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, Lucy Higgins, Emily Smith

COVER ART

Sara Moana @saramoana

ADVERTISING

Jesse Jones jesse.jones@autsa.org.nz

PRINTER

Nicholson Print Solutions

04

From the Editor

05

Auckland arts and culture organisations fight mayor’s proposed budget cuts

06

Ties between Equippers church and International Hub prompt a call for transparency.

08 Willy Wonka’s Dream Factory

10

Thin, Pale and Male - Hollywood's 'Plague Boys' and Why It’s Problematic

13

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).

14

What's more fun for your bum, dildos or buttplugs?

Dirty and Flirty: Six Horny Films

My Paper Partner

Artists of Debate: Interview with Lucy Higgins @_iggyucy

Cover Art by Sara Moana

What's On

Gig Guide

Puzzles

Kia ora koutou, great job on picking up this extra-sexy copy of Debate!

Sex. Where to begin! It’s a wonderful way to feel good, have fun, build intimacy and learn about your body. And what they say is true, uni’s a great time to experiment and see what you like. Sexual expression can manifest itself in many exciting and diverse ways. As long as it’s consensual, safe and respectfulthat’s all that matters. And sex isn’t actually a big deal for everyone, and that’s okay, too! To quote my favourite book of the summer, Zadie Smith’s Grand Union, “sex doesn’t have to end with the male orgasm”.

Unfortunately, these ideas aren’t represented particularly well in mainstream media, not to mention porn - which, without proper consent and sex education in schools, is the primary way many young people learn about sex. Don’t get me wrong, porn can be a great way to explore your sexuality, but it can also create unrealistic expectations around body image and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. I highly recommend everyone read Charlotte Muru-Lanning’s terrific piece for The Spinoff about how minorities are depicted in pornography, and its ties to colonial ideas. This has some very harmful implications and it happens a lot in Aotearoa, especially to wāhine Māori.

Porn is also a hugely unregulated industry. In good old capitalist fashion, the same company owns several of the most popular adult websites. Together, they get significantly more internet traffic than TikTok - which is an indication of just how influential they can be. And there are ethical porn sites out there, which are made to be more realistic and consensual. We should be critical of an industry that exploits people, mainly young women. Viv goes into more detail on this in her piece on sex shops!

Zeroing-in on Tāmaki, Mayor Wayne Brown is back up to his old tricks. He’s proposing budget cuts to the arts, and regional services - which could extend to libraries, environmental groups and the Citizens Advice Bureau. Nice one. That’s not to mention his fresh lukewarm take on public transport, saying light rail is a “dead duck”. This attitude stagnates any progress in improving our urban centres and carbon footprint. Why does our mayor want us to sit in traffic for the rest of our lives, polluting the environment? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - vote for some real change in these elections! Even better, write a submission to the council!

And now that Aotearoa festival season is coming to a close, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that most of them are rip-offs. Ticket sales are mostly driven by fomo, and it’s rarely about the music. We see this with Homegrown, which has basically had the same, predominantly male lineup since 2008. Laneway’s venue change also upset a lot of people, and definitely felt like a cash-grab. Their “VIP shady area” and partnership with Afterpay was a far cry from the past - which was a special opportunity for Tāmaki to listen to indie and alternative music. But maybe it’s the natural progression of eventsdo festivals grow with their audiences, or do they grow out of them?

However, I was very lucky to attend the beautiful 121 Festival a couple of weeks ago.

It felt special to have a festival that’s primarily focused on the lineup - bringing together artists who are on the forefront of electronic music internationally. The festival felt like it honoured the black and queer origins of house/techno and the lineup had a good gender-balance. Plus, it was well-organised, didn’t feel crowded, and there were lots of shady spaces to hang out in during the day. I realised that’s what a music festival should bewe don’t need to settle for average lineups.

Well, that’s all from me! Stay sexy, everyone…

Auckland arts and culture organisations fight mayor’s proposed budget cuts

By Vanessa Elley (she/her) News Writer

Auckland arts and culture organisations are encouraging submissions against Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposed council budget for 2023/2024.

The budget proposal, which includes a $41m cut in funding for regional services, regional contestable grants and local boards, has stirred up discussion and alarm in the arts and culture sphere.

Debate spoke to the co-director of Northart public art gallery, Jessica Pearless, to get her perspective on the proposed funding changes.

“It’s going to be hugely significant. I’ve been working in the arts and culture sector almost exclusively in Tāmaki Makaurau for 25 odd years now, and this is probably one of the most significant cuts that has been proposed,” she says.

The budgetary changes would affect a wide range of different council-funded services and events under the umbrella of “regional services”, and Pearless says it isn’t just arts and culture that people should be worried about.

“Arts and culture is one aspect of what’s sort of on the chopping block here. So we’re also talking about significant changes to organisations that run environmental initiatives, youth activity, and education as well as events.”

Centrestage Theatre co-manager, Ross McKellar, is similarly concerned about the proposed budget.

“Most theatres around the country are probably one or two bad shows away from going under. That’s always been the nature of theatre and theatre companies. So to have some sort of baseline surety and security from the council is really important to us.”

His call to action is clear:

“The most important thing that people can do right now is go online, on the Auckland Council website, and put in your thoughts around the funding cuts,” he says. “It’s quite a simple survey to fill out, fill that out, have your say. And hopefully if enough people do, we may be listened to.”

Pearless also emphasised the importance of public feedback.

“Encourage people to fill in the survey, because that’s the only way that they’re really going to take it seriously is if they get significant feedback, and Wayne Brown has said the same thing.”

The 2023/2024 budget proposal is under consultation until 11pm on March 28th, and you can make a submission on the Auckland Council website.