Massey University student Ben Barclay responded to my interview request from Innsbruck, Austria where he’s on tour again following the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

But as the nursing strikes have shown over the years, nurses are heavily overworked and severely underpaid.

With Jacinda showing disapproval to Russia, which is a major oil exporter, there is less supply coming to us so fuel prices are rising.

Yulia is not her real name used here. She reflects on being a Russian expat in Aotearoa during the war, and about misconceptions some Kiwis have about people from the invading nation.

The role of a students’ association is to ensure that all students have a voice, important issues across campus are addressed and academic standards maintained.

As cases grow, many students have been confusing their Covid-19 symptoms for fresher flu, the non-medical term for drinking till you drop.

Although RAT tests are winning in the speed department, their accuracy levels are sub-standard next to their PCR counterparts. Many people have been testing negative with RATs despite being Covid-19 positive, which leads to unnecessary community transmission.

“If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough” – Robert Capa.

Last Wednesday I took this challenge personally and it resulted with me in handcuffs.

Packing up, moving out of home, the pressure of making friends as well as starting school. On top of all that, we’re in the middle of our nation’s biggest Covid-19 outbreak to date.

An immediate funding boost for mental health and addiction support was given to three Auckland universities including Massey University’s Albany campus at the start of the semester. However, there may be more to stopping mental illness than just funding support.

A group of Massey University students are lobbying for tuition fees to be reduced, as many of their courses have been disrupted by Covid-19, or moved entirely online.

A common feeling among students at the moment is that Covid-19 has ruined everything. O-Week was tarnished with restrictions.

By now, this information will come as no surprise; news and social media have been drenched with videos of the violence breaking out across Eastern Europe for weeks, undeniably tearing everyone’s hearts into pieces and leaving us all feeling lost with how to help.

A lack of O-Week events has caused the Wellington student body to turn feral, as freshers have been caught stealing all the good shit from orientation goodie bags. This blatant crime comes directly after students were encouraged by Mason Tangatatai, Editor of Massive Magazine to “steal as much free shit as possible during O-Week” in their inaugural magazine.

We’ve seen the invention of the iPhone, the development of vaccines, the introduction of Yeezys and the movement to legalise gay marriage and destroy segregation. Humanity has come so far, but unfortunately, we still have a long way to go. A harsh reminder of our flaws came in the form of a physical and verbal assault on a young Muslim girl from Otago Girls’ High School on 9 February.

Now, with Covid-19 cases climbing and protests prevailing, everyone is wondering whether life will ever be the same again. Although it doesn’t seem like it, Aotearoa is starting to take small steps towards repossessing its pre-pandemic freedom. On February 2nd, the Government announced its plan to re-open our borders and reunite our country with the rest of the world.

Free Fares is a campaign advocating free public transport nationwide for Community Services Card holders, tertiary students and under-25s. Not only would this mean we are left with extra coins in our pocket, but a cleaner carbon footprint and less congestion on the roads.

“I would not be going anywhere near there.” That’s what a Victoria Law student who works in parliament advises Wellington students. With Red Light restrictions limiting orientation, students are already struggling to enjoy their first week and protestors taking over the city aren’t making it any easier to explore.

The historic Refectory building was closed in 2011 following the Christchurch earthquakes, when the risks of occupying older buildings were brought to light. Now, 11 years later, student’s can finally get around to making the most of this iconic space and admiring its interior beauty again.