Salient Issue 05 - Volume 88

BAN THE BDSM TEST

How old were you when you first did the online “BDSM Test”? How about the Rice Purity Test? Were you 15? 14? Younger? How did it feel? If you’re like most of us, especially those who were “alternative” in high school, it was probably your first encounter with words like “rope bunny” and “brat”.

When sexuality is introduced as a sport, the act of transgression becomes a form of competition. For an insecure teenager (who probably hasn’t even really figured out how to masturbate yet), having more “extreme” kinks - or a lower Rice Purity score - becomes a way of proving that you’re a functioning, sexual adult. You become eager to seek out experiences like sex in public, sex involving

Most importantly, though, these games and tests become a normative prescription for sex as a whole. If you are “vanilla”, it’s probably just because you haven’t gotten far enough to unlock higher levels of sex yet. You’re merely a Level 1 Sex Haver, but I’m a Level 69 Dark Brat.

This is not to say that kink is inherently bad. Of course, lots of people have healthy and informed kink practices, and most of them have clearly regulated consent practices. The point isn’t to condemn kink as a whole - it’s to recognise that kink should not be the first encounter young people have with sex, and that it probably isn’t the way the majority of people are going to get the most enjoyment out of sex.

Of course, you cannot understate the corrosive influence of porn, which most young men see and become dependent on long before they have sex. Porn reproduces the same dynamics of intense kink without healthy consentbased boundaries, but becomes a sort of private shame. Most young people do intrinsically understand the message that “porn isn’t real life”, but the infiltration of kink and pornographic sexual situations into everyday life makes it difficult to ignore all the evidence to the contrary. As a child, you’re left If porn isn’t real life, why is it the only way people talk about sex?

We were kids, and we were desperate for a way to talk about sex without the boundary of weirdness. The BDSM and Rice Purity tests provided just that. In the process, though, they permanently rewired millions of young brains to seek out pleasure in unsafe, unmoderated ways.

Eyegum

- Lavender Menace, Cordelia’s, and Will O’ Wisp.

Eyegum is back! The weekly free gig is Welly’s best way to experience up-andcoming artists up-close. This time, it’s Lavender Menace and Cordelia’s supported by techno DJ Will O’ Wisp.

8PM San Fran - FREE

Rhyme and Reason

Local music scene

regular Ben Kirilo is trying his hand as a promoter for the first time, in a multi-genre gig featuring rising stars Clova, Renee, Rebloom, 44kyn, and J.AP.R

8PM - Valhalla - $20

Dbldbl: Mā Te Wā Tour

Duckbill

We’re not really sure what this is, but it’s “bill”ed as Platypustheme funk rock? Either way, if you haven’t been to Moon Bar before, it’s always worth the trip out to Newtown.

7:30PM - MOON - $10

Louis Baker Cuba Dupa

When your children ask you where you were for CubaDupa 2025, what are you going to tell them? Don’t be the one who missed out on the greatest party of the year. Let loose. Enjoy yourself.

Cuba St - ALL DAY

Dbldbl (Te Rarawa, Ngā Puhi, They / Them) favours silly referenceladen raps chock full of the good stuffchronic pain, crippling anxieties, identity politics, and food. In a fun way, with a groove to dance to, promise.

8PM - MOON - $20

Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Louis Baker is the final act in this year's Rongo Rehutai Free Summer Music Sessions at Te Papa. Described as “Luxurious funksoul” by Rolling Stone Magazine.

6PM - Te Papa - FREE

Kia ora!

I am writing to complain about the way that sex work and the rights of sex workers were discussed by Maya Field in the Women issue of Salient. From the editorial asking 'Is sex work totally empowering, as it is an industry that caters to male fantasy, and profits off female labour?' to the 'Pitting Women Against Each Other' Feature, where Field repeatedly says that sex work is inherently predatory and an industry run by men for men, and any woman's success as a sex worker is built upon a male economy, I felt extremely alienated as a reader of Salient who is also a sex worker.

I am unsure if Field has any lived experience in sex work and I am frankly not interested in hearing someone who potentially isn't a sex worker make generalised claims about the industry without ever having been in it. I do not disagree with her points entirely, but they ignore the context of sex work in Aotearoa. We are the only country in the world where sex work is fully decriminalised, and while the Prostitution Reform Act of 2003 is not perfect, it means I feel much safer and supported in my work through the Act and the work of organisations like NZPC and Fired Up Stilettos.

Debating whether sex work is empowering or predatory is irrelevant in this current conservative political climate, as well as insulting to workers ourselves. I don't care whether sex work is totally empowering - it's how I pay my rent. Practically speaking, I would much rather have my rights recognised as a worker (a material, tangible concern) than to feel 100% empowered by it (an abstract idea that has no difference on the practicalities, legal and otherwise, of my job.) We don't debate whether other labour jobs like stocking supermarket shelves or washing dishes are 'empowering' or not; sex work is the only industry where this occurs. Field's points also ignore the fact that women are also clients of sex workers; in Aotearoa especially, many sex workers are transgender, non-binary, and queer men, who do not fit easily into a model of female sex worker/male client. Having such attention paid to sex work without consultation from sex workers feels irresponsible at best, and further contributes to societal stigma and dehumanisation of sex workers at worst.

Writing about us without us is careless. I expected better from Salient, especially after the dedicated Sex Work issue last year. Thank you.

MAYA’S RESPONSE: I’m sorry that my discussions of sex work alienated you. That was the furthest thing from my intention in writing those pieces. I’m not a sex worker, so my impressions of the industry have mostly been shaped by hearing stories about shitty experiences with male management and customers - however, I shouldn’t have let that be the blanket statements in my pieces. I’m totally supportive of sex workers, and I did not mean to disparage their work in any way, so I’m sorry that it came across as such

EDITOR’S NOTE: All work has ramifications for society, and sex work particularly so. If your work impacts the way other women live their lives, they are entitled to have critical discussions about it. I don’t think Maya’s discussion crossed a line in any way.

Why Everything Is Someone Else's Fault?

The world class cock from "Mildly Miffed," whom I'll call "M." (ironically standing for "Moaner") for the purposes of this letter, in last week's issue complaining about their $154 late payment penalty exemplifies everything wrong with entitlement.

Has it not occurred to people that perhaps planning ahead might have been prudent? The StudyLink, RealMe, and University processes haven't suddenly sprung into existence like some jack-in-the-box. It's standard for long processing time, which is necessary to ensure procedural correctness, they clearly advertise application dates such as via paid Social media adverts.

What truly boggles the mind is that M. is basically suggesting the university should abandon common financial principles including payment deadlines. This is world class cock. VUW is a fee paying university, not a free-for-all fully funded venture for the organisationally challenged. Would M. suggest restaurants should provide free meals because their bank transfer is running late?

Their letter is the definition of the show-pony and entitled mindset. Something goes wrong and immediately it's someone else's fault. "The system" must accommodate my lack of foresight. The government should do better. The university should be understanding. Everyone else is responsible except—heaven forbid—myself!

I applied for my loan months before the deadline, same process and no moaning or issues. Astonishing, I know. Or perhaps secure the funds yourself through that saved up milk bottle money, or give two fingers to the Government’s Student loan system and go private paying 6% or so in interest per year, this is more costly than coughing up a $154 late fee. M. compares the university to a “budget airline”, however, airlines whether budget or expensive ask for payment upfront. Quite frankly this is a University-wide insult.

Pay your penalty, learn the lesson, and for pity's sake, spare us the sob story next semester. But god help the StudyLink buggers, always mithered by certain unorganised and confused students.

- Arie Joe

EDITOR’S NOTE: That’s a great idea mate. I’ll just pay my $40,000 student loan out of “milk bottle money”. While I agree with you that the original writer should’ve been more careful, it’s hardly their fault that

A Different Perspective on Compass Group

In your last issue, you published an article about Compass Group catering both government school lunches and VUW halls. As someone who's experienced both systems—the supposedly "woke" school lunch programme and now Cumberland House's catering— I'd like to offer my perspective.

Before university, I endured the previous free Government school lunch system under the Labour government as a vegetarian. The food was rubbish, which is why I brought lunch from home.

Now residing at Cumberland House on Willis Street, I've been pleasantly surprised by Compass Group's catering. My experience has been largely positive, contradicting some of the negative accounts in your article.

I understand that before Compass Group took over, hall food quality was significantly worse, which prompted the university to change providers.

While government contracts can sometimes harm small businesses (as happened with the NZ Masks Company during COVID), service quality should be our primary concern when evaluating providers.

At Cumberland House at least, the kitchen staff actively seek and respond to resident feedback, resulting in continuous improvements. I'd like to thank them for going above and beyond to meet our expectations.

Interestingly, when the university invoices us for accommodation it is itemised, the catering fee for 28 days is just $316 – about $11 per day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's roughly $3.70 per meal for complete service, which seems remarkably reasonable to me.

- Arie Joe

EDITOR’S RESPONSE: Since you’re such a food critic - how do Chris Luxon’s balls taste, mate?

I’m glad you’re enjoying the vegetarian options at uni halls, but spare a thought for the kids who have to eat the pre-packaged slop that Seymour ships them by the bucket-load - especially those who don’t have the luxury of bringing a nice vegetarian lunch from home.

It’s a

Renters World,

and We’re…Not Living in it?

You may have seen headlines telling you that Wellington rental prices are dropping, that it’s a renter’s market, or that with the exodus of public service workers from the capital, landlords are getting desperate. To some extent, that is true, and to a greater extent,

Salient asked Trade Me about the current perceptions of the rental market. Year on year, the asking price for a property in Wellington was down 2.9%, and since September 2024, Trade Me saw a 28% increase in the number of rental listings in the city. These figures might lead you to believe that rents are dropping. Well, they’re not (in most places). Between December 2024 and January 2025, the median rental price went from $650 to $675 according to Trade Me’s data. Going further down the stats rabbit hole, Salient ventured onto Real Estate NZ, a platform for buying, selling, and renting property. Data from all transactions on Real Estate NZ showed us that rents are up in most student suburbs. In Newtown they’re up 9%, in Thorndon 8.5%, Hataitai 8%, and Kelburn 4%.

