Salient Magazine

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Featured Writers

Azaria Howell

Mum told me not to talk about politics online. News Editor for Victoria University of Wellington's Salient Magazine with a focus on politics, healthcare, and housing.

Zoë Mills

Political Science, Media Studies and Public Policy student at Victoria University of Wellington. Journalist.

Laurelei Bautista

A multilingual 18-year-old currently studying a conjoint LLB/BA in French and Media Studies at VUW.Staff Writer at The Peahce Project, Columnist at Salient Magazine, Social Media Manager at Dear Asian …

Annabel McCarthy

Maia Ingoe

I am a writer and journalist based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand). I'm currently the Co-Editor of Salient Magazine.

Kirsty Frame

Latest Articles

VC Nic Smith on Community, Capital, and Letting the Dust Settle — Salient Magazine

Freshers aren’t the only newbies on the scene at VUW. A hot new bombshell has entered the villa: Vice Chancellor Nic Smith. He has busted into his new job as of January, telling Salient, “I'm in the listening phase.” In fact, he appeared to be a big fan of “letting …

By Maia Ingoe
5th March 2023 • Salient Magazine

Fringe Festival: A Stage for Students —

Fringe is known as the birthplace of brilliance for a reason. Over February and March, emerging artists and established performers take to Pōneke stages. Salient talked to three shows making their fringe debut. King Shit explores online masculinity through an anthology of mediums. It is the first professional production by …

By Maia Ingoe
26th February 2023 • Salient Magazine

The Environmental Cost of a $10 Disposable Vape — Salient Magazine

The average AirsPops disposable vape costs $10 and can be purchased from pretty much any dairy or petrol station. This convenient nicotine hit has students hooked – a cheap e-cigarette can be “perfect on a night out”, according to one student. But with so many disposable vapes being purchased, are …

By Azaria Howell
9th October 2022 • Salient Magazine

Cost of Living Payment Ends — Salient Magazine

The third and final instalment of the Cost of Living Payment was paid out early last week. It aimed to help those who earned under $70,000 last year deal with the rising costs of inflation. The payment has been criticised for being an inappropriate way of addressing inflation. Salient took …

By Beth Mountford
9th October 2022 • Salient Magazine

Patronscan: Protective System Or Privacy Scare? —

An increasing number of Wellington bars are adopting digital ID checking technology in a move to make the capital's nightlife safer, but potential privacy risks are going unchecked by bar owners. The Patronscan system, which is widely used in Australia, scans the IDs of town-goers as well as photographing them …

By Ethan Manera
9th October 2022 • Salient Magazine

University Staff Strike in First Wave of Industrial Action — Salient Magazine

Thursday, 6 October saw the first university staff strike in over a decade. At midday, Tertiary Education Union (TEU) members, including tutors, general, academic, and research staff, walked out of their roles and into the Hub. They carried placards with sentiments such as “I can’t afford to NOT strike”. Staff …

By Beth Mountford
6th October 2022 • Salient Magazine

Reviewing Night ‘n Day's Energy Drink Milkshakes

I love energy drinks. A fresh, cold Blue V in the morning gets me ready for my day and nothing tastes as good as a Vodka Red Bull on a night out. A milkshake is another timeless classic.

By Azaria Howell
2nd October 2022 • Salient Magazine

VUWSA’s 2023 Exec Members Vaguely Promise to Increase Student Engagement

The results are in: Jessica Ye is VUWSA’s President for 2023. Ye mentioned that “engagement” would be the biggest challenge for VUWSA to face in 2023. The numbers don’t lie—VUWSA’s presidential position has been unopposed for two years and events have low turnout, ending with heaps of leftover cold pizza.

By Azaria Howell
2nd October 2022 • Salient Magazine

Where were all the VUWSA candidates? They’re running for Uni Council.

The University Council elects a new student representative each year to serve a two-year term. VUWSA, on the other hand, elects a president who serves for the year. This year, seven students have put their hands up to run for Uni Council whilst VUWSA’s presidential position sits unopposed for the …

By Azaria Howell
2nd October 2022 • Salient Magazine

Ratatouille at Dads Place — Salient Magazine

“The trick is to salt it first and then add shitloads of oil.” We stand over his big gas stove, wheels of eggplant sizzling in two cast-iron pans. The sheer amount of the stuff, when laid out flat and coated in olive oil, is overwhelming. I half-heartedly poke the eggplants …

By Maia Ingoe
2nd October 2022 • Salient Magazine

Inflationary Food Prices Take A Bite Out Of Students' Wallets

The rising cost of living has hit campus food vendors. External pressures such as the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic have caused supply chain issues, pushing up prices. One student told Salient that the “Kelburn tax” had impacted their ability to buy food on campus, as “prices keep …

By Azaria Howell
25th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

Coffees with the Candidates - Lachlan Patterson

Only 22-years-old, Green Party candidate Lachlan Patterson is running for Wellington City Council in the Wharangi/Onslow-Western Ward. Patterson recently finished a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies at Te Herenga Waka. He is running for council because “we're at a real crossroads for the future of this city, when faced …

By Azaria Howell
25th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

Theatre Review: Skin Tight at Circa

Skin Tight begins with a jumpscare. There’s a flash of light and cacophony of sound. The two actors burst in from either side of the stage, colliding in the centre, before an all-out fist fight ensues. It’s a sensory overload, only halted by sudden silence, right at the climax. As …

By Joanna Fan
25th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

Interview with Jefferson Collective — Salient Magazine

Flatting creates all kinds of new connections and communities. For the Jefferson Collective, it sparked a creative collaboration, combining the individual strengths and interests of flatmates Savanna Stent (she/her), Kat Rowan (they/them), and Rosie Mazur (she/her). The Jefferson Collective sells jewellery by Sav, art prints by Kat, and collaborative zines …

By Maia Ingoe
25th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

Stafford House Breaches Residential Tenancies Act Six Times — Salient Magazine

Tenancy Compliance and Investigations (TCIT) have found Stafford House, managed by UniLodge, to be in breach of six sections of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA), following an investigation from VUWSA.

