is “most prevalent in many vulnerable groups in society”, including people with disabilities, unemployed people, and those with a low income. Loneliness is associated with a whole bunch of things like trouble studying, poor mental health, poor sleep, being less active, and shorter life span.
The bloody stupid thing about loneliness is that many of There is a biological reason for loneliness. Just like we us feel it but don’t talk about it, which can make us feel feel thirsty when we need water or pain when we are more lonely. injured, we feel loneliness when we lack real connection. Because we’re a bunch of social animals, not being social I knew a few of my friends had started getting high on can trigger responses. It could be drinking, smoking, their own. Sometimes it was just to chill and listen to the withdrawing from your social life, doom scrolling, hitting birds, and it seemed okay. Other times I wondered if it people up online more often, looking for people to talk was a coping mechanism for something more sinister. to, saying really rash things in conversations, or trouble They were listening to lo-fi sad songs on repeat. sleeping. Over the weekend I’d gone to a BYO with some people I was kind of friends with, but not the sort of friends where you’d get a coffee. Communication was in the form of dropping coins in glasses and yelling at people to drink up. By Sunday afternoon I had a full case of hangxiety and started to wonder if I’d said something I shouldn’t have. On Monday I sat eating my lunch in a weird university hallway. I kept refreshing my messages to see if anyone had sent a meme or something. I felt conscious that I was alone, and that if people were walking passed they might think I had no friends. These are moments where you find yourself looking for connection, but end up running into a blank. Or when you feel like you’re watching someone else retreat into themselves and you don’t know how to communicate with them. “Loneliness is an emotional state that arises from not having the desired sufficient meaningful connections with others – those people you could rely on in time of need. Loneliness is not related to how many friends or relationships you have, or whether you are alone or amongst people” (loneliness.org.nz).
Being in a transitionitional period—whether that’s a new flat, new job, new classes, new city—opens us up to more loneliness than we might know how to handle. There are resources (see loneliness.org.nz) to help us make sense of it. It might start as small as being able to identify your feelings so you can start to process them. It might help you seek out meaningful connections instead of surface level interactions. And, it might help you to look out for your friends. Anyway, because it’s 04/20 we’ve written about the best weed sneakers and chatted to Chlöe Swarbrick about the potential for drug law reform now. This week’s cover depicts a voting scenario where the new option for drug law reform is decriminalisation, based on post-referendum NZ. Look at the stress on the face of the nug. *Should drug law reform ever have been put to a referendum? Email your thoughts to editor@ salient.org.nz.*
Sally Ward (she/her) and Matthew Casey (he/him) Brought to you by Peoples Coffee
www.salient.org.nz
3
NOTICES & LETTERS Where are the poems?
Props
Two Long Weeks
Issue 6 is tops Warriors and Castlepoint
Salient was Read Now my Tears run Blue. Where are the Poems? There has been too few!
Richard
C
M
Crossword correction
Win streak?
Y
CM
Hi Sam,
Re: Lachlan’s closing line in “A Faithful and a Firsttimer Take on the Footy”
Dangit, you’re right! I took Naha from a list of Kyushu’s largest cities, without checking that it was actually on the island itself. ‘Region’ would have been a much better clue. Thanks for the fact-check! Puck
Letters and Notices
CY
CMY
How is that 4 game winning streak going? Sincerely, Manly Fan
Submit Letters and Notices for future issues by Tuesdays 5pm to editor@salient.org.nz
4
MY
K
REASONS TO SIGN UP YOUR TEAM OVER $30K IN PRIZE MONEY *
REPRESENT NEW ZEALAND IN THE WORLD FINAL BE IN TO WIN A STEELSERIES ULTIMATE GAMING BUNDLE WORTH $5K * BE IN TO WIN INTEL PC'S FOR YOUR CAMPUS GAMING ZONE
+ MORE
APPLY NOW APPLY NOW redbullcampusclutch.com APPLY NOW JOIN OUR DISCORD FOR MORE INFO AND TO FIND A TEAM
REDBULL.CO.NZ/DISCORD
*T&C'S APPLY REDBULLCAMPUSCLUTCH.COM
5
News
WAASV / Rally Banner Bill of Rights / Profile / Opinion
Opinion: #LetUsLive WHY WE RALLIED
Maddi Rowe (she/her), TIBVUW Co-President, WAASV Organiser CW: Mentions of sexual violence
The Wellington Alliance Against Sexual Violence came together over A5 sheets of paper and a bag of cheese scones. We saw a fire starting over local social media about recent stories of victimisation through sexual violence, and decided to fan the flames. A week after our initial meeting, the WAASV looked out to 500 or more faces in the rain, all gathered at the apex of Courtenay Place, the arterial route where sexual violence occurs. The concern of public safety in Wellington has been growing lately. The city has seen a 50% spike in reported sexual violence cases. The streets aren’t safe, which is a truth we should not have to accept.
Photo: Let us live banner / map by Francesa Georgia Pietkiewicz
This is why we rallied. Our decision makers have, for too long, swept the issue of sexual violence beyond the reach of conversation. It is always something else. The homeless. The poor. Those who require emergency housing. The issue of city safety shifts from a structural issue to a direct blame on marginalised communities.
Photo: Above, Kate Aschoff & Jahls Tran-Lawrence Below Right, Janhavi Gosavi by Francesa Georgia Pietkiewicz
6
Photo: June Ha
66
News
Identifying the issue of sexual violence is tough in a country where we have some of the highest statistics in the OECD. When sexual violence occurs, we have failed as a community. We have failed to foster an environment where boundaries and consent are respected and honoured, every time they are required. When victim blaming occurs, we have failed as individuals. We have failed to recognise the humanity of one another—to validate and empathise with our peers. These two concepts compound themselves, and initiate the genesis of an unending, vicious cycle. A cycle that separates us. That pushes people further into reoffending. It’s dangerous, and it is a hugely pervasive issue in Wellington right now.
Photo: June Ha
The #LetUsLive Rally for a City Free of Sexual Violence was created out of love. We wanted to—and still want to—see our community thrive. Sometimes that means forcing change. Change is uncomfortable and necessary. The tangible local change we wanted to see was synthesized into three asks of the Wellington City Council: 1. Create and implement a new vision for Courtenay Place, Cuba St, and surrounding areas that is accessible, people-focused, and prioritises community building. 2. Work with hospitality staff, management, and patrons to create a city-wide strategy to keep our bars, clubs, and restaurants free from sexual violence. 3. Invest in sexual violence prevention through increasing existing funding to local prevention organisations, and creating additional funding streams for community-based projects. Photo: Marama Davidson by Francesa Georgia Pietkiewicz
Photo: Tamatha Paul by Francesa Georgia Pietkiewicz
Photo: Francesa Georgia Pietkiewicz
We invited people to speak on each ask, and those who stood up included political decision-makers like Councillor Tamatha Paul, with her portfolio being in City Safety, and Hon Marama Davidson, the Minister for Sexual and Family Violence Prevention. Sophia Harrison and Ella Lamont, the two young women responsible for a locally viral questionnaire that collected the stories of hundreds of victim-survivors in Wellington, also spoke. All three asks, we felt, were pertinent to the prevention and eventual eradication of sexual violence in the city. Community-based, rehabilitative and inclusive—targeting the gaps in our current council-led frameworks. It should not be too much to ask to be able to walk on the street by yourself. Nor should you expect anything from clubbing but sore feet and maybe a hangover. You should feel safe. For now, while we work on changing this, make sure you’re around people who love you and support you. What we need most of all when tackling this issue is community. Photo: Ella Lamont & Sophia Harrison by Francesa Georgia Pietkiewicz
And we’ll keep fighting for change as a community.
www.salient.org.nz
7
POWER IN WELLINGTON ALLIANCE AGAINST SEXUAL VIOLENCE’S RALLY BANNER Niva Chittock (she/her)
Photo: Let Us Live Banner, WAASV (with the help of Tallulah Farrar and a number of volunteers), 2021
At their rally last month, the Wellington Alliance Against Sexual Violence (WAASV) unveiled their Let Us Live Banner. Depicting a map of Wellington’s CBD area, it was created in collaboration with WAASV volunteers and local artist Tallulah Farrar. Prior to the march, the banner was taken to Massey and Victoria Universities. Students were asked to paint red crosses on the map to indicate where they had felt unsafe in Wellington before. Further crosses were added by supporters at the rally. WAASV National Coordinator Jahla Lawrence says the idea for a “map-like construction” came from wanting to “localise the issue”. “To me, and to those of us who worked on it, it’s a visual representation of how Wellingtonians feel about their city.” “[W]e really tried to emphasise that while this map looked at the physical streets, it wasn’t just street-based harm. It is in people’s homes, their workplaces, their education places.” Farrar created the template digitally before projecting and painting it onto the canvas with WAASV volunteers. She explains the work was always intended to be interactive with the large size (2.5m x 5m) chosen to ensure it “could be laid down, walked on, and added to with ease.”