Young men are switching right. How will the Greens respond?

Dan Moskovitz (he/him)

“If you’re not a liberal when you’re 25, you have no heart. If you’re not a conservative by the time you’re 35, you have no brain.”

Who said the above quote is unclear. But if it’s true, then most young men (18-24) are heartless.

Trump won the group by 14 percentage points. Young men in the UK and Germany were twice as likely to vote for their far-right parties as they were for their Greens. South Korea has seen the difference in political preference between young men and women be as high as 30 points.

It’s unclear if a similar pattern helped National gain power in

Frankie*, a student who used to live in Mt Cook, told Salient of her personal experience dealing with rent increases recently. She and her flatmates were intending to stay in their four-bedroom place for another year when their property manager informed them that their rent would be increasing from $1000 to $1180 if they intended to re-sign the lease. “I was confused because it seemed like rents were going down based on what the media and people around me were saying” Frankie told Salient. Frankie and the rest of her flat subsequently moved further out to the upper reaches of Brooklyn where rents were cheaper.

So why are rents not going down if it’s a renter’s market? Higher rates may be the reason. Wellington City Council told Salient that the average annual amount property owners were paying in rates was $6000, a roughly 17% jump from last year. But does 6 grand entail a rent hike? That’s less than what most broke students pay in course fees every year, and we don’t own properties. Nick Goodall, head of research at CoreLogic, a property analysis firm based in Wellington, says high mortgage rates will keep rent up, but that they could stagnate over the next year or so. “Supply (rentals) remains relatively high while demand (renters) is impacted by the tough economic environment facing the city through Government fiscal restraint and high job uncertainty”. So, is there light at the end of the tunnel? It’s hard to say, at best we’ll get a ‘stagnation’. Maybe out of all the many economic causes, taglines and fiscal terms, greed would be the best describer of why our rents aren’t dropping.

2023 - NZ’s ballots have more legal secrecy than our overseas counterparts. But if the current government is to only last one term, which seems possible under current polling, you can’t have half the left’s historic voter base voting against them.

It’s a problem Greens co-leader Marama Davidson is acutely aware of.

“We've had an economic system for generations now which has left people feeling like they don't have control over their lives,” she said.

“When you also have political leaders who exploit those frustrations and target minority

Fergus Goodall Smith

OPINION: Business as usual up north, to the disregard of all else

Hearing about the conference of business executives happening in Auckland this week, my first natural thought was: F*ck you Luxon for running our country like a company, always getting on your knees and gluck-glucking anyone with deeper pockets than your own, when the hell are you going to learn you’re not a CEO anymore. Then a more reasonable thought, nurtured by years of schooling, began to seep in.

Here’s the thing about our wonderful little sanctuary in the South Pacific, when it comes down to it, we don’t hold a candle to any of the proper big fuckoff money streams that circulate the planet. So when we talk about economic difficulty we frame it as catastrophic, when in actuality we already have one of the highest living standards and

pointing to the Toitū te Tiriti Hikoi, and the recent rallying around trans and rainbow communities.

There’s some sensible reasoning here; it wasn’t long ago when Jacinda Ardern was elected twice on a platform of hope and kindness. But Davidson’s strategy is doubling down on how the Greens

overreacted, shut all this shit down that doesn’t seem to matter when we think that everyone could die, but really matters when it comes to day-to-day functioning of a country. So today, all our hospitals and roads and other kinda-boring stuff, for the news cycle and investmentwise, but super critical for obvious reasons, just didn’t get done. Now, we really want some of that sweet green (money, not the other) to flow into our economy so we can start fixing a bunch of really old and out of date shit (infrastructure, actually really important, but infrastructure is a boring word). So, yes, we want (need) money from overseas for more Public-Private Partnerships (read: get richer foreigners to help fund and build boring stuff for us) to thrust our country's fading infrastructure network into the 21st century so we can all, you know, go places when we need to. BUT, and it's a big BUT, while our blue-tied boys which we picked to have a turn at the helm, are licking their lips and kissing ass our national identity is changing… No, we aren’t a big fish when it comes to counting our chips at the table. We’re what economists lambast as a ‘price-taker’ which means, when

it comes down to it, we take it in the ass on the world market and we just have to grit our teeth and try not to whimper. What we are however, is something much more special than any price maker, much more valuable than any empirical analysis will ever show anyone, we are role models. When countries with shit-loads of money wonder what paradise could look like, they think of us: Aotearoa / New Zealand. We show the big-dick swingers, believe it or not, what heaven looks like. It is crucial now that they don’t come in and just take a slice of the pie. It is on the shoulders of the boys at the helm to ensure our country can keep its independent spirit while getting (very important) cosmetic upgrades. For today, we at the student level can only hope that those blue-tied boys didn’t sell us out last week for nothing.

It is important albeit difficult to recognise our bumbling mediocrity on the world stage; it’s just as important to think of ourselves as trend-setters on a much more prestigious (cultural & political) level. I agree the incumbent isn’t ideal, even less so than most, but I know it’s also much easier to simply hate.

Rt Hon Christopher of party blue: Get those knees dirty, those ugly lips slippery, and cradle those balls for the good of your country, but only since it’s the only thing you’re actually useful at. Meanwhile, political and otherwise organisations at all levels will battle to try to fill the gap left by national level incompetence, in dealing with the issues that the general populace decide are far more relevant.

already message. There’s no mention of trying to establish a leftwing counter-voice in more maledominated areas of the internet, like podcasts. When asked about the risk of not changing strategy, she admits it’s “a really good

“I think that it is the lack of the politics of care which has led to those frustrations and rise of farright support.

“Successive governments have upheld the economic system which leaves people out. So that is what has caused and driven this frustration.”

In essence, Davidson wants

to be the economic alternative which people go toward. The shifts rightward in the US, UK, and Germany in young men were all to parties not in power. Here, the right is. Meaning the left-wing is suddenly the economic alternative. How the Greens message is only one part of the equation, however. Labour faces the same problem. Salient requested an interview with them to discuss their messaging towards young men in 2026, but the request was denied until Labour had made policy decisions.

This hints at a 2026 election where the two main left-leaning parties may be targeting young men in very different ways.

Robert Ennor

Getting Methy – New Zealand’s changing drug market

Trigger Warning: Discusses drug use.

By Darcy Lawrey (he/him)

Testing of New Zealand’s wastewater over the last year has revealed an explosion in the use of stimulant drugs. Commissioned by the Police, testing has shown that kiwis are using double as much meth as they were a year before, hitting a new record since testing began. The results show weekly consumption of meth across the country hitting a peak of 39.2kg, up from 15kg in June last year.

Wellington was the only region in the country that hasn’t had increased use of meth, but the capital has still seen a significant bump in cocaine use. Despite some major busts of coke dealers in Wellington over the summer, the white powder seems to be becoming a more common sight on the encrypted group chats drug dealers use to pedal their wares.

Modernity’s answer to the black-market alleyway, encrypted ‘servers’ on apps like Signal and Telegram, are used by dealers to post flashy advertisements for their products, reminiscent of a Chemist Warehouse newsletter. Many of these servers, particularly in Wellington, ban the sale of meth, however coke and pharmaceuticals are completely on the cards.

Salient spoke to M*, a dealer on a number of servers, about the state of the market. He says that while he always gets his products tested at Know Your Stuff or the Wellington Needle Exchange, in 5 years of business he has yet to have any product test positive for something unexpected.

However, laced drugs are certainly out there. M showed us a “protection group”, used by importers and distributors across the greater Wellington region, with a master-list which lays out the reputation of traders. The list includes a blacklist of “gankers” (people who steal or lie in the course of business) and those who cut their products with other drugs, including meth.

M says the community of dealers are “actively doing a better job at keeping opioids and meth off the street and [out of] products”. He encourages people who are buying from servers to stick to those with three or more admins for greater oversight over dealer practices.

So where is this huge jump in use coming from? New Zealand Drug foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm says that the foundation believes the uptick in meth use is due to a similar number of users using larger quantities, not from an increase in users, as global meth supply chains become more efficient. Cocaine has also seen a significant increase in production, she says, which has been predicted by the United Nations Drug Office.

* Name changed

A VUW student we talked to believes that the rise in coke, not meth, use in Wellington is reflected in student culture: “[Meth is] the only drug that people are upset to hear me mention.” She suspects that media representation of coke use is what gives it a more accepted reputation amongst students, pointing to the likes of Charli XCX (Should we do a little key? Should we have a little line?). “Coke’s been in music videos, songs and popular media for ages, it's frequently joked about whereas stuff like meth and fent don't really have that history”

M takes a more philosophical view on why drug use is increasing so sharply, saying “it’s not [because of] supply, it’s the fact that where there is demand there is supply.” He points to isolation as a root cause: “we live unnaturally already, so yes addiction is inevitable in our current state. But it’s not when you live in accordance with your community and nature.” He believes that addressing drug addiction requires addressing root flaws in the way we interact as a society.

NZ Alcohol & Drug Helpline (24/7): 0800 787 797

Drug testing is available at the Needle Exchange on 233a Willis Street.

Q: WHAT CAN SALIENT DO TO SEXUALLY SATISFY YOU?

KOBE: Sensually. MAIA: Eat me out.

REBECCA: It can’t.probably

HANNAH: It already is.

By Darcy Lawrey (He/Him)

VUWSA’s last exec meeting was a busy one! The team kicked off with a recap of this year’s O-Week, which President Liban Ali thought was less boozy than last year. VUWSA CEO Matt Tucker disagreed, but chalked this up to the 4 munted first years he had to deal with.

On a more somber note, Liban warned that if “the uni doesn’t have a serious conversation about funding”, he doesn’t see O Week continuing.

Ngāi Tauira Tumuaki Aria Ngarimu had some great news: NT has seen a “crazy” increase in engagement, with a massive turn out for haka practices at the start of the year. NT will be having its AGM on the 2nd of April.

