Keen for a getaway that won't break the bank?

The AUTSA Lodge at Tongariro National Park is available at rock bottom prices for AUT students. It sleeps up to 12 people!

EDITOR

Sam Clark

DESIGNER

Charlie Ratahi McFarland

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Vivien Whyte

FEATURE WRITER

Liam Hansen

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE WRITER

Thomas Giblin

CHIEF NEWS REPORTER

Nic George

NEWS WRITER

Vanessa Elley

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Frances Revita

CONTRIBUTORS

Haydn Nixon, Stella Roper and Joel Armstrong

COVER ART

Lucy Higgins

ADVERTISING

Jesse Jones jesse.jones@autsa.org.nz

PRINTER

Nicholson Print Solutions

DISCLAIMER

Material contained in this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of AUTSA, its advertisers, contributors, Nicholson Print Solutions or its subsidiaries.

This publication is entitled to the full protection given by the Copyright Act 1994 (“the Act”) to the holders of the copyright, being AUT STUDENT ASSOCIATION (“AUTSA”). Reproduction, storage or display of any part of this publication by any process, electronic or otherwise (except for the educational purposes specified in the Act) without express permission is a break of the copyright of the publisher and will be prosecuted accordingly. Inquiries seeking permission to reproduce should be addressed to AUTSA.

Debate is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA).

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From the Editor

The healthy student diet - an unattainable dream during the cost-of-living crisis

AUT postpones its redundancy plan for six months after a ruling from Employment Relations Authority

Match Point Wayne

Meet the team

No Strings Attached

Queer Awakenings in the Media

The Art and Artists of Auckland Pride

You’re not ‘straight-acting’, you’re just gay

Puzzles

Two devastating storms, Auckland’s wettest month on record and a whole lot of cancelled music and events. Not the best start to 2023. Although, it is the year of the rabbit (or cat, depending on where you’re from!), which supposedly means the chaos will settle. This stage of the Chinese Zodiac is centred on three ideas: hope, resilience and cautious optimism - God knows Auckland has displayed these over the past month.

Many of us were frustrated with our tennis-playing mayor. I feel your pain. If anything, it can serve as a reminder to get out there and vote. Fewer than a third of young people vote in local elections and we’re suffering the consequences. If that’s not bad enough, Wayne Brown took a grand total of two media interviews during his first month in office - opting for a written statement, read before a camera. Having denied over 100 interview requests, how will he stay accountable?

Amongst all the chaos, Pride Month managed to go ahead. Like you’ll read in Liam’s piece, the crux of Pride is about strength in the face of adversity - and the community weathered the storm. As we near the end of the festival, we can reflect on the strides our rainbow and takatāpui communities have made. It is a celebration of love triumphing and rights that were hard-fought for. The Pride we see today is a testament to decades of mahi done by the community, which is an ongoing process. Like Fiona Clark says in her piece for The Spinoff – our rainbow whānau have always bound together to support each other, with or without formal recognition. To mark events like Stonewall as the beginning of our Pride movement would be an injustice to the rich history of rainbow and takatāpui communities in Tāmaki Makaurau and across the country.

It’s also a good time to consider pinkwashing, which is a complex issue. What kind of corporate presence do we want during Pride? And how do we ensure that they’re implementing policies that reflect this inclusive brand-image? Lastly, how do we feel about the National Party attending, considering three of their MPs voted against the banning of conversion therapy in 2020? If you don't want a racquet-flailing boomer as your mayor, or a bunch of homophobes in parliament - get to the booths and vote!

It’s an exciting time for Debate, as we bring on four new team members. We’ve got a fresh news team – journo students Nic and Vanessa, Thomas is our new culture and lifestyle writer and Frances will be on our socials. I am still the editor, for better or for worse. You can learn a bit more about everyone in our team intro!

In other news, the sun is out in Tāmaki Makaurau; perhaps we will have a summer after all.

Love, Sam and Debate - your media drongos on campus. Drawn by Ella Windner

By Vanessa Elley (she/her) News Writer

A healthy and affordable diet is even further out of reach for students with inflation driving grocery prices up.

Stats NZ’s monthly Food Price Index reported in January that fruit and vegetable prices had increased 16% since last January, with grocery food prices (including cheese and eggs) going up 11%.

As essential food items become increasingly expensive, students in hardship are going without meals to make their food last.

Manager of AUTSA’s Tautoko initiative, Georgia Kirkwood, says the problem is only going to get worse as the crisis continues.

“Inflation is becoming a big issue for students. Most people are already living off of noodles and not necessarily the healthiest of foods currently, so it’s just going to get worse.”

Tautoko offers support to students who are struggling with the cost of living crisis, through free food on campus and food vouchers that those in need can apply to receive.

Aid like this is necessary for students trying to balance work and study, as full time jobs are no longer enough, says Kirkwood.

“A lot of our students that we get coming through are sacrificing their study hours to work, to make more money to be able to even afford to live.”

AUT also has their own support systems in place for increased financial strain, such as the Student Support Fund and financial wellbeing resources, but Kirkwood says reaching students can be a problem.

“I think our biggest issue with actually being able to reach people who need the help is the exposure… We’ve got a good system going. I just think it needs to be something that’s more frequent.”

She also said shame can play a factor in why people avoid looking for support, even when they might need it.

“It’s a big issue with shame, and being whakamā about coming and seeing people in the first place, so we try to keep those options available and open.”

Currently Tautoko is focusing on about 80 students, having supported around 2,000 cases since 2020 when they rebranded from AUTSA’s old ‘Foodie Godmother’ service.

In cases where further support is needed, Tautoko has alliances with AUT’s Student Hub, who can help direct students towards further financial aid.

However, according to Stats NZ, 2022 saw the largest annual increase in food prices in 32 years.

This will undoubtedly cause more strain for students already struggling to afford food alongside rent, tuition costs, and the overall cost of living in Auckland.