8
News
“I’m proud of the work [...] It is quite a confronting thing to see sites of sexual violence plotted out like that (especially along the routes that we all take daily) [...] it shows it’s not something that can be hidden anymore.” City Councillor Tamatha Paul holds the City Safety Portfolio and spoke at the rally. Her concern was for the way crosses were clustered across the artwork. “[It communicates] that there are clear areas where sexual harm is happening and that indicates to me that the urban environment in those places is inherently unsafe and needs to be addressed instantly.” The general reaction from those at the rally was reflective and visceral, observed Lawrence. “[People were thinking about] the mass nature of the issue and just how prevalent it is on our streets.” All those Salient spoke with highlighted how the work was only one aspect of the ongoing conversation. Farrar would like to see the banner travel around, “used as a tool to share the scale and severity of sexual violence in Wellington.” WAASV is currently storing the banner in the VUWSA office. Their intention is to present it to Wellington City Council with their list of demands, and the report from the sexual violence survey undertaken by VUW students Ella Lamont and Sophia Harrison on Vic Deals.
SUBMISSIONS HEARD ON BILL OF RIGHTS DECLARATIONS OF INCONSISTENCY AMENDMENT BILL Sir Geoffrey Palmer says democracy is in decay Sally Ward (she/her) On April 7, oral submissions were heard by the Privileges Committee on the New Zealand Bill of Rights Declarations of Inconsistency (Amendment) Bill. Submissions on this day were given by Sir Kenneth Kieth, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, Dr Dean Knight, and the New Zealand Law Society. The Bill is set to make changes to the way Parliament responds to declarations of inconsistency issued by the courts. A declaration of inconsistency is a statement made by a senior court that states that an act is inconsistent with a person or persons fundamental human right that is protected by the Bill of Rights. If passed as it stands, the Bill would require the Attorney General to report to Parliament when a declaration has been made. In February 2018, the Supreme Court issued a declaration of inconsistency stating that the removal of prisoners’ voting rights was an unjustified limit on voting rights. In Photo: Golriz Ghahraman via twitter response, the Cabinet asked the Minister of Justice to prepare a policy proposal and changes were later made to strengthened so that Parliament and the Executive restore voting rights. Government should be required to respond to a declaration. Sir Geoffrey Palmer, former Minister of Justice, supports the Amendment, but believes that the Bill will not ensure In his submission, Dr Knight calls declarations of Parliament does enough to take rights and freedoms inconsistency a dialogical remedy, basically allowing more seriously. different branches to express their view on rights protections in order to implement them. He told the Privileges Committee: “the Bill of Rights Act was not the transformation I intended. Democracy is in Dr. Knight told Salient that “[Dialogue creates] points decay globally. You must do more to protect human rights of friction to raise the political heat so that Parliament as a parliament and I fear you lack the courage.” does their work more reflexily, more analytically and more carefully.” When asked by Salient why he thinks Parliament lacks the courage, Sir Geoffrey responded: “It is something of “I told Parliament last week that they need to lift their a mystery. One view is that they do not want to promote game on this stuff. Where’s our human rights select any measure that restricts their freedom of action. A committee?” system with few checks and balances is very attractive to those in power and those who aspire to it.” In relation to whether democracy is in decay, Dr Knight affirmed this, adding: “I think Geoffrey is right to worry “I think Parliament has not scrutinised human rights about democratic decay. Part of that goes to the project issues properly since the enactment of the New Zealand of what’s the best way to keep up the healthiness of our Bill of Rights Act in 1990, and the record proves it.” democracy and that’s a different project to entrenching the Bill of Rights. It’s the role of social media, the Sir Geoffrey has long been advocating for the Bill disrupting the algorithm, it’s literacy of young people, it’s of Rights to be made into superior law, which would the role of political parties, it’s the demands on families mean that Parliament would not be able to act with it and how much bandwidth they have to care about the inconsistently. community…that’s the big project.” Dr Dean Knight, Associate Professor at VUW who specialises in public and government law, also submitted in favour of the Bill. He argued the Bill should be
The Privileges Committee report in response to the submissions is due 30 July 2021. www.salient.org.nz
9
Photo: Dr. Hutton in a lecture. SOURCE: VUW via YouTube
Profiling Dr. Fiona Hutton: on Moving to New Zealand, Women in Club Culture, and Cannabis Kane Bassett, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairoa, (he/him) It was like most sunny days in Paraparaumu. The dazzling dry heat coaxing people further and further into the daylight hours, while soft waves fill the air with relaxed ambience. But there’s activism in the air today. Things are gearing up for the 2020 New Zealand Cannabis Referendum, and Dr. Fiona Hutton is out leafleting with her two children as part of a long, hard campaign for a yes vote. “My daughter asked me ‘what are we leafleting for?’’’ says Dr. Hutton, “So I explained, and she kind of just looked at me and said ‘well that seems very sensible to me.’” Dr. Fiona Hutton is an academic staff member at the Victoria University of Wellington’s Criminology Department. Her most recent works include an edited collection titled Intoxication: Key Issues and Debates and a report which illustrates the importance of drug checking at New Zealand festivals. But who is Dr. Fiona Hutton? Where did she come from? And what else has she done? Dr. Hutton grew up out of Dodge. She was born in the Midland and moved to Scotland, before her family moved back to the Midlands again. She’s most fond of the supportive environment she grew up in as a child and young adult: “I was always encouraged by my parents into education, into [the discourse of] ‘girls can do anything that boys can do’ [...] they didn’t always agree with me […] but they were never unsupportive.” There were no gap years for Dr. Hutton. “I went straight from my A Levels to what I want to call the infamous Staffordshire Polytechnic.” Here, Dr. Hutton completed an undergraduate degree in sociology.
10 10
News
“I probably shouldn’t say this in a university student magazine,” she laughs, before quickly becoming quite serious: “but I actually found university study really challenging and hard.” She was always the quiet kid in undergrad, who wondered how her peers found it much easier than her to engage in whole-class discussions. “And then I went off to Manchester, where I got involved in a whole host of really interesting community projects, activist projects, and feminist groups… It was a real eye opener… being in a really hardcore city area, but I loved it.” Noteworthy, for Dr. Hutton, was the work. “I was like a contract social researcher. I did that probably for close to 10 years.” But Dr. Hutton says the academic grind was tough. “It was like feast and famine,” she says. Her contracts were bringing in bank, but they were also few and far between. “The places that advertised longer research contracts were at Universities, but those jobs required you to have a minimum of an MA qualification. So I thought, right, I’ll pop back to University, I’ll get an MA, and then I’ll pop back out into the workforce.” She began her MA at Manchester University in her late 20s. “Oh my god, I loved it. I just could not get enough of learning. I was just like ‘give me knowledge!’” she beckons,
“So I just progressed through. I swapped to an MPhil, and then I upgraded to a PhD.” “I did my PhD on women and club cultures. I looked specifically at women’s experiences within the newly evolving rave scene.” Through researching, talking to her friends, and using her own experiences, Dr. Hutton found that emerging dance cultures appeared to champion gender equality on the surface, when in reality they had brought sexism underground. “It was a bit more hidden, a bit more insidious and woven into some aspects of the club culture at the time.”
my son is 13, so soon he’ll be getting to that age where he does experiment with substances, and I want to make sure that he is doing that safely.” Dr. Hutton believes that cannabis drug reform would go, or would have gone, a long way towards ensuring this. Dr. Hutton has one word for how she felt on the day results were announced for the cannabis referendum: gutted. “In fact I think there’s a photo on Stuff where I’m hugging one of my post-graduate students and we’re just crying.” This reaction came after a few weeks of “almost knowing” what the result was going to be, says Dr. Hutton.
“At the time, in fact, even now, there still isn’t a lot written about women in club cultures. Women were massively underrepresented in that academic arena. My aim was to just get women’s voices out there, and to write something that was a feminist work that was about women’s experiences.”
But the grind doesn’t stop here, nor should it. As Dr. Hutton points out, “There are continuing inequities being faced by people in Māori and Pacific communities,” and a stigma surrounding cannabis that remains largely intact, despite definitely being chipped away at over the course of the cannabis referendum. Dr. Hutton has just co-signed a public letter which has called on changemakers to Before long, Dr. Hutton became restless in Manchester. “I ensure cannabis law reform remains at the forefront of just started looking at jobs that were a bit further afield. their decision-making as a health and social issue, not a And I saw this job advertised in New Zealand in 2003, and critical one. When asked how students could help, she I thought: ‘It’s supposed to be really nice in New Zealand.’’’ looked to the New Zealand Union of Student Associations: This, accompanied by her memories of a part-time stint “it would be really great if they could come out and say in a cafe at the age of 17, where Dr. Hutton worked with we support drug law reform for these reasons, you know? two older New Zealanders, eventually led her to thinking: I think that would be quite powerful.” “Well, why not? I’ll give it a whirl.” Now, Dr. Hutton lives in Paraparaumu with her partner and kids, and speaks to me from her Victoria University office. She tells me about her longstanding interest and involvement in harm reduction and drug policy. Dr. Hutton started out in New Zealand by applying her PhD research to Wellington’s context, examining drug use in young people—this time with both men and women—in the capital’s club scene. More recently, over the course of the cannabis referendum, she campaigned tirelessly against a no vote.