In a quickfire round of voting the exec signed off on supporting a number of campaigns, including the Dental for All Campaign, Free Fares’ petition to stop public transport rate hikes, and a campaign to implement a law that requires the government to consider the impact on future generations when writing new laws.

Welfare VP Josh Robinson shared an update on Sex

Week, which kicks off this week. Don’t miss the Sex Quiz in the Hunter Lounge on Friday night and keep an eye out for activities and events throughout the week in the hub.

And at last, VUWSA has a Campaigns officer. MiaNina Adams was announced as the winner of the byelection at VUWSA’s AGM on Wednesday with 266 votes. VUWSA also held a referendum on what issue students found most important for local elections, “Jobs and lack of them” was the clear winner, and public transport the runner up.

Kaumātua on Hunger Strike due to Abuse in Spring Hill Correctional Facility

Content Warning: graphic descriptions of injuries and details of assault

Kia mataara: he kōrero e whai ake nei mā ngā momo whara, ngā mahi patu kaumātua

E whakapuango ana a kaumātua Dean Wickliffe, nō Te Arawa, nā te patunga o ngā kaimahi o te whare herehere o Spring Hill i a ia. E ai ki tōna kaiwawao, a Annette Sykes, i te noho a Wickliffe ki tōna waka, rātou ko ōna ngeru tokorua, whaimuri i te ngarohanga o tōna wāhi noho. Nā tōna kore noho ki tōna wāhi noho matua, I mauheretia a Wickliffe ki te whare herehere o Spring Hill i te 5 o Poutū-te-rangi. I tōna tomo i te whare nei, i whakahē marika ia ki te noho tahi rāua ko tētahi atu ki te rūma kotahi. I reira tonu i tātātia a Wickliffe e ngā kaimahi o te whare herehere. I kaha tukituki tōna māhunga ki te papa raima. Nā tēnei, i hua mai ngā karu pango, ā, he tūnga ki tōna matenga, 3 īnihi te roa. Nā te nui o wēnei mamae, i noho hohipera ia. I ngana a Sykes ki te whakapā atu ki a ia, heoi, i mea mai ngā kaimahi a te whare herehere rawa a Wickliffe e hia ana te kōrero ki a ia. I a ia ka whakapā atu ki a Wickliffe i te 14 o Poutū-te-rangi, i mea atu a Wickliffe i te rūkahu ngā kaimahi a te whare herehere. Hei tā Sykes, ko te hiahia a Wickliffe kia whakamana tika ai te whare herehere i a ia me ōna mōtika tangata.

77 year old kaumātua Dean Wickliffe (Te Arawa) is on a hunger strike after being beaten by prison guards at Spring Hill Correctional Facility. According to his counsel, Annette Sykes, he had been sleeping in his car with his two cats after losing his accommodation. Wickliffe was then arrested and taken into custody on March 5th for not residing at his approved address. When he arrived at Spring Hill Correctional Facility he refused to be double-bunked (put with another inmate in a cell originally designed for one person). He was then beaten by the prison guards, with his head being slammed into the concrete floor several times. This resulted in black eyes and a three inch gash above his left eye which required Wickliffe to be hospitalised. Sykes had tried to contact her client for well over a week after his arrest to make sure he was okay, however, she learned that this was not the case when she finally got hold of Wickliffe on the 14th of March. As of the time of writing, Wickliffe has been on a hunger strike since the 10th of March. Sykes has stated that, “He [Wickliffe] wants to be treated with dignity, and he wants a fair hearing when he has his liberty determined by the parole board on 3rd April.” She has also highlighted that this is not an isolated incident, but raises broader questions and significant concerns about the elderly and vulnerable within our correctional facilities.

MPI Song of the Week - Love Machine by The Green

Banger after banger after banger on this album.

Let’s talk about Ai, Baby! Kīwaha

Aiiii marika! Kua puta te kaupeka tuarua o te hōtaka Let’s Talk About Ai. Tēnei hōtaka nā Arataua Media, ā, ko Pere Wihongi, Turia Schmidt-Peke, Tahu Hollis, Te Tuhiwhakaura o te Rangi Wallace-Ihakara, rātou ko Te One Matthews ngā nihowera, ngā kaitiaki, ngā kaiarahi o te kaupapa nei. He wāhi wānanga, he wāhi haumaru mā te hunga rangatahi kia whakatewhatewha, kia wānanganga i ngā tini āhuahanga o tēnei mea te ai. Tika te kōrero, he kaupapa weriweri, he kaupapa whakamā tēnei mā ētahi. Te nuinga o te wā i ēnei rā ka puta nahe wēnei kōrero hei kōhimuhimu kei waenga hoa tata. Ka moe te whakaaro whakamā a te tāmitanga ki te Māori, ka puta ko Hine tārehu rāua ko Tama kuare. Ka moe a Tamakuare rāua ko Hinetārehu ka puta ko mate paipai, ko pēpi pokerehū. Ko tēnei hōtaka e waerea ana te pōuriuri, te pōtangotango kia puta ai tātou ki te whei ao, ki te ao mārama. Otirā, kia tipu maia, kia tupu rīrā ngā rangatahi o naianei hei rangatira o āpōpō. Ka whairia he kiriata hou hei ia Rāapa ki te YouTube kei te hongere o Arataua Media.

Season 2 of the digital series Let’s Talk About Ai has launched! This series is run by Arataua Media and is hosted by Pere Wihongi, Turia Schmidt-Peke, Tahu Hollis, Te Tuhiwhakaura o te Rangi Wallace-Ihakara, and Te One Matthews. Let’s Talk About Ai is a safe space directed at young people to wānanga and explore all things ai(sex). Ai can be a touchy and personal subject, and since colonisation, has been a topic whispered among friends or lingering in the alluring shadows of the mattress room. As we know, a lack of education surrounding sex can lead to STDs, unintended pregnancies, and harmful relationships. Let’s Talk About Ai sheds light on the many aspects of sex so that our rangatahi of today can grow healthily and confidently into the rangatira of tomorrow. From roleplay to decolonisation, no topic is too tapu for this tēpu. New episodes come out every Wednesday and can be streamed on YouTube at the Arataua Media channel, as well as the first season.

for you and your Partner(s) this Sex Week

Kuhu mai/Tomo mai - Enter me

E kai! - Eat up!

He pai tēnei? - Is this good?

U āe, koia - Oh yeah, that’s it

E whakaae ana koe ki tēnei?Are you okay with this? (Consent, e hoa mā!)

Kia kamakama mai - Faster

Āta haere - Slow down

Whāwhā mai - Feel me up, take me in your hands

Tō reka hoki - You taste so good

Tō mākū hoki - You’re so wet

Tō mārō hoki - You’re so hard

Māori and Pasifika News is written by Taipari Taua

Sex

Myths and What I Wish I Knew at 18 (Now That I'm 30)

By Magenta Kaos (they/he) Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whare, Tūhoe

“Sex Is Only Sex If There's Penetration”

Sex education has long been lacking, often reducing sex to a simple equation: P + V = S (penis plus vagina equals sex) or P + A = S (penis plus anus equals sex). Many of us instinctively equate sex with penetration, shaped by romanticised movie scenes or exaggerated portrayals in porn. But in reality, sex takes many forms that are just as valid, as long as all parties involved are consenting and enjoying themselves.

We often use phrases like “first, second, and third base,” as if they are stepping stones leading to an ultimate goal. But sex isn't a linear journey toward a “home run.” Many people engage in sexual activities that never involve penetration, yet those experiences are still entirely valid expressions of intimacy and pleasure.

“Sex

Has a Finish Line”

We often talk about orgasms as “finishing” or “climaxing,” reinforcing the idea that sex is a goal-oriented activity with a definitive endpoint. This mindset can create pressure and unnecessary stress, especially if one or more partners don’t orgasm. The reality is that sex is not a destination, it’s an experience that can end whenever you decide, with or without an orgasm.

Viewing sex as a structured narrative with an introduction, body, and conclusion can lead to feelings of inadequacy if things don’t go as expected. Sometimes, for medical, psychological, or other reasons, an orgasm just isn’t in the cards, and that’s okay. Sex is about pleasure, connection, and enjoyment, not checking off an arbitrary milestone.

“Sex Should Be Consistent and Measured in Frequency”

A common misconception is that a “healthy” sex life means having sex a certain number of times per week. But sexual desire isn’t static, it fluctuates for various reasons, including stress, emotional well-being, and medical conditions. This can be amplified for neurodivergent people or those with health-related challenges that affect libido.

It’s completely normal to go through phases of heightened or reduced desire. The quality/ health of your sex life should not be measured in times per week or number of orgasms. What you should do is consider the quality of your sexual experiences. Are they enjoyable? Do you feel connected with yourself and/or your partner(s)? If so, that’s what truly matters.

“I'm a Bad Person for Forgetting About Sex or Getting Distracted”

When I was diagnosed with autism last year, I realised just how much neurodivergence had been affecting my sex life. My partner, who has ADHD, wasn’t disinterested in sex, sometimes they just forgot it had been a while. Since sex is ultimately a task, executive function challenges can make it difficult to remember, initiate, or follow through with intimacy.

This can be frustrating for partners who may feel forgotten or neglected, but understanding this dynamic can help. Scheduling or planning sexual interactions can make intimacy more accessible and enjoyable, removing the pressure of spontaneity.

“Sex

Feels Gross”

Let’s be real, sex can sometimes be a sensory nightmare. Bodily fluids, bright lights, distracting sounds, and sudden movements can all present challenges, especially for those with sensory sensitivities. These factors can be overwhelming, making it difficult to stay present and enjoy the experience.

If sensory issues affect your ability to enjoy sex, identifying and accommodating your “sensory icks” can help. For me, dim lighting is essential, and I always keep a fan on if it’s too hot. When I’m feeling particularly sensitive, using a blindfold can reduce visual overstimulation and help me focus on pleasurable sensations instead.

Additionally, ADHD can make it hard to maintain focus during sex. Distractions, whether external (like a neighbor’s lawnmower) or internal (intrusive thoughts), can cause a sudden loss of libido or erection. This can make people feel like they’ve “lost the moment,” but that doesn’t have to mean game over. Taking a short breather and readjusting can help reclaim the mood. Personally, I find music helpful for maintaining focus, and role-playing can provide a structured way to stay engaged.

