FEATURE | ISSUE FIVE | PUORO O AOTEAROA / LOCAL MUSIC Written by Polly Wenlock (she/her) | @p0lly2001 on Substack | Contributing Writer Local music surrounds us constantly, though it may not be in forms we tend to celebrate or even acknowledge. I’m not just talking about your classic Kiwi chilled-out-summer-vibes garage-band, though they too deserve their accolades… I’m talking seasonal mall carollers, your optimistic main-street busker, the man who plays the bugle at your l

FEATURE | ISSUE FIVE | PUORO O AOTEAROA / LOCAL MUSIC Written by Darian Serrano (he/him) | @gumvoid | Contributor Photos by y Sandy Hughes | @spacecadetsandy Hardcore music is a heavier subgenre of punk that also has influences from metal and hip-hop. It emphasises heavy breakdowns, screaming vocals, and faster tempos, while discussing a variety of topics, from the personal to current geopolitical issues. The genre is also known for its violently high-energy shows and unique,

FEATURE | ISSUE FIVE | PUORO O AOTEAROA / LOCAL MUSIC Written by Ethan Worthington (he/him) | Contributing Writer Awning - Seeing a band live eight times in one year could be seen as insane or financially stupid. But you see, Awning isn’t just a band; they’re a portal to a sonic wonderland where I escape from everything. Every time I see Awning play live, I shut my eyes and mentally swim through their magical compositions. Poetic lyrics, layers upon layers of mystically tuned

FEATURE | ISSUE FIVE | PUORO O AOTEAROA / LOCAL MUSIC Written by Jey Min Lam 林洁敏 (they/them) | @_jeymin | Contributing Writer It becomes exceedingly tough to live in true tandem with your culture, the one that feels like home, when you find more belonging in the Western sphere than you ever had in your place of origin. I can’t go home without feeling like I no longer belong, yet I am no doubt still an outsider in New Zealand. I don’t know its ins and outs, its unspoken rules,

INTERVIEW | ISSUE FIVE | PUORO O AOTEAROA / LOCAL MUSIC Interview with Arabella Devine (she/her) | @_ringlets | Interviewed by Mads Bradley (she/her) | @shutupmads Debate Mag: What’s something about the music industry that’s surprised you since being part of the scene and growing as a band? Arabella: Oh, there’ve been a few surprises for sure. One thing I’d been made aware of recently is how people want to assume that if there’s one female member in the band, then she must b

ISSUE FOUR/20 | RONGO Ā / DRUGS By Know Your Stuff NZ | @ knowyourstuffnz | https://knowyourstuff.nz/ Hi! We’re KnowYourStuffNZ, a peer-led drug harm reduction organisation. We’ve been checking people’s drugs and helping people reduce their drug-related risks in Aotearoa since 2015. We got the Misuse of Drugs Act permanently changed in 2021 so we could do our job without our clients or us getting arrested, which made life WAY easier. Why get your drugs checked? If you’re

FEATURE | RONGOĀ / DRUGS Written by Stu Paul (any pronoun) Contributing Writer Painting from Jaipur, India, showing the use and effects of bhang , anonymous, ca. 1800. The spiritual and religious use of mind-altering drugs goes back to the very earliest records in human history. In this article, I will explore several different substances that have been used by various cultures to attain alternate states of consciousness for spiritual and religious purposes. Soma was the name

TE AO MĀORI | ISSUE FOUR/20 | RONGO Ā / DRUGS Interview with Anna-Leigh Hodge | Te Rarawa, Ngātiwai Interviewed by Skye Lunson-Storey | Arts, Culture, & Te Ao Māori editor Tū Wairua is a Hauora Māori initiative designed, led, and directed by Māori (Rangiwaho, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri) investigating the safety and effectiveness of administering rongoā Māori psilocybe taonga species to whānau suffering from problematic methamphetamine use (PMU). Skye: Can you share a bit about who you

FEATURE | ISSUE FOUR/20 | RONGO Ā / DRUGS Written by James A. Glass He/Him | @magicalflamebow | Contributing Writer I’ve always found addiction to be a terrifying thing. The idea that you can become hooked on a substance that actively destroys your body, and that you also cannot simply quit, is nightmare-inducing. I’m genetically predisposed to alcohol dependency, and that scares the ever-living hell out of me. The horror stories of people who go through addiction have preven

FEATURE | ISSUE FOUR/20 | RONGO Ā / DRUGS Written by Ivy Lyden-Hancy she/her/ia |Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Wairere, Samoan (Falefā), Tongan (Vava’u) | @tekaraipiture When you cry, we all cry. Intergenerational drug harm within Māori and Pacific families is a collective systemic inequity shaped by colonisation and poverty. Substance use in Indigenous communities is strongly linked to historical trauma and the ongoing impacts of dispossession. For many whānau, drugs become wove

The Work of Cinema in the Age of Algorithmic Reproduction WEB EXCLUSIVE Written by Trevor Pronoso | Contributing Writer Last February, the Library of Congress discovered what was thought to be a lost film by renowned early cinema illusionist Georges Méliès titled Gugusse and the Automaton (1897). What makes this film uniquely special isn't just limited to film historians and cinephiles (though it doesn't hurt to see more recovered films lost to time). What makes this film tr

RICK'S REEL RECOMMENDATIONS | ISSUE THREE | WHENUA Written by Ricky Lai (he/him) | @rickthelai & Letterboxd | Film Columnist Chocolat (Claire Denis, 1988) Don’t get mixed up here: I don’t mean ‘ Chocolat ’ (2000). Not the shlocky rom-com starring Juliette Binoche as a travelling chocolatier who brings love back to rural France with the power of sweeties, the DVD which you find on op-shop shelves next to Hayley Westenra CDs. I mean the lesser-known ‘Chocolat’ , about a nati

SPORTS | ISSUE THREE | WHENUA Written by Luke Fisher (he/him) | @lukefish7__ | CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST My first encounter with the concept of climate change was seeing the bumper stickers on my primary school bible studies teacher’s van. Climate change is just a load of hot air. It’s always been hot. Aged seven, I didn’t have a clue what these meant. I honestly thought the first one was nothing more than a scientific fact. But fast forward 14 years (good god), and the phrases

FEATURE | ISSUE THREE | WHENUA Written by Elise Sadlier (she/her) | @elise_sadlier | Contributing Writer Illustration by Skye Lunson-Storey (she/they/ia) | @uku_rangi E tōku Whenua, Do you hold a place for me still? My ancestors are pressed into the soft moss of the Mangaoporo Valley I circle home like the Kārearea always swooping, never landing It is the east and you are the sun. I spent a month of my summer this year at home, in Gisborne. While I was there, my friend

FEATURE | ISSUE THREE | WHENUA Written by Sanskruti Banerjee ( she/her) | @san._.banerjee | Contributing Writer Here’s a peek Inside Mount Eden’s New Dessert and Drink Spot! Nestled in the heart of Mount Eden village, Kiwi Dose is a family business that is quickly becoming a new go-to spot for students and locals alike. Whether you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up between lectures, a late-night study location, a casual date spot, or simply somewhere to grab a dessert with f