Debate | Issue 27

ISSUE 27 | OCTOBER 2015

debate

Pg 5 Editor’s Letter

Pg 6 Four Things to do This Summer

Pg 8 Plug into Positivity

Pg 9 Vice Prez Sez

Pg 10 Sleep it Off

Pg 12 Top Films of 2015

Pg 14 Cool Shit

Pg 15 In Short

Pg 16 Entwined

Pg 18 Top Ten

Pg 20 Ode to Education

Pg 21 3am Thoughts

Pg 22 God of the Sea

Pg 24 Debate Debate

Pg 26 Why Being Basic is OK

Pg 27 Wales Rider

Pg 28 The Year of Fashion

Pg 30 Reviews

Pg 32 Recipe

Pg 34 Puzzles

Pg 35 Summer Book Recommendations

This publication is entitled to the full protection given by the Copyright Act 1994 (“the Act”) to the holders of the copyright, being AUCKLAND STUDENT MOVEMENT AT AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED (“AuSM”). Reproduction, storage or display of any part of this publication by any process, electronic or otherwise (except for the educational purposes specified in the Act) without express permission is a break of the copyright of the publisher and will be prosecuted accordingly. Inquiries seeking permission to reproduce should be addressed to AuSM.

Debate is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA)

DISCLAIMER Material contained in this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of AuSM, its advertisers, contributors, Soar Print or its subsidiaries.

EDITORLaurien [email protected]

SUB-EDITORSMatthew CattinAmelia PetrovichJulie Cleaver

DESIGNER Ramina Rai

CONTRIBUTORSMatthew Cattin, Shawn Cleaver, Julie Cleaver, Amelia Petrovich, Ethan Sills, Kieran Bennett, Shivani Rajan, Shivan, Damien Levi, William Bowman, Tyler Hinde, Logan Gubb

ADVERTISINGHarriet [email protected]

Contributions can be sent to [email protected]

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Cover photo by Jenelle Ball

3

Mac Miller, Nero, Sub Focus and More Join Rhythm and Vines 2015 Lineup

29 – 31 December 2015, Waiohika Estate, Gisborne

The highly anticipated, second lineup announcement for Rhythm and Vines 2015 has finally been unveiled – with US rapper Mac Miller and DJ sets from electronic heavyweights Sub Focus and Nero leading the charge.

The full lineup (in alphabetical order) for Rhythm and Vines 2015 is:

Angus and Julia Stone, Astronaut, Barely Alive, Brendon Thomas & The Vibes, Concord Dawn, Cut Snake, Dan Aux, Dave Dobbyn, David Dallas, Diaz Grimm, Dimension, Diskord, DJ Sir- Vere, Dodge & Fuski, Dubloadz, Eastern Bloc, Golden Features, Ha The Unclear, Hollie Smith, Jupiter Project, Kamandi, Kove, Mac Miller, Nero DJ set, Peking Duk, Pendulum, P-Money, PNC, Race Banyon, Racing, RL Grime, Sachi, Scribe, Slumberjack,

Sub Focus DJ set, Summer Thieves, Sticky Fingers, State of Mind, Sniffers, Terace, The Black Club w/ Mac Mylo, Tim Phin, Virtual Riot, Wuki, Yung Lean and Zeds Dead.

For more information and ticket purchase:

http://rhythmandvines.co.nz

The festival says that tickets are selling ahead of forecast, with the allocation of Tier 2 tickets priced at

$225 due to expire this Sunday. The Tier 3 ticket price of $240 will then be released for sale, so they encourage ticket purchasers to get in quick to save money.

EMBARGOED RELEASE 9 October 2015, 5:00pm


New additions include:

Astronaut, Barely Alive, Brendon Thomas & The Vibes, Diaz Grimm, Dimension, Diskord, DJ Sir-‐Vere, Dodge & Fuski, Dubloadz, Eastern Bloc, Golden Features, Ha

The Unclear, Hollie Smith, Kamandi, Kove, Mac Miller, Nero DJ set, PNC, Race Banyon, Racing, Sachi, Sub Focus DJ set, Summer Thieves, Terace, Tim Phin, Virtual

Riot, Wuki, Yung Lean, Zeds Dead

29 – 31 December 2015, Waiohika Estate, Gisborne The highly anticipated, second lineup announcement for Rhythm and Vines 2015 has finally been unveiled – with US rapper Mac Miller and DJ sets from electronic heavyweights Sub Focus and Nero leading the charge. Rapper and producer Mac Miller will be kicking off the celebrations with a headlining performance on December 29, touring off the back of his newly released album “GO:OD AM”. He’s collaborated with big industry names such as Justin Bieber, Wiz Khalifia and Ariana Grande, and played to sold out shows around the world. In a first for the festival, Rhythm and Vines have partnered with international music giant UKF to kick off December 30. UKF will be presenting a stage, hosting some of the finest electronic acts in club culture including Nero DJ set, Sub Focus DJ set, Kove and Dimension, along with the already announced Pendulum who will be kicking off New Year’s Eve festivities. Grammy award-‐winning Nero, who topped the UK music charts with their critically acclaimed debut album Welcome Reality will get the crowds pumping with their electronic hits. Another exciting new addition to the festival is Yung Lean, the 19-‐year-‐old Swedish rapper and producer that everyone's raving about, including those from the ‘Bring Yung Lean to NZ’ Facebook page that has over 3000 likes. Coming off huge success at Listen Out Festival is Golden Features, the mysterious electronic dance producer who racked up an impressive 10.5k plays in under 72 hours on

EMBARGOED RELEASE 9 October 2015, 5:00pm


New additions include:

Astronaut, Barely Alive, Brendon Thomas & The Vibes, Diaz Grimm, Dimension, Diskord, DJ Sir-‐Vere, Dodge & Fuski, Dubloadz, Eastern Bloc, Golden Features, Ha

The Unclear, Hollie Smith, Kamandi, Kove, Mac Miller, Nero DJ set, PNC, Race Banyon, Racing, Sachi, Sub Focus DJ set, Summer Thieves, Terace, Tim Phin, Virtual

Riot, Wuki, Yung Lean, Zeds Dead

29 – 31 December 2015, Waiohika Estate, Gisborne The highly anticipated, second lineup announcement for Rhythm and Vines 2015 has finally been unveiled – with US rapper Mac Miller and DJ sets from electronic heavyweights Sub Focus and Nero leading the charge. Rapper and producer Mac Miller will be kicking off the celebrations with a headlining performance on December 29, touring off the back of his newly released album “GO:OD AM”. He’s collaborated with big industry names such as Justin Bieber, Wiz Khalifia and Ariana Grande, and played to sold out shows around the world. In a first for the festival, Rhythm and Vines have partnered with international music giant UKF to kick off December 30. UKF will be presenting a stage, hosting some of the finest electronic acts in club culture including Nero DJ set, Sub Focus DJ set, Kove and Dimension, along with the already announced Pendulum who will be kicking off New Year’s Eve festivities. Grammy award-‐winning Nero, who topped the UK music charts with their critically acclaimed debut album Welcome Reality will get the crowds pumping with their electronic hits. Another exciting new addition to the festival is Yung Lean, the 19-‐year-‐old Swedish rapper and producer that everyone's raving about, including those from the ‘Bring Yung Lean to NZ’ Facebook page that has over 3000 likes. Coming off huge success at Listen Out Festival is Golden Features, the mysterious electronic dance producer who racked up an impressive 10.5k plays in under 72 hours on

Hi All,

We’ve officially reached our final issue of the year! What?! But…

what!?

I remember looking at the daunting list of the 27 issue deadlines

we had this year back in March and thinking…how on earth are

we going to manage enough interesting, diverse content to fill

27 flippin’ issues? But lucky for me, that uneasy feeling floated

away as quickly as it came thanks to the awesome team we

had working on the mag this year.

A huge thank you/well done/you’re the bomb-diggity going

out to each and every writer, designer, artist, photographer,

and miscellaneous talent who contributed to Debate this

year. You’ve made my job so much easier, and so much more

enjoyable. The mag underwent a lot of change this year, and

everyone on the team (and, of course, you readers) all had a

vital part in the success of that change. I know it sounds like

a cliché acceptance speech for something I was not actually

called to the stage for, but we couldn’t have done it without

you - so thank you!

EDITOR'S LETTER Speaking of acceptance speeches though, I was actually

recently called to the stage at the annual Aotearoa Student

Press Awards (ASPAs) down in Wellington. Every year,

Debate competes against the other student magazines

in New Zealand for a variety of titles, and I’m pleased to

announce that this year, we managed to take away five first

place awards! Amongst the winners we had Conor Leathley

for Best Sports Writer, Amelia Petrovich for Best Columnist,

Nicole Hunt for Best Political Writer, and our entire illustration

team (Logan Gubb, Tyler Hinde, and Ramina Rai) for Best

Illustration! An incredible effort from the whole Debate

team, and I could not have been more proud to step up to

the stage multiple times, stumble through several awkward

thank you speeches, and squeal giddily throughout the

entire evening.

I will keep this editorial short and sweet, and finish off by

saying we’ve put together a little 2015/summer time themed

issue for you to enjoy while you prepare for your exams! All

the best for your studying, have a fantastic summer, a Merry

Christmas, a happy New Year, and we’ll see your refreshed

faces again in 2016!

Have a good one, folks!

Laurien

5

Matthew Cattin | Illustration by Logan Gubb

What ticks me off more than just about

anything on this good green earth, is

hearing people say after a summer

break, “oh it’s good to be back at uni/

work! I was starting to get bored.” Nope.

I’m not on board with that punk-ass shit.

Consider yourself dead to me, you sad,

sad individual. Go educate yourself

please. You can start on this list.

LEARN TO SURF

You know you’ve always wanted to…

If you’ve never tried surfing, don’t you

dare sit around waiting for somebody to

take you out and baby feed you. Buy

a second-hand board, commit to the

bit, get yourself to a beach, and start

putting in the hard yards. Don’t put it off

for another summer.

Learning isn’t all that easy, but it’s not

just a cliché to say it’s like riding a bike.

