Issue 5, 2023

CANTA

Editorial Editorial

By this point we are well into the second half of semester one. It is once again impossible to find a decent park, a seat in Engcore and a guy who isn’t a walking red flag.

New Zealand, and the world, is a pretty strange place at the moment. There is an endless list of problems, fuck ups and things that we should really be taking a look at, which is why we have brought you this “issues issue”.

We have a pretty unique position as young people, we are the ones who are ultimately going to be living in the world for the next 60 odd years (fingers crossed), and we are the ones who are going to live with the consequences of the decisions that are being made right now. We need to stop being wusses and have our say, what do you want the world to look like in 10+ years?

When it comes to interesting shit that has been in the news lately I could probably fill half of the Canta up (ceebs, its a Friday night).

Politics have been heating up, the Greens are facing a bullying scandal after MP Elizabeth Kerekere lowkey cyberbullied Chlöe Swarbrick. National MP Stephen Jack posted on his Facebook, “I like my Covid like I like my women. 19. And easy to spread.” Bruh. And Three Waters continues to be something that no-one actually understands.

In the Christchurch scene, the Mama Hooch case has finally come to a close seeing two men being found guilty of “stupefying or disabling” 17 women, assaulting 12. Bringing to light the very real issue of drink spiking. Crusaders coach Scott Robertson is tackling the big leagues and taking on the role of All Blacks coach. And the annual Christchurch City Council staff survey has shown that only 51% are happy with the council’s

leadership, with a mere 33% saying that they thought the council was transparent and open with staff.

In the worldwide domain, Byron Bay council is considering making surfing illegal without a leg rope, Sudan is in a full blown war, causing thousands to evacuate after factions of the military regime decided to have a power struggle. And Joe Biden is running for president again for 2024, the bro would be 86 by the end of that prospective second term (keep in mind the average life expectancy for a US male is around 77).

There is a shit ton happening at the moment and keeping up with the news is not often chosen over drinks with the boys. But coming up to this years election we need to do a bit better aye? At least knowing the main policies and issues coming out of the seams is so important so that we are not just voting for the party with the hottest leader (Chrissy L= 10/10).

In this issue, we have decided to have a chat about some issues that maybe mean a bit more to us as students. There is some pretty sick content (as per usual) in those cheeky little pages ahead including: chats about AI, why Elon Musk is a dick, why movies should keep sex scenes, the fact that thrifting is way too expenny now and a whole lot more.

As I say every time, read the bloody mag. And if you don’t like to read, at least look at the pretty piccys, they’re pretty cool too.

Get amongst it you good things, Go hard or go home, Maddy.

CANTA-lendar CANTA-lendar

Presidents Piece Presidents Piece

Kia ora koutou,

Hope all is going well out there since term two has begun. It is definitely cooling down out there, but at least the weather is still pretty decent. Tis the season for an early evening wander around campus – you’ll never believe all the cool little spots under our noses!

From the UCSA – key thing is the UCSA AGM. It is on this Wednesday the 10th of May in Undercroft 101 at 12 noon. We are seeking to formally incorporate a dedicated, elected Pasifika representative to the Executive, alongside a series of other representative changes (names of roles, etc). Please come along and here about your association. First 120 people in the door get a voucher, there will be some spot prizes too. And – free food for all!!!

Reflecting on Anzac day, it was so incredible to have a service back on campus. I am very thankful for all the students who were in attendance, and for the many staff, parents, grandparents, and community members who were in attendance too.

At UC, we have a range of students, staff, and alumni who are in service, or ex-service members that serve our community in so many different ways (Military, Police, Emergency Services, Civil Defence, and more). Having chatted to a few students in this space, they believe that there would be such benefit in organising a society to bring together these people on campus and beyond – I couldn’t agree more!

Currently, these students are organising to become affilitated with the UCSA. If you or someone you know is a service person, or ex-service member and would be interested in getting involved with a potential All Services Veterans Association, I strongly encourage you to email your interest to pablo@godoy.co.nz.

As we get on in the term, things may be getting busy – in particular if you are juggling study, work, family, or anything else that may come up. The UCSA is here to help. The Advocacy & Welfare team are committed to helping students with a wide array of pastoral support causes including but not limited to helping with applying for extensions, special considerations, financial assistance, food bank and food support, dental grants, and much more. If you need any help at all – please don’t be a stranger – the team can be reached at help@ucsa.org.nz.

Thats all for now, good luck for the weeks ahead!

Pierce

Tumuaki Piece Tumuaki Piece

Mauri ora e ngā tauira,

Kia pai ō koutou wā o ngahuru, kātahi ka haere mai a hōtoke. An issue that has been affecting so many of us tauira and is becoming a bigger issue every year is the increase of car theft.

I can remember since my first year, being on the UCSA Noticeboard of breakages into cars around campus, cars being stolen from the streets and up people's driveways. At least 10 of my mates were affected in my first year. But since the impacts of COVID-19, we have seen these numbers drastically increase. Statistics from AA Insurance state that car theft has increased 36.5% over the past year. And Police Data can show that more than 36,000 were stolen in 2020, compared to 30,000 in 2019. However, last year in 2022, we saw 24,000 within the first six months. The numbers are increasing every year and we have not yet seen a solution.

I have seen countless posts on social media of students' cars being taken from their driveways, or on campus. There was a time over summer last year where at least five cars in the Clyde Road car park were smashed or broken into. Unfortunately, Riccarton has become a lost and found for peoples’ motor vehicles, and we as a University haven’t taken enough measures to reassure our students that the campus area is secured and safe for your car. You’d think that parking on campus would keep it safe, but sometimes it isn’t the case.

Here are some hot tips that have been recommended by AA Insurance:

• Always lock your car.

• Keep all valuables in your car out of sight.

• Try your best to park in a garage or driveway, off-street. Make sure your car is under a streetlight or in a well-lit area.

• Install visible security such as an alarm light, immobiliser or steering wheel lock.

• Never leave your keys in the car.

• Be vigilant over weekends and during the warm weather.

For more information, research yourself! It is important for those who are thinking about buying a car, what you may need, or if you are flatting somewhere close make sure you have space in your flat to park your cars securely. You can always reach out to UC Security for advice or safety measures. Remember to lock it and stay vigilant!

Ngā pānui o Te Akatoki:

Maane - Study Sessions 5pm

Tuurei - Kapa Haka 6pm - 7:30pm

Hatarei - 9:15am Van to Tū Taua ki Te Pā

Canta news.

Canta news.

What do Ilam candidates care about?

Matteo Zhang (he/him)

As electorate candidates warm up their campaigns, Canta asked the candidates for Ilam what issues are most important to them going into the election.

The electorate of Ilam covers University of Canterbury’s campus as well as the suburbs of Ilam, Avonhead, Bryndwr, Fendalton, Merivale, Burnside, and Upper Riccarton.

Five candidates responded to Canta’s questions, and the cost of living was a key issue identified by all candidates. Healthcare, transport, and climate change were also among the issues the candidates identified.

The Opportunities Party candidate, party leader and former Christchurch councillor Raf Manji told Canta that his top issue was student cost of living.

“Our concern for students revolve around the cost of living. This is why we have launched the Teal Card which provides for fully funded healthcare and public transport up to 30.”

“This will support the shift to using public transport, cycling, and address challenges to accessing healthcare, including dental and mental health.”

The ‘Teal Card’ is TOP’s flagship policy and is essentially a gold card for those under 30. The card would cost $1.5 billion, paid for through the Climate Response Fund and raises in the top income and corporate tax rates.

Candidate for the National Party, Dr Hamish Campbell, also considered the cost of living as a key issue.

“For National and me, the biggest issue is doing something about the cost-of-living crisis making it harder for UC students to cover the basics and enjoy being a student,” he said.

“Labour’s spending $1 billion more every week than National was and that's driven inflation higher, meaning your food, rent, and other living costs have skyrocketed. Studying is challenging as it is, and we need to lower the cost of living for New Zealanders.”

“In Christchurch, the weekly median rent has risen by $130 under this Government. The cost of groceries has surged, including the classic student staple, two-minute noodles, which has increased close to 50 percent during the same period.”

Campbell said that National had a plan to address the crisis by providing tax relief and ‘restoring discipline’ to government spending.

Incumbent Ilam Labour MP Sarah Pallet told Canta that she was focused on issues of concern across the community.

“The cost of living is of course at the front of mind for many in our community, and students often feel the pinch first,” she said.

“We’ve [Labour] taken a multipronged approach to tackling this problem, from increasing the minimum wage by 44% since 2017 (from $15.75 to $22.70), to acting to break the supermarket duopoly that has kept food prices high, increasing student allowance on April 1 by $25, making half price fares permanent for CSC holders etc.”

“Overall, though, what I care about the most is people and how I can make their lives better. This gives me a very broad remit, and no shortage of things that I am doing, and want to do.”

Green Party candidate and former Christchurch councillor Mike Davis said that without a doubt his top issue was climate change.

"It is the biggest issue facing humanity and we are already seeing the effects of it in New Zealand - both in increased storms like Cyclone Gabrielle and in the impact on communities and food production,” he said.

“Our urban centres, like Ōtautahi Christchurch, play a key role in helping New Zealand meet its climate goals. This means having sustainable transport choices, with frequent, accessible, and reliable public transport that is free for students, a network of separated cycleways and walkable streets.”

“Students are the next generation to inherit this city and our planet, and we know that acting now will give them a shot at a decent future.”

