COLUMNS

The Taste of Me is Acquired, But It’s His Favourite Dish Taylor Swift: The Encore Well, well, well... just when you thought the year would escape Taylor Swift, she’s back. This time it’s with four new tracks, The Encore, to round out last year’s The Life of a Showgirl. By all accounts her worst album, I, too, disliked it—for its schmaltz, its derivative musical aspects, its unnecessary Charli xcx diss, and for its straightforwardly triumphal tone about newfound love: “You dug

A feed for fuck-all Dessert, anyone? Thank you for following along as I ate my way around the city, sniffing out the best deals and which promos were bogus. There were the stalwarts that always pull through, like Everybody Eats and KC Cafe, but also surprising first-timers for me, like Kera-la-carte and Platform 145. Of course, there were let-downs as well; places touting a good deal like a Fata Morgana in this desert of empty stomachs and bank accounts. Little Astoria, and

Dear dating diary, As we come towards the end of the year (and my final Salient article eek!!!), it only feels fitting to reflect on the past year of my life. A lot has happened and I have certainly grown as a person. I have found out a lot about myself and what dating means to me, which has been tough but incredibly enlightening overall. There have also been a few stories that I haven’t had the opportunity to tell through this column. SO, without further ado, here are som

I’ll be vulnerable and admit I have a phone addiction. This past year, I've realized my world revolves around a slab of metal, and I’ve let myself become its slave. If I have an extended period of time to myself, I’ll enter a rabbit hole of scrolling, deeper and deeper as hours pass by. What’s scary is that I’ll be aware of it, thinking, “I should look away soon…” Yet, I’ll stay paralyzed in my bed as the afternoon turns dark, and it’s too late to be productive. I’ve wasted m

An Eye for Arovision What to watch on Welly’s local streaming service As we enter October and all the spookiness that comes with it, I figured I would use this—my last article in the last Salient—to remind you of some essential and influential horror classics you can find on Arovision. Horror is hot right now, and it feels fitting to peek back at some turn-of-the-century hits that revitalised the genre. I’m sure you’re at least familiar with these films, so let me focus less

Carly Rae Jepsen: Day and Night Pop’s reigning princess returns with an inspired double album Sometimes the marketing copy gets it exactly right. “Carly Rae Jepsen’s pristine, prismatic pop has long been the blissful soundtrack for first kisses and swirling romances...”—so goes the Canadian singer’s Spotify bio. Pristine, prismatic pop—well, that’s absolutely it. (I guess somebody will hire the English majors after all!) But around the time of the release of her third album,

Bi-Weekly Game Reviews This is it. My ultimate study-break franchise, although it is so, SO much more. With its latest entry bringing the series officially out of Japan for the first time, and releasing on consoles as well, I am beyond excited to finally recommend Touhou Project to a wider audience with New Classic ~ The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil. New Classic is a fantastic entry point into Touhou Project as a remake of the sixth entry in the series—the first entry in the

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. Recipe: Focaccia is surely the most fantastic bread of all time. It’s very simple to make and you can spice

Bi-Weekly Game Reviews Dynasty Warriors is a series I don’t hear discussed enough, and those who know of it can’t seem to agree on what kind of a game it’s supposed to be. While ironically that’s something my studies allow me to go on about ad infinitum, put bluntly this series can be whatever you want it to be. Whether you’re looking for a meaty experience to dive into or something to dabble in episodically, a challenge or a brain-off dopamine hit, Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme

A feed for fuck-all Roman’s Kitchen What: Pasta Price: $10.00 - $12.90 When: 11:30am—11:00pm, Monday—Sunday Filling value, but just a bit sad. ⭐⭐ Roman’s Kitchen, on upper Cuba Street and also High Street in Lower Hutt, is on the cutting-edge of efficient, modern-day food production and has gamed the food-delivery market for all that it’s worth. They operate under at least eleven monikers on Uber Eats, which all have slight variations or excerpts of the same menu, while comp