“The no campaign played very effectively on the fears and stereotypes associated with cannabis,” she says, with sorrow trickling into her voice, “The main thing I really wanted to do was to actually get out there what the research and the evidence was saying about this Photo: Petition via OurActionStation stuff.” She said much of her time during the referendum https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/repeal-and-rewas spent attending and speaking at meetings, seminars, place-the-misuse-of-drugs-act-1975 and online webinars, as well as writing opinion pieces for the media and working with the NZ Drug Foundation when she could. Dr. Fiona Hutton is a force to be reckoned with; she is a force for change. She represents the power of academics, Part of that work involved using evidence to make clear and of women especially, to carve out the change they what is real about our discussions regarding cannabis, wish to see in the world. I wish her, and her budding and what is myth. One of these myths, which she saw play out during the course of the referendum, was around activist children, the absolute best. adolescence and cannabis use. “The idea that legalisation doesn’t lead to a rise in cannabis use is something that’s always pondered around. I’m a parent myself, right? And
www.salient.org.nz
11 11
Opinion: “Pastoral Care scheme unlikely to provide for better student wellbeing” Elliott Harris (he/him)
In late 2019, in response to the tragic death of a firstyear student living in University of Canterbury student accommodation, the Minister of Education introduced the Education (Pastoral Care) Amendment Act 2019. It fills a regulatory gap in minimum standards of pastoral care owed by tertiary education providers to domestic students. This pastoral care scheme covers tertiary education generally, but also specifically provides for the regulation of student accommodation. It was enacted quickly, and became operational from 1 January, 2020. The scheme’s efficacy has already been questioned in light of actions taken by tertiary institutions and accommodation providers during Alert Levels 3 and 4 of the original COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. An ongoing select committee inquiry has recently heard from students and institutions on issues within student accommodation. It is clear that the pastoral care scheme is unlikely to be effective, because it doesn’t require education providers to directly give account to students. In theory, regulation providing for student wellbeing would be constructed so as to enable students to take advantage of better quality care, and to hold education providers to account where care is lacking. This is especially so given that tertiary students have to overcome large power imbalances vis-àvis their institutions.
Where there is no direct accountability relationship between providers and students, the pastoral care scheme is more likely to be used as a mechanism to limit liability or assess risk, than to improve student wellbeing. The scheme’s construction does nothing to address the inequality in ability between providers and students, suggesting that real accountability will be hard to come by. In addition, the ‘code of practice approach’ is primarily a mechanism that is typically used for consumer protection. Service providers are subjected to minimum standards, and face heavy penalties if quality dips below acceptable levels. However, this doesn’t incentivise providers to increase quality, but merely to conform to the least onerous standards that still avoid any liability. This consumer protection approach is inappropriate when the aim of the scheme is to provide for student wellbeing. Within a commercial paradigm, the interests of providers will always come before the wellbeing of students.
The pastoral care scheme also purports to create a “student contract dispute resolution scheme” (DRS). The DRS aims to make holding providers to account more accessible to individual students, by providing a forum for contractual and financial disputes similar to the Tenancy Tribunal. However, over a year after enactment, the DRS still does not exist. More work is required to show that the DRS is capable of being an effective mechanism for Essentially, the type of accountability that is created has holding education providers to account. The current lack a bearing on its likely effectiveness. If we want tertiary of detail in the operation of the DRS raises questions as to education providers to care for, and learn from, their whether an equality in ability will, or can be, established students, then the mechanism that holds them to account within it. This is evidence of the lack of a robust policy needs to encourage this, rather than encouraging them to development process. further view students as risk-carrying objects. Any response to issues of care in tertiary education However, students are not directly implicated in the needs to be well thought out, coherent, and accessible accountability mechanisms used to maintain standards to students. The pastoral case scheme assumes that under the pastoral care scheme. Students themselves liminality experienced by students can be addressed are alienated from the bulk of the operation of the merely by making education providers accountable to pastoral care scheme, and as such are poorly placed to mechanisms of industry control. In reality, any approach take advantage of it. This raises serious concerns of its to ‘student wellbeing’ needs to understand that students coherence and likely efficacy. are not some subset of the population with strictly defined characteristics, but literally just a diverse and Under the Act, the Minister of Education issues regulatory multifaceted group of people who study in New Zealand. frameworks (codes of practice), which are to be enforced Their wellbeing requires a whole-of-the-Government by NZQA. The accountability mechanism for the operation response. of the main part of the scheme is a vertical structure that apportions blame. Under the operation of the central part of the scheme, providers are account-givers, but are not required to give direct account to students, only NZQA.
12
News
Shit News.
Don’t mistake it for the real thing.
STUDENT ACCIDENTALLY GETS REALLY HIGH ON KITCHEN COOKING HERBS
Eugene Pipefitter
W eed
oregano
In a harrowing tale about correct labelling, one Vic student has become enraged that there are no standards for the packaging of cannabis in New Zealand, reports Eugene Pipefitter In a new ethnographic study about cannabis consumption in student flats, Victoria University researcher Dr Ash Trey has identified one case of a student having experienced placebo hallucinations while accidentally smoking oregano. The student, Jay, was observed during the study packing a cone full of ground oregano. He is said to have communicated to his flatmates: “fuck this is the shit, tastes a bit more herby than normal”. Dr Trey’s study noted it was apparent that no one in his flat had the heart to tell him that in fact he was smoking a herb. As they sat in front of the television watching Adventure Time, eating Mi Goreng Noodles, Jay started telling his flatmates how the ‘weed’ he had smoked had led to increased sensory sensitivity. “I can hear every instrument being played in this theme song, did you guys know that there’s a bassline underneath the ukulele?’’ If he had actually consumed cannabis, this sensation would be known as heightened sensory perception. Because he did not consume cannabis, this is known as listening very intently.
Thyme
Once his rambling had concluded, Jay’s flatmates informed him: “Bro that was literally oregano.” His face went red. He had grabbed his ‘weed’ from a jar in the kitchen that looked the exact same as the jar he keeps his cannabis in. Due to this confusion, he has decided to “go political”. He wanted ^Salient to know that he doesn’t mean political like Paula Bennet holding up a bag of oregano in parliament as a prop. Jay has since started a petition which would require all cannabis sales to be correctly labeled. He acknowledges it is literally impossible to mandate this given the cannabis market is illegal and therefore unregulated, but says this is precisely the point: “the Government would first be required to actually sack up and do their job of regulating the market, before ensuring all citizens can smoke weed and know without a shadow of a doubt that it is, in fact, not oregano.” If you, or your flatmates, have any intentions of smoking oregano, ^Salient wishes to advise against it. We have Googled it and spoken to Dr Trey about what would happen if we did, and we cannot conclude anything other than the ingestion of oregano smoke is needless and probably worth writing off. As Carlos from Desperate Housewives says: “The only thing getting baked with this is lasagna.”
www.salient.org.nz
13
The Politics of Drug Law Reform,
with Chlöe Swarbrick Written by Sally Ward (she/her)
2020 is infamous in a lot of ways, and maybe as we look back it will be remembered as the time we almost legalised cannabis. Salient recently met with Chlöe Swarbrick to discuss where we are at with drug law reform. She has been advocating for reform for the best part of four years. It was bittersweet to be asking questions about the issue, given the closeness of the referendum result. 14 14
Feature : The Politics of Drug Law Reform
A quick autopsy on the referendum:
Where are our drug laws at?
Chlöe stated that she “was the only vocal political advocate for legally controlled cannabis”. We asked why that was the case, and it seems to be about optics. Chlöe jokingly explained that
“The key thing that I’ve always been pushing for since I got down the rabbit hole of drug law reform has been a complete repeal and replacement of the Misuse of Drugs Act.”
politicians didn’t want to end up in The NZ Herald smoking a massive bong, which is exactly where she ended up: the Herald published a political cartoon of Chlöe doing just that, which she now has framed near the door of her office. Non-medicinal cannabis is still hugely stigmatised, and maybe that’s part of the problem. Chlöe has a lot of fans, but also a lot of critics. “I am critiqued constantly by folks who say I am way too word intensive when I talk about drug law reform.” In a recent debate, Simon Bridges called her approach to drugs “boring” and that she only has one agenda— “to get more drugs on the street”. Chlöe stated that “people use politicians as proxies for what they should believe in or whether they should trust something”. This is something that Chlöe says has led to “some valid, interesting, or however you want to characterise it, criticism of the position that [the] PM has taken.” Jacinda Ardern did not state her position until after the referendum, although she did state her position on the End of Life Choice Act. The New Zealand Medical Association, which represents the collective views of doctors, announced opposition to the Bill. The board retracted this statement, changing their position to neutral, two weeks before voting time came around, and when early voting had already begun.
Chlöe reiterated her overall position on reform:
Chlöe says that the Misuse of Drugs Act is an “ad hoc instrument of law that is not working very well”. Chlöe lists off the changes that have been made here and there. In 2019 the Amendment was made to affirm the use of police discretion when dealing with possession of cannabis. There has also been the Amendment allowing for drug testing at festivals, and the regulation of medicinal cannabis in 2019. When talking about police discretion, Chlöe sees that “the movements of the police in different areas applying discretion showcase the failure of a law that kind of wants to take a health-based approach but kinda not.” Chlöe believes that the landing of police helicopter searches earlier this year “shows a willingness from the top” to do things differently, but that more needs to be done. We see “next to no prosecution or criminalisation or even detainment of Pākehā when it comes to the use of cannabis, but is often the first thing, tied up with a number of other charges, that results in young Māori men getting into the criminal justice system.” “The facts remain. The issue of cannabis in this country is still alive.” As for the referendum, Chlöe believes that “some people have taken the failure of that referendum as meaning that we can’t talk about this as an issue anymore.” “I think it’s important to qualify that the literal question was ‘do you support the cannabis legalisation and control bill?’ It’s very specific and very narrow. Do you support the implementation of this bill?”