Once you’ve picked up the basic skills,

you won’t forget them in a hurry, and

every summer (or all year round if you’re

brave), you’ll be able to pick back

where you left off.

My first board was a life-changing

purchase for me. It opened up my

summers to a new world of awesome

possibilities, and inspired me to visit

parts of the country I had never been

to. Surfing had a way of getting under

my skin like nothing else ever has for

me. In summers I find myself itching

for it almost constantly, checking the

forecast obsessively and packing my

car on the slightest hint of a swell. Let it

get under yours too - you won’t regret it.

GO TO A FESTIVAL

Big Day Out is gone, but that’s no

excuse to have a festival-free summer,

and if Austin City Limits is anything to go

by, Auckland’s newly announced sister

festival (line-up pending) should be off

the charts.

What could be better than a full day

of deafening music, dehydration, heat

stroke and loose drug use? Not a lot,

my friends. Music festivals are summer

personified. Bright clothing, sunnies,

the sunblock smell, great music, good

vibes… And we’re quite lucky in our

wee island nation to have a solid line-

up of summer fests.

Yeah, it’s no Lollapalooza or

Glastonbury, but in my opinion, the

overseas behemoths - as incredible as

their line-ups can be - are a little too big.

Seriously, imagine trying to navigate

that shit? You’d never get to the front,

the drink lines would be unbelievable,

and the state of the toilets? No deal.

We may rag on our own from time to

time, but I say be grateful! Embrace

what we’ve got. With the likes of

Rhythm and Vines, Northern Bass,

Laneway, Soundsplash and Auckland

City Limits, I’m sure there is something

for everybody’s taste.

ORGANISE A BEACH PARTY

Auckland is blessed in its ocean

proximity, so why not make the most

with a beach shindig? Get the picnic

blankets out, stock up on sunscreen

and brews and suss some music. If that

sounds like college-level partying to

you, then take it up a notch.

In summer, my gang and I take our

parties to the pontoons anchored at

many of the shore’s beaches. We fill my

mum’s washing basket up with baking,

chips, fruit and cider, and kayak or swim

it out to the toon. Trust me, you’ll feel

like a bloody champ swimming about

with a cold one in hand admiring your

floating party.

If salty food and sunburn isn’t your thing,

then hit up one of Auckland’s many

regional parks with a portable BBQ

and a couple of pals. Hike up a hill and

munch on some sausages while you

enjoy the view.

Or, if you’re into your music, why not host

a sea cave open mic night? There are

some nifty low tide caves in the Auckland

region, just begging to be sung in with

their natural reverb. Check your tide

chart, grab a few acoustic instruments

and have yourselves a little gig in a

cave by the sea - sunblock not required.

DO A SUMMER HIKE

Auckland and its surrounding regions

are jam-packed full of sweet hikes, and

so long as you choose the right tracks,

summer is the perfect season to tick a

few off the list. There is something special

about packing supplies and setting off

into the bush to spend a night or two,

and I think every Kiwi should experience

it at least once (dozens of times).

You might have to ditch Auckland to

get to the better ones, but ideally you

shouldn’t be in the big smoke much

over summer anyway.

Since it will likely be well over 20 degrees,

you ideally want to plan your escapade

close to an easily accessible body of

water, because you’re going to be hot

as balls. I’d thoroughly recommend Lake

Waikaremoana, Whangarei Heads, and

Great Barrier as a few brilliant summer

options. If your track is coastal too, you

have the added benefit of getting

amongst the kai moana, so remember

to pack your hunter-gatherer tools, kids.

Fo ur th i ngs to do th i s s ummer

7

I’m about to write something that would have pissed me off if I read it six months ago.

This year especially, I have battled with

lofty highs and thick, dull lows. I’ve been

like an elevator, but a really impractical

one. One that would probably force

people to use the stairs because it’s too

busy chilling in the basement to take

people higher.

Throughout my up and down journey, I’ve

managed to pick up a few nuggets of

advice that have changed my life. If you

struggle with sadness – which let’s face it, we

all do sometimes – this advice may benefit

you. Firstly, and easily the most important:

YOU HAVE TO WANT TO BE HAPPY

Weird, as I’m sure everyone reading this

wants to be happy. I can imagine myself

six months ago reading this going “of

course I wanna be happy Future-Me, you

pretentious d-bag! But how can I be when

blahblahblahblah first world problem after

first world problem.”

It’s safe to say I actually didn’t want to be

happy back then. I was too pre-occupied

with all that sucked about my situation.

To change this unhealthy mindset, I tried

altering my emotions. But I’ve found it

doesn’t work that way. You actually have

to change your attitude and genuinely

want to better yourself first, then your

emotions will follow.

It’s like a budget. If you want to save

more money, it’s not the bank account

that needs to change. It’s the mind-set,

which in turn will positively affect the

bank account. You have to sincerely

want to save. Otherwise you’ll start

off awesome, but in a week, you’ll

have spent it all on M&M’s. Secondly:

HAPPINESS IS A DISCIPLINE

Your brain is like a muscle. You need to

train it in order to make certain thought

patterns have more gains. So to be happy,

you need practise. Gratitude, humility and

acceptance are like muscles that need

flexing and protien. In moments when

you can feel yourself getting peeved,

you need to consciously accept your

situation and stay smiling. Eventually this

will become habit and before you know

it, you will have changed for the better.

Stay smiling you say? How do you smile

in the first place? The world is a terrible

place! Oh I hear you hypothetical voice,

allow me.

LET JOY DRIVE

If you have not seen Inside Out, yes the

Disney Pixar animated film, stop what you

are doing, pull a u-turn, pull out even,

whatever you need to do. Just watch it.

I’m sure there’s a dodgy Spanish subtitled

version to find on the web somewhere.

There are so many amazing points raised

by this supposed “kids” film, but the one

that sticks out like a walrus in the outback

is that you can choose who steers the

ship of your mind. When Joy is there, she’s

usually behind the controls. Even when

Riley is seeing her new house and isn’t

totally pleased, Joy still runs the show.

It just dawned on me that sadness was

pissing around behind my wheel for

way too long. Joy should be the default

setting. Brief run ins with the other crew

are healthy and normal, but Joy should

be the captain. She pays the bills, feeds

the dogs and is in charge of the cleaning

roster. Because I have a dirty mind. Lastly:

PLUG INTO POSITIVITY

I’d like to believe that these ideas have

contributed to my much better head-

space. I’ve mentally decided to pull the

plug out of negativity and chuck it into

positivity. I’ve chosen to focus on all the

wondrous things I have to look forward

to, and to do my very best to maintain

this mind-set for as long as possible.

To really put it to the test, I decided to listen

to Gwen Stefani and see if I could get

through this song without cutting the head

off the nearest living thing and sacrificing

it to Cthulhu. Don’t worry, your dogs and

children are safe, I stuck it out, and now

there definitely ain’t no holla back, Cthulhu.

This advice may not be helpful for

depressed people, or people with life

altering issues. But maybe it will benefit

the thick chunk of people that are lucky

enough to have bountiful lives, but

sometimes have trouble realising it.

I know in the next 10 years, when I look

back, I’m going to be grateful I made the

effort to think happier, to let Joy drive, and

simply change for the better.

Plug Into PositivityShawn Cleaver

Kia ora,

We are already at our last issue of Debate - sad life. But it gives you guys time over the break to write some articles and send them in for next year. I know…such a good idea! Especially if you are getting up to something very cool over your holidays. Some of you will be heading into the big wide world and getting grown up jobs! As for myself, I am heading overseas to the beautiful Rarotonga for New Year’s. I am very excited as I have never been there before and it will be my first time celebrating New Year’s overseas, so that will be different!

I’m sure I am not the only one freaking out about exams coming up. Trust me, exams are my weak point, so I have already started studying because when they’re worth so much, you don’t have a choice. So I have found some tips that may help with your study.

1. Give yourself enough time to study- I think we have all heard this 100 times, but one day we will listen.

2. Organize your study space - make sure you have enough space to spread your textbooks and notes out. Have you got enough light? Is your chair comfortable? Are your computer games out of sight?

3. Use flow charts and diagrams - visual aids can be really helpful when revising.

4. Practice on old exams - one of the most effective ways to prepare for exams is to practice taking past versions

5. Explain your answers to others - parents and little brothers and sisters don't have to be annoying around exam time!

6. Organize study groups with friends - get together with friends for a study session. But make sure it’s the right friends!

7. Take regular breaks – I use this to do more active things so I can sit and focus for longer

8. Snack on brain food – not going to lie, this one is hard but healthy food is a lot better for our brain than junk.

9. Plan your exam day – I don’t want to hear of anyone rocking up without a pen

10. Drink plenty of water – it’s free, so it’s not that hard to do. If you’re on the city campus, the AuSM office has filtered water that’s always cold.

I hope these all help, I will be trying them myself. Please take care and stay safe over the break! For those who are coming back, I get to see you again! To all of you that are graduating, congrats! You did it!

‘I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination’. - Jimmy Dean

Urshula x

VICE PREZ SEZ

9

Language & CultureLibrary Special Coll ectionSocial Sciences & Public Policy

Shahzad Ghahreman

[email protected]

921 9999 ext 8670

City Campus Library

Hello all! My name is Shahzad Ghahreman, or as some of my friends like to call me, ‘Shazam’, because like Superman, I have some super skills! These skills are around research at various levels both for students and members of the staff , parti cularly in the areas of Social Sciences, Languages, and Public Policy. As a matt er of fact, before studying Library and Informati on Sciences, I studied Languages and Literature and this has helped me to establish a real interest and good understanding of “humaniti es”.

I have been a librarian at AUT for many years and am extremely passionate about my role in this versati le academic environment. I work as a Liaison Librarian and I also look aft er the Library Special Collecti ons.

With rapidly evolving technologies and an abundance of digital informati on in a variety of formats, it can be challenging to fi nd what you need on a subject without feeling overwhelmed at ti mes. This is where I can help. As a Liaison Librarian, I am able to provide research support in a variety of ways, whether it is helping you fi nd the most appropriate online or offl ine resources, or to understand the key factors in conducti ng a successful research, or how to plan your search with qualitati ve or quanti tati ve methods, or solving referencing problems and beyond.

