COLUMNS

Matagi Vitolio & Apiha Tumatanui Ngāi Tauira Salient Column Māori activism in Aotearoa has been driven by the core principle that we have a responsibility to protect our rangatahi and future generations. This responsibility gives reason to decisions made in activism, for education, and for communities. The aspirations and dreams that we hold for mokopuna unifies the collective activation that is most present throughout recent Māori activism. Today, not only does this princ

Record Roundup Honey Dijon: The Nightlife Honey Dijon is an extraordinary and extraordinarily respected DJ known for her Chicago-style deep house music; largely the domain of black queer innovators in the early 80s, Dijon continues in the tradition of the likes of Frankie Knuckles and Marshall Jefferson. Her gifts are best exemplified in her tour-de-force Boiler Room set at Sugar Mountain in 2018, a set which has something of a cult following in itself. In a recent interview

Good news stories (and more) for the planet Kia ora, Salient reader! Welcome to our fortnightly column on the environment, sustainable living, and the small, stubborn act of hope amongst a world on fire! Check in every second week for waste-free recipes, genuinely good news, and practical ways to lend a hand—nudging a happier, healthier earth a little closer into view. Waste-free recipe of the week: Very Basic and Very Blissful Balls ~ the perfect sneaky snack for studying 2

Now hear Unc out for a second. You ever watched Too Hot to Handle? Whole show is basically people acting like they physically cannot interact without it turning sexual. Entertaining, sure. But also… bleak. Because if you genuinely think you can’t be friends with someone just because you could be attracted to them, that’s a you thing. Not everyone you get along with needs to be put in that category. If it’s just a normal friendship and one of you gets a partner, nothing should

Bi-Weekly Game Reviews Christopher Curtis There were a lot of games I could have chosen to represent my favourite genre, the Strategy Role Playing Game (SRPG for short)—epic war stories told through characters clashing on grid-based battlefields, each character or class fulfilling unique roles. There’s often a steep learning curve to truly grasp their mechanics, and as a role-playing-game where story and character progression take centre stage, they naturally move at a snail

A feed for fuck-all FJ Noodles and Dumplings What: Northern Chinese and buffet-style Price: $15.50 When: pretty much always (10:00am—1:00am on Sunday–Thursday, & till 5:00am on Friday & Saturday) It’s definitely got heft, but hard to enjoy. ⭐⭐ As another Red Rain Warning rolled over the city and I finished packing another load of nonsense into a cardboard box, it was clear that tonight was going to call for a bowl of easy and plenty. Enter stage left, FJ Noodles and Dumpling

What to watch on Welly’s local streaming service 2025 was the first year I properly attended the New Zealand International Film Festivall—and I didn’t hold back. Volunteering as an usher meant I could catch films on shift and score a handful of comped tickets. Across two weeks, I watched 17 films… a respectable effort. While some of my favorites haven't hit streaming yet (I cannot WAIT to recommend Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s A Useful Ghost), here are a few standout NZIFF

You Call This Fiction, But It is More Ben Lerner’s Transcription Lest I sound like just another gay guy who heard of Ben Lerner via Lorde’s Instagram story last week (“No living writer has affected me more”, the singer wrote on April 14th), let me set the record straight by saying that actually I’ve been reading him since I was sixteen, thank you very much. Lerner was the writer that first introduced me to literary criticism (in his extraordinary monograph The Hatred of Poe

Right. Tone shift. None of that soft, therapy-talk nonsense you’ve been getting lately—this is straight off a Speight’s cap. Your Unc is back. You’ve got a situation on your hands. You’re keen to get with someone who’s already told you exactly who they are. They’re here for a good time, not building anything serious. On top of that, there’s a 7-ish year age gap, and your mates are all saying “don’t go there.” That’s worth paying attention to. So before you do anything, cut th

On Breakups, Rejection and #NoBoyfriend2026 Dear dating diary, I recently became single for the first time since entering my 20’s and it has truly been an eye-opening experience. I’ve had to flirt with people at the club, reject people simply because I’m not interested, and learn to be truly comfortable on my own. The life of a single woman in her early 20’s is foreign territory to me, but I’m loving it and learning how to navigate the treacherous waters of dating. B

“Within the span of a week, I’ll be trying to accomplish a long-term task just to see if it’s possible, and to see what I can get out of it. Life lessons? Skills? Resilience training? The stimulation alone should be enough motivation.” A story my dad will never stop bringing up is how, when I was nine, I managed to crash our homemade Go-Cart into a local Primary School building. From that point on, I realized I have zero fear when it comes to vehicular speeds. Moving to Welly