Debt Club: Foothold Wellington band’s beautifully played debut album The first thing to note on Debt Club’s debut album Foothold is the open, buoyant, intelligent musical arrangements—recorded and mixed, too, with considerable skill. This is a lovely record to listen to—like any record by The Beths, its first order is that loveliness—and it floats among its jangly, guitar-forward colour a prominent saxophone part. Playing their damn instruments is clearly not an issue for thi

Weekly Pacific Politics with Otis Whinney I have to start today’s piece with an apology to our dear Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon. Last time around, I claimed that he would not be attending the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) this year, but it turns out he did in fact make himself present. Luxon flew over and spent the last 36 hours in Palau, just in time for the hand shaking and photo ops that closed the gathering out. If Luxon wins this year's election, he will have the opp

Dear dating diary, It may shock you to discover that I have never downloaded a dating app. I got into a long-term relationship pretty young and haven’t needed one since we broke up a year ago. Not to sound too up myself, but I haven’t really needed to download one. I have had great success meeting people in real life! But recently, as things have quietened down a little, I have been reflecting on why I haven’t downloaded one yet. It is the norm to use one so what is holdin

Dance-Floor Romance Chris Tse’s laureate collection is a sweet-talking triumph Chris Tse was Aotearoa New Zealand’s Poet Laureate from 2022 to 2025, and did the job so well that the National Library literally extended the term of its laureates by a year as a result. Dance-Floor Romance comes in the wake of this achievement, and in some ways is that achievement, distilled on the page: it’s Tse’s laureate collection, arranged into four years, one for each of his term. Romance

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. Relationship with the Earth It is likely that you, as a reader of this column, already swoon over the beau

A feed for fuck-all Mughlai MerCury What: Filled naan roll Price: $10.00 When: 6:00pm—2:00am, Monday—Sunday Does everything it needs to. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mughlai MerCury has had its heyday. I’m not sure what came first, the decision to switch to takeaway order only or the dilapidation of their front of house; it was less restaurant and more forgotten storage unit. There was one black dining table left in the room, holding nothing but a box of tissues. Also in the small, shadowy room we

A feed for fuck-all Caffe L’Affare What: Get Smashed burger Price: $10.00 Remarkable price, unremarkable burger. ⭐⭐ At $17 below this year’s average burger price, the Get Smashed from Caffe L’Affare was off to a good start. Plenty of other people agreed: the line for a table here was out the door when I arrived at lunchtime. Inside, the kitchen was churning out burgers; a long row of white-and-red-checked paper trays was lined up on the counter for service. Certainly a quan

Bi-Weekly Game Reviews Three more Ciph’s Cabinets to go, and as we head towards that final push of the end of the year, I figured I'd cover various pick-up-and-play titles to help you pace and break up the study grind. With that said, I’m not terribly big on visual novels or puzzle games. There are a couple exceptions, but generally they feel a little too monotonous or repetitive to hold my interest. So imagine my surprise when Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective came out of nowhe

Know Your Stuff NZ International Overdose Awareness Day is on August 31. It’s a global day of remembrance, giving space for those of us who have lost people to drug overdose to take a minute and miss our loved ones. Accidental drug overdose is the reason KnowYourStuffNZ began. In the beginning… 12 years ago a batch of “MDMA” was being sold that was definitely not MDMA. It put a bunch of people in hospital, which at the time was considered normal and an acceptable consequence

Weekly Pacific Politics with Otis Whinney We still have quite some time before November 7, our beautiful election date, and yet I am already sick to death of polls and surveys. I don’t know how many times I can see a series of numbers and percentages that tell me no one is happy before I consider disengaging from politics and picking up a new hobby like fly fishing or crocheting. But I would miss Christopher Luxon’s exceptional oratory skills too much to ever do that. One sur