Photo: Framed NZ Herald cartoon of Chlöe smoking a bong hanging in her office.
www.salient.org.nz
15
Is there an opportunity to decriminalise cannabis?
A poll (based on research conducted by the Helen Clark Foundation) released in March of this year revealed that 49% of the New Zealand public support the legalisation of cannabis, and a further 20% support decriminalisation.
stated around their position on legalisation of cannabis... and then you add the two Māori Party MPs that have expressed their support for it...we still need about 10 National MPs.” “The big problem is whether National is going to enable their MPs to vote on conscience. I can’t say all too much about my conversations with National so far, but for the fact that they have been incredibly frustrating and National does not have a history of enabling genuine conscience votes on things like cannabis.” “Get the Nats to use their conscience. The National Party will say that abortion is a conscience issue, that alcohol is a conscience issue, but for some reason or another, cannabis isn’t.”
“The best way for students, for anybody, to get this Bill onto the table is to make sure that Dr Shane Reti is not cut down on the things that he’s said publicly, which is There are discussions of what decriminalising might look that he thinks we need to have a conversation about decriminalising cannabis.” like. Chlöe confirmed that she is working on something in this area and wants “a cross-party bill”. “Dr Shane Reti is the Deputy Leader of the National Party, and that should mean something. He’s got his This term there has been a change to standing orders. doctor credentials which loves to be wheeled out when Standing orders are the rules that determine the procedure for the House and its select committees. The it’s to do with COVID, but when it’s around other public health issues like cannabis should be, it’s brushed change to standing orders means that a members bill aside.” can skip the ballot, known as the biscuit tin. If 61 nonexecutive members sign up to vote for it, a bill can be put on the agenda. The Executive are ministers who are Salient has contacted Dr Shane Reti for comment but at responsible for the running of Government, meaning the the time of print we have not had a response. Bill would need the support of back bench MPs to get in Reti told Radio Waatea in late March that on the agenda. decriminalisation could be a good middle ground after the referendum result. Chlöe does the numbers: “for the 10 Green MPs, only 8 of us would count, so, if you take into account all of “The classical model is the Portugal model. I think we the back bench labour MPs (and because it would be a conscious vote not all of them would be in favour vote of need to have a lot of dialogue on that. New Zealanders sent a very clear message on one part of the cannabis it), you take about half of ACT given what they publicly reforms and I think we need to have a lot of dialogue on that and actually see some proposals”, he said. There is a clear appetite for drug law reform—whether or not we can achieve that reform is up in the air.
16
Feature : The Politics of Drug Law Reform
Is decriminalisation enough?
Arden maintained that only 20% of cases end up in the courts.
Calls for change are ongoing. Last week, social service and health organisations released an open letter to the Government calling for drug use to be treated as a health issue. The letter was signed by organisations including the New Zealand Medical Association, Public Health Association, Hāpai te Hauora, the Māori Law Society, and JustSpeak.
When asked if she wanted clear legislative guidelines, Ardern said that police will have guidelines around how to enact the use of discretion. She went on to say that when they get the data back about how that’s working on the ground, “let’s have an open debate about whether it’s happening as we intend”.
Part of the letter reads: “While we applaud recent law changes to allow drug checking at festivals and elsewhere, we note that isolated amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act will not provide the coherent, just and effective legislative framework that is so urgently needed. We call on you to overhaul the Misuse of Drugs Act and put in its place a system that puts health and social justice first.” The letter also highlighted the disproportionate impact of drug laws on Māori and Pasifika communities. Jacinda Ardern was questioned by John Campbell about the letter on Breakfast. Ardern pointed to the use of police discretion, stating she wants police to take a health-based approach when people are found in possession of a small amount, unless it is not in the public interest to do so. Campbell reiterated the disproportionate impacts on Māori and Pasifika: “I know an enormous amount of people who smoke dope from time to time, I don’t know anyone who’s been busted.”
Returning to our conversation with Chlöe, she highlights some positive aspects of the referendum. “Despite the electoral failure, I think there are substantive new complexities, nuances, and a greater maturity to the greater drug law reform debate than existed three to four years ago.” This, she says, is reflected in the depth that the media reports on it. Our conversations on cannabis are maturing. The path to a full health-based approach to cannabis and other drugs seems long. It seems that the politics of change is getting in the way of a result, despite public support and some acknowledgement between political parties that we need change. Finally, Chlöe explains that “the case for change is always way harder than retention of the status quo. And ironically, I think that a lot of politicians forget that doing the right thing is not always the most popular thing.” “The bogeyman of change is far more scary than the boring reality of a legal regulated market.”
Poll depicting voting stances based on research conducted by the Helen Clark Foundation Voted to legalise
49%
Voted no - Decriminalised not legalised
20%
Voted no - Should stay the same Voted no - More offences taken to court Voted no - Other/unsure
18% 12% 1%
www.salient.org.nz
17
18
Kia Ora—Hello, I’m Karl, an artist and creator of uncanny and chaotic things through the visual spectrum. Originally from Waihi/Waihi Beach in the Coromandel, I moved to Wellington to begin my Masters of Architecture at VUW, currently working on my thesis—a study of how the theory of translation can be used to restore post-industrial sites within the realm of architecture. Art has always been a massive interest of mine, dabbling in many different mediums throughout the years—it’s something I do when I’m bored, something I do to cheer me up, something to do to keep me focussed and keep my mind active.
KARL M HOFFMANN
Lick Me, 2020
I began working with pastels when I moved to Wellington in 2019—I had the opportunity to enter an exhibition called ‘Pretentious but not Expensive’. I hardly knew anyone in the city at this point, so thought it would be a good way to meet new people. I did a series of 5 pastel drawings and entered them in, people liked them so I continued. Pastels are pretty much the only medium I use now, they are heaps of fun to work with and are so versatile in the way they interact with the paper.
MF DOOM—ALL CAPS, 2021
3:33am, 2020
I tend to find comfort in chaos, I love art that expresses humans or beings in imperfect ways. A work of art determines a particular sensation in people that stimulates mental images, analogies of images, connecting waves, grouping together a myriad of images inspired by particular objects or moments that don’t necessarily appear in the work itself. These visions facilitate other visions in the viewer making everything subjective. Every piece of work I do is an experiment of some sort, I’m always practicing with new styles, new mediums and new forms. It is a constant evolution and transformation from the previous. I never have a plan of what I’m going to produce when I begin, translating the thoughts in my head onto the blank canvas is a way for me to express myself.
Untitled, W.I.P, 2021
My work is definitely not for everyone, as I’ve been told many times. But if you like what you see, go have a geeze at my Instagram. I post when I can. Get in touch if you’re really into my work, can do prints or commissions. Looking forward to finishing my thesis so I can focus a lot more on art this year. Thanks for reading! Much love xx www.salient.org.nz
19
20
21
Winter is Coming: A Survival Guide Lachlan Ewing (he/him)
The leaves redden. Mould creeps across your flat’s ceiling, and daylight hours retreat. Sandals have been replaced by battle-hardened Doc Martens. Clomp, clomp, they march up Kelburn Parade. The standard-issue uniform of an army ready to knuckle down into a gruelling campaign. This is not the socialist revolution many Doc owners envisioned deploying their boots for. They enter a battle against the forces of Tāwhirimātea, who is once again rallying his legions of rain, hail, squall, and gail to purge us children of Tāne Māhuta from the land we walk upon. On the back of gulls blown high above the grey city, winter is coming. Between the lines of extortionate power bills that hit your flat dynamic like a southerly gust, winter is coming. In the beads of sweat that roll down your forehead when you hike up Mount Street in four layers, winter is coming. I’ve lived here four years, winter is coming, and I am still quite scared. It is very understandable if you are too. But fear not! Here is the ultimate students’ winter survival guide:
Mental Wellbeing Dr Dougal Sutherland, from Vic’s School of Psychology, explained that people often feel a drop in their wellbeing during winter. He thinks this is probably due to a combination of bad weather, being stuck inside more, less opportunities to socialise or do things we usually enjoy, a long period without any public holidays (Queen’s Birthday on 7th June through to Labour Day on 25th October), and less exposure to daylight. “Keep socialising. Make sure you keep up with your friends and whānau and social contact can help keep Some people even suffer quite severe levels of our spirits up.” Resist the temptation to binge watch The depression from the onset of winter to the coming Crown. of spring. When this pattern occurs regularly, it is considered Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Dr “Try and get outside as often as you can—you might Sutherland explained that SAD is “...essentially a type of have to adjust your schedule to make sure you get some depression that is linked to less exposure to daylight. exposure to daylight to get the maximum benefit from It’s still pretty rare though, with estimates being that being outside, so maybe consider going out at lunchtime it affects about 5% of people.” “Treatment for SAD can or the middle of the day rather than early morning or in involve light therapy, (filtered so it doesn’t give out UV the evening.” rays).” This involves exposure to a box which emits very strong bright light. But Dr Sutherland advises there is “Embrace it! See if you can learn from the Danish plenty more you can do in your own life to help beat concept of hygge (cosiness) which focuses on creating those winter blues. warm snuggly environments with other people. See if “Keep exercising—don’t hibernate too much—as we know exercise helps prevent low mood.” Crush the hill on the way to campus.