Beyond Bites What: Sri-Lankan street food Price: $14.50–$15.50 When: 9:00a.m.–5:00p.m., Monday-Saturday Tuck yourself away in here for an easy and comforting plate. ⭐⭐⭐ Capital Market on Willis Street has (I desperately hope) seen better days. I wouldn’t know, I’ve only ever walked past it. So have most people, which is part of the problem. The tightly shut windows of the stalls that back onto the street near Capital Hall don’t seem inviting. However, push through the heavy

Hunk unc!! My flatmates are not nice people but I’m in a freaking one year tenancy with them. What. Do. I. Do??? Right. Hunk Unc is putting his Unc Hunk pants on to answer this question, so expect fewer gym references and more actual advice today. The first thing this Unc would suggest is going to the VUWSA Advocates. They’re a 100% confidential service run by the Student Union, and your fees pay for them, so you may as well make the most of it. They give advice to students i

Good news stories (and more) for the planet Kia ora, Salient reader! Welcome to our new fortnightly column on the environment, sustainable living, and the small, stubborn act of hope amongst a world on fire! Check in every second week for waste-free recipes, genuinely good news, and practical ways to lend a hand—nudging a happier, healthier Earth a little closer into view. Waste-free recipe of the week: Tortillas are a staple of the student diet. Whether you’re going full g

But It Feels So Real to Me Robyn’s Sexistential Often these days I find myself evangelising to my peers about the left-of-field Swedish pop rebel Robyn. If the name doesn’t ring a bell—which, despite her well-documented and wide-ranging influence (Britany Spears, Lorde, Charli xcx, Taylor Swift), is surprisingly often the case—all I have to do is sing a few lines from her 2010 sleeper hit, “Dancing on My Own”: “I’m in the corner / Watching you kiss her / Oh-oh-oh” . Everybo

Bi-Weekly Game Reviews Christopher Curtis Pikmin has the potential to be a real comfort game, and if you find real-time-strategy games daunting at all, this is one I can wholeheartedly recommend beginning your journey with. The gameplay loop is simple. As Captain Olimar, you have 30 in-game days to repair your spaceship. You will do so with the help of your little buddies, the titular Pikmin. They are scavenging little critters who will carry just about anything—from ship

Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu Alonso Meija-Ball To some, heritage means nothing beyond the colour of your skin or the spelling of your surname. Not being able to speak the language of your ancestors is forgivable if your family was built on the backs of migrants. There is no standard to uphold if even the people who raised you can’t speak their ‘mother tongue’. I say this primarily thinking of ngā Tāngata Pākehā who are of European descent, whose rangatira hail from Germany

I Feel the BPM, I Feel the Music underscores’ U Obviously I took this job because I have a public humiliation kink, but even I’m embarrassed that I hadn’t heard of underscores, the dubstep-techno-house-hyperpop-punk fusion project of singer-songwriter-producer-mixer-engineer April Gray, except as a feature on oklou’s wintry banger “harvest sky” last year. Well, I’m happy to report that U is an extremely impressive record, largely for just how keen it is to impress us —all t

What to watch on Welly’s local streaming service In the wake of this year's Academy Awards, I’m reviewing some Oscar winning—and nominated—films available to rent on Arovision. Split the cost with your friends, flatmates, or film-bros (maybe a few more than usual… there’s some pricey picks in our lineup this week!) and debate amongst yourselves whether those trophies were rightly awarded. Go to ondemand.arovideo.co.nz and get watching! Sentimental Value (2025) — $8 dir.

Kera-la-carte What: Kerala (South-Indian) Price: $13.00–$21.00 When: Lunch and dinner, Tuesday–Sunday Can a curry be profound? Take a friend and find out. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It’s a fact that a hot curry can do wonders on a wet, windy, or otherwise shitty day. The warming gravy—a galaxy of spices and aroma—through which, like planetoids, float tender chunks of meat and vegetables. There are few things that can get you back on your feet as quickly. I’ve already waxed lyrical about the curr

Hunk Unc: How do you get over someone who was great to you when you were together but awful after you broke up? Would you believe it if I said I’ve had a boatful of variations on this one land in the inbox? I’m going to reply to a few of them over the course of the year, but if one of those was yours, please take this advice as universal—not just a one-off. The thing about breakups—whether it’s a friendship, a romance, a situationship, or even a job or class you really loved—

Bi-Weekly Game Reviews Christopher Curtis Full disclaimer: I didn’t grow up with Sonic the Hedgehog , in either its 2D or 3D incarnations. The series' identity, then, isn't firmly established in my mind. But games within a long-running franchise don't need to remain stagnant, and while Sonic has often tripped and stumbled in an attempt to evolve, it hasn't been without success. Sonic CD, which I see as a kind of mirror image to Sonic 2, perfectly exemplifies the many forms