An extremely moving, deeply impressive work of musical design from one of our most important living songwriters “Crying in a suit and tie / But you should see the other guy / One more time for old time’s sake / I’ll watch him get carried away.” There’s the formal attire, then the dad joke, then the adage; by the fourth line, we know we’re at the funeral. Gentle synths drone far back in the mix, a quiet needle drop sounds as though underwater or in slow motion; the vocal comes

Author: KnowYourStuff Cocaine! “Coke” to its friends, “Nose Beers” to its mates, and “Booger Sugar” to the joker in the back of the class that thinks he’s funny. Cocaine is a stimulant drug that increases the rate at which messages travel between the brain and the body. It is made from the leaves of the coca bush, which is native to South America. Cocaine has two main forms, the salt and the freebase: The Salt form Cocaine HCl is the white powder form most people are familia

Dear dating diary, Like many of you lovely readers I have recently been watching Love Island. No spoilers, but all the islanders were asked about their body counts as part of a challenge recently. Their answers typically ranged from around 5 to 12 (with some significantly higher). As one does, I reflected on my own body count (9) and felt a weird bit of shame surrounding it. I feel as though the people on Love Island are stereotypically those with higher body counts. It fo

A feed for fuck-all By the time this issue goes to print, Wellington will again be going feral for chunky sandwiches. Every pub, cafe, and ferry terminal will be scrambling to serve their own Wonky Bonky Baby Burger—a 60-centimetre tall monstrosity, made with the mince of a steer called Jeremy who was fed on a stash of Snickers Pods—topped with beetroot, banana, and a relish of wild dandelion root picked under a new moon, in an Arobake brioche bun. No, I jest. A midwinter fe

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 Make your own Muesli bars! It's no secret that a good muesli bar is one of the few unrivaled snacks. Whether it's for gett

HEADING L'Étranger (The Stranger) SUBHEADING New Francois Ozon movie scans a bit like a perfume commercial Albert Camus’ 1942 novel L'Étranger is essentially impossible to adapt in another medium. Francois Ozon’s solution is to turn it into a film of surfaces, glossy exteriors, perfume-commercial sheen. It’s an appropriate treatment for a novel centred on a disconnected, lonely, existentially aloof young man who quite literally can’t see past surfaces; who refuses to allow hi

Kia ora Salient readers, My name is Sarah Douglas, and I'm the Vice President of Connections for the Postgraduate Students' Association (PGSA) here at Te Herenga Waka. You might be wondering: We have a Postgraduate Students' Association?! The answer is: Yes! We're a small but determined group of volunteers working to support and represent postgraduate students across the university. Like many organisations, we've been through a rebuilding phase, but this year we're focused on

What to watch during Welly’s upcoming New Zealand International Film Fest Go to nziff.co.nz and get your tickets! I have been attending NZIFF since I moved to Pōneke, and every year it is an absolute treat. Last year, I was an usher. This let me sit in on movies on shift and get my greedy hands on some comp tickets. The best time of my life. I saw seventeen movies (!!!) at a fraction of the cost. This year, I’m slowing my roll a little with a forecast of 10 screenings. That’

Weekly Pacific Politics with Otis Whinney It’s hard to deny the importance of sport in the Pacific. Our sea of islands has produced countless athletic success stories, and Pacific peoples have become famous world-wide for their sporting achievements. Not only is sport a great cultural unifier, but it is also an essential pathway for many Pacific people to find a level of success that is much harder to come by otherwise. In smaller nations that depend on their relationships wi

Yacht Club Games have already proven themselves with the groundbreaking Shovel Knight in 2014 and its subsequent expansions, reinventing what it meant to be retro-inspired with a genre defining staple I count among my favourite 2D platformers. Nearly 12 years later, I have seen proof that lightning can strike twice. Mina the Hollower has convinced me to burrow headfirst into the top-down adventure genre with its stellar world design, combat, music… basically everything you ca