Davis said he also recognised that the cost of living, education, and mental health were key issues for students. Democracy New Zealand candidate Juanita O'Connell said that her party believed in evidence over ideology, their view was that mainstream views on climate change were false.

O’Connell also said that the cost of living and the opportunity for home ownership was an issue she saw as a Mortgage Adviser. O'Connell noted how low incomes and the impact large student loans had on first home buyers.

“The realisation students may never be able to own their own home or being able to have a home and have a family. This has been a dream of previous generations, she said.”

O'Connell appealed for students to support smaller parties with ‘fresh ideas,’ not just the ‘red and blue teams.’

The Act Party has yet to select a candidate, Canta understands Act will announce list and electorate candidates in either June or July.

Canta contacted the New Conservative party for a comment from their candidate Chris O’Brien.

Government reshapes its Three Waters policy

Matteo Zhang (he/him)

Three Waters refer to the management of wastewater drinking water, and storm water. The Labour government has reshaped its controversial Three Waters policy branding it as the “Affordable Water Reform” after consultation with councils.

The Three Waters program dogged by criticism from councils, has been reset as the “Affordable Water Reform” with ten new regionally owned and led public entities instead of the previously proposed four mega entities.

The previous program “Three Waters” faced criticism from councils over ownership of water infrastructure and fears that the proposed mega entities would not hear local voice.

Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty said in a press conference that the policy reset would address those concerns.

"By extending the number of publicly owned water entities to 10, every district council in the country will have a say and representation over their local water services entities through regional representative groups, forming a partnership between council representatives and iwi/ Māori that will provide strategic oversight and direction to the entities," said McAnulty.

The government stated that the innovative approach would save ratepayers money and deliver households savings of $2,770-$5,400 per year by 2054.

The reforms undertaken by the government intend to future proof water services with current water infrastructure not fit for purpose.

National Party leader Christopher Luxon said that the policy reset was just a name change and that New Zealand was still stuck with Three Waters.

How the recession will affect you

Lydia Ainsworth (she/her)

It is all over the news that Aotearoa is entering a recession. So, what is a recession and how are university students impacted by it?

Recession is the "prolonged downturn in economic activity", which means that while the cost of most things increase, job opportunities and pay rises decrease.

Recessions can last a few months, but the consequences such as job loss and an inability to comfortably afford basic needs such as food, power, and shelter, can last several years.

ASB’s Chief Economist Nick Tuffley said that the economic forecasts “suggests that the economy is buckling” and that inflation is expected to remain persistently high until 2024. This is going to affect students in two ways with the rising cost of living and the lack of job prospects.

While some families can put aside $150 a week to compensate for the rising cost of living, students often cannot. The maximum student loan available currently is $302.32, which once spread between rent, bills, food, and

"It's a dumb policy, we're going to repeal it and again we change the number four, end up with the number 10, and nothing else has changed so not a great start on Three Waters I would have thought from this government.”.

The Prime Minister Chris Hipkins defended the name change saying that calling it Three Waters had become ‘somewhat confused.’

"Let's call it what it is; it's about making sure we have affordable water infrastructure improvements," he said. Hipkins also confirmed that iwi would continue to have 50/50 representation on the boards, the co-governance aspect of the government's water reform has faced heavy criticism.

However, New Zealand courts have maintained that the Treaty of Waitangi gives Māori the right to have a say in the management of water services.

The ten new entities will cost more than the mega entities as the government balances giving councils more control, and convincing credit rating agencies of the balance sheet separation between councils and the entities.

With separated balance sheets, the entities can effectively borrow more than councils can, allowing them to invest in water services.

As the entities are smaller than previously proposed, they cannot borrow as much, costing taxpayers more in the long term.

Hipkins said that the proposed changes, "strikes the right balance between ensuring cost savings in the delivery of water infrastructure, while also ensuring that those water entities are strongly grounded in their local communities”.

travel, does not leave much leftover.

Stats NZ reports that since March 2022 the cost of meat has increased by 7.8% and the cost of fruit and vegetables by 22.2%. Despite the rise in fresh vegetable costs, Oxford studies suggest moving towards a partial plant-based diet is more affordable than eating dairy and meat products.

With the cost of living going up, employment following a recession is more challenging than usual for new graduates. Previous recessions show that fewer jobs will be available, with a predicted unemployment rate rising from 3.4% in December 2022 to 5.2% by 2025.

The last time unemployment of this scale occurred was during the outbreak of Covid-19.

Graduate salaries are not expected to keep up to pace with the rising cost of living as companies find themselves paying wages that no longer match the financial climate.

As a result of the recession, students expect to be impacted with a lack of job security and financial stability.

The Recap

The Recap

Crisis in Sudan: Fighting breaks out in the capital Khartoum

Heavy fighting between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary group Rapid Reaction Force (RSF) has broken out in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

There are fears that the conflict could spark a wider civil war and further destabilise the region. Hundreds have been killed and the death toll rises with supplies to the capital being cut off forcing thousands to flee the city.

The fighting began as the two Generals, who together led a coup against the government in 2021, vied for power. The de facto ruler of Sudan, Sudan’s Army General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, and the head of RSF General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo have both ruled out a ceasefire.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for a ceasefire to allow civilians to access food and medical care.

UK’s foreign Secretary James Cleverly was due to hold diplomatic meetings in Samoa and New Zealand. Those plans were cancelled as Cleverly returned early to respond to the developing crisis.

First National Party candidate selected to run in Māori electorate for 21 years

MP Harete Hipango has been selected as National’s candidate in the Māori electorate of Te Tai Hauāuru, the first National candidate selected since 2002.

National has previously opposed the Māori electoral option, which allows Māori to enrol in the Māori electoral roll and vote in Māori electorates, as opposed to the electorates made up from the general electoral roll.

Hipango said that National supported her view that the Party should further engage with Māori. She was realistic about her chance of winning the seat but said it was about National recognising the Māori seat.

The seat is currently held by Speaker of the House Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe, who isn’t contesting the seat. Instead, the frontrunners are Labour candidate Soraya Peke-Mason and Te Pāti Māori MP Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

Six of the seven Māori seats are currently held by members of Labour’s Māori caucus, the other is held by Te Pāti Māori.

Packed diplomatic calendar: The Pacific, Coronation, and NATO

The government has a packed diplomatic calendar with ministerial meetings across the pacific, the upcoming coronation, and the NATO leaders meeting in Europe.

In the Pacific, Deputy Prime Minister, and Associate Foreign Affairs (Pacific Region) Minister Carmel Sepuloni led a ministerial delegation to Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Tonga. She was accompanied by Minister for Pacific Peoples, Barbara Edmonds, and the Climate Change Minister, James Shaw.

Sepuloni said that the Pacific was the government foreign policy priority and they would work in partnership with the pacific to meet growing challenges of climate change and increasing geostrategic competition.

The Foreign Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, also travelled to Samoa and met with Samoan Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa.

The Prime Minister Chris Hipkins also announced details of his attendance in May to King Charles III’s coronation in London. In July, the PM will also travel to Vilnius, Lithuania as part of the Asia-Pacific four to attend NATO’s leaders meeting.

Russia: Putin critic jailed for 25 years and American journalist arrested Russian human rights advocate and kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza has been jailed for 25 years for criticism of Russia’s War in Ukraine.

The British-Russian, former journalist and politician is one of many Putin critics who have been arrested or forced to flee Russia. Kara-Murza has long been involved in Russian politics and has been poisoned twice.

The sentence brought widespread condemnation from human rights organisations and western governments. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said that Aotearoa stood in solidarity with KaraMurza.

This comes as Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia and charged with ‘espionage.’ WSJ denied the charged vehemently, calling for the American journalist to be released.

40 countries including New Zealand signed a US led joint statement to condemn the arrest and called for press freedom to be respected.

Matteo Zhang (he/him)

The case for "TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY"

Ask around about what the greatest hip hop album of all time is and you’ll hear answers like Nas’ Illmatic, Dr Dre’s The Chronic or Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Platinum-certified projects from OutKast, Public Enemy, and Biggie Smalls also all hold legitimate weight in the running for being crowned the best of the best. I love the absolute lack of consensus when it comes to this question.

My hip hop G.O.A.T sits far above the rest with what I believe to be the definitive two best rap records –good kid, m.A.A.d city and, my personal nod, To Pimp a Butterfly. Hailing from the storied streets of Compton, California, Kendrick Lamar has evolved musically and artistically with every passing project, but his 2015 record continues to capture and intrigue me like no other entry in his discography. Not only is he at peak performance lyrically, instrumentally, and thematically on this record, but it’s also the most ambitious development of his career especially considering how commercially successful the preceding good kid, m.A.A.d city was. I strongly believe

To Pimp a Butterfly is Kendrick’s magnum opus. Is this a contentious take? Not exactly. I’m sure many do agree. Regardless, there’s no better time than the present to delve into the case for TPAB as the greatest rap album to ever hit shelves.

Instrumentally, To Pimp a Butterfly retains the g-funk influence of good kid, m.A.A.d city with the trademark wobbling basslines of L.A and west coast synth whistles, both being core to the opening track Wesley’s Theory. These ground the record in familiarity and thematically contribute towards continuing the story of the “good kid” from Compton. Where TPAB sets itself apart from GKMC is in how it triples down on the stripped-down jazz beats of his debut studio album Section.80, fully adopting spiralling jazz arrangements. The For Free? interlude especially revels in this, featuring chaotic spoken word from Lamar over frenzied, swinging jazz percussion. TPAB is ultimately a true culmination of his prior projects. The end product is a sonically rich celebration of African American music history, drawing from soul, funk, jazz, and west coast hip hop to form a distinctly cohesive sound.