By Beth Mountford
23rd September 2022 • Salient Magazine

Nīkau Wi Neera - Te Whanganui A Tara — Coffees With The Candidates

At just 23 years old, Green Party candidate Nīkau Wi Neera is running for Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington City Council’s first-ever Māori ward.

By Azaria Howell
18th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

News Team Editorial: For Fucks Sake, Just Vote.

Local body elections are looming! We're here to convince you to not bin those voting papers when they turn up in the mail between 16-24 September. Local government is important.

By Azaria Howell
18th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

Coffees with the candidates - featuring Afnan Al-Rubayee

As well as being a full-time public servant, Labour candidate Afnan Al-Rubayee is a mum and student campaigning for Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward.

By Azaria Howell
18th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

Wellingtonians March Against Court's Decision to "Protect Rapist"

Around 200 Wellingtonians, mostly young students, marched from Civic Square to Parliament on Saturday 10 September in outrage over rapist Jayden Meyer’s sentencing of nine months home detention. Meyer was convicted of raping four girls who were all under the legal age of consent.

By Azaria Howell
18th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

Let’s Get Wellington Walking — Salient Magazine

It’s spring, and my manifestation for sunnier days is finally working. There’s no better time to get out and explore what Te Whanganui-a-Tara has to offer. I used to gawk at people who revelled in a good hike up a hillside, unable to think of a worse way to spend …

By Maia Ingoe
18th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

Theatre Review: Midnight Confessions

The theatre was violet. The colour we chose in defiance of pink, the colour of subtle femininity, the colour of girlhood. The soft hue spilled in from the corners of the black box theatre and illuminated the entire space, drowning us in purple for the entire show. White sheets made …

By Joanna Fan
18th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

University Low-Balls Tutors —

On 21 September, the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) are holding a paid union meeting to discuss future action as part of the collective bargaining process. During this process, academic, general, research, and tutors’ collectives were bargaining for pay increases above the current CPI (inflation) rate, which is 7.3%. The current …

By Beth Mountford
18th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

Coffees with the candidates - featuring Afnan Al-Rubayee —

As well as being a full-time public servant, Labour candidate Afnan Al-Rubayee is a mum and student campaigning for Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward.

By Beth Mountford
18th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

A Protest Pictured, A Counterprotest Captured: Parliament’s Grounds Divided

A tale of two protests: Tuesday 23 August saw Brian Tamaki’s Freedom and Rights Coalition march to Parliament to put political leaders on “trial” for “crimes against humanity”, most notably for vaccination mandates which protestors claimed had caused harm to New Zealanders. These protesters were met with over 300 counter-protesters …

By Azaria Howell
4th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

From 1989 to 2022: Student Activism Endures —

Students are a fiery bunch. We enter university, an institution full of new people and new ideas, and we have a hunger to change what’s wrong with the world. Students have a rich history of being at the forefront of activism and movements of the day, from the 1970s and …

By Maia Ingoe
4th September 2022 • Salient Magazine

Government's Draft HIV Action Plan Ignores Indigenous Women, Says VUW Lecturer

The Government recently announced the HIV Action Plan, which is currently in consultation, with ambitious targets towards becoming the first country with zero HIV transmission by 2032. Despite a $18 million spending budget, Dr Clive Aspin, Māori Associate Dean for VUW’s Faculty of Health, says the draft plan misses the …

By Azaria Howell
14th August 2022 • Salient Magazine

Students and Long Covid: When the Infection Overstays its Welcome

Kate Plummer’s experience with the illness made her drop out of university entirely. She was first infected with Covid-19 in February, with symptoms still impacting her life half a year later.

By Azaria Howell
14th August 2022 • Salient Magazine

Students and Long Covid: When the Infection Overstays its Welcome —

When Monica Brooks got Covid-19, the infection didn’t go away after seven days. Her eyes puffed up pink, her neck swelled, and she was exhausted. A month after the initial infection, she went to the after-hours doctors and was diagnosed with Long covid—the highly variable post-viral condition that lingers after …

By Maia Ingoe
14th August 2022 • Salient Magazine

VUW Student Activist Wins the Impact Award for Climate — Salient Magazine

When Rilke Comer nominated herself and the work of the incorporated society Climate Clinic for the Climate Impact Award, she never expected to win. But last Saturday night, exactly that happened. Rilke Comer walked the stage at TSB Arena to receive the Impact Award for Climate, an award recognising work …

By Maia Ingoe
14th August 2022 • Salient Magazine

VUWLSS Raise Potential Reengagement with Russell McVeagh — Salient Magazine

Last month, Victoria University of Wellington Law Students’ Society (VUWLSS) began consultation with students on the potential for re-engaging with Russell McVeagh.

By Beth Mountford
14th August 2022 • Salient Magazine