Salient

Editorial

Editorial

By Tristan Egarr | Mon, 6 Oct 08 |

Editing Salient has been one of the most enjoyable, fulfilling things I’ve ever done, and also one of the most soul-destroying experiences of my life, leaving me feeling both accomplished and incredibly bitter. I guess I took this job as an excuse to publish my own work with complete creative control, and a lot of the writing I’ve done this year – particularly court reporting and features on the justice system – were worth it. But I found the best part of this job is actually being able to work with other contributors who have shitloads of talent, helping them make their work as good as it can be, and being constantly impressed by the quality we’re sent.

I’d love to thank so many people for making this year enjoyable, and for improving Salient markedly over the course of the year. First and foremost, Tony for not only putting the magazine together and designing its look, but for anchoring the rest of the team with his phenomenally amicable attitude. Seonah and her newshounds Sarah and Sam (among others) for digging up the dirt. Jon for keeping Salient afloat. Tania and Jenna for delving into the wider issues and taking risks. Matt and Miriam for both trawling through all the copy and columnising. JJ Wood, Conrad and the rest of the political team for spiking MPs’ drinks to make them say compromising things. Haimona, for not only providing acerbic film reviews but for opening his sex life to the world and acting as my consultant on… matters. Jackson Coe, Tom, Sophie, Steph and Chris, and of course Mr Drinkwater, as well as all of their associates in reviewing for putting some culture into our pages. Neil for reminding us that the heart of all this culture is Beer, some varieties of which are incomparably better than others.

Michael, Anna, Eleanor and Jessica, Bobby and Rachael, Yvette, Miyuki, Brent and Dusty for planting our columns with fertile ideas (and other springtime metaphors – I’d also like to thank Spring for whooping Winter’s arse). Sarita for producing quirky crosswords that generally go right over my head, and for cranes. Ashleigh for her dogged determination to find interesting vox pops, and for the saga of the monsters… Mariko for the animals. Nina for cataloguing social causes. Guy, Hayden, Helen, Robbie, Martin, Grant, Matty and other wits for spicing our magazine with insanity. Our volunteer feature writers including Jenah and Matthew; our budding writers moonlighting as distributors Vinh and Jeff. VUWSA, Ngai Tauira, UniQ, The Women’s Group, DebSoc, and innumerable more clubs and societies for your support. And finally, to everyone who picked us up and took a gander at our pages.

The downside to this job is the managerial side. I love my staff and volunteers dearly and have had a ball with you guys. I’ve found Madeleine Setchell and by extension Pat Walsh approachable and helpful, so at least at the top our university is in good hands. But middle management such as campus facilities are often obstructive and more interested in their own power than in providing student services. VUWSA, of course, is dysfunctional, a childish squabble between the Workers Party (whose favourite tactic is ideological scaremongering) and Young Labour (who prefer shrill personal attacks and self-interest). And I feel myself being sucked in to these squabbles.

If there’s one thing I most regret it’s letting slip all those obvious errors and pieces of appalling grammar in the articles we’ve furiously put together late on a Thursday night. Last week I wrote that “continuing problems… demonstrate that problems remain” in the health system. Gross. I guess we just have to hope you readers laugh at such inane tautologies and other fuck-ups, and understand the unbeatable power of our Friday morning deadline. The thing is printed throughout that day and trucked down from Tauranga over the weekend (local printing being more expensive). I guess if I was less stoned we’d be more organised but, honestly? Meh.

Rather than trying to be a junior news magazine, Salient I think has been a more ponderous, academic beast this year, with smatterings of obscure humour. I know it’s been rather odd, and that my love of dragons, drug law reform and history will have moved many of you to yawn and exclaim “lame,” but there’s always been enough other content over the page to stop this being a real problem. And I am happy that I will be passing the magazine over to a pair of talented and responsible hands in the form of 2009 Editor Jackson Wood, who has displayed both a flair for informed humour and a great deal of organisational maturity as unpaid Political Editor over the course of this year. Give the man an email and take part, because after all, this is your magazine: jackson@Salient.org.nz

Politics

Idiots guide to voting in the 2008 election

By Jackson Wood | Mon, 6 Oct 08 |

The History of Healthcare Reform in Aotearoa

By Tristan Egarr | Mon, 29 Sep 08 |

Welfare

Student Services

By Salient | Mon, 18 Feb 08 |

President

I am a Revolutionary Socialist

By Joel Cosgrove | Mon, 6 Oct 08 |

Music

Sharpie Crows Interview

By Stephanie Cairns | Mon, 6 Oct 08 |

Banned from the Dom Post

By Alan Wells | Mon, 6 Oct 08 |

• Kings of Leon - Only by the night
• Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke
• El Schlong - The Baddies Are Coming

Film

Salient Film Favs

By Salient | Mon, 6 Oct 08 |

Quote-tastic

By Salient | Mon, 6 Oct 08 |

• Mary Poppins
• Fitzcarraldo
• Rain of the Children

Language and Literature

Interactive Non-Fiction

By BK Drinkwater | Mon, 29 Sep 08 |

Rita Angus An Artist’s Life

By Kerry Tankard | Mon, 15 Sep 08 |

• The Orphan’s Tales
• The Watchmen by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons
• Bookstore Review: Graphix