“The Takeaway”

At the end of the day, sex should be about enjoyment, comfort, and mutual satisfaction! There’s no one-size-fits-all definition of what sex should look like, and there’s no right or wrong way to experience it. The most important thing is open communication, expressing what you like, what feels good, and what doesn’t.

Forget the myths, let go of the expectations, and focus on what makes you feel good. After all, sex should be something you enjoy, not something you feel obligated to do.

An Oral History of Sex

By Shaw McEwan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou) and Taipari Taua (Muriwhenua, Ngāpuhi)

Sex and love have always been a part of human history, and for Māori, they were woven into tikanga, whakapapa, and kōrero tuku iho – oral traditions. Before the arrival of the missionaries with their stern faces and heavy Bibles, Māori had a very open and natural approach to sex, relationships, and pleasure. Let’s take a dive into some of the most fascinating parts of Māori attitudes toward intimacy, passion, and the oral histories that have carried these stories through generations.

Ngā Hononga –Relationships and Fluidity

Māori relationships were diverse and fluid, much like the waters that connect our islands. Traditionally, monogamy wasn’t the only model—polygamy and polyamory existed, especially among rangatira to strengthen alliances between hapū and iwi. Love and attraction weren’t boxed into rigid categories. Same-sex relationships were acknowledged and accepted so much so, there was no specific word .

Te Ao Haka, Te Ao Toi – The Erotic Worlds of Haka and Art

Māori oral history is full of haka, waiata aroha, and mōteatea that express deep passion, longing, and even outright sexual desire. These weren’t hidden or considered taboo but were shared openly as a way to express emotions. Some were sweet and romantic, some were fiery and passionate, while others were downright cheeky! (Sex has always been a big part of Māori humour, especially in the Nōti Nōta ;))

Take the famous waiata, "Taku Rākau e", which plays with double meanings of a “tree” or “staff” to hint at sexual prowess. Māori weren’t shy about using nature metaphors for human desire—rivers bursting their banks, trees standing tall, and fires burning hot! These poetic expressions helped preserve stories of love, lust, and heartbreak for generations.

While we have oral history, mahi toi has also served as a way for our stories and whakapapa to be passed down through generations.. Carvings adorning wharenui showcased tūpuna, highlighting their sexual prowess and fertility, with figures in sexual poses and boldly displayed genitalia.

In fact, the word we now use for queer Māori, takatāpui, comes from the story of Tūtānekai and Tiki. While Tūtānekai is often remembered for his love story with Hinemoa, kōrero tuku iho also speaks of his deep relationship with Tiki, his male companion, or “hoa takatāpui.” Their bond was strong and intimate, a reminder that Māori didn’t impose strict heteronormative rules on love and desire.

Another fascinating aspect of sex and relationships in te ao Māori is whakapapa. Whakapapa and whakawhānaungatanga are two core aspects of Māori culture, and many couples in history were arranged politically for strengthening whakapapa, and also relationships with other hapū.

Ahi is a powerful symbol in Māori culture, often linked to passion and sexual energy. The idea of "ka ngaro i te ahi" refers to someone deeply consumed by love or lust. Sexual attraction was viewed as a natural and important force, much like the elements of the world.

This is evident in the story of Hine-nui-te-Pō, the goddess of the underworld, who embodies both death and sexual power. Her stories highlight the cyclical nature of life—where birth, sex, and death are all deeply connected. Maui himself met his end when he attempted to enter Hine-nui-te-Pō the wrong way, showcasing that even the greatest trickster-hero should have respected the balance of tapu and noa in sex!

Te Ahi – Fire and Sexual Energy Missionaries and the "Taming" of Māori Sexuality

Things changed when the European missionaries arrived. Their strict Victorian values and religious notions were in opposition to the openness and fluidity of Māori sexuality. Indeed, many sailors and missionaries had sexual relations with Māori men and women. However, missionaries still forced the belief that sex must only happen between a man and a woman, within the confines of marriage, and for the purposes of procreation. These beliefs then led to the assimilation and censorship of the Māori culture. Whakairo were burned or had genitalia removed. Stories, waiata, haka, and karakia with explicit language or themes were edited or purposefully not retold and shared. A sense of whakamā (shame) was instilled into something that was once natural and open.

Despite this, Māori found ways to keep their stories alive. Whispered kōrero, hidden meanings in waiata, and private teachings ensured that knowledge of traditional sexuality was not completely lost. Today, many Māori are reclaiming these narratives, challenging colonial ideas, and embracing the rich, diverse ways our ancestors understood love and sex.

Reclaiming Our Stories, Reigniting the Fire

Māori sexuality was never something to be ashamed of. Our ancestors celebrated love, passion, and pleasure in ways that were deeply connected to whakapapa, mana, and whenua. By looking back at our oral histories, we can reclaim a more empowered, decolonised view of sex and relationships.

So, next time you hear a mōteatea about longing or a whakataukī with a hidden sensual meaning, remember—you’re listening to the voices of our tūpuna, echoing through time, reminding us that love and desire have always been a part of who we are.

Anneke Westra (she/her) is an emerging visual artist and writer. Born & raised in Rotorua, she is currently in her final year at Te Herenga Waka University of Wellington, completing her degree in English & Art History. She’s interested in exploring abstract representations of unexplainable / ephemeral memory & phenomena through an engagement with repetitive birdcreature-forms & experimentation in medium.

On (2025) (oil, charcoal on canvas) is a tongue-in-cheek representation of masturbation created for the Sex Issue of Salient. The origins for the imagery lie in the artists own poetry, and with a cheeky engagement in patterns within the wider Pōneke poetry scene. She worked with the beaches of the Wellington South Coast in mind.

Leo

You’ll probably be a bit of a therapist-friend this week. Sorry, but all of your friends have problems and you appear to be emotionally intelligent enough to help. Hopefully you’ll offer good advice. Try: Cuckolding.

Libra

Well, aren’t you a Fancy Nancy? That paycheque is serving you well, and well, you are serving. Rent? Paid in advance. Sweet Treats? Everyday. Try: Sex Toys

Gemini

Give yourself (and everyone else) a break. Do not go out this week. Stay home, look at yourself in the mirror, have an existential crisis, and come back better than ever. Try: Masturbation.

Cancer

Instead of being a DebbieDowner, try being a ray of sunshine. Look on the bright side of life, practice gratitude. But, no one likes toxic positivity. Try: Mirror Sex.

Capricorn

It’s time to start all of that wellness stuff. Or, just chill out. Meditate, get a massage, stay home and watch a movie. Just let yourself recover from last week. Try: Receiving Oral, No Giving.

Taurus

Unfortunately, not every person is a friend, and someone is out to get you. There’s a snake in the grass somewhere. Be on your guard. Watch your back. Try: Eating it from the back.

Scorpio

I don’t know how else to say this. Do sobriety for a week. Don’t even do Heineken Zeroes. Drink orange juice. I’m sorry, but someone had to tell you. Try: Abstinence

Virgo

It’s nice that you’re being optimistic, but are you verging on delusional? Unfortunately, wishing for something doesn’t make it real, so you do have to work to achieve things. Try: 69.

Aquarius

For some reason, people are paying attention to what you’re saying. I guess people think your opinions are interesting? Congratulations, but remember, being persuasive doesn’t mean you’re right. Try: Sexting.

Sagittarius

You’re about to get a breakthrough on that essay. Get cracking and start writing. This could be the greatest essay of your academic career. Don’t screw this up. Try: Blindfold.

Aries

The tides are turning, and frankly, no idea if that’s a good or bad thing. Either way, it’s going to be a lot. Buckle in for a wild ride. Good luck! Try: Standing Doggy.

Pisces

Stop overthinking. Sometimes, you actually just have to hope that things will work out, and sometimes, they actually do work out. Just, chill out. Have some faith.

Try: Anal.

Words by Dorian (he/him)

I’ve been to a few life drawing classes in my time as someone who sketches, though I had never thoroughly thought out the experience for the model. The thought of getting naked for 14 or so artists so that they can draw you isn’t really for everyone, but when I was asked to give it a go so they could get a “young male model” for once, I said yes without thinking twice. The first classes I did offered $60 an hour for my time - and I got to keep some of the portraits for myself.

I didn’t think it would be hard or strange. Everyone is there for the sake of art, the model is nothing more than something to draw. Having drawn in some classes made it easier for me, I know the artists would probably be sitting there thinking about how bad they fucked up some proportions or details instead of sitting there objectifying the model. The only thing that slightly irked me was a single comment on the post saying “young 20-somethings male model tonight”, to which someone added, “is that an enticement,” which I’m sure was in jest. As expected, the classes went fine; turns out, it’s quite easy to stare off into the distance while people draw you. The lack of clothing is irrelevant, posing as still as possible and realizing you probably could have made yourself more comfortable as your leg starts to cramp quickly becomes the only thing you think about.

After a few modelling sessions, with a bit of cash (and a stack of nude portraits I’m not quite sure what I should do with), I got a message from some random guy. One wall of text later and it was clear it was a job offer: life drawing for hens dos. $150 an hour. With that extra pay I thought, why the hell not? I got some professional slutty photos done, and was ready for the first hens-do. After reading the guide I was sent on how to act, it was clear that it was more male-stripper than model. Get close to the hen, get her to take the robe off, crack some shitty pre-written jokes, a bit of topless waitering - I’m sure you get the vibe. I did it anyway, no shame to be had for the kind of cash I was offered.

I only ended up doing a couple hens-dos. Turns out the whole “artists not objectifying the model”, is not what happens there. Which, yeah, no shit, anyone would have seen that coming. I still don’t know why I thought being the only male, nude, with a bunch of drunk middle-aged women would be a simple gig. Between the comments, celebratory screams when my robe gets removed, and the inability to get a bunch of people to just draw, I really did not enjoy it. I never had a truly terrible experience, but I sure as hell wouldn’t say that I had fun.