While good kid, m.A.A.d city kept a keen eye and tight scope on the streets, To Pimp a Butterfly dives headfirst into the concepts that drive the environment of the “mad city.” In his exploration and expression of the black experience, Kendrick keys in on American institutionalisation. Wesley’s Theory gets the ball rolling, covering the exploitation of the black creative and the materialistic seduction of corporate America. The fittingly titled Institutionalized continues on these ideas with a

Snoop Dogg feature for some West Coast flair. Tracks like these two explore the cultural consequences of the tight grasp White America has had over African American communities. What I love about these more politicallycharged tracks is that Kendrick doesn’t just give us insight into his position growing up in Compton but questions why he and his peers were subject to those conditions in the first place, putting the status quo on trial and inviting us into the answers he’s found beyond the blocks he familiarises us with on good kid, m.A.A.d city

These Walls is undeniably one of the best-written songs on the record. Its conceptual depth and execution blow me away on every listen. On it, Kendrick explores his psyche and the placement of his passion as it enables a vicious cycle of lust and violence. The triple-entendre of “the walls” is one I wish I appreciated earlier than I did. Speaking of conceptually rich tracks, despite being memed to death, u is a disgustingly poignant conversation with himself, owning up to his guilt and the resentment he holds towards himself. The discomfort and disturbance Kendrick imbues in this track instrumentally and lyrically is incredible and the hurt you can hear in his tortured voice adds to the atmosphere. Later on in the record, i acts as a mirror to u as Kendrick finds the love for himself, he’d been lacking, finding the self-esteem he’d been looking for in the face of adversity.

Now, enough about the themes and messaging. Where are the bangers? I will admit that this is a major advantage good kid, m.A.A.d city holds over To Pimp a Butterfly. When it comes to AUX-worthy tracks, TPAB doesn’t compete with Backseat Freestyle, Money Trees, and Swimming Pools in terms of “banger” quality. Alright headlines the album in replay value. An anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement, Kendrick delivers on a track of reassurance with a flow for the history books. During the second verse, his flow replicates percussives and is addictive beyond belief. It also features one of my favourite bars from him, that being “I rap, I black on track so rest assured // my rights, my wrongs; I write 'til I'm right with God.” KingKunta oozes confidence and is an absolute head-bobber with its west coast production. Featuring one of Kendrick’s catchiest choruses, King Kunta still makes interesting commentary on the dynamics of Kendrick’s then newfound position in the upper echelons of hip hop but can slide under the radar and just be enjoyed for the bop it is. The Blacker the Berry has sinister production backing Kendrick’s aggressive delivery. A spin

“America takes the heart and soul out of the black man”

Tim Smith (he/him)

BUTTERFLY"

on 2Pac’s Keep Ya Head Up, a positive feminist anthem for black women, The Blacker The Berry subverts the lyric “some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice // I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots” to “the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice // the blacker the berry, the bigger I shoot”. As the hardest track on the record, The Blacker the Berry sees Kendrick air his frustrations with the societal struggles and street violence that concern him and face up to his own hypocritical stance regarding the latter.

Starting at King Kunta, over the course of the record Kendrick line-by-line builds a poem which is fully read out on the closing track Mortal Man. He talks of the corruptive properties of power and influence and how his abuse of such has weighed on his conscience. In facing his internal struggle, Kendrick’s search for answers brought him back to Compton where his return incited a realisation of the new war he was facing. With new knowledge and life experience, Kendrick was able to see the larger fight at hand, beyond the gang wars of Compton (good kid, m.A.A.d city) to the collective war against institutionalised racism (To Pimp a Butterfly).

At the end of the full-length poem, it’s revealed that Kendrick was reading it out to none other than Tupac. Splicing sound bites from a 1994 interview, Lamar spends the last 6 minutes of the record picking Pac’s mind over a subtle jazz backing track. Pac discusses wealth inequality and the self-empowerment he acquired in working his way up through an institutionally racist system while giving back to his community where he could. TPAB was initially titled Tu Pimp a Caterpillar (Tu.P.A.C) but was changed to “Butterfly” to connotatively contrast “Pimp.” This change resonates with the overarching thematic intentions of the album, highlighting the juxtaposition of

the violent control of American institutions and the empowering freedom of thinking beyond it.

In his poem, Kendrick is the caterpillar but simultaneously the butterfly. The caterpillar represents the “good kid,” adapting to survive in its given environment. The cocoon represents the intellectual demobilisation enforced by institutionalisation. Tupac also talks on this, stating that “America takes the heart and soul out of the black man.” With new knowledge from his travels and expanded worldview, Kendrick escapes institutionalisation and the newly emerged butterfly “sheds light on situations that the caterpillar never considered, ending the internal struggle.” To Pimp a Butterfly is a grand tribute to everything that encapsulates hip hop. It’s elegant, it’s gritty, but most of all it’s challenging in the best ways possible and vaulted Kendrick Lamar into serious contention for being the greatest rapper to pick up a mic.

Parasocial relationships Parasocial relationships

relationships redefining human connection

If you’ve fallen victim to the grief from the highly-publicised break up of David Dobrik and Liza Koshy, felt personally let down by Ned Fulmer’s split from the Try Guys, or chosen Selena’s side in her feud with Hailey because you ‘know she’s a better person’- congrats, you’ve got yourself into a parasocial relationship.

A parasocial relationship is defined as a one-sided relationship, in which one person expends emotional energy, interest, and time and the other person is completely unaware of the others’ existence. Ubiquitous amongst celebrities and online personalities, parasocial relationships are fundamentally changing the way we relate to people in our own lives.

These relationships aren’t always completely obsessive, but to some degree, you are investing time and energy into someone who doesn’t know you at all. So if you think you’re above a ‘psychotic’ fan girl, you’re wrong. You might not be on the same level or obsess over the same things as them, but parasocial relationships aren’t restricted to boy bands and internet stars. They cover all manners of online personas like sport stars, Twitch streamers, online gamers, and even that random person you still idolise from a few years above you at school that you follow way too closely on Instagram.

Beccy Arnold (she/her)

newfound relatability and humanisation of the illustrious realm of celebrity personas. The second change was the influx of influencers and content creators that were able to give fanbases the personal insights they had craved for decades because it was their job to communicate and connect with their followers.

Influencer culture has made the connection between online persona and fan a much more common experience. Compared to celebrity culture, where they find fame by appealing to a broad audience, influencers are creating tailored, relatable content for a targeted niche group. TikTok personality, @ladyspeechsankofa, who has over 400,000 followers on the platform, comments on the connection between influencer and follower saying that people, “think they [influencers] belong to us, which they do in a public sphere, but they don’t belong to us in a personal sphere.” This distinction is what distinguishes a parasocial relationship from simply following an online persona. Parasocial relationships mean people feel emotionally connected to that person, and that they owe them something as they’ve invested so much into that relationship. Sankofa continues on to say, “it can be forgotten that your favourite social media figures are just humans, not idols. Because of social media, they get the celebrity treatment”.

The commercialisation of social media has made us confuse influencers as being our friends, when they’re ultimately just an entertainment outlet looking for a way to earn fame and money by preying on our insecurities. As real as these relationships feel, they’re so one-sided they aren’t really a relationship at all, but an unrequited interest.

Before the rise of internet and social media culture, relationships between celebrities and everyday people were restricted to the content celebrities put out themselves. For actors, you could watch their films or shows, but couldn't see what they had for breakfast on Instagram. People could get close to musicians during one of their concerts, but the only lasting thing that remained was probably just a t-shirt from their merch stands and a few fuzzy film photos. Personal information on celebrities was limited so only a certain level of obsession could be reached when people knew next to nothing about them.

Since the internet and social media began to unveil the mystery of the modern celebrity, information became so readily available that speculation and fandom culture was ignited, fanning the flames of parasocial relationships. In the early 2000s, popular media sites like Wikipedia, Reddit and Tumblr allowed people to share their obsession with like-minded individuals, creating a sense of normality with their level of fascination with celebrities. People would expend inordinate amounts of time and emotional energy learning every aspect of their chosen persons’ life.

The emergence of Instagram, Twitter and more recently, TikTok, has changed celebrity culture in two major ways. The first being the ability for celebrities to talk back to their fanbase, stimulating parasocial relationships with the

Parasocial relationships have us believing that the persona we see online is real because we feel like we know every aspect of their lives. But social media is almost always just a highlight reel of someone’s life. As much as some influencers show, there are always going to be elements they miss or subtle biases that make us see them the way they want to be seen. When this flows into our personal relationships with our friends, we might see their online presence as who they are, even though they’re just presenting a certain side of their life.

Online parasocial relationships slowly flow into our inperson relationships, and when this happens, it devastates relationships because we don’t learn what relationships should be, in the way of reciprocated energy. Could this be the epicentre of hook-up culture and emotional distance in relationships? Having spent our essential teenage years living in a social media landscape that did not have the same filters of political correctness. Perhaps we have internalised the view that even if we’re completely obsessed with someone, they don’t even have to know who we are, let alone reciprocate our actions or emotions.

Growing up in an online era has no doubt changed our generation, but as the digital landscape continues to morph exponentially, particularly with the rise of AI and digital AI ‘friends’ (I’m talking about you, my AI), could the continuation of parasocial relationships be detrimental to our actual relationships?

