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

NEWS | ISSUE FOUR/20 | RONGO Ā / DRUGS Written by Tashi Donnelly she/her | @tashi_rd | Editor Auckland-based HIV support organisation Body Positive  is now offering free sexual health checks to everyone, including international students , regardless of age, gender, sexuality, or visa status. The expanded service comes as rates of sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and syphilis continue to rise across New Zealand, particularly among people aged 18 to 2

NEWS | ISSUE FOUR/20 | RONGO Ā / DRUGS Written by Tashi Donnelly she/her | @tashi_rd | Editor The Basics Yes, New Zealand now has roadside drug testing. This began in Wellington in December 2025 and has been rolling out nationwide through 2026. This means that the police can stop any driver, anywhere, at any time, and administer a saliva drug test (similar to a breathalyser, which is used to test alcohol levels). You don’t need to be driving badly or suspected of impairment;

NEWS | ISSUE FOUR/20 | RONGO Ā / DRUGS Written by Liam Hansen they/them | @liamhanse.n  | Associate Editor One in seventeen people live with rare disorders in Aotearoa - a catch all term for the thousands of specified health conditions that, on their own, affect a small handful of Kiwis that are left without a unified health organisation to provide them with support, care, and community. Rare Disorders New Zealand fills this gap, fighting for over 300,000 Kiwis through educat

NEWS | ISSUE FOUR/20 | RONGO Ā / DRUGS Written by Liam Hansen they/them | @liamhanse.n  | Associate Editor Student presidents and representatives of various university student associations across the motu have united in their call for targeted student support amidst the cost-of-living crisis. While students have been struggling to stay afloat since the economic ramifications of the pandemic (and a good bit before then), the recent increase in fuel prices due to the US/Israel

NEWS | ISSUE THREE | WHENUA Written by Caeden Tipler (they/them) | @caedentipler  | Contributing Reporter It’s the biggest entertainment news story of the decade - Warner Bros. put itself up for sale late last year, leading to a public bidding war between two industry giants: Paramount Skydance and Netflix.  The ensuing battle was worthy of Hollywood.  Paramount successfully launched a hostile takeover, backed by the billionaire Ellison family. The studio and its very determi

NEWS | ISSUE THREE | WHENUA Written by Liam Hansen they/them | @liamhanse.n | Associate Editor The university experience isn’t moulded to every student’s needs. It varies from course to course, but the overreliance on readings, tests of rote learning, and reflections tend to serve the needs of most students fine . But the number of students who feel like they’re working against a brick wall has increased year on year, and with AUT’s cohort of domestic and international stude

NEWS | WAIRUATANGA / SPIRITUALITY Written by Liam Hansen (they/them) | @liamhanse.n  | Associate Editor Have you ever felt a chill at the back of your neck while walking through campus late at night? Felt like you were being watched, but knew nobody was there? Heard a whisper and a giggle far too shrill for a uni-aged student? What you’re experiencing is probably the wind, but there’s no fun in that. Every stonemason who laid the first bricks of our tertiary education buildin

If you’re a student mourning your OE, craving a change of scenery, or desperate to reinvent yourself in a new city without dealing with passports and visas, a new pilot programme between AUT - Te Wānanga Aronoui O Tāmaki Makau Rau, University of Otago - Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, and Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington may be up your alley.

NEWS | TUAKIRI / IDENTITY Written by Caeden Tipler (they/them) @caedentipler  | Contributing Reporter Photography by Michelle Beard On January 31st, thousands gathered in Tāmaki Makaurau under the banner Toitū Te Aroha . The rally and hīkoi from Te Komititanga Britomart to Te Waihorotiu Meyers Park focused on countering hate toward a range of demographics, including migrants, refugees, LGBTQIA+ people, faith groups, and tangata whenua. The diversity of the group was shown in

NEWS | ANAMATA / THE FUTURE Written by Mila Van Der Plas (she/her) | @mila.vdp | News Editor Illustration by Ann Mariya Shammy (she/her) | Contributing Illustrator With 2025 in sight, New Zealand students are bracing themselves for the uncertainty of 2026, where keeping down part-time work is the only means of making it through life when they finish school. The fantasy of completing uni straight into a safe, well-paid job is now officially off the table. Instead, most studen

NEWS | HANGA / CRAFT Written by Mila Van Der Plas (she/her) | @mila.vdp | News Editor Music is a craft. A proper one. Not just strumming...

NEWS | PŪRĀKAU / MYTHOLOGY Written by Mila Van Der Plas (she/her) | @mila.vdp | News Editor Forbidden knowledge is most powerful in...

AUT seeks to outsource its in-house AV staff but students will pay the price if this goes ahead.

NEWS | TANGATA WHENUA / LOCAL Written by Sara McKoy (she/her) | @saramckoy | Contributing Reporter The time has come once again to turn...