NEWS

Phoebe Robertson There is something uniquely humiliating about being bested by a machine whose primary intellectual task is to rotate a coil. And yet, across campus, students are losing. Last week, Salient   ran an Instagram poll asking students whether they had ever paid a campus vending machine and received nothing in return. Of the 201 respondents, 159—nearly 80 per cent—said yes. Read that again: nearly four out of five respondents say they have inserted money, tapped a c

Te Urukeiha Tuhua  Every year, first-year students are welcomed to campus with a small rite of passage: the VUWSA O-Week tote bag. Designed and printed specially for the occasion, the cotton “O-Bag” has become something of a collectible—practical, recognisable, and often spotted slung over shoulders long after Orientation Week ends.  This year, however, the familiar tote was nowhere to be seen.  Instead, first-years attending Tau Mai and Clubs Day events were handed a black-a

Ryan Cleland It’s that time of year again here at Te Herenga Waka, where big promises are made about rebuilding student connection. Lecture theatres are filling up, tutorials are busy again, and the language of a “busy campus” is everywhere.  But the 2025 Have Your Say Survey  suggests that while students are physically back, the broader ecosystem of student life is recovering more gradually.  Released annually and based on student feedback, the survey gives students the chan

Labour pivots from inspiration to reassurance In a press conference lit exclusively by harsh, overhead fluorescents—the sort of lighting normally reserved for supermarket meat departments, police interviews, and situations where someone insists they don’t recall a conversation—Labour leader Chris Hipkins today unveiled what advisers are calling a reframing strategy for the party’s fortunes: the “ I’m Not a Bad Guy ” campaign. Reporters confirmed the lighting choice was delibe

Te Urukeiha Tuhua  Last year’s student elections for Victoria University of Wellington’s Student Association (VUWSA) saw a huge leap in candidates, with significantly more people running than in recent years.  Importantly, it was the first contested race for presidency since 2018, when current Wellington Central Member of Parliament Tamatha Paul was elected.  Now that the buzz has settled down and executive members have moved into their new roles, Salient reached out to hear

Phoebe Robertson Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington introduced two new international scholarships in 2025, offering $15,000 for undergraduate students and $10,000 for postgraduate students. The University confirmed the scholarships were launched in September 2025 for students enrolling from Trimester 3, 2025, positioning them as an upfront financial incentive at the point of acceptance rather than a later academic award. Nine students received the undergraduate

Dan Moskovitz  Student Health is planning to introduce free ADHD (Attention Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder) diagnoses and prescriptions for students from trimester two—in a move it says could remove a major financial barrier to care.  ADHD symptoms include inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, which can make sustained academic work difficult and leave university students particularly affected.  Until recently, only psychologists and psychiatrists could diagnose ADH

When Public Safety Requires Your Open Mouth On December 15 2025, in what police are calling a “positive” development for road safety, the New Zealand Government quietly launched roadside drug testing in Wellington. Officials insist the initiative is simply meant to deter impaired driving—but independent sources now reveal a far more ambitious national project : the Government wants your DNA. The Government claims that the newly introduced roadside drug testing regime rolling

Colden Sapir (they/them) Voters’ enrolment records are disappearing into thin air. The Electoral commission claims that they are being...

CW:  Self Harm, Revenge Porn When first-term ACT MP Laura McClure stood in Parliament and held up a blurred, nude AI-generated image of...

By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) The day I interviewed Aidan Donoghue, the 2026 VUWSA president, he was already getting stuck into the job...

By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) VUWSA’s election last month saw a massive jump in candidates. It was the first time more than one person ran for...

Dan Moskovitz (he/him) The future of postgraduate representation at the university remains unclear, with a funding cut to the Post...

On March 4, 2024, I was sexually assaulted by members of a visiting Vietnamese delegation. I was an international student from the U.S., far from home but trying to build a life in Aotearoa, a place I believed could be safe for me.

On Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Detective Scott Rankin called me into the Wellington Police station. I hadn’t heard a word from him since February, when Stuff was told an extradition file was being prepared for the Vietnamese officials who sexually assaulted me. At 6:30 p.m., sitting in a bland police office under fluorescent lights, Rankin told me the file was being dropped.

There is another, less headline-grabbing element of Cook’s experience that has led her to seek Parlimentary support: the absence of readily available, publicly funded, non means-tested legal advice for survivors of sexual assault.

Te Urukeiha Tuhua (he/they/ia, Tūhoe)  “ We pray for our elected officials and for our MPs May they let themselves see the suffering and...