“It can be forgotten that your favourite social media figures are just humans, not idols. Because of social media, they get the celebrity treatment”

I’ve had Twitter for a long time. Too long. So long that I wasn’t even technically old enough to have an account when I started mine, don’t tell Elon. In all my years of doom-scrolling I’ve seen about as much cinema discourse as it’s possible to experience – apologies to my Cinema Studies lecturers for the misuse of the term. The argument that pulled me to the edge was the recent chaos around the ‘necessity’ of sex scenes in film. Many users held the opinion that sex scenes have no place in modern movies, especially if they’re extraneous to the plot. On some level I do understand this viewpoint. Movie-watching is often a group experience, and while intimate scenes can be funny with friends, or exciting with partners, no one likes watching them with their family. Unless you’re the Freuds.

Some movies do use the opportunity of a sex scene to objectify a female character. These are usually directed by men without intimacy coordinators, sticking out as gratuitous and

misogynistic. Despite my rampant bisexuality, even I have grown exhausted by cameras creepily lingering on a nude woman while ignoring the body of her fully clothed male partner. But I don’t think we should do away with sex scenes entirely. IMDb’s Parents Guide and doesthedogdie.com have made it easy to check the content of films before viewing them, and there are plenty of movies to choose from to keep your night cringefree. I suggest Stuart Little 2.

The objectification of women is a larger problem; it’s not one that can be fixed by cutting all depictions of fucking. The ratings classifications system plays a major role in what gets to the screen. American films of the eighties benefited from the newly introduced PG-13 rating, which allowed for sexual references in films meant to appeal to families: a supernatural blowjob in Ghostbusters, scantily-clad cartoons in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and David Bowie’s ballfondling in Labyrinth. Now, sex scenes pull films

Charlotte Thornton (she/her)

This article contains spoilers for Eternals (2021). But it’s Eternals, so, yeah.

all the way up to an R. If you’ve got an R rating anyway, you’re free to get pretty graphic, so some filmmakers really go broke. This has led to sex-heavy movies that imitate pornography and glamorize unhealthy sexual dynamics. 365 Days and the notorious Fifty Shades series come to mind.

For the most part, recent mainstream films avoid sex scenes entirely for commercial reasons. With an age restriction comes a smaller audience, and less money. In 1986, Top Gun had an overthe-top, backlit, Madonna-soundtracked love scene lasting over a minute. Last year’s sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, had a single shot of Jennifer Connelly laying down before cutting to postcoital cuddling. No one’s hair was even mussed. Snooze.

One of my favourite film essays is the legendary "Everyone is Beautiful and No One is Horny" from 2021, written by RS Benedict for Blood Knife. It’s instantly clear which franchise the article takes aim at: the banner image is an oiled-up Chris Evans, freshly released from his Captain America super-serum machine. Those movies are weird.

"Everyone is Beautiful" has become one of the Internet’s central texts on the sexuality of modern cinema. Benedict describes how the actors in major franchises are, “more physically perfect than ever,” but that, “even when they have sex, no one is horny… no one is hungry for anyone else.” It’s still appealing to see hot people onscreen, but it’s not profitable to let them have sex.

While the more moralistic issues certainly merit discussion, I think this is actually what audiences are truly tired of. I can understand why filmgoers have started to wilt when they sense an oncoming fireplace-and-R&B-slow-jam combo. While the few intimate scenes we have are supposed to be ‘intimate,’ they are so censored and focusgrouped that they feel clinical.

Later in 2021, Eternals made headlines for this exact problem. Going into it, I expected a more prestige offering than usual, it was directed by Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao and marketed as the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film with a sex scene. I went to see the movie in theatres, and it was anything but sexy. A decent way through a bloated runtime, lead characters Sersi and Ikaris to have missionary sex on a rock, surely not comfortable. The dialogue is bland, the music is generic, and the colour grading is

muggy. Most importantly, we’re missing a key component of a good sex scene: chemistry. Gemma Chan and Richard Madden are beautiful people and excellent actors. They do a fantastic job of the film otherwise. But there’s no sense of sexual tension – not helped by the fact that Sersi’s other love interest has already been introduced, and her romantic dynamic with him is far more believable.

There’s no nudity. The sex itself is shown for no more than fifteen seconds. It basically amounts to a few kisses and a long hug. Womp-womp.

Strangely, Eternals ends up as one of the sexiest Marvel films anyway, no credit to this scene. During filming, Zhao noticed chemistry between Barry Keoghan’s morally-dubious Druig and Lauren Ridloff’s gentle Makkari. She added a couple of new moments to create a new romantic subplot. With a runtime of two hours and thirtyseven minutes, these parts don’t stick out as filler; instead, these two become the freshest and sexiest Marvel pairing in years.

So was the sex scene the problem? If a few mumbled compliments were hotter than sex on a rock – sorry, still not past that, doesn’t that prove sex scenes should be cut?

I don’t think so. What makes Eternals’ sex scene so lifeless is that while it’s intended to serve a narrative purpose, to establish the romantic leads as deeply connected, they forgot to add romance or tenderness. People were having sex, but no one was horny.

We shouldn’t leave sex scenes in the past. These days society seems to be leaning a little puritanical, and I think that’s a major step back. Yes, people fuck, and yes, that’s great. These scenes might not be necessary, but since when are gunfights and explosions ‘necessary’?

There are some great steps forward. Streaming television has allowed for some fun, healthy sex scenes. Sex Education’s are realistic, often hilarious, and all but one (trust me) of Bridgerton’s are appealing and exciting. I hope that mainstream film can take a few cues.

With an intimacy coordinator and some more creative diversity, sex scenes in the coming years (ha) could really change the media landscape. Let people be horny.

RENTERS UNITED HOUSING... IT'S AN ISSUE

Your rent is too expensive; your home is damp, mouldy, poorly insulated, and literally making you sick. Few are able to afford to stay in the same home long-term. You’re not equipped to assert your rights, and even if you can, rules are rarely enforced.

There is a reason renting is this way. For a long time, renting was seen as a temporary stage for young people, or those who’d made bad financial decisions. It’s becoming more obvious than ever how untrue this is. We’ve been left with a society and a legal system that is deeply weighted against renters, and privileges property over people, time and time again.

But it can (and should) be better. That’s where Renters United comes in.

When we first set out, we noticed that there wasn’t a real vision of what renting could be. In 2018, with the help of Action Station, we held a bunch of meetings in town halls where we heard what our communities had to say about renting in Aotearoa. From there, we worked with a team of policy thinkers to develop a programme to make solutions happen. Our Plan to Fix Renting was born—a comprehensive list of policies that we believe would (you guessed it) fix renting! You can find the full plan on our website but its four focuses are:

Stable Homes

A secure and stable home is essential for wellbeing. You should not withhold reporting problems for fear of unreasonable eviction. You should be able to make your rented property a home. It’s time to change the perception of renters as visitors in their communities who can never put down roots. We advocate for something called ‘security of tenure’: the right you have to remain in your home and that there should be a good reason for you to be compelled to leave. Introducing security of tenure will reduce transience (how often you have to move), strengthen community engagement, improve educational and environmental outcomes, and give renters the protection needed to live in dignity.

Fair Rent

Everyone should be able to afford a decent place to live. Renters should not face frequent and unpredictable rent rises. Instead, renters should know that our rent has been set fairly and that it isn’t the result of landlords exploiting supply shortages or other factors. The fact you and your friends are spending more than ⅔ of your student allowance just on rent to study in the same city as your university is due

to deliberate choices to overcharge and exploit housing shortages, at your (literal) expense. Rent prices should be set based on mutual affordability, not on what the absolute maximum a property owner can extract from you is.

Safe & Healthy Homes

All rental housing should be warm, healthy, and safe. Much of our private rental housing stock is cold, draughty, and poorly maintained, but you know that, you’re probably living in it! Even where legal standards do exist, the burden of enforcing these standards falls on individual renters. Poor-quality rental housing makes renters sick and costs our health system millions of dollars every year. We need higher standards and real enforcement that ensures that the burden does not fall on renters themselves.

Meaningful Enforcement

The system to sort out tenancy-related disputes must be fair, timely, and well-resourced. The current system relies on you having endless time and energy to sort out problems. If you’re reading this, you’re probably studying full time, and you’re probably also working to make ends meet. You don’t have the time to be in the Tenancy Tribunal representing and advocating for yourself. Your landlord does. The system is not weighted in your favour. We need better mediation services, a Tenancy Tribunal that genuinely enforces the law, and proper regulation of property managers and landlords.

Housing is a human right, and human rights should not be bought and sold for profit. Renters United will continue to fight to improve individual pieces of legislation, to ensure our elected representatives listen to our communities, and to reframe what we as a society think renting is.

Renting can be better. We need your help with all the kinds of activism we undertake. Whatever your capacity, skills, or specific passions, we have something for you! If you’re keen to get amongst our mahi, or to learn more about Renters United, head to our website: rentersunited.org.nz. You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, or email us at inbox@rentersunited.org.nz.

Renters United, in collaboration with Lawrence & Gibson, recently published a special edition of the novel Rat King Landlord by Murdoch Stephens to be given away for free. It features 16 new illustrations and a healthy amount of prorenter resources. We’re hosting a Christchurch Launch event on Saturday 6th of May at 3PM in the Toi Auaha Community Arts Centre, where you can meet our team and grab a copy, as well as hear more about our plans to make renting better for all.

