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Vanishing Enrolment Records Spark Fears of Voter Suppression
Colden Sapir (they/them) Voters’ enrolment records are disappearing into thin air. The Electoral commission claims that they are being...
Colden Sapir
Oct 9, 20252 min read
ACT MP Moves to Criminalize Harmful Deepfakes, Citing a Dangerous Gap in NZ Law
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...
Phoebe Robertson
Oct 9, 20253 min read
Meet the Pres: Aidan Donoghue
By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) The day I interviewed Aidan Donoghue, the 2026 VUWSA president, he was already getting stuck into the job...
Darcy Lawrey
Oct 9, 20252 min read
Stolen Speakers and Vandalised Posters: VUWSA’s Complaint-Ridden Election
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...
Darcy Lawrey
Oct 9, 20252 min read
“When that happens, PGSA fails”:PGSA in Limbo Amid Funding Cuts
Dan Moskovitz (he/him) The future of postgraduate representation at the university remains unclear, with a funding cut to the Post...
Dan Moskovitz
Oct 9, 20252 min read
Tough on Crime, Except When It’s Me
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.
Ali Cook
Oct 3, 202521 min read
Opinion: Why Should I Believe You This Time?
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.
Ali Cook
Oct 3, 20255 min read
Lived Experience Identifies “Glaring Gap” In Legal Protections for Survivors of Sexual Assault
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.
Henry Broadbent
Oct 2, 20254 min read
Priests Chain Themselves to the Office of Nicola Willis in Solidarity with Gaza
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...
Te Urukeiha Tuhua
Sep 29, 20255 min read
Opinion: Austerity is Whatever I Want It To Be
By Dan Moskovitz (he/him) The debacle over Wellington’s City to Sea bridge, which links civic square to the waterfront, has been going...
Dan Moskovitz
Sep 29, 20252 min read
Academic Board: BDS Enshrined in VUW Policy
By Henry Broadbent (he/him) On Tuesday, September 23, the Academic Board of Te Herenga Waka met in the Hunter chambers. The Board—our...
Henry Broadbent
Sep 29, 20253 min read
Boycott, Divest, Sanction: Holding Institutions To Account
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.
Student Justice for Palestine Pōneke
Sep 22, 20253 min read
‘Resign or Die’: A Student Candidate Faces the Threats Women in Politics Know Too Well
TW: Sexual Violence, Death Threats, Stalking By Phoebe Robertson On Saturday 6 September, while students were still nursing beers at The...
Phoebe Robertson
Sep 22, 20256 min read
Student Magazines Try To Be Normal Challenge
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...
Phoebe Robertson
Sep 22, 20255 min read
OPINION: Dyslexic students deserve more from Victoria University
By Olivia Pechey Dyslexic students aren’t getting the support they need at university. Ten extra minutes in an exam and access to...
Olivia Pechey
Sep 22, 20254 min read
Meet The Candidates: Prez
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.
Phoebe Robertson
Sep 22, 202511 min read
Piki-hama - a place of belonging for Pasifika law students at Te Herenga Waka
A new Pasifika law students’ room—Piki-Hama—opened at Old Government Buildings (OGB) in July. Formalities included speeches from...
Taipari Taua
Sep 8, 20256 min read
What’s a Native Species Worth?
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...
Dan Moskovitz
Sep 8, 20252 min read
Protests Against “Devastating” West Coast Mine Continue
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...
Henry Broadbent
Sep 8, 20255 min read
Victoria University Te Herenga Waka Hosts Largest -Ever Open Day Amid Build-Up to Democracy Week
By Walter Zamalis (he/him) The recent Victoria University—Te Herenga Waka—held its largest-ever Open Day on Friday, August 22, drawing...
Walter Zamalis
Sep 8, 20252 min read
ATAG Left Dead in the Water
By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) Members of the Victoria University of Wellington Student Association (VUWSA) executive are disappointed their...
Darcy Lawrey
Sep 8, 20252 min read
Architecture and Design Students Can Have Assessment Extensions (As A Treat)
By Dan Moskovitz (he/him) Architecture and design students at Te Herenga Waka have been misled by the university about their rights to...
Dan Moskovitz
Sep 8, 20252 min read
Everton Hall Student Suffers Mould Poisoning
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...
Phoebe Robertson
Sep 2, 20257 min read
VUWSA Wants Clubs and Societies to Come Back Home
By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) The Victoria University Student’s Association (VUWSA) is planning to take back the role of managing the...
Darcy Lawrey
Sep 2, 20252 min read
VUWSA Adopts Single Transferable Voting System Ahead of Upcoming Elections
Walter Zamalis (he/him) The Victoria University Students’ Association (VUWSA) will adopt the Single Transferable Vote voting system (STV)...
Walter Zamalis
Sep 2, 20255 min read
Where’s The Work? Not at Councils
Dan Moskovitz (he/him) For graduates seeking a foothold in local government, the outlook is grim. Neither Wellington City Council nor...
Dan Moskovitz
Aug 11, 20251 min read
Opinion: The Left Needs a David Seymour
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...