You may email me questi ons or text me at my mobile number 021 231 7564. If you prefer to have a one-on-one meeti ng to discuss your research needs in depth, please feel free to contact me to arrange the ti me. And of course, you are most welcome to drop in and see me at the Library.

I wish you every success and I look forward to hearing from you.

Shahzad GhahremanLiaison Librarian

librarian of the week

S l e e p i t O f f

I’m 21 years old and my sleep cycle is fucked.

I knew it was true before I even knew exactly what a sleep cycle was. There’s just something about falling asleep at 3:00am, waking up at 6:00am and walking to uni through the city with your eyes closed as much as possible (you think I’m kidding, little you know) that isn’t quite normal.

As it turns out, a ‘sleep cycle’ is actually what you call all the different things your brain and body gets up to while you snooze and if you wake up at the wrong stage, you turn into a wandering zombie like me.

So in an effort to curb a bit of my zombie-ness I’ve taken a vested interest lately in what stage is the wrong stage, in the hope that maybe I can learn how to sleep a little smarter. But also partially because I like to read things about sleep… because it makes me remember sleeping… and sleep is something I need right now… because I haven’t had much… and I love it… oh god, somebody get me a bed.

Stage One (Nearly Asleep, first 5 – 10mins)

This period is basically the bit where you transition from being awake to being totally conked out. Your brain is still somewhat aware of conversation and sound but you’re unwilling, rather than unable to respond to them. For me, this is where I have entire conversations with people in my head and then realize once they shake me awake that I never said any of the stuff I thought out loud. It’s also the point in your sleep cycle where you’ll jerk and feel like you’re falling a lot, whacking the face of whichever poor soul may be settling in for a snooze beside you.

From what I’ve read, you want to get a little further past this stage before waking up from a catnap (ie. Pressing

the snooze button for an extra 10mins really won’t do all that much for you).

Stage Two (Actually Asleep)

Well howdy hey, look at you- you’re actually snoozing! Stage two is apparently where we spend most of our night’s sleep, around 45 percent of it. This is where we start to lose awareness of the rest of the world completely and experience a drop in body temperature and heart rate (your heart rate slows, it doesn’t stop completely… Stage two is not death. Not usually, anyway).

As soon as your brain is through with stage two entirely though, it becomes a pretty lame time to wake up, often leaving you feeling groggy and disoriented when the alarm goes off. According to the internet and various bright infographics (more likely to be true because they’re more attractive, obviously), 20 minutes is the optimum amount of time for a quick nap because wake up time hits you in the middle of light sleep but not at the end of it. You don’t want to tear your brain away kicking and screaming just as its ready to enter deep sleep, do you? No, exactly.

Stage Three (Hella Asleep)

You’re now so well conked that someone could be bitching about you right next to your ear and you’d still just sleep away the haters. This is the stage where, if you are for some reason woken up, you get all “oh my god what day is it, where am I and am I late for class or is it just Saturday?” In stage three there’s also lots of sleep-based memory consolidation that goes on, meaning that your brain is working out what recent memories are good ones to hang onto, which is pretty damn cool. This is also where your body builds muscle, repairs itself and gets rid of brain toxins (like the stuff people were

bitching about right next to your ear, maybe).

All in all, it’s probably better that you’re totally out of it in stage three because it’s really hectic, this is also the point where people will try to sleep walk or sleep talk despite being basically dead to the world in terms of lucidity.

Stage Four (REM Sleep, The Acronym Not The Band)

This stage apparently normally lasts about ten minutes and often only occurs after at least 90minutes of sleep. This is where your body gets all horror film-y and your eyes move rapidly and randomly behind your eyelids. Scientists reckon this is because stage four REM sleep is where you do the bulk of your dreaming, and your eyes are possibly moving as a reaction in-dream stimulus. Apparently this is also where you might feel subconsciously aroused which is, you know, always fun. I’m no biologist or anything but wet dreams and morning wood sure seem to make a truckloada more sense when you think about that. Apart from potential spurting and stiffening down below though (I’m sorry, I really am very tired), the body is largely paralysed and still, a phenomena known as ‘muscle atonia’.

Stage four REM sleep and lots of it aids our ability to perform complex tasks, which is why this kind of sleep occurs for a way lengthier expanse of time in children (because they’re learning crazy complex stuff all the time). Our bodies love REM sleep, so much so that if we don’t get enough of it one night we will stay at stage four for longer the next night.

In conclusion then, all sleep is good sleep but lots of sleep is the best sleep. So do it, lots.

Amelia the wandering zombie over and out.

Amelia Petrovich | Illustraion by Tyler Hinde

It is a few months too early for a top ten list, but hey, it’s the last issue of the year, and one of my last

opportunities to tell people what movies to go and see – I’m not turning down this opportunity! So here is

a rundown of my top ten recommendations from this year so far:

45 Years

While it feels sneaky putting this one in, as it has so far only screened at the film fest, 45 Years is easily the best movie I have seen this year. A simple story about an elderly couple, whose preparations for their 45th anniversary party are rocked by a decade-old revelation, this is a heart breaking portrayal of marriage buoyed by amazing performances in Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay. It will make you cry and make you laugh, and all builds up to a poweful, chilling final scene. All I can say is that I can’t wait to see it again when it gets a wide release in February, and will probably go back multiple times.

Mad Max: Fury Road

In a disappointing year for blockbusters, Mad Max: Fury Road stood out head and shoulders above the rest. A mad, non-stop thrill ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat for two hours, Fury Road is beautiful to look at and has some commanding performances. What’s better is that it has helped spark a discussion about the role of women in film, with Charlize Theron’s Furiosa taking the lead from a silent, grunting Tom Hardy, which makes the movie better for it. Plus, you know, flame throwing guitar – who can say no?

Going Clear

An expose of the inner workings of the Church of Scientology, Going Clear is a chilling portrayal of perhaps the most mocked religion in the world, but one that has some dark secrets behind its ridiculous mythology. The stories from the interviewees are horrifying to listen to, and the film manages to detail the history of the church without getting dull.

Inside Out

95 percent of the time, Pixar produces something magical, but they really out did themselves with Inside Out. Hilarious and tear jerking in equal measure (and that’s essentially the point of the movie), this is really the definition of a kids movie for all ages. Joy, Sadness and all the other emotions have already launched themselves in the pop culture zeitgeist, and the film deserves massive props for its portrayal of how we feel and how kids view the world. It actually has fairly heavy subject matter for a kids movie, but unlike past Disney movies, this will have you crying in the best way possible – believe the hype, this movie is fantastic.

Ethan Sills

T O P T E N F I L M S O F 2 015

Amy

Having not known much about Amy Winehouse before I went into the cinema, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the documentary. However, I was moved and haunted by the almost Hollywood story of a charming, pleasant girl who had her life upended by fame and success. Told with powerful and moving interviews from her friends and family, Amy simply tells the gone-too-soon starlet’s story while also leaving it up to the audience to decide who is to blame for her downfall, and that balance is what makes this such an effective documentary.

Sicario

Led by a commanding performance from Emily Blunt, and an even more compelling Benicio del Toro, Sicario is a tightly plotted thriller that demands your attention throughout. It may not be perfect, but there are some gorgeous scenes courtesy of Roger Deakins, and the final twenty minutes are amongst the best of the year and make the entire movie worthwhile. It may not be as explosive as the trailer suggests, but it is perfectly tense and well keep you guessing as we are left in the dark right up to the final minutes.

Mistress America

In a year of sub-par comedies, Mistress America stands out thanks to a breezy plot and an endless string of jokes that puts it right to the top of lists of quotable movies. Great Gerwig is amazing as the neurotic and stereotypical hipster-ish, Brooke, keeping the movie running even at its less exciting points, and essentially everything she says will have you in stitches. Kooky and quirky, you need to see this.

‘71

Tense, tightly edited, well-acted, well scored. Jack O’Connell seemingly can do no wrong in his career, and turns in another fantastic performance as a soldier stuck behind enemy lines in Northern Ireland. With some tense and uncomfortable twists and some truly brutal sequences, it is not one for the faint hearted, but it is a beautifully constructed movie with a fantastic story. It may be a historical drama, but it’s a bloody good one - I’d happily see again.

It Follows

I have never been a big fan of horror and cheap scares. It Follows was the first I’d seen for a long time, and thankfully, it was creepy as fuck. With an original and terrifying monster, made all the more frightening by the atmospheric music and well-handled direction. I’d highly recommend watching it, preferably with your back firmly against the wall– you definitely don’t want someone walking in behind you during this one. What’s better is that this is a movie about dumb kids fighting monsters that knows it’s a movie about dumb kids fighting monsters, which gives it some meta twists that make it fairly intelligent as well as fucking freaky.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

It probably says a lot about the movies I’ve seen this year that this has cracked the Top Ten, but at the same time, this was a delightful out-there thrill ride from early in the year that I still smirk at eight months on. Creating an unexpectedly perfect double team in Colin Firth and Taron Egerton, Kingsman is a perfectly-on-the-nose riff of the spy genre that is amazingly entertaining for the entire length of its run time. It is best not to think too deeply about the themes and some of the decisions unless you change your mind, but for a bit of popcorn fun, it’s a blockbuster with a difference and that makes it all the more enjoyable.

13

COOL SHIT

MAK E M Y D A YFlip, match and go through even more of the world’s

most dynamic cities with the latest releases in Lonely

Planet’s new guidebook series! We have guide books

for Amsterdam, Berlin, Hong Kong, Rome, Sydney, and

Washington DC, and they’re so cool!

To be in to win, email [email protected] with your name,

campus, and your favourite city and why (out of the

ones we’ve listed)!

WIN!

We have a variety pack of Starbucks buy-one-get-one coupons to giveaway this week! Just Facebook message us with your name, campus, and what Starbucks Frappucino you would bathe in if given

the opportunity to be in to win!

facebook.com/ausmdebate

We’ve given each AuSM office (on North, South, and City campus) ten of Burger King’s free cheeseburger vouchers. They will be giving them away to the first ten people who head into the office on their campus and ask very politely for their free burger!