Éimhín O'Shea (he/him)

Dear Elon

Tim Smith (he/him)

In a post-lockdown world, I found solace in Twitter. For someone like me – a self-proclaimed professional basketball addict – Twitter, when compared to the likes of Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit presented the ideal medium for allowing the sort of intellectually challenging yet easy-flowing discussion I was looking for.

In saying that, I am so glad I outgrew my need for using Twitter to make connections and progress my hoops career at the time I did, because since then Elon has delivered a masterclass in running a company into the ground and destabilising niche online communities.

I don’t tweet as much as I used to, but my interactions have always exclusively been related to basketball development and the odd music tweet here and there. So, tell me why a good quarter of my “for you” page now consists of Andrew Tate apologists, the deadest meme pages imaginable, and (most curiously) various conservative American politicians spewing nonsensical hate. Maybe it’s my identified demographic – male, early 20s – influencing this aggressive push of alt-right content on my completely non-political basketball account.

The recent change to remove the context for why a particular tweet is appearing on your “for you” feed is a sneaky move. No longer does it show whether a tweet is visible because it was followed or liked by someone you know or because it is being promoted through the platform. This allows less desirable content to slide its way into your feed a little more seamlessly. While you can find out why it is showing by tapping on the tweet, giving it an extra impression just counts as offering more engagement and opening the door for similar posts to appear.

Why not just use the “following” tab instead then? It’s not that simple a fix my friend. Some accounts I liked posts for everyday now no longer appear in the “for you” tab for me, and I’d like to think I’m not chronically online enough to keep up with those in the “following” tab. What an impressive lose-lose situation Elon has brought upon us. All enabled by Twitter Blue, where for $13 bucks per month, Twitter can be marginally closer to what it was mere months ago.

Twitter Blue itself is a whole other issue and it is hilarious to see people such as LeBron James openly condemn it. What was once a way to prove your earned importance and negate the effectiveness of impersonators is now

a paywall to being able to upload longer videos and italicise your tweets. Once again, Elon shows that he doesn’t quite understand the point of otherwise basic social media elements.

I don’t think I need to go into why the new verification system is dumb and will open the floodgates for celebrity impersonators manipulating the naive. One feature I do think is worth touching on for how interesting stupid it is increasing the character limit on tweets for paying users. This move shows a clear misunderstanding on Elon’s behalf of how social media platforms vary and subsequently function.

Even with the homogenisation of social media platforms, evident through the widespread adoption of stories and TikTok/reel style videos, each app applies limitations to the content you can post, which further dictates and fosters the style of communication between users. For a rudimentary example, Instagram is picture oriented, prioritising visual information over written content. For Twitter, the character limit gives way for short and snappy comments. This limitation encourages free-flowing conversations as opposed to long-form opinion pieces. Now with some users being able to put their thesis paper in a single post, this whole concept is thrown out the window.

It’s pretty obvious that this change is a move that aligns with Elon’s plans for an “everything app.” In midApril, Musk merged the Twitter company with X Corp, accelerating his move towards hosting a platform that will be so abundant in features that it sounds like a clusterfuck waiting to happen.

One of the funniest by-products of Elon’s unstable handling of the site has been the way in which he has transformed entire communities into digital doomsday preppers, forever wary of the site’s ability to implode. On several occasions a grand majority of people in my circles have insistently plugged their other socials, hoping to not lose contact with people if an Elon temper tantrum is to occur. Funnily enough though, for a brief day or two during the peak of these concerns, linking alternative social media was prohibited from Twitter and could result in suspension.

With every passing day we step closer towards holding a fully-fledged funeral for Twitter. In the meantime, I’ll be crossing my fingers and hoping for a rival company to emerge so everyone can mutually agree to jump ship and life on the web can continue on as usual.

Shop till you Shop till you Shop till you Shop till you

Shop till you

My childhood was basically the Antiques Roadshow. My mum, aunt and grandma (three different people, to be clear) used to take me antiquing on weekends, driving around second-hand stores and garage sales in search of pretty pillows, floral tapestries and bargain scarves.

On one of those days, I sat in the back of my mum’s crumbling Nissan Prairie and absentmindedly scratched every inch of my body, overjoyed at the math book I’d found for 50c. The next day I found out I had chicken pox. I still fear for every stuffed animal I came across that day.

As I got older, I stopped searching for math books and started looking for jewellery, trinkets, and finally, clothes. I’ll admit I didn’t invent second-hand shopping, contrary to popular belief. But it’s now a massive industry, focused mainly on clothes, slightly Americanised as ‘thrifting’.

Thrifting is big. Really big. According to the New Zealand Herald, preowned clothing resales grew 270% from 2021 to 2022. This uptick is guided by young buyers and sellers, who often manage their sales online; 90% of Depop users are under the age of 26.

This surge in popularity came from a few places. Gen Z are concerned about climate change, and the environmental impacts of fast fashion are welldocumented. The cyclical nature of fashion means that Y2K is in, so all the Pagani maxi skirts and tank tops stuffed in closets have an appealing, authentic look. And it’s nice to know you’re not buying from a megacorporation.

Joshua Brosnahan, coincidentally a former CANTA editor, runs the second-hand shop Booteek in the BOXed Quarter.

“It’s a consignment store, I sell on behalf of approximately forty local and international resellers that mostly sell on Instagram. I feel Booteek takes the hassle and administrative stress out of having a physical outlet for resellers and thrifters,” Joshua said.

He believes that the popularity of thrifting also comes from a cultural shift. “I feel like the past few years have been chaos on this earth… and people want to go back to a time when things were simple.”

There are a lot of benefits to thrifting, but in 2023, pricing is no longer one of them. As a buyer I’ve visited all types of stores, online and off, and in recent years, it seems that even charity shops and for-profit donation warehouses have veered into prestige pricing.

Back in the Disney Channel-tinged haze of 2008 Christchurch, you would have to be insane to pay more than $10 for a piece of second-hand clothing. In the fifteen years since, the amount of clothing that’s been mass-produced is eye-wateringly large. The quality of these new clothes has drifted considerably, meaning some stores are overloaded with cheaplymade items.

I spoke to some long time thrifters to see what they thought. Pōneke-based Luka Piripi has been into second-hand clothing since 2018; Rose Hubble is a self-proclaimed “thrift OG”; and my mum, Jane McLauchlan, of course drove that famous Nissan Prairie to every op shop in the ‘03.

Each of them said that the magic of thrifting comes from rifling through bins to uncover brilliant, unique items. Jane shared: “the joy of [thrifting] is never knowing what you’ll find on the rack.”

It can take a lot of time to find the pieces you want; Rose said that it’s important to “go in without expectations… it’s something that if you do it consistently, that’s when you find good things.”

Luka said, “sometimes you will leave with jack shit and sometimes you will literally leave with bags of hidden gems!” The other day I trawled endlessly through Depop until I happened upon an unlicensed, custom McDonald’s Frappe shirt from the 2000s. In my size. Reader, I nearly cried.

But time is money and waiting on that ‘perfect piece’ can be painful when you’ve found it for cheap on Shein. (Or when I’ve already bought it. Sorry, It’s a great shirt).

But it’s important to remember that we can’t devour the market entirely, which leaves poor communities just with fast fashion. Everyone deserves high-quality, ethical, comfortable clothing that lasts for years. Reduce, reuse, recycle – review, re-wear, repop.

I try to follow slow fashion – only buying second-hand or ethically made clothes from small businesses, but

Charlotte Thornton (she/her) Charlotte Thornton (she/her)

you cop

you cop you cop you cop you cop

this is an immensely privileged position. Even if some thrift shops are roughly equal to fast fashion prices, there are other factors at play that make thrifting less accessible.

Physical second-hand stores are often a bit out-of-the-way, tucked between churches and residential buildings or out in the wop-wops, with only a few spots of paid parking available. Basically every mall has an H&M, Glasson’s, or a Warehouse, if not all three, and there’s free parking for several hours.

Online thrifting doesn’t have the drama that comes with physical locations. I use Depop to resell the vintage clothes I have bought over many years; but there’s no rules against buying up on-trend second-hand items from physical stores and reselling them at a premium.

Speaking on her experience buying from Depop Rose said, “I’d be able to tell when, like, you just went to Toff’s and you raided it for all the actual good stuff and now you’re selling it for more than two dollars, thanks a lot!”

Accessibility used to be the greatest appeal of thrifting, and I fear it’s this aspect that’s fallen the furthest.

Jane explained, “I would say – over the past five years, probably, there’s been a big price increase. […] It’s actually the prices they’re putting on some pretty substandard quality stuff.”

Joshua agreed that resellers are moving prices up across thrift stores. “I started Booteek as an antidote to the stores selling $150 single stitch tees and extremely fatigued American workwear. Most of our stock rotates around the $30 mark. There are higher priced items, but you’ll find they’re few and far between.”

Thrifting is no longer a closely-held secret. “You don’t find good quality shit for $2 anymore!” Luka said. The luck of the draw is still enticing; perhaps now it’s not about getting lucky with a gold-coin pair of jeans, but with quality pieces that don’t tear apart a (digital) pay-check.

It’s tough not to close with the good ol’ ‘there is no ethical consumption under capitalism’. I can’t rag on twenty-year-old Depoppers too hard when I’m one of their devoted clients. It’s actually one of the more honourable hustles you could find yourself in.