The cash was nice though, the drunken portraits not so much.

Now I just enjoy the lower rate, higher standard, “normal” life drawing classes. It never really felt strange, before or after the hens do era. And the stack of nude portraits of myself has steadily increased to the point where I have no idea what to do with them.

If modelling for drawing classes interests you (or a bit of cash), I say go for it! The free portraits are one thing, but when an artist “does you well” it can feel great. Life drawing classes are always on the lookout for different models, of any age, gender, or shape, so just ask! The people running the events do their very best to make you comfortable.

…and to answer the most frequent question I get - No, I haven’t gotten hard during a life drawing class, nor do I think it’s possible when you’ve been standing still, getting sore, staring at a wall for 20 minutes, while some artist is shitting themselves at whatever impossible-to-draw angle you’ve given them.

By

Popular media has been paying special attention to sex work lately. Stripping has become Hollywood's new ‘darling’ storyline. Season Two of The White Lotus, Anora’s Best Picture win and rumours that the best character in Euphoria (Maddie) will be becoming a stripper in Season Three are all signs the world can’t get enough of pleasers.

I’ve tiptoed around sex work my whole life, flirted with it so far that it’s become my assumed occupation. My Instagram is full of chest shots, nights out and large disorganised parties. I’ve sold my nudes in my own dms and danced through Courtenay Place in ultra mini skirts and sheer tops. I watched Coyote Ugly and dreamed of dancing on a bar and slinging back shots in a cheetah print tank and skin tight leather flares. I loved watching dancers on TikTok talk about their shifts, and run errands at ULTA. The heels, the money counts, late nights dancing. I wasn’t stuck in this deluded dream of piles of money. I knew there’d be slow nights, where I’d be sitting reading book upon book (I’ve already finished five this year). Still, stripping excited me in so many ways. Plus — I loved convincing men at bars to buy me drinks. How hard would it be to convince them to pay to see me naked?

At my first trial I arrived with a bag full of slutty outfits, sheer slip dresses and babydoll tops. Sensing my hesitation to step out of my comfort zone, a bra and panties were picked out for me. I shivered through my first dance in a black I AM GIA lingerie set and platform leather boots that barely survived the floor work. Now, a couple of months in, it’s routine to exfoliate, tan, bronze and blush, pick out my music for the weeknights and get on stage. I started with no pole dancing experience, and I still need to start taking classes.

There is of course grime under the glitter, the amount of my income I have to put back into my appearance, fear of discovery and judgement and the allusive 'future job prospects' that I might lose. Your coworkers are your friends, cheerleaders and competition. Sometimes I feel like the sex symbol in an MTV music video, other times I feel like a trained pet duped into the illusion of choice. There’s a societal perception of strip clubs as dark, borderline illegible red-light district companies and strippers as desperate people, which leads customers into thinking they can dehumanise us and expect us to beg for dollars. Strippers are performers, dancers, a lot of us love what we do and have a lot of passion for our work. I’ve had my top pulled open, told to just do it for $5 or I don’t get anything, asked what $1 could get someone. I'll leave it up to your imagination on how those conversations went.

Diamond (She/Her)

As a worker you make your own rules, set your own boundaries. Occasionally those boundaries won’t be respected, just like they would in any other job, or on a night out in town (I’ve been groped in Mishmosh many more times than at work). I want to make it clear that strippers are not broken people in need of rescuing, we are not in dire need of validation or an enemy of your relationship. We are entertainers and human beings who have lives outside the club. You don’t treat people like shit at work, at the beach or on the street, so don’t treat them like shit if they happen to be in a bikini in front of you. Despite all this, I still love my job. I still get excited when I have a new outfit to debut and enjoy watching the other dancers on stage. It strikes me how every girl has a unique way of commanding attention, some move slowly and sensually, smiling as they turn their bodies, others dance quickly, clacking their heels and twerking to the beat. Every night I'm surrounded by an array of different bodies, all desirable in their own way.

I still get anxious before my first dance of the night, but slowly as I focus on the music and think about the hottest way I can arch my back, kick my feet up in the air, and run my fingers over my skin the fear fades away and the thrill takes over. I thought the industry would chew me up and spit me out, that I wouldn’t be able to keep myself afloat, but so many dancers were incredibly kind and supportive. There’s something about packing a bag of beautiful sateen sets, black lace and doing my makeup. It’s like getting ready to go out to town and do my favourite thing in the world: talk to strangers. Instead of dragging my friends to Dakota's smoko, and slipping Mishmosh men’s vapes into my friends bra, I’m guiding men and women to the bar, chatting about nothing and everything, ranting about Uni and talking about myself. There's an order to the chaos — a job to be done under all the music and smoke screens. It reminds me of when I used to work in luxury retail, I’d sell $12,000 crystal toucans and glass costume jewelry. I used to love listening to customers, engaging with them, trying to crack the code of what was holding them back. Even though we received hourly pay, there were commission bonuses, and I learned to train my envy into excitement when my coworker would put through a huge sale. I’m still learning to apply that to my work now; afterall, it’s all a chase versus attract mentality, the more time I look at others around me the less I focus on myself and what I can do to ‘work the floor’.

A couple of years ago I was at the height of my delayed ‘rebellious’ phase. I went out every weekend, drank every free drink and shot that was offered to me. I explored kink and casual sex, and was basically experiencing peak levels of libido. I am so happy I didn’t start working then: while it would’ve made sense, I would’ve been way more volatile and at risk of letting the job consume me. A couple years ago I’d fall for customers, drink too much, over objectify myself and put myself at risk. Now, in my almost post freak caterpillar phase, I’m a cocooning homebody. After work the only thing I crave is some gentle vanilla sex and a very intense everything shower.

Before I began I had this debilitating fear of judgment, that crossing the line and working at a strip club was losing, or failing in some way. That I’d fallen victim to some kind of power I didn’t even know existed or believed in, that this was a win in some way for my exes or men that had slutshamed me in the past. But after feeling this way and moving past it, I ultimately don’t care, this job brings me joy and financial freedom. I can choose to not take a tip or go for a dance.

Stripping has connected me to my inner self, this raw primal part of me. I feel so much more freedom and connection between the words ‘need’ and ‘want’. More of my wants have become my needs, I listen to my body more, when it aches I soothe it, when it hungers I feed it. Working in an office I felt pressured to ignore myself, to work through lunch breaks to meet the tight deadline, to not buy food because pay day was coming up. Dancing feels more intrinsic. I am constantly answering questions about myself, remembering where I come from, my studies, my values.

I get to invest in local artists, support the local economy, go out to eat more, and thrive during a year of study that I thought I’d be starving in. It reminds me to bring pleasure into my everyday, to focus on the scent of my body wash, the feeling of knots in my muscles slowly being unwound, the pull inside of me to have fun, to indulge in the richness of a sensual world I used to only dip my fingers in. Stripping is good money but hard work, and every club and every country is different. I still consume ‘day in the life’ and ‘come work a shift with me’ videos from American and Australian dancers, however, they aren’t a true reflection of what you’re going to experience in New Zealand. I urge everyone who holds an opinion on strippers and the industry to step foot inside of a club, and listen to dancers when we talk about our work. We know our own empowerment, we know our own bodies.

My experience with stripping and my feelings on it do come from a place of privilege: stripping is a side hustle for me. If I injured myself and couldn’t work I have other sources of income to keep me afloat. For other dancers, stripping is their sole source of income. A lot of dancers are disabled or deal with chronic pain and this job is one of the only that works for them. Knowing this, I always promote my fellow dancers and encourage customers to pick them for a private dance.

I’m still just a baby stripper, I’ve only just ordered my fifth pair of heels, but I don’t plan on hanging them up anytime soon.

Deepfake pornography has been called the future of revenge porn, but that term doesn’t quite capture it. Unlike traditional image-based abuse, it doesn’t require an explicit photo to exist in the first place. The only thing needed is a face. And in an era where students document their lives in digital spaces, that means anyone with a social media account is a potential target. The risk is higher than most people realise. In 2024, South Korea uncovered entire Telegram networks where male university students were generating and sharing deepfake pornography of their female classmates. Not crude Photoshop jobs, but hyper-realistic videos—sophisticated enough to mimic facial expressions, body movement, even speech. These weren’t public figures or celebrities. They were students. Ordinary women whose only mistake was existing in a digital world.

hiiii nate i’m sticking pretty close to the vertical guides but the horizontal/ cyan guides are not that important, feel free to wiggle around and just make sure horizontal lines are consistent within the article.

go to window >styles > paragraph styles for the fonts I am using. this is the basic body style i am using accross the mag. i’m not really using anything else consistently lol

And still, under New Zealand law, deepfake pornography is not explicitly criminalised. The Harmful Digital Communications Act (HDCA) 2015 makes it illegal to share an intimate image without consent— but does a deepfake count as ‘intimate’ if it was never real? The law also requires proof that the offender intended to cause harm. What if they claim it was a joke? What if they argue it’s obviously fake?

And yet, this crisis barely registered in New Zealand. A few headlines, a passing mention in international reports, but no real conversation. No outcry. No urgency. If it wasn’t happening here, it wasn’t happening— except that it was. New Zealand schools have already reported cases of AI-generated explicit images being circulated among students. At the university level, the silence is deafening.

Unlike revenge porn, which relies on intimate images that were once real, deepfake pornography makes anyone a potential victim. A university student shouldn’t have to worry that a class photo, a LinkedIn headshot, or a candid Instagram post could be weaponized against them. But that’s exactly where we are. Victims describe the same symptoms of PTSD as survivors of physical assault—paranoia, anxiety, withdrawal.

That legal grey area leaves victims with little recourse. Unless a deepfake meets the criteria for defamation, harassment, or child exploitation, there is no clear pathway for justice. The burden falls entirely on the victim to prove their harm, to convince authorities that this isn’t just an internet prank—that it is, in fact, a violation. Technology moves faster than policy. AI detection tools exist but remain flawed. Platforms like Telegram, after international pressure, have begun cooperating with authorities to remove explicit content—but that’s reactive, not preventative. By the time a victim becomes aware of a deepfake, the damage is already done.