STAR MY BUCKSPICKLE MY BUNS

2015 was a big year for news, even more so here at Debate.

But the news, unsurprisingly doesn’t stop when we hit publish.

So we’ve decided to strap on our journalistic hats and give

you an update on some of the biggest stories of the year.

April- Key Sniffs Local Man’s Crotch

John Key is yet to issue any kind of apology to the Remuera

waiter whose crotch he sniffed. However, there have been

emerging reports of more wait staff having different body parts

sniffed, touched or otherwise fondled. Mr Key has continued

to deny any and all reports of body part touching, saying

that any reports are just exaggerations of “sweet ass pranks”

he was pulling. He has also maintained that his new line of

perfume, a heady and rich scent, is “totally unrelated” and is

not bottled ball sweat.

Kieran Bennett

June- Lewis Road Creamery Abandons Cow Semen Campaign

Lewis Road Creamery has stuck by their decision to cancel the

‘Bottle of Cow Semen’ campaign and was firm that they would

not bringing the bottles of warm, potential-cows to shelves.

This is a move that has been marked by industry analysts as

a watershed moment in the censorship of the consumption

of animal reproduction products. Chesdale Cheese has been

cagey as to whether their “Micro-Organism Poop and Wee”

campaign will be going ahead.

August- SERCO Investigates SERCO, Finds Nothing Amiss

Whilst pressure against prison management company SERCO

has mounted extensively over the past few months, SERCO

is adamant that SERCO has committed no wrong doing.

These reports, they say, have been confirmed by their own

employees who are also firm in that SERCO has done nothing

wrong. The few employees who said otherwise were not

available for comment as they had gone to Tahiti for an

extended, mandatory vacation.

October- New Bill to Restrict Poor People’s Oxygen

Several poor people have already fallen victim to the oxygen

restricting machines, an event that is being applauded as

what is only fair. In addition, Anne Tolley has now given birth

to a healthy clutch of 600 larvae, her once swollen carapace

now deflated and her mate is now headless. In lieu of flowers,

she asks for blood.

And a Final Word from Colin Craig

Greetings and felicitations young people. I was incredibly

surprised when Debate approached me to write for them

again, so surprised that I wet myself a little tiny bit. When I had

dried myself sufficiently, I got to thinking, what could I possibly

tell the young people at the end of their school year? Why,

tips of course. It’s very important to remember that as your

exams approach to stay calm. If you’re a young, white man,

things will always work out excellently for you. If you’re not any

of those things, I’d make friends with one. Well, I wouldn’t, but

then I don’t need to. Also, if you’re exams don’t quite go the

way you were expecting, you can always fall back on your

vast fortune, form a political party, take power and then

outlaw exams. I’m partway through that as my plan, and I’m

mega sure that it’ll all work out for me in the end. Oh and don’t

forget about the Conservative Party. You don’t have to vote

for us or anything, just don’t forget about us.

2015 IN REVIEW, A RE-VISIT TO THE BIGGEST STORIES OF THE YEAR

15

“Everyone is so bloody sad.”

That was the thought that came to

me the other day.

It came with the news of yet another

break up in my circle of friends,

another heart bruised and ready to

turn bitter and brittle with time.

I didn’t know what was up, maybe it

was the strain and stress of the end

of the university year, maybe was

the change of the seasons or maybe

there was something about me that

seemed to invoke melancholy in

everybody for some inexplicable

reason.

Whatever it was, it had meant more

and more people in my life were

coming to me with tales of upset,

trauma and damage and I started

to wonder when exactly everybody

had become so goddamn sad.

It hadn’t always been like that of

course. In truth, last year when I

was just getting to know everybody

I barely had an inkling of how

people were feeling, whether it was

good or bad. Everybody just sort of

showed up to their respective stuff

(classes, work shifts, even parties),

chatted, laughed at some stuff and

moved on. It was non-committal but

pleasant, sort of like dipping your

toes in a fountain but refraining from

jumping the whole way in too quick.

Then gradually, a few people made

a few links. They were haphazard

and awkward at first. A few hookups

that should never have happened,

a couple of Friday night chats

that morphed into exposés, and

strangely but surely friendships were

formed. I remember really distinctly

realizing that I’d been absorbed

into a group of people. Coming

from a different city to Auckland’s

sea of characters and personalities,

I’d enjoyed a period of relative

anonymity for a while. I could meet

someone, introduce myself and just

be me. Not “his ex”, “her bestie”

or “my cousin’s mate”, just me. But

when you make links voluntarily you

become a person in association with

other people pretty quick. Suddenly,

I felt nearly famous. Everyone I

ran into seemed to have only a

few degrees of separation again,

just like at home. It was odd and

overwhelming, but kind of cosy too.

A year on, I had a solid group of

buddies. They were the squad, the

wolf pack, my people. It was great

finally being entwined in other

people’s stories, because their joys

became my joys. I’d laugh along

with my mates about their stupid

bosses, I’d gush over people’s new

love interests with them and I’d listen

intently whenever anyone talked

about their families so I could try and

commit their names, traits and quirks

to memory. Our lives became open

windows and we were all intensely

involved in everybody else.

So why is it that my band of

chattering, gushing, passionate

friends had suddenly become so

troubled and upset? Were there

really so many more difficulties in

their lives or was it actually that they

just told me about more of them?

Because honestly, nobody can be

happy all the time, can they? If we

were happy all the time, there’d

be no distinguishing it as anything

all that special. The people I know

are delighted and carefree a lot of

the time, but that’s not all they are.

Maybe the truth is that we’ve all

always been a little bit sad, and now

we just have people that we deem

important enough to share that

with. It takes a lot of guts to come

to someone and say, “I’m not okay”,

and I think it also takes a lot of love to

receive that kind of information and

treat it wisely too.

For me, the conclusion of this year

is about being grateful to be part

of a group who trust one another

with their most fragile feelings. It’s

a bit hard hearing painful stories

from people you care about, but

camaraderie really does have to

ride ups and downs for it to count in

the long run. I’ve known people who

are incredibly fun at parties but up

and leave the morning after when

the house needs cleaning. Those are

the kind of links that don’t last long, if

you get my drift.

So I guess maybe everyone is bloody

sad, but they’re bloody happy and

beautiful too. You can’t have one

without the other I don’t think, nor

would I want to. The day I’m not

appreciative to have emotions laid

bare in front of me is the day I’ll

seriously need to rethink what the

hell I’m even doing here.

(Have a super great summer, I wish

you many people to be happy and

sad with.)

Amelia Petrovich

I f w e w e r e h a p p y a l l

t h e t i m e , t h e r e ’ d b e

n o d i s t i n g u i s h i n g i t

a s a n y t h i n g a l l t h a t

s p e c i a l .

17

1) Freeze coffee in an ice cube tray, chuck a few cubes into

a glass, pour milk over top, and voila! Instant ice coffee!

2) Broken air conditioner? #studentlyf preventing you from

indulging the air conditioner? Freeze a big ol’ bottle of

water, place it in front of a fan, and sit right in front of it.

It works from short distances, but cold air desperation

breeds patience.

3) Razor blades tend to make more of an appearance in

summer than the long, hairy wintery months (unless shaving

ain’t yo’ thing), and a great way to keep them unrusty and

give them a longer life is to keep the head in a tiny dish of

baby oil between uses!

4) The effect summer heat and humidity can have on the

household rubbish bin isn’t always a pleasant one. Try

chucking some newspaper at the bottom of your bin to

soak up excess food juices, making the weekly chore a

less dribbly one.

5) Put the dry ingredients of your favourite camping pancake

mix into a ketchup bottle. Shake in some water before

you’re ready to make them, and squeeze the lil no-mess

bundles of joy straight into the pan. Clean up has never

been easier.

6) Freeze some vinegar ice cubes and rub them on itchy,

sore sunburn or mosquito bites for some instant cooling

relief, and a reduction in inflammation.

7) Take an old sunscreen bottle (a biggish one) and use it to

store your cash/keys when you go to the beach. Incognito

much?

8) When boiling eggs for your picnic built on egg salad

sandwiches, add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water,

it’ll make the shells come off like it ain’t no thang.

9) Use empty tic tac boxes to store your spices in when you

go camping! They take up next to no space, create no

mess, and will take your fire-roasted fresh fish to the next

level.

10) When cooking amongst the coals of a magic summer

fire, wrap your meat in cabbage, then aluminium foil to

prevent it from getting burned.

Cayucos - Cayucas If The Beach Boys formed in the mid-2000s, they would sound

like Cayucas. With a drum beat stolen by Shake It Off, dreamy

reverb and a tune you’ll hum for days, this song makes those

sunny morning commutes feel like vacations.

Good Lovin’ - The RascalsA number one single from 1966, this song has seen a lot more

summers than you have, and therefore knows its shit. It tells the

story of a man with a mystery illness. He visits the doctor, and you

want to know what he prescribes? Good lovin’, that’s what.

Blank Space - Ryan AdamsThe perfect compromise for people with taste who find Taylor

Swift catchy, Ryan Adams didn’t just cover this song, he made

it something special. Stripped of its plastic and bare-boned, this

one’s a beauty.

A Community Service Announcement - Jonathan Boulet Impossibly catchy, this is a good friend’s favourite night-time-

drive tune, and I wouldn’t dare disagree. Play, rinse, repeat.

Daffodils (feat Kevin Parker) - Mark Ronson

Parker’s alien voice is smoother than sex in this funk-tastic

whippersnapper. Get it in and around your ears.

Sexual Healing (Kygo remix) - Marvin GayeTypically not a fan of remixes, I was taken aback at how quickly

I warmed to this tune. So chill it can barely stand up, a whole

new mood is captured in this R&B classic. Best played cruising the

beach, windows down, friends in the back.

Gold Canary - Cloud Control The Australian alternative music scene is a gold mine - get

digging. This is a summer staple of mine, and it’s more

contagious than your mum’s rash. Get amongst.