Fergus Goodall Smith
Aug 11, 20254 min read
Opinion: There are No Excuses to Ignore Palestine
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...
Te Urukeiha Tuhua
Aug 11, 20254 min read
“A Stifling Atmosphere for Freedom of Expression”: The FBI Sets Up Shop in Wellington
Darcy Lawrey (he/him) Rumors swirled through the capital two weeks ago following sightings of FBI Director Kash Patel in the basement of...
Darcy Lawrey
Aug 11, 20252 min read
New Zealand Universities Hate (Academic) Paywalls Too
Dan Moskovitz (he/him) In a rare show of trans-Tasman unity, New Zealand universities are teaming up with their Australian counterparts...
Dan Moskovitz
Aug 4, 20252 min read
Opinion: Tamatha Paul Leads Panel on Rethinking New Zealand’s Justice System
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...
Guy van Egmond
Aug 4, 20252 min read
Leaked MoJ Proposal Reveals Planned Secret Terrorism Law Overhaul
HENRY BROADBENT (HE/HIM) A leaked Ministry of Justice document seen by the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties (NZCL) reveals the...
Henry Broadbent
Aug 4, 20252 min read
Government Ignores Existence of Disabled People
Dan Moskovitz (he/him) A Salient investigation has found that disabled people were neither consulted nor considered when the government...
Dan Moskovitz
Jul 28, 20252 min read
Wellington’s Only Progressive Mayoral Candidate? An Interview with Alex Baker
By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) If you’ve been following the Wellington mayoral race, you’ve likely heard about Ray Chung, Andrew Little and...
Darcy Lawrey
Jul 28, 20253 min read
OPINION: Poo? Nah. (The Terrifying Toilets in Ngā Mokopuna)
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...
editor11172
Jul 28, 20253 min read
Opinion | If We Can Watch a Child Starve on Screen and Feel Nothing
By Phoebe Robertson TW: Death, Starvation, Genocide It’s July. The world moves on. Gaza does not. Over a thousand people have now been...
Phoebe Robertson
Jul 28, 20254 min read
OPINION: The Closure of Te Auaha Is a Cultural Loss We Can’t Afford
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...
editor11172
Jul 28, 20253 min read
People’s Select Committee Gives Parliament a Piece of Their Mind
by Will Irvine At 9am on Tuesday morning, community organisers from around Te-Whanganui-A-Tara gathered outside the steps of Parliament...
editor11172
Jul 14, 20252 min read
Who is Behind Independent Together? Whaling, Tobacco, and Conspiracy Theories.
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...
editor11172
Jul 7, 20252 min read
WCC decides to enforce its own rules
By Dan Moskovitz Wellington City Council and scandal are two peas in a pod. WCC councillors and scandal practically share the same bed....
editor11172
Jul 4, 20251 min read
It’s a Renters World, and We’re…Not Living in it?
By Fergus Goodall Smith You may have seen headlines telling you that Wellington rental prices are dropping, that it’s a renter’s market,...
editor11172
Jul 4, 20252 min read
Getting Methy – New Zealand’s changing drug market
By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) Trigger Warning: Discusses drug use. Testing of New Zealand’s wastewater over the last year has revealed an...
editor11172
Jul 4, 20253 min read
Opinion: Can Chris Hipkins Pull it Off?
By Walter Hamer Zamalis The 2023 New Zealand general election was one in which Aotearoa saw nothing in its future, and so voted according...
editor11172
Jul 4, 20256 min read
The Dark Underbelly of Unregulated Gambling Advertising, and How it’s Affecting Students
Fergus Goodall Smith Over the past year, you may have noticed something change in the behaviour of advertisements on the platforms you...
editor11172
May 26, 20253 min read
Little’s Big Launch
By Darcy Lawrey (he/him) Last Saturday, Labour-endorsed Mayoral candidate Andrew Little and his team packed out Te Raukura convention...
editor11172
May 26, 20252 min read
Interview: Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry on the Living Wage
By Walter Hamer Zamalis Scrapping pay equity can be loud, but silence is usually louder. A noticeably empty chair sat on in a packed St...
editor11172
May 26, 20253 min read
Demand for Student Finance Services Spike
By Dan Moskovitz In 2021, every financial hardship scholarship the university offers received an average of 67 applications. In 2025,...
editor11172
May 26, 20252 min read
How will DoC protect native birds from bird flu?
By Dan Moskovitz H5N1 bird flu has caused devastation in equal part both to poultry birds and wild birds. Only Australia, Aotearoa, and...
editor11172
May 19, 20253 min read
OPINION: Students Left Confused and Disoriented After Being Asked to Leave University
By Will Irvine On May 1st, as we went to print on our most recent issue, Metservice issued an emergency “red” wind warning. The...
editor11172
May 12, 20252 min read
OPINION: Is there such a thing as too many cookies?
by Anon Recently Salient ran an ad for the Cookie Time Christmas Cookie Sellers initiative, and I felt the call to action. The call to...
editor11172
May 12, 20252 min read
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