Other countries have begun addressing the issue. In the United Kingdom, the Online Safety Act 2023 criminalises the sharing of intimate images that show or “appear to show” an individual without consent explicitly including deepfakes as part of image-based abuse offences. South Korea has gone further, criminalising not just the creation but the possession and consumption of deepfake pornography, with penalties of up to three years in prison or fines of 30 million won (approximately $36,000).

These examples highlight a critical point: New Zealand’s current legal framework is outdated. The HDCA was not designed with AI-generated content in mind. Its provisions fail to address the complexities of deepfakes, leaving victims vulnerable and perpetrators unaccountable. The need for comprehensive law reform is urgent. Legislation must explicitly criminalise the creation and distribution of non-consensual deepfake pornography, recognising it as a form of image-based sexual abuse. The burden of proof should shift away from victims, acknowledging the inherent harm and violation of autonomy that deepfakes represent.

Beyond criminal penalties, victims need accessible avenues for redress, including injunctions and damages. Universities must also take responsibility, implementing clear policies on deepfakes, establishing support systems, and ensuring swift removal processes to mitigate reputational harm.

The rapid advancement of AI technology demands a proactive response. Without explicit laws addressing deepfake pornography, New Zealand risks becoming a haven for digital exploitation, leaving its citizens unprotected.

The question isn’t whether deepfake pornography will become a crisis in New Zealand universities. The question is when. And when it does, will we still be pretending it’s someone else’s problem?

WORDS BY PHOEBE ROBERTSON

Tinā is Turning Heads

Dani Maylam (she/her; Ngāti Porou)

Tinā tells the deeply moving story of Mareta Percival, a Samoan teacher grappling with the heartbreaking loss of her daughter in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The film is undeniably a tear-jerker, with its raw and authentic portrayal of grief, racism, mental health, and the hurdles Mareta faces as she navigates a world of adversity.

prestigious private institution in Christchurch, far from her previous experience teaching in a decile one school in Aratea. Despite her hesitations, she finds her voice by forming a

out to me was the repeated imagery of Mareta walking everywhere and catching the bus, seemingly mundane actions, yet shown with significant purpose. The time we spend with

I had the privilege of watching it at the Lighthouse Cinema on Cuba Street — one of my

Tinā is a beautifully crafted film, one I believe will become a true Aotearoa classic. I mean, it's already made over $1 million in its opening weekend! If the numbers don’t convince

Having Sex With a Robot

Lucy McCorkindale (she/her)

His unbending hands aren’t good with buttons, so I undress the both of us. He lifts his heavy arms to the ceiling so I can pull his shirt off. I chose blond hair, saltwater-soaked and sunbleached. His skin is tan and thin. All the hard metal beneath can be felt with the lightest squeeze and there’s a small red light blinking under his right earlobe. His beady eyes are black mirrors that I can see my own wide gaze in. I wondered once if I should put tape over them like a laptop camera, even if no perverted engineer was watching me through him — avoiding that cold stare might make the experience somewhat kinder. Sprawling out beneath his stiff frame, I suck my navel into my spine. I want to look sexy for him, or any audience on the other side. His inexpressive face follows all my movements -- the tremor in my hands and the release of my chest when I finally exhale. I question how thoroughly he can assess these things: does he know I’m nervous? Does he care? He moves mechanically inside of me and I sing my pleasure out like I’ve seen the women on the internet do. He’s seen them too, as a part of his training, so he knows to go harder at the sound; get more violent, maybe. I set his sadist levels to the third-highest setting so his hand meets my throat now. I let out an empty gasp, like the kind that escapes from the back of a throat when it’s yawning. He doesn’t know how much pressure to use and my timid nature doesn’t let me tell him. It’s fine. It’s close enough to the real thing.

Speeding up, I can hear his machinery now. It’s whirring, performing the alto harmony to my moans. The soft hum of a system overheating, like a laptop that needs to be put in the freezer. I wonder if he will explode. Mental note: check the manual afterwards, maybe this isn’t normal. It’s nice to hear some noise from him though. His painted pink mouth is still sealed; nothing sweet or consoling will leave it anytime soon. I don’t think he has compliments in his set vocab; maybe there are but he can’t find any to say right now. Is he programmed to hate me? Is he programmed to like me at all?

With one last perfunctory thrust, he informs me that he is finished. It’s the first thing he’s said this whole time. I was beginning to think I had turned him on mute or set his language wrong. He removes his perpetually hard piece of metal from inside of me, folding it down like a hand brake and places himself on the damp linen. My spectral face, void of colour and moist with brow sweat, turns to look at him. The handsome, lifeless machine weighing down the left side of my bed, not breathing or blinking.

“Did you like it?” I ask.

“I don’t know.” He utters. Not returning the question, he powers down for the night.

SHORT FICTION

His Eighteen-Year-Old Self

Te Urukeiha Tuhua (he/him; Tūhoe)

Maurice rummaged through the boxes that had been discarded and forgotten in the back of his closet, thick with dust and draped over with clothes that had fallen down on top of them. He uncovered old tokens and memories in the form of notebooks and photos of himself at age eighteen, CDs and love letters. As he withdrew them, he glanced over them before handing them to me and stooping over to hunt for more. I opened up a diary from 1999 and tentatively delved into his past.

Eighteen-year-old Maurice was fascinated by psychedelics despite being afraid to try anything stronger than weed. I leafed through the notebook, amused by the drawings of trips and mushrooms and men with large joints hanging out of their mouths. All of the sketches had been done using a shitty ballpoint pen, leaving marks and wrinkles in the lined paper. He’d scribbled down song lyrics of his own creation alongside the drawings, no doubt imagining that he could become ‘one of the greats’. Maurice had been young once too, filled with hopes and dreams. I couldn’t recognize any of it in the cynical man standing in front of me. His movements were wearier; he was more realistic. Time had changed him, as it changed us all.

After looking over the diary, I studied the old photos of Maurice from when he was my age. He had been a boy like me, on the cusp of manhood. He had a single piercing in the centre of his bottom lip and a soul patch on his chin, something Maurice still had as an adult. Maybe there were certain things that time couldn’t change about a person. Eighteenyear-old Maurice appeared good-natured and relaxed, a kid who enjoyed messing around with his friends, probably in a similar way that I did. I recognized something of myself in his eyes and felt a wave of something that I couldn’t explain, a strange feeling like I was meeting the younger Maurice of before. Someone like me. And it made me feel further apart from him than ever, because his entire personality from when he was my age was hidden away in a box.

He found an album that he had recorded as a teenager and passed it to me saying, “Making this album is my only achievement. I’ve done nothing else with my life.” Maybe in his youth, Maurice had been ready to explore all the possibilities of his life and who he could become. Over time, his dreams had faded. “Isn’t that depressing?” He asked. I shook my head and said, “The purpose of life is not to achieve as many things as possible.” If achievements made us feel fulfilled, successful people would be happy. They wouldn’t be left with a feeling of nothingness. Not good enough. It was apparent to me that life was for nothing more than living, and I never wanted to let my fears of failure stop me from enjoying the things I loved.

Later that night I lay in bed with Maurice, resting my head on his chest. I touched his hand, brushing my fingers across his palm to feel the texture of his skin. The slight dryness and the scars that peppered over it showed me it was undeniably older. I could no longer shrug off and ignore the twenty-five years difference between us as though it didn’t matter. People always told me I shouldn’t see older men and I was beginning to understand why. There was a disconnect between us. He was weighed down with hopelessness and depression that he couldn’t shake off, and I was only just beginning my life.

I could have drifted asleep like that, squeezing his hand gently and feeling the warmth of his body so close to mine. Instead I tilted my head back and allowed him to kiss me, ignoring the twinges of wrongness in my stomach. The distance between me and Maurice had grown, the gap in our ages something surmountable only through sex. I had nothing in common with this man and there was nothing we could talk about, and all we could do was kiss. For our lips to meet, for our tongues to slide into one another just for a taste. I lay back and let him climb on top of me, his weight pressing me into the bed. Eighteen-year-old Maurice was the kind of boy I could have befriended. I wondered if I reminded Maurice of who he used to be, and whether it comforted or tortured him.

full moon

Bram Casey (he/him)

under skylight in black underwear nobody knows me like i do in my head plays a shaky digi-cam video of the full moon from afar and in the background my frustrated mouth-breathing the futile tick of the zoom wheel scratched on the wall is a treatise on my morbid fascination with kissing in elevators my personal odyssey is the summer just gone the summer i fixed myself played cyberpunk and learned how not to have phone sex it’s odd knowing a part of you dies every time you blink knowing you want consistency but need constant novelty and stimulation it hurts to learn you can’t sleep when someone’s holding you to need so much freedom you can’t be touched by the same man twice oh please wake me up by sunrise

---JACKSON McCARTHY

(he/him)

Kia ora!

I’m Jackson, and I edit the Arts & Culture section here at Salient. My background is in poetry, literary theory, and music — I study a conjoint Bachelor of Arts with a Bachelor of Music. I’m also an editor at the annually-published poetry magazine, Symposia.

Our Evenings (Alan Hollinghurst, 2024)

The new novel from the greatest living stylist in the language presents the memoirs of (fictional) actor David Winn, a gay man born to an English mother and an absent Burmese father. This is at once a sweeping and deeply personal account of the changing British attitudes toward homosexuality and race from the 1950s all the way through to Brexit; a grand, traditional social novel that meditates not only on a particular time but on the nature of time itself. This is the late masterwork of a literary titan with nothing left to prove.

Blue Banisters (Lana Del Rey, 2021)

We all know that 2019’s Norman Fucking Rockwell! is her best album, but you’d be a fool to neglect Blue Banisters. This rough-around-the-edges throwntogether collection of tunes is basically just Lana flexing her songwriting powers. You’ve probably already heard ‘Dealer’’s histrionic whine (“I don’t wanna live, I don’t wanna give you nothing”), but what about the title track’s crazy-gorgeous hemiola (“Give me children, take away my pain, and paint my banisters blue”)?