Coming Home - Leon Bridges A new tune with an old soul, this one sounds straight out of a

1950s summer day so bike down to the ice cream parlour, grab

a strawberry milkshake, and fantasise about the prom with this all

up in your phones.

Dearly Departed - Shakey Graves

A duet so catchy it will probably funk up your sleeping patterns,

this was one my favourite discoveries of 2015. You and I both

know.

Yes I’m Changing - Tame ImpalaHard to pick just one from their new album Currents, but this is a

good taster of the chill summer vibes they be dishing out.

TO P 10 S U M M E R

C H E AT STO P 10 S U M M E R

B E AT S

Nice Cream: With an ice cream/ice block range with a base of

coconut milk instead of the usual cow-stuff, this creamy treat

gives all of the traditional ice cream flavours a lil summin’ summin’.

I highly recommend the chocolate flavour if you’re a Bounty fan!

Frozen Puhoi Valley Yoghurt: This beautiful summer treat was

discovered by accident when a friend and I accidentally got the

fridge and the freezer confused at a hostel. Freeze your favourite

flavour for a couple hours and enjoy! (I figure it’s okay to eat for

breakfast because…probiotics).

Oven Roasted Bacon: I haven’t fried bacon in years thanks to

this cooking discovery. Brush it with garlic, or maple syrup, or hot

sauce, or just leave it as is, and chuck it in a 200C oven for 10-20

minutes.

Summer Cider: Mama dearest whips these up at 3pm on hot

summer days. Pour a full bottle of your favourite cider into a big ol’

glass, chuck in a couple tablespoons of passion fruit syrup, then

use frozen berries as ice-cubes. Refreshing is an understatement.

Frozen Grapes: Pretty self-explanatory, but they definitely deserve

a place on this list because they’re beautiful. You can eat ‘em as

is, or use them to chill white wine without watering it down.

S’moreos: I wish I could claim the wondrous wordplay as my own,

but alas, I am not the inventor of this incredible treat. That don’t

stop me from enjoying them though. It’s just your typical s’more

ingredients – chocolate, roasted marshmallow – but instead of

graham crackers to hold it all together, twist apart an Oreo and

use that bad boy.

Fruit Dip: Perfect for those back yard BBQs when a veggie platter

just ain’t doin’ it for you. Put out a platter of fruit instead, with

a bowl of heavily whipped cream mixed with a yogurt of your

choice! That’s it! Two ingredients, mix it all around, and dip away.

BBQ Veggies: Literally potatoes, mushrooms, and carrots mixed

with butter and garlic, thrown in an aluminium dish on the BBQ for

an hour. No effort, but much delicious.

Camp Fire Cones: Waffle ice-cream cones, fill ‘em with

marshmallows, chocolate chips, bananas, nuts…do whatever

the heck you want! Then wrap ‘em in foil, chuck ‘em on some

coals and wait.

Marshmallow Jello Shots: All you need to do is make up a jello

shot mix (gelatin, vodka, blah blah), take the middle out of

a few marshmallows, poor the cooled jello mixture into the

marshmallows, and refrigerate til they’re set. Then you roast those

sonofaguns and get amongst round the camp fire!

C A T C O W

D O G E L E P H A N T

G O A T H O R S E

P I G

S H E E PR U B B E R

TO P 10 S U M M E R

T R E AT STO P 10 S U M M E R

T E AT S

A R M A D I L L O

19

Ah, school. I think it is fair to say that most people reading this

haven’t been big fans of their education. For me, I hated school

for much of my time. Like most people, I was clearly excited

enough on the first day, happy enough to strike a pose in that

sexy as fuck green jumper. But over time, the enthusiasm died a

slow and painful death. Eventually, the idea of having to wake

up early, especially during high school, and dedicate seven to

eight hours of my day to something I wasn’t interested in never

appealed to me.

For most of my education, I survived by trying to do as little as

possible. I remember spending the majority of year eight pre-

tending to be sick or asleep in order to not go to class; my dis-

taste for intermediate life was that strong. My final day of high

school was a wonderfully freeing experience - overjoyed at the

fact of leaving certain subjects, teachers and pupils behind and

doing something I actually was interested in.

Yet, now that I have reached the end of my education, sixteen

years after my first new entrance class in 1999, I am left feeling

oddly sentimental. My primary school had their centenary the

other weekend – the same week that I finished up classes at

university. It may just be me, but I felt there was something oddly

magical and symmetrical about that.

It was strange to walk around the school. It has changed so sig-

nificantly since I left that it is barely recognisable, yet this was

where I spent my formative years and have such clear memo-

ries of what once was. Seeing old teachers and friends stirred

up plenty of memories of my first six years as a school student.

I may not have enjoyed my time at school, but the safety those

walls provided is something I will definitely miss. For as long as I

can remember, teachers have been rabbiting on about how

different the 'real world' is from school. Now that I am actually

going to have to step out into this magical kingdom of freedom

and fiscal independence, I have no idea if I am really cut out for

it yet… even after 16 years.

I don’t think school really prepares you for the ‘real world’.

I don’t think all those trigonometry classes will ever come in

handy, and though I enjoyed it, I doubt classics is ever going to

help me get a job – except maybe as a classics teacher. It’s not

just the prospect of having to get a 9-5 job that I find borderline

terrifying: I don’t really know what a mortgage is, or insurance,

or rates or any of that fun shit.

I could be vague and mysterious and say that no one really has

the answers and leave it at that. Yet I am not that boring and

stereotypical, and I do know a lot of people who do manage

to work things out eventually. It just seems to be a process that

takes a long time – much longer than 16 years of trying to pass

tests, NCEA and uni exams would probably actually prepare

you for.

Talking to old school friends around the centenary, it seems

clear that few people really have a clue what to expect out

there. Most of them are sticking at uni for a few more years.

Even walking around my primary school, it was interesting to see

how many teachers were still there from my time, and all the

parents and volunteers who were still helping out after all this

time.

Whatever happens, I think it's time leave my education behind

for now. It's been an interesting decade and a half - complete

with fake weddings, teachers setting fire to YuGiOh cards and

more drama than a week of Shortland Street. I'm intrigued to

see what the 'real world' has to offer after being warned about

it for so many years now. It is a frightening time, to leave uni with

no clue exactly where I will be in a few weeks time let alone a

few years, but I am fascinated and cautiously hopeful all the

same.

Now if someone can just explain taxes to me, I should be sorted.

An Ode to an Ed u cat ion

Yet, now that I have reached the end of my

education, sixteen years after my first new entrance

class in 1999, I am left feeling oddly sentimental.

Ethan Sills

An Ode to an Ed u cat ion

This highly academic and extremely

cerebral column is still in its infancy, but

I’ve written a fair few pearls of early

morning wisdom now and learned a

couple of surprising things along the

way.

The most amazing thing is that every

damn time I wake up at 3:00am to

my clonking alarm, I think I’m making

so much sense. I shit you not, when

I wrote this all-inclusive, veggie-

promoting ramble, I almost discarded

it completely because it “made too

much sense”.

I mean, sometimes that kind of thinking

is half true. Like, I can dimly recall my

reasoning for this total nonsense right

now, but even though it makes sense

to me it still makes no real sense. It’s

an idea that speaks my language,

but not the language of the rest of

the waking world. Also, I used ‘real’ as

an intensifier because at 3:00am that

feels like something you’re allowed

to do but in reality it’s shameful. I

am literally more embarrassed by

the grammatical inaccuracy of my

thought than the thought itself, which

is dumb because it probably makes as

much sense as a garbled Welshman

speaking backwards. Or even less sense

than that, I don’t know.

But lets take a look at this week’s mess,

shall we? Alright.

So like I said, I have some awareness of

what this whole thing was supposed to

mean and I want to clear things up right

now and say that I definitely was referring

to vegetables of the food pyramid and

not the coma patient variety.

Even in my (partial) sleep, slurs like that are

not things I do because I’m not a human

sewage pipe. And if sleepy me can

manage to not be a dick, lucid anybody

else can also manage to not be a dick.

Y’all have no more excuses, okay? In fact

I’ll extend this self-justification the whole

way out I think; let it be known henceforth

that I, Amelia, partially functioning human

and sometimes-adult, can manage to

be semi-decent having just woken up at

3:00am. Having done this a lot recently I

also decree that being very sleepy is just

like being very drunk, and if being sleepy

isn’t an excuse for being a dick then

neither is alcohol. Don’t be a crap human

just because you’re drunk. Think it’s okay

to yell at someone on Queen Street?

THINK AGAIN. Reckon it’s fine to snog your

mate’s boyfriend? NO. Figure it will be

okay to use a word like “snog” seriously?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Wait, I was supposed to be dissecting this

3am thought wasn’t I? Goddamn it.

Maybe if I explain succinctly it’ll all make

instant sense:

So, if everyone was a human being

and a vegetable as well (like an

interchangeable alter-ego type situation),

we would literally all understand what it’s

like to be different. Because we would be

two opposing things simultaneously, right?

Human and vegetable. Different. Two. But

the same.

Actually I’ve changed my mind, this

column is a bloody mess.

Have a great summer!

3 A MT H O U G H T S

3:00am, October 19th

Thought:“If everybody was a vegetable too then we would get being different in a real new way.”

Amelia Petrovich

21

I like to imagine dolphin researcher, Blair Outhwaite, as a salty vigilante, living in a rusty shack on the docks, with a slippery fireman’s pole into the tide and a dolphin-shaped phone with the mayor on speed dial. I can see it now… A Neptune’s necklace beard, webbed feet and a gillyweed plantation out back. I’m aware my imagination is way off the mark, but the dude loves his cetaceans, aight? And what’s really cool is that while y’all are cussing up a storm in computer pods, he’s out there with pods of a different variety - and it’s all in the name of science.

The 26-year-old’s studies were inspired not by a radioactive chemical spill at Sea World or a genetically modified dolphin bite, but rather by a day out fishing.

“Returning from a day of fishing from the Hen and Chicken Islands, we happened to come across a large pod of dolphins and a mother and calf pair of whales. At the time I wasn’t familiar with the local dolphin or whale species but that was the moment that I knew that I wanted to work with marine mammals,” he says.