Rethinking academia the age of AI

Beccy Arnold (she/her)

In the ever-evolving landscape of academia, a seismic shift is underway as artificial intelligence (AI) disrupts traditional educational paradigms. With AI technologies advancing at an unprecedented pace, the value of education is being redefined, and academia is racing to adapt to the changing times. The traditional model of academia, where students acquire knowledge in a linear fashion and rely heavily on human expertise, is undergoing a profound transformation. With AI revolutionising industries and job markets, the value of education is being redefined, and academia is adapting to keep pace with these changes.

Thank you, ChatGPT, for that little introduction - oh yeah, AI wrote that by the way.

The simple prompt of “write an introduction for an article about AI, academia and the changing value of our education,” resulted in this short paragraph popping up a few seconds later. ChatGPT is still lacking in the creative writing area because that intro sounds more like an essay than a creative article, despite me telling it to “make it less academic,” to which it responded with “discover Artificial Intelligence within your academic practices today!”

Not quite what I was after.

But while it has yet to advance into quality journalism, ChatGPT and other AI platforms are firmly charging towards other forms of writing, varying from songs, resumes, articles, letters, and essays. Since Open AI released ChatGPT in November of last year, it’s now in its fourth phase with a mobile app available for download.

As the use of AI becomes increasingly ubiquitous across the globe, tertiary institutions are scrambling to find ways to combat students using AI and claiming the work as their own. The University of Canterbury have a new subsection under their FAQs titled “AI Generated Text” which states, “while you may be tempted to use AI text generators like ChatGPT, please be aware that using such text in your assignments will amount to academic misconduct, unless your lecturers have

stated that this is allowed and you follow their instructions as to how you should do this.”

An article released by The Spinoff in February revealed that New Zealand’s eight universities aim to align their AI policies, though each one will differ slightly. Currently, The University of Auckland has left it up to the academic staffs’ discretion as to what the students can use in terms of AI, telling their staff on their website to “decide on what stance your course is taking to the use of AI generative tools. Communicate this decision clearly to students.”

Other NZ tertiary institutions like Victoria University (VUW) have released statements to students earlier this year, warning them that “using ChatGPT would likely be a violation of the university’s academic integrity policy,” as reported by Salient, VUW’s student magazine in midMarch. In the same article, it was revealed that a VUW student used ChatGPT to create essay plans and to process notes for multiple assignments, for which they received an A grade. At the time, Turnitin had yet to create AI detection software and VUW “is not encouraging staff to use technologies like GPTZero to combat the use of AI; detection technology is too unreliable yet.”

Turnitin, one of the most common plagiarism detection services used in tertiary institutions, has only recently begun to detect AI in academic assignments. It will show the level of AI used in the text, much like the similarity report that students may already be familiar with. Elise Victor who runs AI Tools + ChatGPT on TikTok, claimed that lecturers in the US will see the AI report percentage threshold at 21% because “the guidance they’re given is that anything over 21% is a 90% confidence that AI did actually write the paper.” She tested this against GBTZero, Tertiary

“We should worry about ChatGPT but we should not panic about ChatGPT”

academia in

institutions across the globe are another AI detection service, and she believes Turnitin to be better than any other AI detection tool on the market right now.

Acknowledging the rapid advancements of AI like ChatGPT and how they affect the education sector is key. Harvard University released a video on their TikTok account featuring Psychology Professor Steven Pinker explaining what ChatGPT is, claiming “we should worry about ChatGPT but we should not panic about ChatGPT.” Pinker also states that it “doesn’t know anything, it doesn’t have a factual database,” despite having just said that the AI chatbot has “basically slurped up the entire internet.” Needless to say, the comments on the video were ruthless. One user commented, “tell me you haven’t used ChatGPT without telling me you haven’t used ChatGPT.”

Amongst the educational videos from well-meaning academics, there are countless accounts teaching people to use AI to their advantage without breaching academic integrity policies. Instead of copying and pasting a text from ChatGPT and claiming it as your own, these creators are teaching people how AI can be used in the creation process to aid students rather than do all the work for them. They suggest using AI tools in a way like Grammarly or Quillbot so students are still upskilling themselves but making life a little simpler.

So is AI simply the newest installation in the digitalisation of academia?

Over the past 20 years, digital tools like Google Scholar and JSTOR have dramatically altered how students’ access and utilise information. Editing software like Grammarly and Quillbot are also ways for students to improve their writing without improving their skill level which is an element synonymous with ChatGPT. Even the fact that essays can be typed rather than hand-written is a huge advantage that students wouldn’t have had a few decades ago.

The integration of AI in academia is not a trend, but a transformative force that demands a proactive mindset and a willingness to embrace change.

UC Women in Engineering

Kia ora!

My name is Esther and I am the President of Women in Engineering this year. I’m a final year Mechatronics student and you’ll probably find me in Engcore 90% of my life. I am lucky enough to work with 14 incredible wāhine on our exec that make all our events happen all year long.

Tell us a bit about Women In Eng!

Women in Eng was formed in 1999 to support female students studying engineering. Currently, the engineering industry is only around 15% women and around 40% of these women leave the profession within their first four years. The aim of our club is to run high quality events that support young women to build networks and develop confidence, so they can be part of redefining the image of engineers in New Zealand. Our club promotes building a community that wants to change the culture in engineering to increase the longevity of females careers in industry.

Contrary to our name our club is open to absolutely anyone who wants to be a member, no matter your gender or degree you’re studying! The foundation our club is built on is being accepting of everyone no matter what background you come from. We plan our events to feel inclusive and diverse and a welcoming environment for everyone to join in.

What are some of the events or activities you have planned for the year?

We run three types of events throughout the year including networking, academic and social events. We run an event almost every week of the year so keep up with our Facebook and Instagram to hear what’s coming up.

Our mentoring programme is next up, where we pair up students with industry professionals to gain advice and mentorship throughout the year. Our speaker series, diversity evening, cocktail networking night and engineering challenge all bring in engineers in industry to develop those crucial connections that make applying for jobs so much easier. We also have wellness events, like trips to the hot pools and yoga, run each study week and free lunch for all members every day of study week!

Finally we have a full roster of social events including a flat crawl with Women in Business and Women in Law, our annual Wine and Cheese night and the infamous Women in Engineering $2 BYO all still to come this year.

Promote your club to a newbie, how would you sell it?

Engineering students needing to gain those 800 hours before you graduate? We run a heap of networking events all year long so you can test out your best networking skills with industry professionals and hopefully gain a few connections

Not an engineering student but just want to get in on the fun? Head along to our social events to meet some epic new

people.

Almost all of our events are free for members and with a $5 membership fee and free lunch everyday of study week, talk about bang for your buck !!

How can people get involved?

studying?

What Crisis Are You?

Single It's complicated

Climate Crisis

The little flat veggie garden was all your idea except all the plants aren’t, um… alive. Oh, but you’ve always been passionate about the environment, and back in high school you went to a School Strike for Climate, once you figured out, you’d miss a day of school. Put the keep cup down and give your veggie garden a bit of love, Climate Crisis.

Financial Crisis

Hmmm, budgeting? Non-existent, unfortunately. You’re a sucker for retail therapy and the postman knows you by name. Cost of living has hit you hard but you’ve just chosen to buy your third iced oat milk vanilla latte instead of buying your weekly groceries, so it’s probably not inflations’ fault that you’re broke. that

Quarter-Life Crisis

You’re a post-grad millennial who just can’t seem to leave uni for good. ‘22’ by Taylor Swift just doesn’t relate to you anymore and that breaks your heart more than your break up with that long-term partner who caused your quarterlife crisis.

Housing Crisis

You couldn’t find a flat that met your standards so you’ve moved back in with your parents. And honestly? It’s the best decision you've ever made. While your mates are freezing in their grotty flats, you’ve just sat down to a home-cooked meal with the heat pump blasting and a metaphorical pocket full of cash. Slay.

Existential Crisis

You’ve been listening to too many self-help podcasts and saving inspirational quotes on Pinterest that now you’ve filled up at least 3 journals with your existential thoughts. Maybe it’s time to move onto a cheaper brand of journals, unless you want to become Financial Crisis.

Ft: Xavier Moir UCSA Engagement Officer

What would you like baby Xavier to know?

Would probably tell him that wanting to get a Math degree was not gonna work. Would've saved him from changing his degree around 12 times since (not an exaggeration). Would also tell him to make the most of the only year he'd get without COVID, it was gonna be a bumpy ride, but would reassure him that he'd survive and eventually thrive.

Tell us a bit about your fresher self

I was quite reserved and shy, not quite sure of myself and where I was going. Bit of an anxious mess and had a lot of learning to do (which is still true but we're further along that journey now). I became a bit of a social butterfly though, a change of pace from high school for sure, and was very eager to make the most of my time here.

What was your biggest fresher fail?

Me and my friend group being an absolute menace on the 4th floor of the library. Mixture of unhinged and meaningful chats took place around that one table we claimed to ourselves for the year. Basically made the entire area in our proximity impossible to study at so apologies to anyone who had to experience that.

Describe your best first year memory

Really anything to do with UniLife. Helped me so much with boosting my confidence and getting me started on the right foot in my first year. Big shout out to our leaders Mel and Bianca. Had a good enough time to come back as a leader myself for two years which was incredibly rewarding. Set me on a really positive path towards where I am now.