Recorded quickly and in a small handful of takes, there are plenty of ‘errors’ here for perfectionists to furrow their brows over — but for me, this album really harkens back to a time when quantizing beats and pitch-correcting vocals wasn’t the norm. It’s for the sake of the human voice, and it’s for the sake of artistry. Thank you very much!

Jump Rope Gazers (The Beths, 2020)

I think it was my first day in the Salient office: I walked in to the sweet sounds of The Beths’ Expert in a Dying Field. By the time that album released in 2022, this cute little Aotearoa band had really taken off overseas (they’ve even done a Tiny Desk; so you know they’ve made it).

But my favourite album is still the earlier Jump Rope Gazers (2020). Nostalgic reminiscences and relationship troubles are the major themes on this album. And lead singer Elizabeth Stokes tackles them both in her kiwi accent!! Returning to this album recently has brought back so many memories, and soundtracked the creation of so many more.

Averno (Louise Glück, 2006)

Extremely beautiful book of poems. Go to the Kelburn Library and check it out, like, right now.

When I’m reading Glück I feel like I’m disappeared into some strange interior world... of visions, dreams, desires... don’t call, don’t text, don’t DM.

ACROSS

We should Stick Together By Nil

1 Te Papa, for one (of waxwings) (6)*

4 Trickery (of lapwings) (6)*

7 Like VUWSA's Matt Tucker (3)

8 Flowery gift (of hummingbirds) (7)*

11 Modern component of a lightbulb or TV (3)

12 Extravagance (of flamingos) (11)*

14 Elite army unit (3) 16 Stitch (3)

18 Billie Eilish hit, or a hint at this puzzle's theme (5, 2, 1, 7)

21 ___ Vegas (3)

24 VUWSA has one on Wed. 19 March (3)

26 Wild uproar (of parrots) (11)*

28 Home to many of this puzzle's theme (3)

29 Education institute (of cardinals) (7)*

32 Home to some of this puzzle's theme (3)

33 Settlement (of penguins) (6)*

34 Homicide (of crows) (6)*

Quiz

By Ossian Lynch

DOWN

1 Some Amazonian parrots (6)

2 Scorns (at) (6)

3 Bovine call (3)

4 Jane or John (3)

5 Some American raptors (6)

6 Trumponomics consequence (probably) (5, 3)

8 Charli's summer? (4)

9 Status ___ (3)

10 Arctic plain (6)

13 Bottom of the South Island (5)

15 Boxing royalty (3)

17 "Don't mind _____!" (2, 1, 2)

18 Vinegar (8)

19 Picturesque (6)

20 Early bird? (3)

22 Urban planner's problem (6)

23 Flying toy; flying predator (4)

24 Stunned (6)

25 Autobiography (6)

27 Spice Girl B or C (3)

30 Moronic intro? (3)

31 Precious stone (3)

1. Season 3 of The White Lotus is set in which Asian country?

2. What kind of astronomical event occurred on Friday 14th March?

3. Which English singer is portrayed as an anthropomorphic Chimpanzee in the biopic Better Man?

4. What word did Christopher Luxon recently use to refer to Wellington’s Councils? a. Lame-o, b. Dummy, c. Wimpy.

5. Under which pen name did Mary Ann Evans write the 1871 novel Middlemarch?

A GUIDE TO HAVING GOOD GAY SEX

By A. W’hore (he/him/hole)

Life is too short to have straight sex. Life is also too short to have bad sex. The two are often synonymous - are heterosexuals okay? - but plenty of queer people are also having bad sex, and that needs to change now. The Homosexual Law Reform Act did not pass so you could lie down and say nothing while your top doesn’t find the right spot for an entire hour. If you want to have the red-hot wet fantasies you’ve been thinking about since before you came out made into reality, you have to take some fucking responsibility. Literally.

I like to think I’m uniquely qualified on this matter due to my career as a sex worker. It’s my actual job to be good at sex, and I certainly wouldn’t have so many regular clients if I was bad at it. Since I’m a transsexual and (mostly) gay man of previous extensive lesbian experience, these guidelines should hopefully apply to whatever combination of gender and sexuality you might identify as. I also recommend the zine Fucking Trans Women by Mira Bellweather, as well as The New Topping Book and The New Bottoming Book by Janet A. Hardy and Dossie Easton if you’re interested in kink.

GUIDELINES

1: Know what you want.

2: Ask for it.

That’s it. Sounds easy. But growing up in a cisheternormative and often actively homophobic and transphobic society makes these steps a little more complicated, so let’s break it down.

1: Know what you want. I thought I knew everything about sex before I started having it. I realised I was just imagining heterosexual vaginal penetration, where the (cis) man is dominant and the (cis) woman is submissive to his alpha machoness or whatever, which has absolutely nothing to do with the sex life I’ve had and currently have. Unlearning the sexual scripts I saw in every movie and read in every book took time. Being queer means you can understand your relationship to your supposed gender role under the patriarchy differently, and choose something different. We have options in ways cishet people simply don’t have the imagination for. Imagine what your ideal night of passion looks like and jerk off a little about it. If you don’t know your body, how can someone else? In your night of passion, what sex acts are you receiving, and what are you giving? Every queer person has a different relationship to these concepts, and wanting to exclusively give or receive is completely fine. It’s 2025, making fun of bottoms is out. Most importantly, how do you want to feel? Working out how you want to feel on top or or under or next to someone means you can think about what you might do or say to produce this feeling.

2: Ask for it. Nobody is a mind reader. Now that you know what you want, or at least have a starting point, you have to tell someone. Confidence is attractive, and attempting to be cool and nonchalant will never work and actively prevent you from having good sex. If you’re about to have sex with someone, chances are they probably like you enough that if you bring up something you want to try they’ll be happy to try it with you. And if they’re not interested, no harm done. You can ask what they want to try instead, find another point of connection, or simply explore each other’s bodies and reactions without expectation of something specific. Sometimes you’re just not sexually compatible with someone, and that’s completely fine. But being able to tell the person you want to have sex with “Hey, I really want to insert whatever it is you really want to do or really want them to do” makes it infinitely more likely it’ll actually happen than if you never said anything.

My final tips are to always use protection and get regular sexual health checks, always use more lube than you think you’ll need, buy a sex toy or two, and HAVE FUN! Sex is supposed to be enjoyable. Now that you have newly learnt skills of self-discovery and communication, get out there and have some good gay sex.

VictoriaUniversityDebating SocietyistheoldestclubatVUW, foundedin1899.Theyareone ofthemostsuccessfuldebating societiesinAotearoa,andthey meetregularlyforclubnightsin KK303onWednesdaysat6:30PM.

ONTHAT!

Aff:Aff(Jack)

Neg:ByJack

OdetoNangs

Osilverbulboffleetingflight, Awhisper’shissthensuddenlight. Amoment’srush,socoolandbright, Youspinmythoughtsandstealmysight. Laughterbottledintheair, Adizzydancebeyondcompare. Ephemeralasafleetingdream, Yetcrispandsharp,asparklingbeam. Noweightofwoe,nostressremains, Justheliumhighsinwhirlingveins. Asillygrin,theworldaskew, Theroomisnewinneonhue. Thoughbriefyoustay,ohlaughingmist, Alover’skiss,atrickster’stwist. Youleavenotrace,nobittersting, Justechoesofamindsetupswing. Sohere’stonangs,mybuoyantfriend, Afleetingjoy,arush,anend. Nosermonhere,nomoralfight— Justbubblesburstinpuredelight.

kidIknowwhatyouexpect.Youthinkthedebate isgoingtolectureyouabouttheharmsofnangs likeaYear9PEteacherexplainingwhyenergydrinks willgiveyouaheartattackattheageofthirty.You thinkyou’reabouttoreadacolumnfilledwithnothing butstatisticsabouttheseriousneurologicalandnerve damagethatcanresultfromB12deficienciescreatedby long-termNOSinhalation.Fuckallofthat.Partofarguingeffectivelyisknowing youraudience.Ihaveafeelingthattakingthepuritan routewon’tbesuccessfulwiththetypeofpersonwho earnestlypicksuptheSalientsexissue.Also,it’spretty fake.Thenervedamagethingonlyappliesifyou spendyourentiretwentiespermanentlyhookedup toawhippedcreamcanister.Whilstit’ssomething tobeawareofifyourhabitsareonthemore frequentside,itisn’ttherealityofhow peopleactuallyusenangs.Besides, mycursorylookattheNewZealandDrug Foundationwebsitegenuinelyfound“falling overandhurtingyourselfafterbecoming temporarilylight-headedordizzy”asone ofthemajorharmslisted,whichisquiteweakin comparisontotheside-effectsof,say,meth. I’minsteadgoingtoexplainwhynangsarethecringiest formofdrugtakinghumanityhaseverproduced.So muchsothatbanningthemisanurgentnecessity. Thefactthatnitrousoxidehastobestoredatsucha highpressurelimitsthewaysitcanbetakentoafew faintlyridiculousoptions.Nohighisworthchasing ifitcomesatthebottomofagoddamnballoon.This isespeciallythecasegiventhattheeffectsofnangs areprettyshort-lived.Whichmeansoneoftwothings: eitherit’salloverinfiveminutesflat,oryou’respending multiplehourssuckingonagascanisterinorderto maintainamediocrebuzz.Notexactlymyideaofcool. Anyself-respectingpersonshouldn’tbecaughtdead doingit.

...thatweshould

BANNANGS

Wehaveoneoptionandoneoptiononly.I’mcalling onChristopherLuxon’sgovernmenttoaddressthemost significantharmfacinginnocentyoungpeopletoday–thedangeroflookinglikeafuckwit.