Now a full-time post-graduate at Massey University, Blair’s research focuses on bottlenose dolphin behaviour in the waters surrounding the North Shore, Whangaparaoa and Great Barrier Island.

While most consider the likes of Kaikoura and Bay of Islands to be cetacean hubs, Blair says many would be surprised at the amount of life humble Hauraki Gulf.

“I had no idea how amazing the wildlife was in the Hauraki Gulf until I started working with the dolphins in the area. This year alone the Gulf has seen minke whales, southern right whales and leopard seals along with the usual suspects which include common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, Bryde’s whales and orca.”

Having lived in Whangaparaoa for 15 years, I can definitely vouch for the occasional dolphin visit to my beach, but it wasn’t until I joined the ‘Whale and Dolphin Watch Whangaparaoa’ Facebook group that I realised the frequency of these fly-bys.

Funnily enough it is social media - not tingling cetacean senses - that Blair also uses to locate pods of dolphins.

Matthew Cattin

God of the Sea

“Usually the first indication of a sighting is a notification on Facebook. I check the report to make sure it’s my study species and, if we aren’t already on the boat, I double check the weather to make sure it is safe to go out. Then it’s a bit more go go go after that! We grab all the research equipment and head up to the boat at Gulf Harbour Marina. Once the gear is loaded onto the boat and set up, we run through the boat safety checks, fill up the petrol, double check the Facebook group for any updated sightings and then head out to the last reported location to look for the animals.”

Y’all are probably thinking it doesn’t sound quite as good as comms, but for Blair, I get the feeling he is absolutely living his dream.

“It is an incredible privilege to be able to study these animals. I never get tired of being around dolphins and you never know what you will encounter each time you go out on the water. They have a curiosity and playfulness that makes them an unbeatable animal to share the water with,” he says.

When your place of study is the ocean, it’s safe to say your day will most likely be a tad more unpredictable than the AUT library.

“It was a grey, slightly choppy day around mid-September and we were following up on a report of bottlenose dolphins when we crossed paths with orca,” Blair says.

“During the encounter one of the animals surfaced next to us with a thresher shark in its mouth. At another point, one of the females spy-hopped just a meter or so from us in the boat. I have seen orca before but never from a small boat, their sheer size really humbles you.”

The Facebook dolphin watch groups are a fantastic resource for anybody interested in checking out our finned friends, but for Blair’s study, they’re vital.

“Citizen Science seems to be great way to collect data when we wouldn’t normally be able to - when the weather prevents me going out on the boat, the social media pages still report sightings for us. Numerous sets of eyes are able to cover a larger

distance than we could alone if we were trying to find them from shore.”

While it’s natural to be excited when you spot dolphins, it’s important to remember a few simple rules.

“There is often a lot of temptation to swim with dolphins - especially when they are close to the beach. However, people must take their time to assess the situation. It is actually illegal to swim with juvenile dolphins (which can be judged as approximately 2/3 or less the size of the larger individuals). This is really important to adhere to as young animals need to feed regularly from mum to maintain their body temperature. Human interaction can disrupt this feeding which can have an impact on a calf’s chances of survival.”

“There a set of guidelines which describe how boaties should behave around both dolphins and whales. Boaties should: approach from the side/behind the group at an idle or no wake speed, never cut them off or cut in between them and do not change speed suddenly. The more respectful you are around the dolphins the more likely the dolphins will have a positive response to your presence. Often dolphins will dive for long periods of time and become difficult to follow if they become uncomfortable or feel unsafe.”

THIS YEAR ALONE

THE GULF HAS SEEN

MINKE WHALES,

SOUTHERN RIGHT

WHALES AND LEOPARD

SEALS ALONG WITH

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

WHICH INCLUDE

COMMON DOLPHINS,

BOTTLENOSE

DOLPHINS, BRYDE’S

WHALES AND ORCA .

23

Amelia Petrovich

When you look around Auckland city on a weekday, it’s

easy to see why everyone is so stressed out.

In fact no, scratch that, more importantly it’s so easy to see

everyone full stop.

I mean there are just so many people everywhere! The

people beside you are people, the people behind you are

people, you’re a people. There are people walking three

abreast and cutting you off- roadblock people. There are

pregnant chicks- people with other people inside. There

are people thinking about people, people trying not to

think about people, just so many people in so many places

all the time.

For a lot of humans (purposeful noun usage there, I just

really needed to stop typing ‘people’ for a bit), the summer

break is a chance to get out of the city into the relative calm

and emptiness of the countryside, beach or mountains. This

seems like the only alternative to the scores and scores of

citizens crowding the streets and sweet spots of your own

home city. For tranquility you have to troop the fuck out of

Takapuna, right? For good vibes you’ll need to get gone

from Grey Lynn, correct?

Not so.

You see, as insightful as these kinds of impulses may first

seem, most people forget that just about every city-dweller

in New Zealand has the same kind of thoughts. Come

Christmas Eve and New Year’s you won’t be faced with the

sprawling serenity of the open road on your way up to the

Bay of Islands at all. Instead, what you’ll be experiencing

is a hot as hell car stagnating as you sit in the middle of a

traffic jam longer than my dic…tionary (and fifty times more

disappointing than my written humour). And you know

what that traffic jam will also be filled with?

People.

You know where people don’t travel to during the summer

holidays?

The goddamn cities, that’s where.

I guarantee you, come December places like Auckland will

be emptying the heck out and everybody will start to leave

you alone. A quiet will descend upon the once bustling

urban hub and you’ll finally be able to hear yourself think.

I reckon if it’s serenity and space you want this summer,

a holiday spent in a slumbering city is well worth all the

planning, tent pitching and road-tripping you won’t have

to do.

I’ve also noticed that often (especially in big sprawly cities

like Auckland) the mass citizen exodus every summer allows

room for cool events that may otherwise have disrupted

city life. I mean, it could also just be that cool events are

organized for periods of time where people don’t have

work or uni, but I still don’t reckon stuff like Laneway would

go ahead and be half as successful if Auckland CBD was

at its full, jam-packed capacity every February. If staying in

the city this summer is something that sounds appealing to

you (and by now it probably should be), take the time to

scope out awesome festivals and events that you wouldn’t

get at any other point in the year. It’s a cute time, I promise.

Another cool thing about staying in the city when there are

no people or commitments in sight is the prospect of urban

Debate debate: Summer in the city vs Summer in the great outdoors

A quiet will descend upon the once

bustling urban hub and you’ll finally

be able to hear yourself think.

S U M M E R I N T H E C I T Y

Julie Cleaver

If you are reading this, you have probably been living in

Auckland for at least a year or longer. That means you’ve

been submerged in a concrete jungle, surrounded by

hipsters and homeless people who both wield disposable

coffee cups for various reasons. You have had to brave

public transport, sit through hours of traffic, be scared

shitless on a bike, or walk past thousands of strangers on

the street without your existence being acknowledged. But

alas, there is a light at the end of this cold, grey tunnel, and

that is going away this summer.

Leaving the city and going on trips in nature is so damn fun.

If my brain was somehow projected onto a white screen

and the channel was set to ‘most cherished memories’, a

gold tinted compilation of laughter, friendship and camping

trips would play.

When I was younger, I used to attend church camps every

summer. They were so intense – two weeks of hormonal

teenagers bonding and discovering the meaning of life

together. There were campfires, there were crushes, and

there were many-a song sung to the beat of a passionately

strummed guitar. Those camps were filled with getting high

off a group atmosphere and building deep connections,

which is what life is all about, isn’t it? And that same energy

would not have been possible to achieve in a city.

There are also heaps of fun adventures to be had in nature,

regardless of how outdoorsy you are. There’s hiking, surfing,

outdoor rock climbing, or kayaking for the gung ho. But

there’s also bush walks, outdoor hot springs, and swimming

in lakes for the people who relate with Darwin or Debbie

Thornberry more than Eliza.

And in New Zealand we are gifted with such a smashing

wilderness, it’d be a shame to not go out and enjoy it.

Summer can also be a great time to grow internally, as the

constraints of routine, bad weather and being busy are all

dried up. You can relax, sit on a beach and just think. Think

about the year that has been, how you felt, and how you

will improve in the year to come. Plus if you hike up a gnarly

mountain or jump off a cliff into freezing cold water, you

will likely grow as a person, as challenging yourself will give

you the photosynthesis you need to blossom into a more

confident and complete sunflower.

People often choose not to go away as they have to work in

summer to save for uni, which is totally fair enough. However

there are ways to get out of the city and earn money.

One of my friends works at a café near Lake Rotoiti every

summer. She stays in a cheap bach right on the lakefront

and kayaks every day. She’s made a heap of friends

there and absolutely loves it. Sounds like a pretty decent

alternative to me!

To conclude, I’m convinced that life’s smallest pleasures are

also its greatest – looking up and seeing a green canopy of

trees shielding you from the sun’s rays, listening to the birds

sweet harmonies, lying in the shallow water and feeling the

waves gently wash over you (or not so gently if you are in

the west) – it’s just magic. I also believe life’s smallest irks

– beeping horns, noise pollution and unfriendly strangers –

can become your greatest annoyances. So why not escape

your year-long pet peeves and go enjoy the simple life (no

Paris, not that sort of simple life).

exploration. If you live and work in the city during term time,

the drill is almost always the same. You’re running late for

something and on your flustered way to wherever you’re

going you spot a cute looking café, an interesting store, or

a film you’d like to see. You log it away in the back of your

mind for a time when you’re not in a tearing rush thinking

“one day I’ll check that out” but life gets in the way and you

never bloody do.

Well friend, a summer holiday in the city may just be your

best chance! You have no study to do, hardly anyone left

in town worry about and oodles and oodles of spare time

on your hands- go explore your goddamn city! I reckon it’s

amazing how little attention I pay to the amazing places

and quirky nooks right on my doorstep here in Auckland. A

built-up cityscape may not look as romantic as a rambling

hillside or sparkling sea, but it can be every bit as beautiful if

you actually take the time to marvel at it.