“Within the span of a week, I’ll be trying to accomplish a long-term task just to see if it’s possible, and to see what I can get out of it. Life lessons? Skills? Resilience training? The stimulation alone should be enough motivation.” This week I set out on an adventure I’m proud of: trying a coffee from every store on Cuba Street. This has been on my bucket list since I moved to Welly, and as a caffeine fiend I usually have about 2-3 cups a day. I made the rules easy enough

A feed for fuck-all Continuing on from last week’s Munch, here are further variations on a theme of sandwich. Where’s Charlie? What: Bánh Mì. Price: $15.00 When: 11:00–2:00pm; Monday–Friday. A golden -brown shell hiding limp lies and dissatisfaction. ⭐ Pōneke loves its Vietnamese food; between Kent Terrace and Lambton Quay one might pass (in no particular order) The Old Quarter, Apache, Pho Viet, Lemongrass Kitchen, Nam D, Go Vietnam, Go Vietnam (again), Saigon Taste, S

Record Roundup 2charm: star scum city These two tatted, shirtless, Australian party boys (who, on the DL, had been flirting with dance music for a decade already as part of the indie outfit Cub Sport) seemed to have come out of nowhere and told us they were the progenitors of a brand new genre, ‘Gooner Pop’. I mean, I first heard of this duo in the pages of Butt Magazine , for Christ’s sake. But the album they turned out has less to do with, I dunno, having epic chemsex at

Right, no one panic, but we’re a month through the semester. This is a mighty stumbling block, where early morning lecture attendance falters and ‘recommended’ readings fade into obscurity. These are the days where you figure out exactly how long it takes to roll out of bed and into your lecture, squeezing out every second of sleep you can get. Or… I do, anyway. Making your lunch at home is, inevitably, sacrificed to efficiency. Hands down the thriftiest of meals, I don’t wa

Matagi Vitolio Nō Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngā Pōtiki, Tūhourangi, Ngāti Wahiao, & Ngāti Hāmoa Biodiversity is a core characteristic of New Zealand. This is especially confronting when your international flight makes landfall and they deploy their routine aerosol sprays down the aisles, getting into every corner and crevice of the cabin. This treasuring of Aotearoa’s biodiversity is not unwarranted — it deserves the manaaki and support that is eternal

What to watch on Welly’s local streaming service In honour of Salient’s Queer Issue, I’m back to recommend some fun, freaky, feeling-forward queer films available to stream on Arovision. Split the rental cost with your friends, flatmates, or polycule and enjoy a full range of emotions. Go to ondemand.arovideo.co.nz and get watching! I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987) — $6 dir. Patricia Rozema, Canada “and those mermaids… were the cocteau twins” — karwaiwong, Letter

Within the span of a week, I’ll be trying to accomplish a long-term task just to see if it’s possible, and to see what I can get out of it. Life lessons? Skills? Resilience training? The stimulation alone should be enough motivation. This week, I challenged myself to beat Facebook Marketplace. I’ve never really liked using it—aside from occasionally browsing flat listings—but after discovering the “ One Red Paperclip ” story, I felt inspired. In 2005, Canadian blogger Kyle Ma

Welcome back to Munch, where I have startling news. Certain readers of my work have made crude insinuations about the content of my first column, claiming to find lewd double-meanings within my diction. I have chosen not to engage with such libel and will continue to publish my humble guide to eating out with honesty and innocence. However, this week we will deviate slightly. Pōneke is a beautiful city this time of year and—as the adage goes—you simply can’t beat it on a goo

Hunk Unc: For convenience, I’ve taken to shitting in the shower and forcing it down the drain. I think my flatmates are on to me but I’m so embarrassed I don’t know how to come clean. What do I do??? Hunk Unc: I keep putting buttered sausages between my cheeks because it feels so good but I’ve started to notice I’m having more and more intolerance to dairy and my dad is a dairy farmer who always sends cheese down and I’d miss it a lot, I’m conflicted, should I stop? This we

Baby, What Was That? How Heated Rivalry helped us talk about sex Mild spoilers ahead. A number of major album releases last week—Mitski, Gorillaz, Bruno Mars, Bill Calahan, 2charm—but I’m putting them all on hold to cover Heated Rivalry this Sex Week, the softcore-porno-turned-character-drama that captivated the zeitgeist last December. There’s a lot to say about the show as a “phenomenon” generally: how it came together on a shoestring budget; was shot at speed over the s

