top of page
He Mutunga, He Timatanga - Māori Students Reflect on Their Year
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
Shay McEwan
Oct 9, 20254 min read
Tiaki I Ā Koe Anō – Looking After Yourself This Study Period
Nā Taipari Taua (Muriwhenua, Ngāpuhi) It’s that time of year—exams are looming, lecturers are breathing down your neck, your to-do list...
Taipari Taua
Sep 29, 20254 min read
Māori Wards 101
By Taipari Taua (Muriwhenua, Ngāpuhi) What are Māori Wards? Māori Wards were established to provide a guaranteed Māori voice at the...
Taipari Taua
Sep 22, 202510 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
The Road to Huinga: Ngāi Tauira’s Journey to Te Huinga Tauira 2025
Ngāi Tauira Column, Shay McEwan (she/her) Te Whānau-a-Kai, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou. For many student associations, preparing for a...
editor11172
Aug 11, 20253 min read
What’s your favourite Māori book?
Arabella King (Ngā Ruahine, Taranaki, Te Ātiawa, Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāti Hauā) Books: Aroha & Wawata by Dr Hinemoa Elder These...
editor11172
Aug 4, 20254 min read
Te Aho Matua: A History of Kura Kaupapa Māori
By Taipari Taua (Muriwhenua, Ngāpuhi) Tamaiti ākona i te kāinga, tū ana ki te marae Tamaiti ākona i te Kura Kaupapa, tū ana ki te ao, tau...
editor11172
Jul 28, 20255 min read
From Aotearoa to Palestine: Matariki Reflections
It’s Matariki, and I am with my whānau by the coast with a bowl of hot boil-up on my lap and some fry bread in my hand. We’re gathered...
editor11172
Jul 7, 20253 min read
An Oral History of Sex
By Shaw McEwan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou) and Taipari Taua (Muriwhenua, Ngāpuhi) Sex and love have always been...
editor11172
Jul 4, 20254 min read
How can te ao Māori be uplifted as we enter the Intelligent Age?
By Noam Mānuka Lazarus It is no doubt that technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing are developing faster than...
editor11172
May 26, 20256 min read
Muka, manu, and mana
Reflections from a Māori postgrad on style and politics by Tanith Wirihana Te Waitohioterangi (Rongowhakaata, Te Whānau a Kai, Te Aitanga...
editor11172
May 19, 20254 min read
He kai mā te waha, kaua mā te karu
A feast for the mouth, not for the eyes He aha kē te mea nui o te ao Māori? Ko te tāera o te kākahu, ko te whai i te tikanga raini? Kua...
editor11172
May 19, 20253 min read
I Want To Go Home (But I’m Already On My Rohe)
Madi Brokenshire (she/her, Ngāti Maru Hauraki & Te Āti Awa) I miss home. But I’m already on my iwi’s land. The only time I feel at home...
editor11172
May 12, 20256 min read
Decolonising the Lab Coat
Rebekah Tolhopf The integration of Māoritanga and Science The scientific method, as it is commonly taught and practiced, promotes a...
editor11172
May 12, 20254 min read
Kaitiakitanga
By Taipari Taua (Muriwhenua, Ngāpuhi) Although I can’t say I had a perfect upbringing, two things are true. I can’t change the past and I...
editor11172
May 12, 20255 min read
It's a Māori world and you're lucky to be living in it. (uh-huh)
By Josh Robinson (He/Him) Ngāti Ranganui Last week, I visited Parliament to watch the Treaty Principles bill fail in its second reading....
editor11172
Apr 14, 20253 min read
A Tiriti Honouring Aotearoa
Nā Hilda Halkyard-Harawira (Ngā Iwi o Muriwhenua, Ngāpuhi, me Ngāti Whātua) Tēna koutou, e tauira mā, All you clever students and kaiako...
editor11172
Apr 14, 20257 min read
Imagining Te Tiriti-centred Futures
By Asians Supporting Tino Rangatiratanga (Pōneke) You may have heard of Asians Supporting Tino Rangatiratanga (ASTR) – a group of tauiwi...
editor11172
Apr 14, 20254 min read
Being Tangata Tiriti: Pākehā Voices on Belonging, Responsibility, and Aotearoa
By Te Urukeiha Tuhua (He/Ia) Tūhoe I’ve heard a lot of kōrero about what it means to be Tangata Tiriti- a non-Māori person living in...
editor11172
Apr 14, 20257 min read
Life at a post-hīkoi VUW
By Kaea Hudson (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe) On the 19th of November 2024 a record number of people journeyed to the streets of...
editor11172
Apr 14, 20253 min read
Ka Mua Ka Muri
By Maia Berryman-Kamp (Te Arawa, Mataatua) When talking about Te Tiriti, one figure looms elusive - the Waitangi Tribunal. Featuring in...
editor11172
Apr 14, 20255 min read
Beyond the Colonial Blindfold
Will Irvine (he/him) “Capitalism attacks and destroys all the finer sentiments of the human heart; it ruthlessly sweeps away old...
editor11172
Apr 14, 20253 min read
“By Māori, with Māori, for Māori” – Debunking Fears about Kaupapa Māori Approaches to Governance
Nā Aria Ngarimu (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Rongomaiwāhine, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) If you’ve encountered critical theory...
editor11172
Apr 14, 20252 min read
FLAGS 101
By Taipari Taua (Muriwhenua, Ngāpuhi) The Tino Rangatiratanga flag The Tino Rangatiratanga flag emerged in 1989 when the Māori...
editor11172
Apr 14, 20252 min read
Tūhototia! - Connecting tauira between campuses
By Manaia Barns (Ngāti Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau, Te Arawa Whānui) Being a tauira Māori at Te Herenga Waka can be challenging; new systems...
editor11172
Mar 11, 20253 min read
Navigating My Mixed Feelings About OGB
By Emma Barnes-Wetere (Ngāti Maniapoto, Tainui) The Old Government Buildings (OGB) stand as an imposing relic of colonial rule - one that...
editor11172
Mar 11, 20254 min read
A Tale of Two Campuses
Shay McEwan. (she / her) Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou There is no greater divide at Te Herenga Waka than that...
editor11172
Mar 11, 20252 min read
Te Hau ki Tūranga
Mā te kimi ka kite Mā te kite ka mōhio Mā te mōhio ka mārama” (Seek and discover. Discover and know. Know and become...
editor11172
Mar 3, 20254 min read
Your Māori Guide to your First Year at Uni
Taipari Taua (she/they/ia) So you’ve had your O-Week, and now you’re getting into real uni life. Maybe you’ve just graduated from Kura...
editor11172
Feb 24, 20253 min read

Got something to say about the magazine? Want it published? Email editor@salient.org.nz with the subject line: Letter to the Editor.
Salient is published by, but remains editorially independent from, the Victoria University of Wellington Students Association (VUWSA). Salient is funded in part by VUWSA through the Student Services Levy. Salient is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA).
Complaints regarding the material published in Salient should first be brought to the VUWSA CEO in writing (ceo@vuwsa.org.nz). If not satisfied by the response, complaints should be directed to the Media Council (info@mediacouncil.org.nz).
© 2026 by Salient Magazine.
bottom of page