I’m not telling you that vacating the CBD in favour of

the beach or a campsite is the worst idea though. By all

means, be like everybody else and spend your summer

Instagramming the New Zealand coast until it makes you

feel #atone with #nature. But if you want to do something

a little different this summer and are keen to peer at the

urban jungle through new eyes, have a crack at staying put

in the city- I mean, Auckland has some pretty gram-worthy

beaches too. Just saying.

S U M M E R I N T H E G R E A T O U T D O O R S

25

Shawn Cleaver

About a year ago, I went to Thailand and had an unbelievably incredible experience. On one of my favorite days ever, some of my best friends and I enjoyed exotic cat hugging, an incredible buffet breakfast, elephant riding, go karting (which I won – that’s a big deal for me), and sipping cocktails at the swim-up bar in the pool. It was a glorious day. But now, it’s also a source of embarrassment. Why?

Because it was all a bit basic.

Since going to Thailand, a number of people have tried to share a laugh with me at the expense of ‘those basic dudes who hug tigers overseas and think they are so cool!’ It gets pretty awkward when I reluctantly tell them I’m one of them. Before we go further, let me explain what ‘being basic’ means. The urban dictionary says a ‘basic bro’ is an “exceedingly ordinary male”. However, I think the true meaning of being basic is basically when you do something supposedly irregular, but totally overdone. It’s when your defining and ‘unique’ characteristics are all mainstream. My two-week Thailand getaway is a perfect example. But I’ll admit, my basicity runs even deeper than Thailand getaways…

- I have a blog - My glasses, big black boots and semi-professional musician combination (this is what I call a cluster of basicity) - My love for hip-hop and how I rap along to ruthless gangster shit although I’m white and had a great upbringing - I quote Anchorman on the regular, especially when I’m not even mad, I’m amazed - I love bacon - I’ve named my guitar (her name is Foxy because she is a foxy mama) But the people who think being basic is a bad thing have missed the point. I don’t go on touristy holidays and enjoy hip-hop to prove anything to anybody.

I do these things because I want to do them. I enjoy them. If other people join me, or if I’ve joined them, the more the merrier. If something is considered basic, chances are it is worth your time because other people enjoy it too.

People may assume I associate with these basic trends to express how interesting and unique I am. But that is simply irrelevant. My basicity improves my life, and I love my basic hobbies way beyond trying to look different.

I have a blog because I recently discovered I love writing. I feel productive behind the computer, I get to express my ideas and get feedback from an extremely supportive online

community, and love it when people in my life take the time to read stuff and it starts a conversation.

I love hip-hop because it’s an art that expresses the utmost confidence and cleverness, two qualities I aspire to have more of. It also allows macho men to express themselves in a socially acceptable way while retaining their masculinity.

If anyone gets judgemental about what you truly enjoy and thinks you are basic just because others enjoy it too, chances are these people are insecure about their own personalities. How we judge others is how we judge ourselves. It’s okay, everybody is insecure, which is why being basic is a thing in the first place. I believe it’s the truely basic people that shy away from popular actions because they don’t actually care about the action, they care about being different. If you really want to be that unbasic, go start an armadillo farm in Texas. I haven’t seen that holiday on Facebook yet. Some things you love will be done by many, some by few. It doesn’t matter. If you really feel something will benefit your life in a worthwhile way, like a new skill, visiting a new place, or wearing something cool, go for it. It might be a basic saying, but life really is too short.

WHY BEING BASIC IS OK

Although it is only week four at Cardiff Uni, it is now week 12 at AUT, which means this is the last issue for 2015!

Since this is my last column, I’d like to finish off by fully recommending an exchange to any first years considering it or to anyone who wants a (temporary) change. AUT have partner schools specific to your course all over the world, so there is bound to be something for anyone interested.

I’ve only been on my exchange for four weeks but already I’m thankful to be here and for this opportunity through AUT. Cardiff City has been amazing since day one and Cardiff University have exceeded my expectations with their learning facilities, impressive ways of teaching and their welcoming atmosphere. Studying in a city I didn’t know much about before coming here has definitely thrown me out of my comfort zone - but in the most beneficial and best way possible.

I’ve been learning life skills that will come in handy long after I’ve returned home. Since this is my first time living on my own, I now have a greater appreciation for still being able to live at home (and not having to buy simple things like toilet paper for the last 20 years). But the most special thing I’ve learned is all about what it means to be a Kiwi. Being away from NZ has brought the Kiwi girl out of me more than it ever did living at home. I’ve gained even more love for my country than I had before coming here and I know what it really means to be a “proud Kiwi” now. By meeting and living around people who call this side of the world ‘home’, I’ve unexpectedly learned what makes us Kiwis unique from the rest of the world.

I’ve met life-long friends in my flatmates, learned about the British histories and cultures, explored the beautiful country of Wales, gained independence and soon I’ll be beginning a unique UK-style radio work experience. It’s these reasons plus many more that I encourage anyone reading this to go after their own exchange adventure. It’ll probably be the scariest thing you’ll ever do, but I promise it’ll be worth it. And for those wondering whether they could move away from their home and family for six months? When I get homesick, I remind myself that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I’m going to make the most out of and that I’ll be back home with my family before I know it.

I hope you guys have enjoyed reading Wales Rider! I have definitely loved sharing the beginning of my adventure. I wish everyone all the best with exams, the New Year…. AND GO THE ALL BLACKS!

WA L E S R I D E R

Shivani Rajan

Studying in a c i ty I d idn’t know

much about be fore coming here

has de f in i te ly thrown me out o f

my comfor t zone - bu t in the mos t

bene f ic ia l and bes t way poss ib le .

27

I guess this is the last article for the year from us, and there are so many things I have learned in this fashion/photography journey I have put myself through; it’s been one hell of an awesome year. So I have limited myself to be thankful for a few things that have really been a milestone in 2015.

1. NEW ZEALAND FASHION WEEK

This year, thanks to the Debate team, I got to cover New Zealand Fashion Week. I remember months before the shows I thought of every way to sneak in. Maybe if I dressed a certain way, acted a certain way…but weeks before the shows started I received my invitation to Fashion Week 2015 from our editor, Laurien. That really allowed me to take a step back and think, all I had to do was nothing. I just had to what I have been doing all year: be myself. So covering Fashion Week I was exactly myself, many times I thought it would be easier to mould myself to fit into this fashion scene, but I guess I would be cheating myself and my first experience at New Zealand Fashion Week would not have been as rewarding.

2. THAT’S WHEN I KNEW

Accepting the title of a contributor for Debate Magazine was something I stumbled upon. I didn’t know what I was going to write about or who my articles would cater to. I knew I didn’t want to write about something serious because there were quite a lot of great contributors hitting some hard issues in their columns and doing a great job with it too. I knew I enjoyed the idea of wearable art, fashion and mixing that with photography and beauty. I knew I wanted to add a personal touch to every article, which is why I began to incorporate a styled editorial look with every column. That’s when I knew this is what excites me and this is what I wanted to do. So every week, the fashion team trio - which usually includes me on photographing & styling, our model, and A Young our makeup artist - work to bring you a styled look to really help communicate the column

more visually. Many hours go into shooting, styling and editing to bring you the final product, its hard work but gosh it’s exciting.

3. THE FRIENDS

I would not be here if it wasn’t for the friends that have helped every issue come to life. From our photographer for the first few issues, to our models from Vanity Walk, and our hair and makeup stylist, A Young, these people really make every issue the final product it is. Our amazing magazine designer, Ramina, who every week just takes the magazine and our columns to the next level with her layout and design, and our editor for giving us the creative freedom to write and publish our crazy styling ideas each week.

4. A JOB WORTH WAKING UP MONDAY MORNINGS FOR

Ugh Mondays. I know how much we all dread Mondays, but stumbling upon the fashion industry, I truly believe this is one profession I would be happy to wake up every Monday morning for. I always hear these smug people who, when I ask what job they you do, say ‘it’s not a job because I love what I do’, ugh! And I am always thinking gosh they must just be full of it, nobody can love their job that much, because it’s a JOB! Something you have to do, not something you want to. But I guess after this year I can truly say I am that smug person who loves what they do and can’t stop talking about it.

So I guess that’s it for 2015, I’m excited for 2016 and all the surprises I have in store. But until then, I leave you with an image we took at the start of the year for an androgyny column I wrote, but didn’t get to publish the editorial image that went with it.

Photographer: Cassi Namkung | Model: Tina Crooks @ Vanity Walk | Styling: By Shivan from www.gathum.co.nz

T H E Y E A R O F F A S H I O N

29

Reviewed by Damien Levi

AFK (Away From Keyboard) In a preview screening before the show launches on Sky’s

The Zone channel later this month, I was treated to AFK’s first

season en masse. Following along the lines of Tron, Spy Kids 3D

and Sword Art Online, the main characters are gamers who

have mysteriously been transported into the bodies of they

characters they play in an online role-playing game.

AFK has a relatively large central cast for a web series, but the

chemistry between the characters makes for an interesting

watch. JJ Fong and Ravi Narayan deserve a special mention

for their portrayals of Steven and Mabel respectively; whose

real life genders are the opposite of their player bodies.

Occasionally I found the dialogue to come across a little

awkward and forced. The North American accents can

cause a few cringes, but the decision to have them makes

sense for the show to pull in greater audiences globally. Other

than that, AFK has some witty lines that cater to gamers and

self-proclaimed nerds, but its general pop-culture references

and humour, such as an undead rogue recreating Michael

Jackson’s thriller dance, will leave most people chuckling.

The standout features of the series, for me, consist of the

music, shot composition and fight choreography. Composer

Luke Fitzgerald does a brilliant job of setting the mood but not

overwhelming the audience with flashy tunes, director Peter

Haynes repeatedly shows his skill by presenting audiences

with interesting and engaging shot choices, and the fight

choreography was just plain fun.

If you’ve ever felt the need for greater diversity in the stories

told on your screen, then you’ve probably searched online and

watched a web series. More often then not they’re short, they’re

exciting and they’re easy to binge-watch. AFK, or Away From

Keyboard, is no different.

WASS GOOD?