Apply

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Bariz Shah Nawawi Center Here for Good Scholarship recipient

FLAT FAMOUS

@notoverthehedge

Nickname: Reido

Flat Role: Only one who has a vape

Dustiest Moment: Falling asleep on the side of the road

Ruby

Nickname: Rob

Flat Role: Being mean

Dustiest Moment: Chunnying in Caitlin’s mums car on the way to Electric Ave

Ele Nickname: Smeleanor

Flat Role: Bringing the group average up

Dustiest Moment: Hooking up with an Uber driver for a free ride

Nickname: Luce

Flat Role: Landlord

Dustiest Moment: Getting with the neighbour

Caitlin

Nickname: Quinny

Flat Role: Dealer

Dustiest Moment: Hitting on freshers

Maia

Nickname: Trooper

Flat Role: The slob

Dustiest Moment: Getting tackled down the hill at RNV

Scott Robertson announces his team to coach the All Blacks to victory

Post-world cup, Scott Robertson is the man who will be taking over as head coach of the All Blacks. He is proving that he will breathe a fresh breath of air into the All Blacks with every decision he makes.

In a new turn of events, Robertson has selected four assistant coaches to the selection table. He has made his selections based off of knowledge and also experience. By bringing in current Blues coach, Leon Macdonald and current Hurricanes coach, Jason Holland, Robertson is essentially creating a coaching group made up of the coaches of the three consistently best teams in the Super Rugby.

Current head coach of the Crusaders, Robertson brings in two Crusaders experts with him for the top job, Jason Ryan, and Scott Hanson. The connection these three already have from coaching the Crusaders will be monumental for the new team.

This new, fresh approach to the coaching team for the All Blacks could be what they need to be the best in the world again. The true test will be in 2024 when ‘Razor’ Robertson takes over from Ian Foster.

Adelaide United v Perth Glory: A fight of the ages

A ridiculous amount of goals were seen in the game between Adelaide United and Perth Glory.

The A-League match deserved an A+ for amount of goals scored as a whopping eight goals were scored in the game. It was at the 99th minute of the game where Adelaide United’s 17-year-old Nestory Irankunda scored the eighth goal in the match tying the game 4 – 4. A classic nailbiter between the two sides was one which had everyone at the edge of their seats.

Coach of the Perth side, Ruben Zadkovich was fuming over his sides draw. Especially as they were leading at the 90th minute of the game. Carl Vearts’ side, Adelaide, remains second on the table taking home a point after the eventful match. On the flip side, Glory are three points behind the Wellington Phoenix who are in sixth-place.

This match was definitely the equaliser of the season.

Will Mason follows family sporting success

Will Mason has incredibly big shoes to fill out on the yacht. This is because he is following in the footsteps of his father, Matthew Mason, who has lifted the America’s Cup not just once, but four times.

Matthew Mason, the man, the myth the legend, has always said that he has loved sailing from the very start. Now it seems that sailing runs in his DNA, being passed down to Will, his son.

At just 14 years old, Will was crowned the national champion in the Starling class, only five days after winning the Optimist national title. At the Starling event, he won four of 10 races, managing to beat 49 other competitors. Amazingly, he had only been sailing the boat for the last three months.

The Starling is a very popular single-handed dingy that is known as a transitional youth class for sailors that are up to 70 kgs. Will is only 51 kgs and was one of the smallest boys on the course. Regardless of his size, he went on to win the Starling title at his first attempt.

As the saying goes, like father, like son.

Steph Curry’s “time out” mishap

There’s nothing more embarrassing than having an untied shoelace on court or even falling over. Well, Steph Curry did something even worse; he managed to call an imaginary timeout without realising the team had none left, leading to him almost costing the Golden State Warriors the win.

Although they did still take out the game against the Kings, this was a crucial play-off game, one the defending champions didn’t want to let slide from beneath them. Steph Curry thought it was going to be the smartest play in the world, re-living his mistake in a post-match press conference.

The 126 – 125 win was truly a nail bitter with the added drama of a mistaken timeout. The Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made sure to take full responsibility for the mistake as he forgot to tell the team during the break that they were out of timeouts. Kerr will be sure in the future to make sure all lines of communication are open and working throughout the rest of the season.

Luckily, Steph Curry once again managed to leave his mark, or should I say memory, on court.

Hariklia Nicola (she/her)

The symptoms and cure wealth New Zealand’s wealth gap:

Ella Jenkins (she/her)

The wealth gap has been an issue New Zealanders have faced for some time now, with it affecting some more than others. It has huge implications not just for wellbeing, but the economy and structures of the country as well.

In 2020, The Guardian reported that the top one percent of New Zealanders owned nearly 60 percent of the country’s wealth. The remaining 40 percent of wealth belongs to the remaining 99 percent of people. While average household income has risen, so has inflation. Which has the effect of practically cancelling out the increase.

The first way the wealth gap has a negative effect on society is the harm that it causes economically. Societies with higher inequality are more prone to issues with not only inflation, but also debt and economic stability. Countries with high inequality tend to have lower quality education systems and as a result score lower in maths, reading, and science. As well as the effects on education, social mobility is also affected by inequality. Social mobility refers to someone’s ability to improve their socio-economic status, essentially to improve their lives.

Inequality also affects crime rates, notably property crime, with those worst affected by inequality taking from those better off. Shown by the way violent crime rates are higher in countries with higher inequality. “Equality Trust”, a British charity that campaigns against inequality notes that, “a reduction of inequality from Spanish levels to Canadian levels would lead to a 20% reduction in homicides and a 23% reduction in robberies.”

Higher levels of stress and anxiety can also be associated with higher inequality, which in turn affects physical health. Those who live in countries with higher levels of inequality tend to have shorter lifespans and higher rates of obesity and infant mortality.

Finally, countries with elevated levels of inequality tend to be less happy than nations with lower rates of inequality. Which affects how people see themselves and others. For example, people are less like to trust each other and less likely to say that they are happy. Rates of social and civic participation also drops in countries with higher rates of inequality.

Financial inequality is clearly an issue that significantly affects the countries that suffer from it, but how can it be fixed?

In a University of California Berkeley blog post from 2014, there are six ways outlined to fix inequality. The first way that UC Berkeley suggests addressing inequality is increasing the minimum wage. The blog post notes that increasing

the minimum wage does not affect employment levels, nor does it affect economic growth.

The second suggestion is to expand earned income tax credits for lower-class and middle-class families. The credit can be used to pull children out of poverty as well as help the working poor, notably single parents entering the work force.

Berkeley suggests policies that help to encourage higher saving rates which can lower the costs of building assets for working-class and middle-class families to provide better economic security. Low-cost financial services and home ownership are also noted as ways of allowing people to build wealth.

Investing in education helps address inequality, which is one of the persisting inequalities across generations. Investment in early education, beginning with early childhood programs, could potentially increase economic mobility which can contribute to productivity, influencing inequality.

Tweaking the tax codes would be necessary as over time, tax rates for the wealthy have been lower yet share of income and wealth has grown. Capital gains is a notable example of inequality, where investment income creates more value than actual work. Taxing capital gains, as well as refundable tax credits which treat every dollar saved equally can help lower-income families.

Finally, residential segregation within metropolitan areas is strongly correlated with significant reduced levels of upward mobility of residents of the area. Segregation by income, in particular the isolation of low-income households is also associated with low income. The Berkeley blog suggests that elevating segregation by income and race can improve economic mobility for everyone.

The blog notes that all these policies, if carefully implemented, have the potential to not only improve the lives of those affected most by inequality but also reduce the growth of inequality itself.

The International Monetary Fund notes that inequality reduces overall economic growth as well as challenging basic democratic principles and fairness.

With financial inequality affecting many people and the solutions being ones that affect those who are the wealthiest, it will be a complicated issue to address. It depends on the actions of advocates, politicians, and voters to create a fair society. Actions that are powerful enough to address the status quo.

The Impossible quest for Gender AffIrmation

Ella Jenkins (she/her)

Recently, wait times for elective surgeries have been in the news rather frequently with it affecting many New Zealanders for varied reasons. There is one community that is significantly affected by issues facing accessibility. The transgender community.

For the transgender community, the accessibility issues for gender affirming surgeries are particularly distressing, trans people in New Zealand face long waits for certain procedures, assuming they get put on a wait list to begin with. Some procedures are not available at all in New Zealand, with people having to go overseas and pay out of their own pockets. Surgery for transgender people can help relieve dysphoria which in turn relieves the mental anguish that dysphoria causes transgender individuals.

Speaking for myself, the difficulty accessing as well as the long wait for the gender reassignment procedures that I need to complete my transitions, is the single biggest strain on my mental health and it affects me to varying degrees every day.

As of February 2023, Te Whatu Ora notes that there are 410 referrals to the gender affirming (genital) service for genital affirming surgery (GRS). The service receives $2.99 million dollars in funding which provides enough to deliver 14 surgeries a year. Dividing 410 referrals by the 14 that are performed each year sets a potential wait time of 29.2 years for people who are currently waiting for the procedure.

However, Te Whatu Ora stresses that “attributing a ‘number’ to a referral on the waitlist does not depict the specific order that a patient may be considered for a first specialist assessment, or the length of time someone may be on the waiting list.”

Even so, priority is being given to those who have been on the list longest, making those who are recent additions to the list feel distressed as they are potentially in for a long wait.

So, what is it like in other countries? Well according to a Reuters article from 2021, the wait time in England was on average four years. In Canada, the wait time is estimated to be one to two years as of 2020. Not the most recent numbers sure, but even if the COVID pandemic affected wait times it appears that

New Zealand is still worse off than other nations.

Other than wait times, there is better accessibility of procedures for transgender people, allowing everyone to access the care that they need to help them on their journeys. In New Zealand, some procedures such as facial and vocal feminisation are unavailable in the country and others such as top surgery and orchidectomy depends on each DHB. What Canterbury provides is different to what Auckland provides for example, making it a postcode lottery of sorts.

