From The Editor

Kia ora e te whānau

My favourite walk is still closed. Partially anyway. It’s been about four years now if the dates on my Google Photos are any indication. Kauri dieback, the nemesis of many a bush. It probably wouldn’t crack any ‘Best of Aotearoa’ lists, but it used to be my oasis. I hadn’t really thought about it until last week when I rode the bus into town on a newly opened busway. At least with construction I know things will be done some day. I’m no good with indefinite closures. It’s easier to forget.

The bridge had looked completed for a while now, but as my friends working in Waka Kotahi remind me, there’s more to it than that. If you bus in from the top of the North Shore you’ll know which one I’m talking about. The view isn’t so different from there. Maybe it’s because I always sit on the bottom floor of the bus. Countless songs and hours have been spent on this route. Now that I’ll no longer be working with Debate, I wonder what this commute will mean for me next. It’s bittersweet leaving something you love. At the same time, I know it’s in good hands - AUT graduate and student hands even! You’ll meet your new editor in the next issue, or sooner if you hit him up with a pitch or idea, which you definitely should.

It’s getting cold. It’s getting busy. The end of semester is approaching, so take extra care of yourself where you can. Showing up for others is important, but as The Sopranos said - “be a better friend to yourself”.

Before I sign off, here’s one, or two or three, last songs for the road - a slice of winter to keep you frosty.

Unison - Björk

Whogives - Knxwledge Archangel - Burial Come Thru for U - DJ Seinfeld Sparkle - Camp Lo Do For Love - 2Pac

Ngā manaakitanga Nam