Anti , Revisited Ten years later, Rihanna’s finest hour begins to sound more and more like her final It’s been ten years without new Rihanna music. To people my age, that might not feel like such a statement. We spent our teenage years seeing the star as everything but a studio musician: as a makeup tycoon, a lingerie designer, an actress, a Super Bowl Halftime Show, a mother, a billionaire, a Jonathan Anderson fan. So it’s hard for me to imagine or to reconstruct that moment

If you’re on a dating app—or honestly just trying to meet anyone—it’s pretty likely you’ll end up getting ghosted at some point. The 21st century gave us great things: streaming, online shopping, and food delivery at 1am…but it also gave us some proper rubbish ones. Ghosting being right up there. Your Hunk Unc has done his time in the trenches of the dating apps, and here’s the reality: it’s hard. So hard, in fact, this Hunk eventually jumped off them, worked on himself over

Holly Rowsell Content Warning: Anti-trans Rhetoric, State Violence (ICE), Epstein. The state of media ownership is pretty fucking dim right now. Most of the major streamers are owned by mega-rich, MAGA sympathizing white guys who are carefully orchestrating the mass monopolisation of media. These are modern-day super-villians, and each year they’re getting bolder. For anyone unfamiliar, here's a recap of their greatest hits: Warner Bros. Studio, who we can thank for the big

Guy van Egmond Little Penang What: Nyonya (Chinese-Malay-Javanese fusion) Price: $8.00-$17.00 When: Open for lunch and dinner, Monday–Saturday My one true love, my ride or die. The place to go for a hug on a plate. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ God bless Little Penang and its delicious, liberally–portioned plates of Peranakan perfection. This shining beacon of a restaurant will be 15 years old this year, but might as well have existed forever. There’s something that I can never quite pinpoint that

Tēnā koutou katoa, Nau mai haere mai ki te Whare Wānanga o Te Herenga Waka! Ko Ngāi Tauira mātou! We are the Māori Students Association here at Te Herenga Waka. Our purpose is to enhance all that tauira Māori experience during their study. We provide support with hauora, promote academic success, encourage whakawhānaunga, and engage with cultural kaupapa. We provide a voice and advocate for tauira Māori at Victoria University of Wellington and also promote Te Tiriti o

Jackson McCarthy New True Romance Charli xcx’s Wuthering Heights looks to the past to find a future “Can I speak to you privately for a moment? / I just want to explain”. So begins Charli xcx’s ninth studio album, in a huskily-voiced spoken-word piece by John Cale (The Velvet Underground). But that opening track, ‘House’, with its creep and crescendo, its screams and distortions, is about as dark as Wuthering Heights gets. Though it’s been conceived of as a companion piece

Guy van Egmond Nau mai and welkom to Munch , your weekly guide to a bite to eat that won’t devour your budget. I’ll be your taste-tester of Wellington’s finest frugality; your penny-pinching truffle-pig to hunt down dining deals. My appetite is both discerning and decent, so if I’m full, trust that you will be too. But besides taste and portions, I also want to share the places in town that look after you—that feel homely (or surprisingly swanky)—and those that make their mea

Hunk Unc: How do I know my friendships are good and healthy? Most people don’t realise a friendship’s off because something bad happens. They realise because something small keeps happening. You catch the bus home and feel oddly flat. You lie in bed replaying a conversation. You feel more tired after hanging out than you did before—that’s usually the first sign. Good friendships don’t leave you feeling like you’ve just done a full-body session you didn’t consent to. I had a

Shay McEwan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou) As we head into the final stretch of classes for trimester two, I wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on how the year has been. Initially I thought it would be a fun idea to speak on my own experiences. Instead, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by a wonderful bunch of tauira in the wharekai of Ngā Mokopuna. While sitting down with them, I was able to ask about their experiences, how the year has been

Column by ISO Socialism can be a suspicious kind of politics. You’ll often find someone trailing the money, or exposing some hidden...

By VUW International Socialists / ISO Is there any point in voting in local elections? Yes! And let’s stay active in other ways too....

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Almost two years into the current genocide Israeli soldiers and officials celebrate the destruction of Gaza, and deny the destruction of Gaza. New Zealand politicians advocate for America’s “rules-based order” while America facilitates war crimes.

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By VUW International Socialists / ISO ACT leader David Seymour, Labour leader Chris Hipkins, and National leader Christopher Luxon all...

By Pōneke Anti-Fascist Coalition It goes without saying at this point: trans communities are under attack. Around the world, our lives...

By VUW International Socialists (ISO) Every Pride month, the world becomes swamped with rainbow merchandise and generically queer slogans...