A feed for fuck-all Kajiken What: Abura Soba Price: $17.50 When: 11:00am-8:30pm, Monday-Sunday Not worth it in value or taste, in short. ⭐ As chain restaurants go, Kajiken is a cut above. The moment I stepped in the door, I was bombarded with greetings from left and right. If a mite enthusiastic, the staff were lovely. Inside, it was all pale pine panelling, paper screens, and renditions of Hokusai’s The Great Wave out of noodles, but tastefully done. Each table has a small

Weekly Pacific Politics with Otis Whinney WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN THE MOANA The Rock’s horrific wig in the live-action Moana was not the only distressing thing in the Pacific news landscape this month. Movies I don’t plan on watching because they look AI generated aside, there is much to be discussed about the ever-changing ocean we all inhabit. So let's run down some of the significant stories from July, from further escalations in occupied West Papua to even more securi

Music, Fashion, Film Charli xcx shows no signs of stopping As I wrote earlier this year, Charli xcx has known for a while now that she needs to escape out from under the towering legacy of her 2024 opus brat. She’d been an important left-of-field pop star since at least 2017’s mixtape Pop 2, but brat was bigger than anyone could’ve anticipated. One of the more lucid pleasures of my life—and for music kids like myself—was rolling to Charli deep cuts like “Track 10” in a field

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. When I was in high school, I badly wanted a Nintendo Switch. The retail price was about $550, and what I discovered motivated me to save was equating everything to the value of a Switch: If you save your birthday money, that’ll be a quarter of a

Weekly Pacific Politics with Otis Whinney It’s safe to say that the Cook Islands have had their fair share of political scandals and moments of tension over the past few years. The current Prime Minister, Mark Brown, has seen the spotlight quite a bit since that very public stoush over a deal signed with China that New Zealand was not consulted on. While that might seem like us poking our nose in other islands' business, in all fairness the Cook Islands exist under a ‘special

Dear dating diary, My new year's resolution this year was to act a fool and embarrass myself. This was originally intended as a sort of “don’t worry what other people think, put yourself out there and post whatever you want.” For example, reaching out to Phoebe about this column was a push to put work out that I maybe wouldn’t have originally taken! I would say I have most definitely acted a fool this year, but not in a good way. The truth is that I have embarrassed my

Heartstopper’s film finale is so shaky it risks toppling the show that preceded it In Heartstopper Forever, the feature-length film that closes out the eponymous TV series, things have changed. Once-bullied gay kid Charlie Spring is running for Head Boy, and, on the high of his emotional campaign speech, he clinches it. Now, it’s his gorgeous and popular jock boyfriend, Nick Nelson, who, nearing the end of his high school career, is staring down the barrel of loneliness and u

Hunk Unc: hey hunk unc (long time reader first time caller) I have a very free schedule this semester so I find myself home often and I very rarely see my lovely flatmates as they all have partners who they cannot spend a second without and of course they have busy lives, I spend some days at a time alone in my flat and it feels like I live alone. How do I talk to my flatmates about this? Hey, long-time lonely reader, first-time writer. This Unc is going to give it his best

A feed for fuck-all What: Hamburgers Price: $9.99 When: 8:00pm - 10:00pm; Friday & Saturday If you’re happy to wait, this is a delicious deal. ⭐⭐⭐ It’s been a while since I’ve featured a ‘meal deal’ here. There’s been a lot of low-cost menus, or fudging entrees and side dishes together into something satisfying. It’s high-time that I let an eatery do the fudging for me. So this week, it’s off to the Willis Street bar that sounds like a McDonald’s smut fic from 2008: Burger

What to watch on Welly’s local streaming service This week, I have finally been stricken by the winter illness. My flatmates succumbed one by one, but I foolishly believed I might make it out unscathed. Laughable. Having zero clarity to consciously consume new movies—let alone come up with anything smart to say about them—I am falling back on old familiar favourites. This week: some of my top movies ever, thankfully available on Arovision. Go to ondemand.arovideo.co.nz and g