Neg(NangLover69):

Senja*

Bashii*

My date with Bashii* was quite nice. I kicked things off to a great start by showing up a little late (sorry Bashii*). However, he was very understanding and thoughtful. I’m not gonna lie, it was a little bit jarring how early the date was, and I'd also never been on a first date like this before that didn’t involve drinking. I also do not like coffee, so was missing the charm of the free coffee side of this whole set up. Nonetheless, I found the date and conversation to flow naturally - thank god. I scored a free cup of tea from evil twins and shared a croissant with my date which was great. We learnt we actually grew up quite near to one another, and share mutual friends. He had a unique background which I liked learning about. It is always lovely to have a conversation with someone when it's clear both parties are actually interested in learning about the other. We concluded the date with a failed attempt to get free piercings from lovisa together. (It’s a scam. You have to spend $65 on jewelry.) We both had busy days ahead of us so we said our goodbyes at the bus stop. Bashii was lovely but on reflection I do think we’d be better suited as mates, and I think Bashii might agree. In conclusion, Bashii had lovely hair and I was happy to discover that he partially resembled one of my celebrity crushes from one of my favourite movies. The experience itself was definitely fun, and something like this is always a fun story to share with your mates. I would totally recommend anyone apply to go on one of these dates.

8:30 on a Tuesday morning is a slightly heinous time for a blind date, but after a week of Georgia breaking her back to find a time that worked for us both, I was just glad it was happening. Metlink really pulled through for me that morning, with my bus turning up 10 minutes late. But a brisk, morning jog down The Terrace and a quick cut across traffic meant I just beat my date there.

The date overall was lovely; we sat together on the low couch which, we both agreed, would be brilliant for people watching. We both made the absolute least of the ‘free coffee’ deal, getting a tea and a long black. Our conversation flowed well and without awkward pauses; we didn’t have 10 things in common, but we could bat questions and stories back and forth. She talked about climbing up a drainpipe to get into a club and ending the night’s tale with strangers in Devonport, which I followed with the time a bouncer wouldn’t let me into a club and I ended the night back at my hostel. Basically equally cool.

The wildest thing was finding out we grew up maybe half an hour from each other and went to rival highschools in Auckland. We still had heaps of mutuals here in Welly and could’ve met each other at a 21st a few weeks prior, if she hadn’t had work that dark night. An hour and a half disappeared (as did the almond croissant we shared) and we ended the date with a wander down to Lambton Quay where I caught my bus back. No vibes for a second date, but a really nice way to spend a morning.

Bolshie

Bodily Autonomy for Trans Youth!

In line with Salient’s publishing schedule, this column was submitted before Sunday’s Hīkoi to Defend Trans Healthcare took place.

On Sunday March 3, students, high-schoolers, queer rights activists and communists will march in a hīkoi to parliament against the Ministry of Health’s moves to restrict trans teens’ access to puberty blockers. Organisers include activist group Queer Endurance Defiance, the Wellington Pride Festival, Queer Students’ Associations from Wellington high schools, Pōneke Anti-Fascist Coalition and Bolshevik Club VUW. Our shared demands are for the full extension of puberty blockers access and the right of youth to hormone replacement therapy on demand. Bodily autonomy is a democratic right – and for trans youth as for many others, it can be a matter of life and death.

As western capitalism moves into a period of crisis, its most reactionary elements are pushed forward to shore up the nuclear family as the building block of the nation. In the US and UK, brutal attacks on immigrants and trans people are a lever of patriotism used to erode the democratic rights of all. Here, as our government launches a broadside against Māori and targets trans rights, Destiny Church is stepping up the frequency and violence of its mobilisations against queer community events.

It is the workers’ movement that has the power to defend against reaction with strike action against oppressive laws and armed defence against reactionary violence — if it rediscovers the methods of class struggle, and remembers that every attack on the oppressed is an attack on us all.

Bolshevik Club is a space for revolutionary students. Come find us at Red Lunch Hour, our regular discussion group, 12pm every Tuesday in the Hub (look for the banner), or get in touch at vuwbolshevikclub@gmail.com.

SOC 101

Byline:

VUW International Socialists / ISO

Attacks from the coalition government on gender identity, sexuality, and bodily rights are part of a much wider international agenda to divide the working class and funnel power and influence into the capitalist class. By exploiting the structural oppression intrinsic to capitalism, right-wing politics concentrates hate on marginalized communities.

We’ve seen this in agreements the government has made about gender and sexuality, such as the proposed refocusing of the curriculum on “academic achievement and not ideology, including the removal and replacement of the gender, sexuality, and relationship-based education guidelines.” And the agreement to “ensure publicly funded sporting bodies support fair competition that is not compromised by rules relating to gender.” This means the erasure of gender identity and sexuality in education.

Along with the banning of transgender athletes from publicly funded women’s sports, the government has also implemented additional ‘safeguards’ for puberty blockers. There’s been no transparency from the government on what has informed the shift in scientific position. Official information recently obtained shows that the change in the medical position regarding the safety of puberty blockers in New Zealand relies wholly on international trends.

The freedom to choose safe and legal abortion has also come into question, especially if the government continues to follow global trends. Considering our current Health Minister Simeon Brown voted against removing abortion from the Crimes Act, this is a right we must continue to fight for. The capitalist agenda is prepared to exploit anyone and anything for the sake of maintaining power, and these measures enable this exploitation by giving workers less control over their own bodies.

One of the latest assaults is the NZ First members' bill placed in the ballot, which would explicitly remove requirements for public service employers and boards to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. It would be naive to presume that the erosion of hard-won rights will end here.

The violent efforts to drive queer people out of public space have also been more rampant with Destiny church and the Man Up protestors' storming of the literary drag event at Te Atatū library and their more recent protesting of the Wellington Pride parade. What is this ideology rooted in? Who does it serve?

With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, a significant shift in ideas around same-sex relations ensued, through the reorganisation of the nuclear family and the new set of cultural ideals and strict morals imposed. This family unit served a role in taking on the responsibility of the ‘unproductive’ members such as young children, the elderly, etc. And of course, this reorganisation supported the unpaid domestic work that women and other marginalised groups have borne as a free service for the state and bosses. Capitalist ideology also thrives on the division of the working class. The splintering of these social relations distracts from the real agenda of concentrating further wealth into the hands of the few.

Destiny Church may indeed grab the occasional headline but the Hīkoi, the consistent solidarity movements for Palestine, and mass movements around the world have all shown the potential of collective people power. Now is the time for resistance. The people united will never be defeated!

photo by Joachim F. Thurn.

“I

fought the law”… and won?

This wouldn’t be a column written by law students without some discussion about, well, law. I know I lost most of you right there but if you’re still reading: chur.

It’s no secret that the Westminster legal system forced upon Aotearoa is colonial, criminally boring and conservative. But occasionally, something half-way interesting happens. Over the last couple weeks there have been some big wins for the climate in court.

Students for Climate Solutions (SfCS), Climate Clinic’s sister organisation, has just been granted access to the Supreme Court, to challenge on-shore oil exploration permits in Taranaki. The case started way back in 2022, when a group of law students decided to actually do something with their degrees and judicially review the then-Minister for Energy and Resources’ decision. The case was brought on the basis that he did not adequately consider the impacts of climate change and breached Te Tiriti by not considering the impacts on Māori. SfCS lost in the High Court and Court of Appeal, but the Supreme Court has decided, at the very least, to hear it.

The case has the potential to be seriously precedent setting. If climate considerations are held to be a relevant consideration by Aotearoa’s highest court it could allow for future cases to be decided on a similar basis.

Down at the District Court last week, four climate activists promoting the Restore Passenger Rail campaign faced criminal charges. These activists “endangered transport” (maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment) by hanging a banner reading “Restore Passenger Rail” over a Wellington motorway in 2022. One of the activists was found not-guilty and the jury were unable to arrive at a verdict for the others, forcing a re-trial. The case marks the first time that climate science has been admitted as evidence in a criminal case in Aotearoa.

Despite what American TV shows depict, the courts are usually not the sexiest. But they can lead to some sexy, or at least promising, outcomes. As flawed as our justice system is, the courts are the last line of defence against the real climate criminals. While the final outcome of these cases remain uncertain, it is clear that judges are at least willing to hear climate arguments, which in itself is a major win and shows the development of the law. The jury is out in terms of how the law will actually respond. Until then, I’ll see you in court.

By Zak Rudin

Contributing

Contributing Writer

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 be first brought to the CEO in writing (ceo@ vuwsa.org.nz). Letters to the editor can be sent to editor@salient.org. nz. If not satisfied with the response, complaints should be directed to the Media Council (info@mediacouncil. org.nz)

WRITE FOR US

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Teddy O’Neill Podcast Lord Jackson McCarthy Arts + Culture Editor

Mauatua Fa’araReynolds Contributing Writer

MARCH 2025

SCHEDULE

The sex talks of all sex talks; one where we are smashing stigmas & having open conversations about all areas of sex. Got a burning question you’ve been too embarrassed to ask? Need a reminder that your sexuality is yours to share and not anyone else's to define? Curious about different contraceptive options? Come along and join the conversation!

SEX IN THE HUB

EXPO

Join us for activities, free giveaways, goods for sale and the chance to chat to experts from different organisations about topics like sexual harm reduction and sexual health.

11am-2pm The Hub, Kelburn

SEX ON THE MEZZ

EXPO

We’re bringing the market down to Pipitea! Pop on by to check out goods for sale, activities, free give aways, info stalls and fun sex-related activities.

11am-2pm Rutherford House Mezzanine, Pipitea

PAINTING PLEASURE

Release your creativity and explore sensual expression through art. Join us for a unique opportunity to paint pleasure on canvas in a welcoming environment.

2 pm-4 pm The Hunter Lounge

PANEL DISCUSSION

Join our experts as they share valuable insights and experiences, fostering a deeper understanding of healthy connections. We will be exploring the nuances of consent, boundaries, respect and chemsex in relationships at our insightful panel discussion.

12 pm-1 pm The Hub, Kelburn

26 25 24 Fri Thu Wed Tue Mon

But not the bingo your Nan might be used to… We are putting a naughty twist on the classic bingo! With surprises, prizes, and plenty of laughter, delve into various aspects of sexuality through bingo!

5:30pm-7pm

The Hunter Lounge

Test your knowledge and join us for our annual Sex Quiz – Gather your friends for an evening of friendly competition as we celebrate sexual diversity and education with prizes, surprises and more!

6:30pm-8:30pm

The Hunter Lounge