By Dan Moskovitz (he/him) The debacle over Wellington’s City to Sea bridge, which links civic square to the waterfront,  has been going...

By Henry Broadbent (he/him) On Tuesday, September 23, the Academic Board of Te Herenga Waka met in the Hunter chambers. The Board—our...

The struggle for Palestinian liberation has been going on for decades, and its leaders past and present have articulated many modes of solidarity. One of these is BDS: an effective and accessible way to make a material difference.

TW: Sexual Violence, Death Threats, Stalking  By Phoebe Robertson On Saturday 6 September, while students were still nursing beers at The...

BY PHOEBE ROBERTSON On 15 August 2025 at 10:20 p.m., Craccum’s  managing editor Lewis Creed issued a press release calling for a Special...

By Olivia Pechey  Dyslexic students aren’t getting the support they need at university. Ten extra minutes in an exam and access to...

Ahead of the 2025 VUWSA elections, we asked the presidential candidates two key questions to help you get to know them better. Their responses to these printed questions offer insight into what drives them and what they hope to achieve if elected. 

A new Pasifika law students’ room—Piki-Hama—opened at Old Government Buildings (OGB) in July. Formalities included speeches from...

By Dan Moskovitz (he/him) What is the value of a native species? And is every species of equal value? Ultimately, the answer to these...

By Henry Broadbent (he/him) Early on the morning of Friday 8 of August, as public servants strode to work, a group of activists, under a...

By Walter Zamalis (he/him) The recent Victoria University—Te Herenga Waka—held its largest-ever Open Day on Friday, August 22, drawing...

By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) Members of the Victoria University of Wellington Student Association (VUWSA) executive are disappointed their...

By Dan Moskovitz (he/him) Architecture and design students at Te Herenga Waka have been misled by the university about their rights to...

By Phoebe Robertson (she/her) The first thing Delah Varnon-Welch noticed when she unlocked the door to her new flat at Everton Hall was...

By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) The Victoria University Student’s Association (VUWSA) is planning to take back the role of managing the...

Walter Zamalis (he/him) The Victoria University Students’ Association (VUWSA) will adopt the Single Transferable Vote voting system (STV)...

Dan Moskovitz (he/him) For graduates seeking a foothold in local government, the outlook is grim. Neither Wellington City Council nor...

Fergus Goodall Smith (He/him) When I first started thinking about this piece of writing, my mind jumped to where it always does as a...

Te Urukeiha Tuhua (he/they/ia, Tūhoe) All of us know what’s happening in Gaza. We see it every time we scroll on social media, coming...

Darcy Lawrey (he/him) Rumors swirled through the capital two weeks ago following sightings of FBI Director Kash Patel in the basement of...

Dan Moskovitz (he/him) In a rare show of trans-Tasman unity, New Zealand universities are teaming up with their Australian counterparts...

Guy van Egmond (he/him) In the nave of St Peter’s on Willis last Monday, a crowd of people converged to hear Tamatha Paul and a panel of...

HENRY BROADBENT (HE/HIM) A leaked Ministry of Justice document seen by the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties (NZCL) reveals the...

Dan Moskovitz (he/him) A Salient investigation has found that disabled people were neither consulted nor considered when the government...

By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) If you’ve been following the Wellington mayoral race, you’ve likely heard about Ray Chung, Andrew Little and...

By James Hornsby Ngā Mokopuna is the hot new eco-warrior kid on campus. If you're not familiar with the building, it "aspires" to meet a...

By Phoebe Robertson TW: Death, Starvation, Genocide  It’s July. The world moves on. Gaza does not. Over a thousand people have now been...

Words by: Em Maguire (they/them) On July 16, it was announced that Te Kahui Aūaha, Whitireia/Weltec’s creative campus on Dixon St in...

by Will Irvine At 9am on Tuesday morning, community organisers from around Te-Whanganui-A-Tara gathered outside the steps of Parliament...

By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) With roughly 100 days to go until Wellington will elect a new council, it’s likely you’ve spotted Independent...

By Dan Moskovitz Wellington City Council and scandal are two peas in a pod. WCC councillors and scandal practically share the same bed....

By Fergus Goodall Smith You may have seen headlines telling you that Wellington rental prices are dropping, that it’s a renter’s market,...

By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) Trigger Warning: Discusses drug use. Testing of New Zealand’s wastewater over the last year has revealed an...