Fen (she/they) is a student from Christchurch in their twenties. Fen identifies as genderqueer and has been on hormones since 2019, seeking gender affirmation surgery since about 2020. The only procedure Fen has attempted to access that was available in Christchurch was an orchidectomy. Fen’s doctor attempted to refer them for the procedure five times and was rejected five times, due to lack of capacity. This is despite attempting to get on the list prior to COVID, although the pandemic has made things worse. Fen has also pondered GRS themselves, but has been having trouble accessing gender counselling, but is also put off the decade long wait list.

Some of the procedures Fen wants to access such as vocal and facial feminisation are only available overseas and will have to be funded by themselves if they wish to get them. Procedures that cost tens of thousands of dollars as well as additional costs such as airfares and accommodation.

Upon asking Fen how this made them feel, they responded with a middle finger and said, “this is how it makes me feel.” Fen continued by saying that, “if my dysphoria was worse, I would be dead right now.”

What Fen says is probably quite common amongst the transgender community in New Zealand. Many inequities are present as a result, ranging from the postcode lottery. Where others get better care depending on their location in the country, to those who are unable to access the better quality of care overseas and are forced to soldier on with the public system.

New Zealanders should be asking themselves if they are okay living in a country with a two tier healthcare system, one where people miss out on the care they need because of a lack of accessibility and are forced to live with the burdens caused by it. Ultimately being forced to access the life changing care overseas and out of their own pocket.

Lucky Dip Lucky Dip

As Canta’s longest running segment we play matchmaker and pair up two lucky UC students to hopefully hit it off on a blind date and record their experiences. Sign yourself or a mate up on our website for some free Rollickin and lovin’.

Here are the raw unedited results of this week’s lucky dippers…

One Side One Side

I am many things but ballsy is not one of them. However, by signing up for Lucky Dip (or Lucky Dick as some of us prefer to call it), I spiced up the plot of my flat and got called ballsy for the first time in my life.

To set the scene, I (a second-year female) applied light-heartedly with the expectation of a husband. I used one of the answer boxes in the application questionnaire as a place to list what I like in a boy because put simply; if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Someone at Canta deserves a pay-rise because I got what I asked for. Rugby player? Tick. Can’t actually remember what else I asked for but it’s all good, he was wonderful.

I saw him walk into Rollickin and I joined him in the line. He had really friendly vibes and I felt comfortable with him right away. Although he has the same name as my ex, he has better manners and fashion-sense so that’s a win.

We started connecting dots and even though he’s from Auckland, we developed a long list of mutuals. I find myself having a few things to do with Aucklanders - Not a bad thing, just a pattern if you know what I mean. Nonetheless, jaffas go well.

We didn’t go dangerously deep-and-meaningful because we can’t send him running too early. Instead we discussed travel and red cards as well as our part time jobs. He’s lowkey a pool boy and that imagery got a smirk out of me. We also went down the route of Game of Thrones, and we connected over a sense of love/hatred for it. In my case, I had a crucial plot-line spoiled, and in his case he had his engineering dreams temporarily spoiled.

Another thrilling topic for us was drugs and I had to backtrack on a statement that my usage can be listed on one hand, probably more like two but he didn’t seem to mind.

We proceeded to chat for a good hour and a half before he suggested that we take a stroll. In doing so he dismissed his own idea of grabbing a drink which is sensible because we both had to make the drive back to Ilam.

I zoned out for the last forty seconds of our conversation because I thought that my car had been towed. Caught off guard, I tuned back in just as he gave me a hug and asked me for my Insta. I accepted his follow request when I got home and shot one back. He shamelessly accepted within a matter of seconds which was greatly appreciated by my flatmates and I. His Instagram confirmed that he is a very good-looking boy. It wasn’t really a question but it was kind of dark where we sat and my mum appreciated the screenshot.

Now what you might ask? Yeah I don’t really know either. He’s cool and I’m sure I will see him around. Thanks Canta xxx

The Other Side The Other Side

If there’s three things that annoy me in this world its slow drivers, a dusty trim from the barber, and when the boys get cuffed up and become boring fuckers. With much reluctance, I figured if I can’t beat em join em and decided it could be time to get this dog a leash, and what better way to meet someone new than a lucky dip. Walking into Rollickin I was sweating like a bag of cats at a greyhound meet and quickly laid my eyes on the blonde bombshell across the room as she proceeded to politely point out my date… lucky for myself she was just as stunning. The nerves were high as we both went for our ice creams of choice, she went for the conservative single scoop option with me wigging out like a mum in a Maccas drive thru ordering half the menu. After first introductions we got along like a house on fire chatting away about sports, Uni and our plans to travel in the future but it was only when she told me about the time she was near paraplegic after a big night on the ket that I thought this might be the one. After a while, we got deeper talking about family, failed sporting careers, and even offered my sympathy for the horrific red card she had to endure the weekend before.

Two ice creams and an hour and a half later I decided to ask her if she was keen to go for a walk around town and get a look at a few of the ChCh landmarks like the cathedral, the souvlaki shop, and the fine establishment in which she “accidentally” dined and dashed for her previous birthday. Being in the same year with a few mutual mates I was surprised we hadn’t come across each other before.

The date came to a natural end, and we went our separate ways, with both of us driving she jokingly asked for a race which I politely declined knowing she couldn’t handle the shmoke.

Going into lucky dip I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but ended up having a really good time getting the chance to meet a really lovely girl. All and all cheers to Canta for making it happen and cheers to my date for a great experience, I’m sure I’ll catch them round in the future.

Colouring C o l o u r i n g

Canta is looking for interns to be a part of their new internship programme for 2023!

Canta is looking for interns to be a part of their new internship programme for 2023!

Apply through the link in our bio if you have an interest in interning in writing, video, social media, audio, editing roles or even design, to learn and work alongside the 2023 Canta team!

Canta Cody Canta Cody

Introducing the Chronicals of Canta Cody

O

HOROSCOPES HOROSCOPES

Taurus

Apr 20 May 20

I promise none of us have it together. It’s okay to be in a state of chaos right now. Tidy up your bed/desk, wipe down the shower, and step outside for some fresh air. Also, read your assignment feedback before it disappears. You know in your heart that those commas need work.

Leo

Jul 23 Aug 22

You’re going to make a big decision soon, and it’s gonna be entirely your call. It’ll be pretty earth-shattering, by the way. Nothing big but still large. No pressure, but there’s kind of a lot riding on this. It’ll be all good! Whatever you do, don’t fuck it up.

Scorpio

Oct 23 Nov 21

You’ve been a bit of a hermit so far this year, and it’s time to shake it up. Get back out there and spend some more time with your friends. They miss you, your family misses you, we all miss you. Please come back to us. If you’re reading this, please call—

Aquarius

Jan 20 Feb 18

You’re entering your social butterfly era. Or ‘age’ (of Aquarius). Parties aplenty, and not just work events this time. Find some folks you vibe with and make the effort to get to know them. And don’t believe what everyone else says: you actually can control the weather.

Gemini

May 21 Jun 20

The twins! You’re known for your dual personality and your sharp mood swings, and this month you’ll need them. Go to a pub quiz and pretend to be two different people playing on two separate teams. No one will notice.

Virgo

Aug 23 Sep 22

Look at you Vir-go! You’re on a winning streak and it’s not over anytime soon. You’re going to meet a new person who will become an important part of your life. Her name’s Hannah, or Paige, or something. She’s cool, whoever she is.

Sagittarius

Nov 22 Dec 21

Put down the vape.

Cancer

Jun 21 Jul 22

You’re about to get some great news, but not the kind you’ll want to hear. Try a bit of manifestation, stay hydrated, and get ready for the ride of your life. Just trust that the universe has your back. If I’m wrong, you can’t blame me. It’s in the stars.

Libra

Sep 23 Oct 22

You’re about to become the centre of attention, dear Libra, just as you like. But there’s a bit of mystery… this month you’ll encounter a group of cool people, as well as a group of total losers. It’s up to you to figure out which is which. Mua-ha-ha.

Capricorn

Dec 22 Jan 19

You’ve got a few side hustles going at the moment. Congrats! But remember to prioritise yourself. Taking breaks is an important part of a healthy work-life balance, so have a Kit-Kat. Just try not to make your self-care routine into a new hustle.

Pisces

Feb 19 March 20

You’re a little lost at the moment –and not just on Metroinfo. You’re in search of wisdom, and maybe some guidance. Trust that you have all the time in the world to find your truth. And watch a Drew Barrymore movie this week, she probably has the answer.

Aries

March 21 April 19

You always have the best outfits in your friend group, so it’s time to put those skills to good use. Start an outfit of the day account on TikTok and begin building your empire. I have it on good authority that the algorithm likes Aries creators this month.

Meet the Team

Made by students for students since 1930

2023 Meet the Team

Contributors

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Hariklia Nicola Print Editor print@canta.co.nz

Matteo Zhang News Editor news@canta.co.nz

Imy Rice Digital Editor

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Amelia Ware Video & Digital Asst.

Beccy Arnold Feature Writer

Ella Jenkins Feature Writer

Tim Smith Feature Writer

Charlotte Thornton Feature Writer

Pierce Crowley UCSA President Anna Pohatu Tumuaki Lydia Ainsworth Guest Writer Eimhin O'Shea Guest Writer

Esther Blain WIE Exec Xavier Moir UCSA Engagement Officer

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