22
Feature : Winter is Coming
you can find some new activities or hobbies that lend themselves to being done during winter, making sure that they incorporate others as much as possible.” Resist the temptation to binge watch The Crown—alone.
Physical Wellbeing Of course, it’s a lot harder to be in a good mood when your body is feeling shit. Especially since this can get in the way of all that important exercising and socialising. A blessing of this last turbulent year is that we have all learnt how to wash our hands, and cover coughs and sneezes. As well as the regular COVID rigmarole, I have collated some top tips to ward off winter colds and flus: Eat a raw clove of garlic every morning. I first heard this tip from a Massey student, who heard it from their grandmother. But surprisingly, there seems to be some science behind it. Garlic contains allicin, which is apparently pretty good for the immune system. One study even found that people taking a garlic supplement had a 63% lower risk of catching a cold, and recovered from their colds 70% quicker. Interestingly, participants were not required to take their garlic in whole, raw form. Maybe the raw element is to render your breath rank, and you therefore unkissable...? Don’t kiss strangers. You wouldn’t lip any old water bottle in the library. Why would you lip any old person in Siglo? Turn that bump and grind into a date the next week first. If they’re worth it, they’ll wait. Assess their hygiene habits. Monitor for sneezing, coughing, sniffling etc… You can never be too safe out there.
Drink water!!! If you are living in a city with abundant free water in 2021, and are still dehydrated, get with the programme. People who start the day with a glass of water and then just have a coffee or two to get yourselves through, how the fuck are you functioning? H2O is just as important in winter, even if we may not feel as thirsty. Your body is soaking it up, burning energy to keep you warm and fight off diseases. Get eight glasses, or nearly three 750ml pump bottles, down a day. Don’t lie and say it makes you feel full. You can drink 12 beers in a sitting. You’ve got this champ. Keep warm!!! But keep warm in style...
Keeping warm, looking cool Nina Weir—BA LLB WAP—Independent Fashion Intelligence Consultant, had plenty of advice for the coming season’s fashions. If you are braving Courtenay Place on a midwinter’s night, consider knee-high boots, fluffy hats (recently spotted atop both Rihanna and Gaga’s mugs), and long sleeve mesh to add layers of warmth while still looking fly. Cold walking between the clubs, but too hot inside? Rock a cardi, windbreaker, or something easily compactable, and scrunch it up into your purse!
Photo: Adam Driver and Lady Gaga in warm clothes for a Gucci ad.
Wellington can get wet, so consider leather jackets and boots, which will keep the rain out if you invest in leather care and look after them. To keep your feet extra safe on those days the footpaths turn to rivers, rock platform boots. Both the 70s and 2000s are in right now apparently, and some chonky soles will help you tap into both. Nina also predicts corsets to be trending this winter, which provide an exciting layering option. If you, like me, are a large and conspicuously heterosexual male that all of this fashion lark is a bit new to, don’t worry. Swandris are still in, and always have been. Otherwise, you will be pretty safe following Adam Driver’s lead.
www.salient.org.nz
23
Fun stuff Winter shouldn’t just be about surviving. There is plenty of living to be done in the cold months. Wishing you could go back to New Years? There’s one in winter too! In te ao Māori, Matariki is the celebration of the New Year. The new year officially begins on the night of the first new moon since the rising of the Matariki constellation, which will fall on June 10 this year. Each year the celebrations have grown in Wellington, and expect plenty of awesome events in 2021. In the meantime, don’t let Matariki sneak up on you by surprise. You can begin to follow the Māori lunar calendar, the maramataka. There are heaps of awesome resources online, and observing the cycles of nature may even help to ward off those seasonal blues. Seals. On those rare days it is not raining and/or the wind isn’t howling, go visit the seals out at Red Rocks. There’s a lot less of them around in summer, as the colony out there is a non-breeding one, so they all go and have a summer fling elsewhere. But in winter, up to 300 seals call these rocks just a short walk from Owhiro Bay their home. Cuteness wrapped up in a waterproof coat, it confounds me why ex-All Black Andrew Hore would want to shoot one. It confounds me further that he was convicted and continued to play for the All Blacks for another eight years. But that is another issue for another issue.
Photo: Fur seal hanging out at Red Rocks
Conclusion We do not need to be afraid of the coming winter, but should look to embrace it. Stay cosy, stay fly, look after your mind, body, and soul. As well as surviving, you might even end up thriving if you get amongst some of what our region has to offer.
Disclaimer: Dr Dougal Sutherland is the only person in this feature that is in anyway qualified to give any sort of advice. This is a list of suggestions, and not exhaustive. No amount of mouthwash can overcome raw garlic, you will become a social pariah. Be careful not to wear your corset too tight.
Winter is coming, crush it. 24
Feature : Winter is Coming
SHIT'S FUCKED Parking - Sloane Peters This week I was scrolling through Facebook and saw that If the WCC wants to increase parking fees, maybe they should ^Salient had shared a post about parking on Kelburn Parade. first focus on having a public transport system that actually works. My friends and I drive into uni because the bus system The post reads: ^“In a leaflet, the WCC stated their position is an absolute clusterfuck, and my baby, the 18e, is always was that ‘people who use the parking spaces should ghosting me. We use these parks all the time, and as if my contribute more towards the overall cost of providing on commute wasn’t already annoying enough, now I might have street parking.’”^ to pay out of my already empty pockets to park there. This is absolutely fucked. Parking on Kelburn Parade would become exclusive 10-hour parking spots that you have to bloody pay for. Newsflash: I’ve already been paying a ridiculous amount for parking tickets when I park on Kelburn Parade for too long. So I think the idea that ^“people who use the parking spaces should contribute more towards the overall cost of providing on street parking”^ is stupid, because surely that is already happening via the sheer amount of tickets I’m paying alone.
If you’re pissed off about this, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE submit to the Council to say that it is no good. We have until 5 p.m. on Friday, 23 April 2021 to submit. Go to the website https://wellington.govt.nz/have-your-say/consultations and tell the folks at WCC that it’s fucked. The Kelburn Parade I know and love is one where I can park without the Council draining more money from my bank account. Like, sorry bro, but my gas is already expensive enough. Please help me out by submitting to the WCC, because shit’s fucked
SHIT'S GOOD The Pineapple Lump Ice Cream Bar - Monsieur Vapé In a world full of flavour collab flops, like L&P’s Chilli and Lime fizz, or Whittaker’s ginger-beer-infused chocolate block, it’s refreshing to see companies finally giving the people what they want: pineapple lump chocolate, in ice cream form. The dessert itself is spectacularly straightforward. It looks like a big Pineapple Lump. It contains a thick layer of Pineapple Lump ice cream and a smaller layer of Pineapple Lump jelly, and is coated in chocolate. The ice cream replicates the Pineapple Lump flavour everyone knows and loves perfectly. But if you’re a thot for texture like me, then feast your eyes and your tongue on the jelly, which I can only really describe as Jelly Tip’s much cooler, much yellower, younger cousin.
out of the freezer before saying “take one”. Everyone who hasn’t been living under a rock knows Pineapple Lumps are better out of the freezer, which is what makes this ice cream bar even better—it proves that people in my camp have been right all these years, and gives me yet another reason to needlessly rag on defrosted Pineapple Lump eaters. Whoever QA’d the decision to create a Pineapple Lump ice cream bar deserves a raise. Actually, no. They deserve more than that. They deserve this entire fucking country, in service to them, and them only. My suggestion to this individual is to speak out, start organising a political coup, and slowly take over the world with your own fully-fledged political regime. I don’t know what that might look like, but fuck, at least there’ll be good ice cream.
The Pineapple Lump ice cream bar took me right back to my childhood, where I can remember my mum semiregularly pulling a 2KG bag of discarded Pineapple Lumps
www.salient.org.nz
25
Hi! We’re Anoushka and Laurelei and it’s Rice To Meet You. From dating, to pronouncing ethnic names, to racial imposter syndrome, we’re Salient’s resident Asian aunties giving completely unsolicited (but somewhat sage) advice.
