INTERVIEW | ISSUE FIVE | PUORO O AOTEAROA / LOCAL MUSIC An Interview with Maebh McCurdy (she/her) | @leighapparently | Contributor Interviewed by Finn Johansson (he/him) | @finnjohansson2006 | Contributor Transcribed and edited by Tashi Donnelly (she/her) | @tashi_rd | Editor-in-Chief In this interview, Finn Johansson sits down with Maebh McCurdy to talk chaotic songwriting, buried punchlines, and the strange alchemy of turning dreams into music. Find yourself a nice tree to sit in as Maebh...

EDITORIAL | ISSUE FIVE | PUORO O AOTEAROA / LOCAL MUSIC Written by Tashi Donnelly she/her | @tashi_rd | Editor If you love plugging hot tunes directly into your ear holes, you’ve come to the right place. We’re talking about puoro o Aotearoa, local music, because our homegrown musicians deserve a spotlight, or five. So store your Taylor Swift, Olivia Dean, and even your Tame Impala in the overhead compartment, because this is a domestic flight. Destination: NZ music. These days, it feels like...

SPILL THE TEA WITH TASHI | COLUMN | RONGOĀ / DRUGS Written & illustrated by Tashi Donnelly (she/her) | @tashi_rd | Editor-in-Chief Q: Ryan, 18yo , he/him My girlfriend goes to UOA, I go to AUT, she wants to take the bus into the city with me the days we both go in, but I have a good system going where my dad drives me most of the way and I bus from there, it works and I'm getting accustomed to it, but I also wanna spend time with my girlfriend, should I stick with my current system, or go...

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 25. Around 70% of...

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; testing can be...

EDITORIAL | ISSUE FOUR/20 | RONGO Ā / DRUGS Written by Tashi Donnelly she/her | @tashi_rd | Editor Nau mai haere mai, welcome to the rongoā/drugs issue of Debate . Although the word ‘drug’ is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as ‘a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body ’ , we tend to associate it more with recreational use than with medical use. But before we get into it, I want to take this opportunity to outline New...