Who’s Afraid of Ethical Non-Monogamy? The Invite is one of this year’s best (and funniest) films Mild spoilers ahead. Nobody in this damned country remembers Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, one of the last century’s nastiest and most nastily brilliant playscripts. An eviscerating document of a marriage falling apart at one epic dinner party in which nobody is allowed to leave (much less consume food), it's the closest literary antecedent to the latest Olivia

A feed for fuck-all Aunty Mena’s What: Vegetarian/Vegan Malaysian Price: $13.50 - $20.00+ When: 12:00 - 9:00pm, Monday - Saturday Homely and healthy, but keeping it budget is a struggle. ⭐⭐ Many of you will read today’s title and, being in your seventh month or umpteenth year of living in Wellington, ask, ‘he’s only just now discovered Aunty Mena’s?’ And to that I say a quiet ‘yeah…’ It’s been one of those places that I’ve heard a lot of other people’s good opinions about

This Unc is sad. Football is coming to a close, and by the time you read this, the FIFA Club World Cup will be over, the All Blacks will have absolutely annihilated Italy, and the Blues will have beaten the Maroons. Do you know what all these situations have in common? They’re full of people with drive, ambition, and the desire to do well—to change their lives and win a Cup, Trophy, or Shield for their country. Well, except for Italy. That was just a test match. These charact

Weekly Pacific Politics with Otis Whinney Aotearoa’s own Tāmaki Makaurau is often referred to as the largest Pacific city in the world, and there is much truth in that description. The city’s Pacific population exists in all corners of Aotearoa’s most populous city, but suburbs and neighborhoods within South Auckland have become the most famous examples of the Pacific community in the city. Māngere, Manurewa, and Takānini in particular have become significant targets for a ce

Bi-Weekly Game Reviews I’m cheating a little bit with this one, but look—I’ve played these games as far back as my earliest memories, they feel like two halves of a whole, and their recent ports bundle them together on the same cartridge. I feel justified in this. You’re never too old for Mario, no matter what anyone says, something the Super Mario Galaxy duology perfectly exemplifies. Across 91 different galaxies and hundreds of missions, you’ll run, jump, fight, and fly thr

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. Solar success! Renewable energy, the poster child of a clean green world. We can dream right? But what if w

A feed for fuck-all Jugnu’s Duniya What: South-Asian + ‘world’ cuisine Price: $5.00 - $10.00 When: 11:30am - 6:00pm, Monday - Sunday A nice idea for a very nice price, but overreaching. ⭐⭐ There’s a new kid on Cuba Street, who might make you double-take, and then double-take again. Just up from the Bucket Fountain, left of the red brick podium that hosts a weekly rotation of swing dance groups, high school buskers, and Falun Gong protesters, sits Jugnu’s Little India. Or wh

What to watch on Welly’s local streaming service This week's focus: animation! Though this genre has become somewhat synonymous with family-friendly films (which do deserve credit themselves—The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) is in my top 4, after all), animation can also feature adult themes for older audiences such as yourselves to enjoy. This doesn’t necessarily mean sexy stuff—theres plenty of melancholia to go around. Arovision has a lovely selection of artsy animation, so go

Love, death, and the very essence and origin of hard rock. Taine Knox for The Mindstate. The disbanding of legendary band Cream in 1968 changed music history. The supergroup featured Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker, who all went on to have solo careers of their own—to varying degrees of success—while others were left in the fallout. One such example was their producer and frequent collaborator Felix Pappalardi—a man who would go on to lead a career which was, more

Weekly Pacific Politics with Otis Whinney The changing climate, fallout from foreign wars, and the ongoing drug crisis are just some of the reasons security has been at the forefront of any discussion between Pacific Island nations and their allies. The question of how to remain sovereign in a world where great powers seem content to throw their weight (and missiles) around to get their way is also permeating the minds of Pacific politics. Matthew Wale, who has done the round