#StopAsianHate CW: Racial violence
Although the Atlanta hate crimes were covered in the last issue, the reality is that xenophobia can’t be dismantled within a week. Seeing as we are the resident Asian aunties at Salient, it seemed only fitting for us to dedicate this week’s column to Delaina Ashley Yuan, Xiaojie Tan, Park Hyeon Jeong, Julie Park, Daoyou Feng, and Sun Cha Kim. The coverage that the shooting received here in New Zealand was disappointing. But most of all, it was unsurprising—we aren’t in the US after all, so why should we care? This attitude neglects the fact that so much of the victims’ experiences, along with that of other victims of rising Asian hate crimes in the US, can be seen so vividly in our own streets. From casual remarks to “Where are you really from?”s to being told to “Go back to where you came from”—racism runs deep in our country. But Asian voices are so regularly silenced that the problem often goes unnoticed. It shouldn’t take a shooting for us to recognise that we are complicit in the same system that led to their deaths. I say “we” because I want to acknowledge that I play an active part in it, too. I’ve been privileged enough to live with a perceived proximity to whiteness, I’ve played into the model minority myth, and for the longest time I never spoke up when it came to racism. I know that the same goes for many of my other diaspora friends; these acts are often symptoms of racial imposter syndrome and sheer survival. Despite working so hard to be accepted, seeing headlines everyday of COVID-related attacks with elderly victims evokes a vicarious trauma that I didn’t know I was allowed to have. What sickened me the most was how the murders were played down to someone “having a bad day”. News outlets did everything to refer to the shooting as
anything except what it actually was—a hate crime. The silencing of Asian voices was so normalised that nobody spared a second thought. The killings were justified as an act of sexualisation, distinguishing racism as completely unrelated to the killer’s actions. As if Asians haven’t been hypersexualised in the media for centuries, as if we aren’t constantly stereotyped as exotic and submissive. New Zealand is no stranger to this, too—I have far too many friends who’ve become victims to Asian fetishisation, and I’m tired of my white friends playing it off as a simple preference. To my white friends that loyally read this every other week: do better. Listen to Asian voices, diversify your media, do more than reposting that one infographic on your story. Have conversations about race with your families, check them when they’re wrong. You hold so much power in this fight and your silence upholds ours. I’m aware that everything I’ve said isn’t exactly news. So many people have said the same things before me, and that’s the problem—for every time that we’ve uplifted our voices and created change, there’s a white man doing everything to make sure we’re invisible. Racism can’t be cured within one column, but I’d be damned if I didn’t try to make some sort of noise. Taking up spaces like this, and cherishing friends and family with similar experiences, has helped my two-way racial imposter syndrome. And although I’m still working on it, my words are dedicated to the victims who worked so hard to live in a country that tried to take away their culture—and yet raised families, ran businesses, and so much more that celebrated their identities unapologetically. I can only hope that one day I will be able to do the same.
Laurelei Bautista (she/her)
26
Columns : Rice to Meet You / Flat Chat
Size:
0.5 grams
Availability:
Quite hard to get this exact quantity that easy. Unless off of a friend
For the 420 issue, the Editors have asked if ‘$10 jugs’ would like to review weed. As someone who prefers $10 jugs of beer to weed, I am handing these review duties to someone who has helped with $10 jug reviews in the past. I have helped him write this, but here is my mate Tom’s* review: Kia ora, I smoke, and I am going on record to say that I have smoked before and enjoyed it. I am going to review a dime ($10 worth) of weed that has been supplied via a friend over the Easter weekend. I smoked this weed with friends while visiting my friend’s house. We actually drove to a local park to smoke it; it was late at night, but we needed to get out of the house because his dad was still awake. To protect our identities, the only way I will explain the location of this park is that it is in the Waikato region. We had Bob Marley and The Wailers playing on the car radio, and had put the window down “just a crack”. This setting was quite surreal, as it reminded me of being in the car while older siblings were smoking while I was growing up. Instead of smoking out of a bong made up of an old Mizone bottle with a stem attached, we used a different mechanism to smoke. The apparatus of choice was a wooden pipe which kind of looks like the one that Popeye uses. The lighter of choice was a baby-blue-coloured BIC. The weed was “sour diesel”. When I looked online, I was told that this strain of cannabis is meant to produce “dreamy cerebral effects that are fast-acting and energizing”. To be honest, it just made me really high, and further on I will explain those side effects. The taste can be described as quite rough; it really hurt my throat.
We were eating apples and Easter eggs in the car, and this is where the excitement came in. I have never thought about how tasty apples are in my whole life. They just tasted so perfect, there were layers to them. They were crunchy and juicy; I could feel the health benefits of eating an apple happening to me in real time. I even asked the car if they had ever had such nice apples, to which they responded with an enthusiastic smile and ‘no’. After we finished smoking, we returned back to my mate’s house, and his dad was still awake. One of our mates went straight upstairs because he was far too high—that was a very smart move. I should’ve done that as well. We walked into the lounge, where his dad was watching some sporting movie. He literally just said “hey boys, how are you?”, which sent me into an absolute laughing fit. He then asked if I was okay, and I responded by running straight upstairs to bed. I do not think I will be smoking anytime soon, but I had a good experience. I would much rather be in the nice controlled environment of drinking a $10 jug at a fine Wellington establishment. I found that when consuming cannabis, I needed to consume other stuff, which feels like a rip off and not that efficient monetarily. We shall be working on a $10 jug review for next week! *name changed because he does not want his partner to find out he smokes more than she knows
www.salient.org.nz
27
Frankie Dale (she/her)
Sex and dating advice from Wellington’s rankest, pessimistic, anxious, and most dramatic woman. Commitment Issues Commiting to someone fully is actually terrifying. In high school I was all for it, basically forcing myself on whoever was willing to call me their girlfriend; it didn’t matter if they had cum socks scattered around their room or if they were totally emotionally abusive. Nowadays, I find myself entering my 20s with an abundance of caution for commitment. After some much needed contemplation, I’ve recently been asking myself why this is. Is there ever actually a valid reason to be afraid of commitment, or do we simply not like them enough? Recently I’ve started seeing this guy. I technically can’t really fault him, which is petrifying. He’s quietly confident, communicative, and doesn’t make me feel like my vagina is the only thing he is interested in—im so lucky you guys :) We’ve been sleeping together for a month or so now, and it’s got to the stage where I might have to stop pretending to have the mindset of Hugh Hefner, and more the mindset of Edward from Twilight. I wouldn’t go as far to call him a hopeless romantic, but he always wants to do missionary while not breaking eye contact. Take me to the red room, Christian Grey, for God’s sake. Although I do genuinely like him, the thought of committing to him as my new boyfriend seems scarier than that time a man attempted to kidnap me in primary school. The thing is, and please someone email me if you feel this way too, I am so embarrassed by the concept of being someone’s partner. Being in love, or a strong strong like, makes us act like these vulnerable, inadequate humans who post photos with the caption like “my best friend, I can’t believe i’ve found you”. My newfound pessimistic soul that Wellington has forced me to possess has left me barfing over any form of genuine affection. When I’m in a
28
Columns : To be Frank / UniQ
relationship, I find myself doing super basic bitch things, which really fucks me off. I’m like um, ok, why the fuck did I just text you that I miss you—I thought I was hotter than this? A lot of the time we feel that getting into a relationship will fix everything, but in reality it’s often just a bandaid for something else. Sometimes, it’s worth holding back on committing to someone. You have to put yourself first—even though they seem right, and they message you “text me when you get home safe”, doesn’t mean they’re it. We are constantly told when it’s the right person it will all be easy and natural. I found out that maybe that’s not so true after I dated a narcissist who told me he loved me the first week in, and then proceeded to cheat on me whilst I was being hospitalised for pneumonia. I don’t know who invented this expectation to always be on the trajectory to full-blown commitment, but they kinda suck. We are told that if we are not committing, or being committed to, in a serious way then we are failing or doing something wrong—what happens if I like you, but I also like picking my toenails off in peace in my room at 1 a.m. on a Tuesday? Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being in a relationship, but let’s drop the notion that we either commit or we are the worst people on earth. Addressing where your commitment-phobe-ness comes from is important, if you’re just “such a libra” I’m not sure how far that will get you. But, sometimes we just aren’t ready to hold someone’s hand walking down the street, and that’s fine. Maybe it’s your ex, maybe you just don’t date, but there is no shame in taking your time as long as you are openly communicating. We have the rest of our lives to find ‘the one’ (if that even exists) so really, what’s the big rush?
“Shotgun”—Musings on the Intersection of Queer Intimacy and Drug Culture Alex C. (they/them) shotgun | verb / ˈʃɒtɡʌn / 1. stoner slang; the act of inhaling cannabis smoke Platonic intimacy is a lot more accepted among queer and exhaling it into another’s mouth, allowing them to folk than it is for those outside the community, so it’s feel the effects of the drug as well. easier for us to get high without the hang-ups. A somewhat morbid term, when you think about it. But we’re not trying to think, that’s why we do it. Just clickclick-boom, and I have become comfortably numb. The first stoner I ever met was a trans guy. Covered in piercings and full of reckless energy, oftentimes reeking of smoke. I had a little crush on him. The first friend I shared a pipe with came out as nonbinary a short time after I met them. Is there something inherently queer about smoking weed?
Of course, not all queer people are stoners, and not all stoners are queer. But there is a lot of overlap. Is it the rebellion? Flaunting the law like we flaunt heteronormative standards. Or maybe it’s the intimacy found in queer relationships? A depth of affection and acknowledgement for connection in a world that, since birth, has expected something of us that we simply cannot deliver. The sharing of breath, a kiss of life without need for romance. It could just be that it’s fun to turn on, tune in, and drop out. Maybe I’m thinking too hard about this.
Shotgunning was pioneered by soldiers in the Vietnam War, who would breath down an actual shotgun barrel to Click-click-boom. get the smoke across. You couldn’t just breath straight into another man’s mouth—that would be far too intimate. There needs to be a gun in there somewhere, or else it’s gay.