Directed by Brian HeglelandStarring Tom Hardy, Tom Hardy, Emily Mortimer

Reviewed by Ethan Sills

Legend Unfortunately, a movie as plot heavy as this can’t be judged on

the actor’s talent alone, and Hardy is let down by a less than

stellar storyline and weird tonal shifts between hilarious banter,

romance, black comedy and downright gritty gangster tropes.

The main problem is that the movie really wants you to love the

Kray twins. That’s fine for the first half of the movie, where the

audience gets to enjoy their rise to the top in good humour, with

some comic fight scenes and plenty of wit. The plot then shifts

around the halfway point. As the Krays hold of London grows,

the brothers begin to butt heads, and Reginald’s relationship

with his brother and wife becomes tense. It’s here that the story

becomes darker, yet there are plenty of light, funny moments

that get forced in there. It was likely intended to lighten the

mood, but instead it feels out of place with the on screen horrors

taking place.

One early fault would be that the film is built around Hardy, so

the other performances are more caricatures of typical gangster

movie characters than real performances. Emily Mortimer, who

plays the films narrator and Reginald’s love interest, Frances,

suffers the most. It could have been a meaty role, and to

Mortimer’s credit she does the best with what’s there, but it pales

compared to the Kray twins.

A flawed movie on several levels, Legend would be worth seeing

for Hardy’s performances, but even he can barely keep this

movie going as it stumbles to a pointlessly violent ending.

If I was to judge Legend by performance alone, it would be one

of the best of the year. Tom Hardy is amazing as Ronnie and

Reginald Kray, polar opposite twin gangsters who ruled London

in the 1960s. Hardy has always given great and completely

different performances, and playing opposite himself allows all

that’s great about him to shine.

Directed by Peter HaynesStarrring Mia Pistorius, Calum Gittins, Grae Burton


Macbeth Michael Fassbender stars as Macbeth, a general fresh off

crushing a rebellion against King Duncan of Scotland. After the

battle, Macbeth encounters three witches who tell him he will

one day be king. Fuelled by the knowledge, and pushed by his

ambitious wife, Macbeth kills the king and takes the crown for

himself, but his paranoid delusions begin to threaten his reign.

Watching Macbeth, I understood the plot about as much as

when I first read Othello in Year 13: I knew basically what was

going on, but the finer details and the craftier plot intricacies

passed me by. It doesn’t help that all the characters speak with

thick Scottish accents, making some key points come across

garbled to the uninitiated.

The lead performances smooth out some of the confusion. I

came for Fassbender and Cotillard, and they did not disappoint.

Both are fantastic and kept me glued to the screen even when

I didn’t know what the former was saying. Even if you have

no idea what’s going on, the cinematography alone makes

Macbeth worth watching. It is truly gorgeous, with shot after shot

of beautiful scenery, perfectly angled, leading to a final, fiery

battle that was simply amazing.

Even with the technical and acting achievements, if you cannot

stand Shakespeare, this isn’t the movie for you. I felt afterwards

like I should call my old English teacher and ask for a debrief.

I would definitely have enjoyed this more if I knew what was

going on, but for a first time view, Macbeth was a gorgeous but

confusing experience.

I am not well versed in Shakespeare, having only read a few

plays at school. As such, I’ve never read Macbeth. I wanted to

see this movie as I love Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard,

and this looked like an interesting film. I didn’t think my lack of

knowledge around the play would get in the way, yet several

areas of confusion hampered my enjoyment of an otherwise

excellent film.

Directed by Noah BaumbachStarring Great Gerwig, Lola Kirke, Heather Lind


Mistress America her neurotic future step sister is non-stop funny for the majority of

its running time.

It takes a while to get going, with the first fifteen minutes spent

establishing Lola Kirke’s Tracey, who is a perfectly fine character,

but just has little to do in that time. The movie kicks off when we

meet our titular mistress, Brooke, a 30 something living in New

York and having the time of her life. Tracey instantly falls into

admiration with her future sister, but is quickly able to see through

the cracks in Brooke’s façade and uses her faults to construct a

short story.

Mistress is non-stop laughs for the majority of the run time. Once

Brooke arrives on the scene, barely a minute went by where I

wasn’t laughing at something. This is a movie that turns the name

Mimi-Claire into a punch line, riffs on everything from hipsters to

the rich to college life in general, and manages to draw the

best out of every character no matter how small. I doubt there

will ever be a movie with a scene as awkward, fast paced and

hilarious as this film’s long sequence set in Mimi-Claire’s house,

but everything that transpires there had the whole audience in

stitches.

The movie is perhaps the definition of an independent comedy,

presenting what is arguably a very fantastical liberal hipster view

of the world how people interact. It would be extremely easy

to be annoyed by the movies endless quips and Brooke’s many

quirks, but I found the jokes hilarious and Brooke a delight, and

can’t wait to see this again.

I’ve been fairly disappointed with comedies this year. While

some have been entertaining and indeed funny, none have

been particularly unique and original. So while I may have been

laughing, comedies like Spy and Trainwreck couldn’t disguise

their bland plots.

That was until Mistress America. The plot is not exactly ‘wow’, but

this simple comedy about a college student trying to fit in with

Directed by Justin KurzelStarring Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Sean Harris

31

Serves 5

Fish

500g Gurnard or similar

¾ Cups Polenta

Zest of one lemon

1 Garlic clove finely chopped

2 Eggs beaten

Pinch of salt and pepper

Ice Berg and Tartare

1 large iceberg lettuce

1 cup Greek yoghurt

2 tbsp mayonnaise

5 gherkins

Mushy Peas

500g frozen peas

50g butter

Salt and pepper

Cut fish into pieces – it’s up to you how big or small. Crack two eggs onto a plate and whisk. Combine other ‘fish’ ingredients on another plate. Using tongs, cover fish in egg then polenta mix. Leave aside until needed.

Place outer leaves of iceberg lettuce, Greek yoghurt, mayonnaise, and gherkins in a blender. Blend to combine. Pour into bowl for later.

Cover peas with water in a pot and bring to the boil. Boil until tender. Drain in colander and place in blender with butter, salt, and pepper. Blend until roughly combined.

Heat saucepan with half a centimeter of good cooking oil and knob of butter. Batch fry the fish on both sides until crispy and cooked through. Place in warm oven until all the fish is cooked.

Slice iceberg into wedges and drizzle in tartare. Place fish on platter with slices of lemon and place mushy peas in a bowl. Eat it like it is or cram it all into a soft white bun!

It’s ‘”that” time of the year again; the colder months, with all of their culinary connotations - cheap and tough cuts of meat, hours of slow and warm loving, deep and complex flavours – are replaced with the long hot days and all of theirs – colourful and bountiful produce, burning and smoky coals, plates of zesty flavours.

Gurnard, Berg, and MushiesWilliam Bowman

33

P U ZZ L ES

SUMMER T IME

Circle all the words in the wordfind, tear this page out & pop it into the box on the side of the red debate stands, and you could win this motherflippin’ sweet prize:

Name: Email:

TWO free Burger King cheeseburger vouchers

[222 Queen Street]Yipee!

Hot

Speedos

BBQ

Spearfishing

Youngandwildandfree

Peelingskin

Saltyhair

Fireroastedeverything

Icecreamstops

Roadtriptunes

Tenting

Hammocks

Readingonthebeach

Cocktails

Icedcoffee

Cardgames

Sunscreen

Sunnies

Sun

Sunnysunsun

Wild Boy – Brando Yelavich

Born and raised on the North Shore, Brando has struggled

with ADHD his whole life. He was never good at school,

but always thrived in the outdoors. As a teenager Brando

became involved with drugs and ‘the wrong crowd’. To turn

his life around and save him from himself, Brando decides to

walk around New Zealand. That’s right, he walks around the

entire coastline! He hunts for his own food, lives off the land,

and nearly dies along the way. The book is far from literary,

but it’s definitely a cool read. And it may just inspire you to

go hiking this summer.

There’s nothing better than stretching out with a nice book in summer – but there’s nothing worse than being stuck with a terrible one. So to save you the hassle of searching through Good Reads (which gives books good reviews non-discriminatingly), I’ll let you know four books (one for every month this summer) that you will not be disappointed with.

Wild: From lost to found on the Pacific Coast Trail – Cheryl

Strayed

After reading Wild I have been unable to stop raving about

it. I personally think Cheryl Strayed is a modern Jane Austen/

Oscar Wilde. Her writing smacks you right in the empathy

bone and her insights are so deep, she practically shows

you a hidden ditch underneath the well of life. Wild shares

the true story about Cheryl’s troubled 20s. After her mom

devastatingly died, Cheryl began spiraling into a life filled

with drugs, infidelity and unhappiness. To overcome her

trauma and find herself, Cheryl hikes across the USA on the

Pacific Coast Trail. It’s an incredible story, and her writing

is beyond gripping. Read it – it may just change your life.

Seriously.

The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

I’ve read a few books about Nazi Germany, however

this tale is by far the best. The book is told from the

perspective of death. Not the Germans, not the Jews, but

the omnipresent being who oversees all war – death. This

softhearted grim reaper follows the life of Liesel Meminger,

a little German girl who captures the interest of death. The

Book Thief is rich with symbolism, history and insight. The

writing is crisp and crunchy, like an apple dipped in corn

flakes. And Zusak ensures there’s a mind-blowing phrase on

every page. I enjoyed this book so much, I cried when it

finished because I missed the characters already. It’s that

good.

The Dream of a Common Language – Adrienne Rich

If the name of this book doesn’t make you think, don’t read

it. But if such a title captures your imagination, Adrienne

Rich will enrich your world. This book is a collection of poems

written in from 1974–1977. It’s from a feminist perspective,

but don’t get too scared, the themes are incredibly

universal. And the cool thing about poetry is that even if

you don’t get it, you can create your own meaning from

the wonderful literature. As Cheryl Strayed once wrote “go

to the library and get five poetry books.” Why? “Because

the truth is inside.”

P.s. My list of good journey-self-discovery-books is longer than this. It’s totally not my what I like to read or anything...

Julie Cleaver

S UMM E R R E A D S

35

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Debate | Issue 27

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