WELLBEING WORKSHOPS One-off sessions with practical skills supporting university life—led by students, for students at all levels of study. View the workshop timetable online and register on CareerHub.
wgtn.ac.nz/wellbeing-workshops
29
Michael Turnbull (he/him) VUWSA President Oh, hey, will you look at the date! That’s right, this Tuesday is the 20th day of April. This means that the start date of this lovely week is... drumroll please... 04/20! What a week to reflect on the current state of New Zealand’s archaic and harmful drug laws, aye? There are plenty of things to spark up on such a date, none less important than a robust conversation on drug law reform in New Zealand. Last year, us Kiwis missed out on the opportunity to legally rip a glass bugle, by a margin skinnier than your flatmates’ contribution to the communal doob, in the 2020 Cannabis Referendum. It was an absolutely gutting result for those advocates, academics, and politicians who have pushed for equitable reform to New Zealand’s 45-year-old Misuse of Drugs Act. The attempt at progressive change was stalled by some classic political hypocrisy and amnesia from some of our favorite (and least-favorite) MPs, incompetence from the New Zealand Medical Association, and Jacinda’s characteristic cryptic centrism over issues that matter. We know that The Misuse of Drugs Act, 1975 (A.K.A The Misused Drugs Act) disproportionately affects and harms tāngata whenua, Pasifika, and poor and marginalised communities. The idea that this current statute protects the public from the evils of drug usage is nothing more than smoke (the boring kind) and mirrors. The war on drugs, if there ever was one, has
OPENING HOURS: LUNCH 11:30AM - 3:00PM (MONDAY - SUNDAY) DINNER 5:00PM - 8:30PM (MONDAY - SATURDAY)
FRESH, FLAVORSOME 30 VIETNAMESE CUISINE
62 DIXON ST, TE ARO, 6011, WELLINGTON
been lost, and it is time that New Zealand takes an empathetic and health-based approach to the issue of cannabis use in our communities. On April 11, 25 organisations—including Just Speak, the NZ Drug Foundation, and the Māori Law Society— penned an open letter to Jacinda Arden, Andrew Little, and Kris Faafoi, asking for the Government’s action in “repealing and replacing the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 to ensure drug use is treated as a health and social issue.” This builds off the work done last year by those proponents of a “yes” vote in the referendum. This is the activism and change that New Zealand needs, and fast. Last year, we narrowly missed out on fixing New Zealand’s historic and systemic drug problems. We cannot let this blatant injustice continue any longer. But, other than a peaceful protest out your bedroom window, how can you get involved in fighting our Parliament’s dumb decisions? If you are passionate about reforming New Zealand’s drug laws, if you care about ensuring we are an equitable and empathetic society which prioritises the needs of our marginalised groups, then get yourself educated, get yourself connected, and get yourself involved in the discourse. Join an organisation or protest, study hard in fields that will make change, and come talk to us, VUWSA, as we continue to push for equitable law reform in Aotearoa New Zealand. So, with that, I bid you farewell, and a happy return to classes. May your buds be sticky, and your papers never rip.
personality via satellite
your skin is speckled with stardust of a different kind engraved constellations that tell your future in contradiction to the galaxy. star defiance makes perfect sense to us. i am earth, burnt to ash floating calm swirling into tornado. you are a forest fire, extinguished softly swimming slumber strokes in mud puddle. elemental connection, bridged by nurture, against nature— the archer caught between two paths, the ram, silent and strong-holds him, her hands held open he becomes the scuttling crab cuddled in the aquarian arms of the goat bound by mermaid tail—or anchor bears water in both palms and roars louder than a lion.
Poetry by Francesca Georgia Pietkiewicz
www.salient.org.nz
31
Smokin’ Hot Kicks Tom Andrews (he/him)
It’s the week of 04/20, and I need to pay homage to it for being the reason behind some of the most iconic footwear ever. The majority of the sneakers on this list are shoes I would give anything for. From Cheech and Chong to Cam’ron, weed themed footwear gives us some of the *dopest* designs ever. Nike Dunk SB High Cheech & Chong Release date: 04/20/2011 Who would wear these: Your dad when he’s telling you about all the “kush” he smoked in the day Rating: **** These ones are reminiscent of your dad’s old stoner movie VHS/VCR tapes. In terms of design, these are dope, with the flat red paying homage to Cheech Marin’s beanie and the paisley representing Tommy Chong’s bandana; some may know Tommy as Leo from That 70’s Show. The toe of the sneakers are normally white, but when you wear them out you get that very weed-esque green coming through.
Nike Dunk SB High Skunk 420 Release date: 04/20/2010 Who would wear these: Literally the coolest person you know Rating: ***** The early 2010s were a glorious time in sneaker culture. We got the first re-release of the Grape Jordan V’s, and The Nike Air Yeezy 2’s had come out. To start off the decade, Nike released arguably the most iconic stoner sneakers: Skunk—with its title relating to the slang for weed due to it’s pungent scenting. These have a pouch to put your ‘dollar lolly bag’ of weed. These are just the best.
South Park x Adidas Campus 80s “Towelie” Release date: 04/20/2021 Who would wear these: South Park stoner who believes cartman is their “spirit animal” Rating: *** For those of you who dabble in the viewing of South Park, you will be aware of this very obscure character, a stoner towel. Despite not watching the show too much, the towelling on these sneakers looks so fucking fire. They have a stash pouch under the tongue, and when exposed to UV light the eyes turn into the ‘stoned’ eyes as depicted in this image.
32
Review : Smokin” Hot Kicks
Fake Roshe/Allbirds weed shoes Release date: should’ve never been made Who would wear these: Someone who doesn’t smoke but thinks weed stuff’s so funny because they watch H3H3 Rating: * When I talk about the early 2010s, there is one sneaker which didn’t age well. Those being the Nike Roshe, a very influential sneaker in terms of design, and brought us a bunch of bootlegs like these ‘omg-haha-stoner’ running shoes.
Huf weed socks Release date: Circa 2006 Who would wear these: literally anyone who hasn’t got rid of their pair from high school. Rating: ***** This is arguably the most iconic weed footwear of our lifetime. Whether you were dropping racks at Culture Kings to get a pair, or bought fake ones from the local markets, a lot of us have worn these bad boys. The owner of Huf said that “The thought of putting the weed leaves on socks was just so funny”, and to be honest, it’s pretty bloody funny.
Reebok Ventilator Cam’ron Purple Haze Release date: 04/20/2016 Who would wear these: The athletic stoner who smokes before going to F45 Rating: ************ When Killa Cam released these it was game over. Everyone knows the iconic pink flip phone pull-up for the 2002 Baby Phat #NYFW show. This is arguably the most iconic fashion week image ever. Tying this with the iconic purple smoke imagery across the heel of the sneaker, these are called Purple Haze, referencing the iconic marijuana strain. When writing this, I had to listen to the Dipset Rap City freestyle, which reminded me of how much of a GOAT Cam’ron is, was, and will always be.
Saucony Grid SD Sneaker Freaker “Kushwacker” Release date: 06/13/2015 Who would wear these: Your uncle tramping, while tripping. Rating: **** Growing up reading Sneaker Freaker, anything the Australian magazine produces is pure fire. These too are themed around the cannabis strain purple haze, and these are the first time we’ve seen Saucony’s pop up on this list. These just look really cool and I would love to own a pair
www.salient.org.nz
33
Go-to munchies Being high and eating goes hand in hand, and this week we asked a few students what their go to high snacks were. Here are the unedited submissions:
Subway - usually UberEats
Mushrooms & Ramen
When I’m high, the taste of Veggie Delight on Italian Herbs and Cheese is heavenly. I get all the veggies with BBQ sauce. YUM YUM YUM. Awesome to annihilate at 11pm while watching David Attenborough.
This sounds bougie, but it’s actually real cheap and you can get it all from the international section of the supermarket. Grab a 99c pack of udon noodles, dried shitake mushrooms, edamame, kewpie mayo, bitta sesame oil and soy sauce—the secret ingredient is fried shallots. Cook the noodles, mushrooms and edamame together and mix in with your sauces + shallots.
Scott, Kelburn
Double coat Tim Tams
Mary, Mt Vic
Britt, Mt Vic
When you’re ready to relinquish all control and have given up all your will power - give in to the Tim Tam. They’ll never do you wrong, but be warned you won’t stop until the packet is done.
The anything sandwich Padraig, Island Bay
Toasted or fresh, this is filled with whatever is in my limited fridge. Almost always has mayo, cheese, and some kind of relish then the rest is stuffed with anything from chicken to corn chips, the bigger the better.
Mi Goreng Toastie Margaux, Aro Valley
This creation was invented (maybe) by my flatmates last year. While I was hesitant to get behind it at first, it really is a game-changer when it comes to the munchies. It’s all in the myriad of texture - chewy, crunchy, and pleasantly slimey. It’s one of those foods, if eaten while high, really does feel orgasmic. It’s only downside is the cooking element. For maximum easiness, make your noodles pre-cone. It works best with pseudo-healthy bread I’m talking the type that is vaguely brown in colour, but lacks any sort of seeds or actual substance. This creates a hearty, slutty, salty taste sensation. Thank me later.
34
Review : Go-to Munchies / Cuba Dupa
Orange in the shower Kristy, Mt Cook
If you love a blaze before bed, and you’re also an evening showerer, might I suggest you hit two birds with one stoned stone by having a shower orange. Tear it open, drop the peel, enjoy your citrus while the stickiness washes instantly off your hands and the steam zests up your shower.
Sara Lee bavarian Cookies and Cream Henare, Newton
i’m not normally a sweet tooth but when I dive into the devils lettuce, hold me back from getting myself Sara Lee’s finest cuisine. Delicious, delectable, creamy, cookie; may as well call me Vanellope von Schweetz. $8 may hurt the debit card but boy oh boy, every mouthful is priceless.
Review
Music
CubaDupa 2021 Oli Cheyne (he/him)
If you walked into town on the weekend of March 27-28 of, you might have had a difficult time getting from one end of Cuba Street to the other. But with everything that was going on at CubaDupa, why wouldn’t you have wanted to take your time and soak in the atmosphere, the people, the food, the culture—oh so much culture. Aotearoa’s largest outdoor music and arts festival made an emphatic return on the last weekend of March, celebrating the very best of local and global artists and performers. Diversity was certainly not lacking, with over 500 performances over the Saturday and Sunday, and over 1700 artists taking to the fifty stages that were spread out across Cuba Street and the heart of Te Aro. After not taking place last year, and the 2019 festival being moved off the street to indoor venues, the “beautiful disruption” assumed its place as a flagbearer for Wellington and Aotearoa’s arts community this year. It attracted over 120,000 people to Cuba St on the Saturday alone. Adorned by taniwha of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Ngake and Whātaitai, which was painted by Miriama GraceSmith, Xoe Hall, and Gina Kiel—aka The Dream Girls Collective—the Wellington Airport Ngā Taniwha stage presented an amazingly rich range of performances from local groovers; Richter City Rebels, Hans Pucket, and Odessa, among countless others. The big names on the stage, Troy Kingi and JessB, lit up the night and carved permanent smiles on everyone by the stage. Even soul and RnB enthusiast Dr Ashley Bloomfield was seen skanking at Troy Kingi, and ensuring that everyone was sanitising and using the COVID Tracer app diligently. With stages spread right across the Cuba precinct, it was at times a bit overwhelming deciding where to
go and who to see, but of all problems to have, that is definitely a good one. The Massey Creative Distraction Stage, nestled into Glover Park outside Rogue and Vagabond, provided a nice grassy area to have a wee lie down and listen to an array of sounds during the day and right through the evening. Christchurch band There’s A Tuesday and Dunedin’s Ha the Unclear rolled in through the evening and set up a cracking night with H4LF CĀST, sending everyone home with a belly full of soul. If you were brave enough to face the hair of the dog and get back out on Sunday, you would’ve been lucky enough to see the groovy family band Revulva sending it in the early arvo and curing any semblance of a hangover that still lingered. A highlight of the festival was the Garage Project Wild Workshop stage tucked away on Marion Street. Curated by Mermaidens and Earth Tongue’s Gussie Larkin, the stage comprised entirely women/non-binary led performances, featuring faves Wiri Donna, Linen, and Auckland’s Dick Move. Ludus had everyone bopping and keeping the energy going between bands in the evening, and Kedu Carlö closed out with their trademark tribal house and techno late into the night. It’s at festivals like CubaDupa where I wish that I could adopt some skills of an omnipresent deity and be able to experience all of the amazing artists that were on show, instead of running between stages like some fucking madman because I’m incredibly indecisive and can’t make up my mind on who I want to see. After the past couple of years not quite working out, it’s a testament to the organisers and workers of CubaDupa to come back with what turned into the largest safely run festival in the world since the pandemic began, and we can only wait in anticipation for next year. www.salient.org.nz
35
Crossword: Start to Finish
36
ACROSS
DOWN
8. Rum, lime and mint cocktail (6) 9. With ‘Manhunter’, original member #1 (7) 10. La Cosa Nostra, more familiarly (3,3) 11. Where some Americans await capital punishment (5,3) 12. With ‘Woman’, original member #2 (6) 14. Original member #3 (3,5) 15. Comics group with the seven original members listed here (7,6) 17. Original member #4 (8) 20. Original member #5 (6) 22. Ocean creature sometimes referred to as ‘sea pancake’ or ‘flap-flap’ (5,3) 24. Short promotional trailer for a 2-Down (6) 26. After ‘Green’, original member #6 (7) 27. Possible murder location in ‘Cluedo’ (6)
1. Ecstatic shout, made by Sims getting intimate? (3-3) 2. ‘Zack Snyder’s 15-Across’, for example (4) 3. NFL coach Vince for whom the Super Bowl trophy is named (8) 4. Amongst (4) 5. Highly detailed and decorative (6) 6. Its beams keep monsters away (5,5) 7. Vegetables often served as part of a sausage sizzle (6) 13. Careful, in-depth and precise, like artistic taste (10) 14. Greyjoy heir who is renamed Reek, in ‘Game of Thrones’ (5) 16. Beset with problems, poetically (8) 18. ‘The ____ Story’ (subtitle of many behindthe-scenes documentaries) (6) 19. Captain published, ironically, by DC (6) 21. Get retribution for (6) 23. Pull on sharply (4) 25. With ‘Man’, original member #7 (4)
Puzzles
Skuxdoku
Word of the Week
“cannabis” Te Reo Māori tarukino New Zealand Sign language
Last Weeks Answers
www.salient.org.nz
37
D Aries
Taurus
Gemini
I’m loving your ideas this week, your energy is high and your creativity is off the charts—you gotta start writing them down, trust me you’ll want to remember these in the morning. This Tuesday (04/20) looks like money is a little scarce—not the best day to shout your flatmate.
It’s time to catch up on your sleep! You’ve gone a few too many deep my friend, so stop sinking and start thinking about your wellbeing. On Tuesday, it looks like someone is talking behind your back, or at least has left you feeling out of the loop —pick your vices, and your friends, carefully this week.
One, two, three, and to the fo’ Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre is at the do’. Wait, hold up—maybe it’s just your friends (sorry, wasn’t wearing my glasses), but regardless you’re popular this week. Just don’t get too confident, especially on Tuesday, get off your phone, you might post a story you’ll regret.
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
You’re flying high; that Flybuys logo hat you wore last Wednesday is paying off, and true recognition is coming your way. Just remember to take the smoke alarm batteries before that fire in your belly hot boxes the room. And on 04/20, while checking your email watch out for paid survey ads—it’s a scam.
Don’t know what it was but you did it; you can rest. On Tuesday explore a hobby. I recommend you take up baking this week, whether that means making double chocolate chip ‘brownies’ or plain old vanilla shortbread. Interpret this horoscope any which way you choose to, just don’t invest in bitcoin on Tuesday, wait until June 5th—trust!
It’s your time to invest this week —you could get very lucky. On the other hand, 4/20/21 looks like you’re absolutely smitten with someone— stop trying to hide it, accept it. It’s like when you’re not entirely sober, you’re already way too obvious.
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Might be the rose-quartz under your pillow, but you’re feeling big love energy this week! But when you’re cuddled up on Tuesday, focus on listening, cause it looks like you have a tendency to overpour—and I’m not just talking about the bong water…
You’re feeling productive, yay, time to clean the flat. Like seriously—the broccoli in the back of the fridge is growing mould—let it go. And on Tuesday, it’s not the day to take risks —you may find yourself falling face first off a Flamingo scooter.
You’re feeling a bit bored, maybe this is the week to switch something up. For example, if you don’t like your dealer, get a new one. If you don’t have one take this as a sign to look out for someone toxic in your life. Hangout with your fun flatmate on Tuesday, you need some fun and they need to vent.
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces
Stop doubting yourself, you’re doing so well. In other news, it looks like on 04/20/21 your Ola app wont work. Please don’t try skateboarding to your destination—take this as a sign to stay home. You can last one extra day, I promise. Your bank account doesn’t need to lose another $50 right now.
First of all, good job on that assignment and/or beating your high score on Sing Star! You’re feeling super talkative this week which is drawing people in, but just be aware that on 04/20 you’ll be vulnerable to scammers. Check the scales before you buy off your flatmate’s friend this time.
Looks like this week you could actually win on a scratchy. Luck is on your side. Tuesday looks like a chill day with your cat, but if you don’t have one, look at them on the internet, there’s tons on there. Note: just because it’s ‘flavoured’ does not mean it’s nice.
Libra
38
Horoscopes
The Team Editors
Sally Ward & Matthew Casey editor@salient.org.nz
Feature Writers Lachlan Ewing Sally Ward
Design & Illustration Padraig Simpson designer@salient.org.nz
Sub Editor Jamie Clarke
News Editor
Kane Bassett news@salient.org.nz
Chief Reporter Niva Chittock
Staff Writers
Contributors
Maddi Rowe June Ha Laurelei Bautista Frankie Dale Alice C Michael Turnbull Tom Andrews Oli Cheyne Nakisa Wilson Puck Francesa Georgia Pietkiewicz
Janhavi Gosavi Ronia Ibrahim Lachlan Ewing
Social Media & Web Manager Thomas Gerbremichael
Podcast Manager
Francesa Georgia Pietkiewicz podcasts@salient.org
Centerfold
Find Us
fb.com/salientmagazine IG @salientgram Twitter @salientmagazine www.salient.org.nz
Karl M Hoffman @k.m_hoffmann
www.salient.org.nz www.salient.org.nz
39
40