Wellington’s new rainbow pedestrian crossing, at the intersection of Cuba and Dixon street, was unveiled in a ceremony last Wednesday. Hundreds of Wellingtonians came out for the launch event, which featured drag performances, rainbow popcorn, and an abundance of glitter. Prompted by a petition with nearly 3000 signatures in February, planning for the crossing started […]

Ross McComish, an alumnus of Victoria University, created the “Stick With Vic” Facebook page, a page “for all the people… who see no reason to change Vic’s name”. On a comments thread on the “Stick With Vic” page, Te Rangi Waaka, a student, commented “[the name] needs to change. Loose [sic] that colonial baggage”. In […]

Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick partnered with VUWSA to host a hui on Friday afternoon, where students and faculty shared their experiences with mental health and discussed ways to improve campus resources. The Green Party recently assigned Swarbrick to the mental health portfolio. In the past, she’s been open about her personal struggle with mental […]

This month, for the seventh straight month in a row, the latest climate change report has been released to remind us that we’re fucked if we don’t act now. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released their report last Sunday that explains how much global warming is actually “not here to play your little […]

White North American girls across Wellington have joined to form a “Spring Solidarity” support group, to cope with missing autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. The group meets in Starbucks every Tuesday afternoon to sip pumpkin spice lattes and flip through Instagram photos of their antipodal friends. “#decorativegourd, #fallenleaves, #octobervibes…I’m missing out on all of that,” […]

Taiwan to Hold Referendum on Same-sex Marriage On 24 November Taiwan will hold a referendum on same-sex marriage, a year after the constitutional court ruled that same-sex couples must have the right to marry. However, if the referendum results are in favour of legalising same sex marriage, any reforms may create a segregated form of […]

President – Marlon Drake End sexual violence Healthy flats and a housing warrant of fitness Student deals app Helping mental health services Marlon feels like he achieved all of his campaign promises in one way or another — all, that is, except the student deals app, which “is there in terms of the fact that […]

Kylie Jenner and her baby are “on a roll”, a line Salient has shamelessly stolen from Us Weekly. Salient would hereby like to acknowledge the debt we owe to Kylie Jenner and the publications that cover her continuing existence and that of the baby. Though we do not care about the baby for itself, the […]

A council source who wishes to remain anonymous, but let slip that their name rhymes with “Bustin Kester”, has recently contacted the Salient offices to inform the editorial staff that the destruction of Len Lye’s sculpture was actually a savvy display of council funded performance art. The sculpture, which at the time of installation cost Wellington […]

Hundreds of black and yellow bikes can be seen on the streets of Wellington as the city starts a six month trial of a bike share scheme. The trail includes 200 single-speed bikes, which is operated by Auckland bike-sharing company Onzo. The bikes cost 25 cents to operate for 15 minutes and are activated through […]

While you were studying, “studying”, or generally letting your own life consume your attention this year, things were happening in the world. Some larger themes — the US is a mess, the UK is tangled in Brexit, New Zealand is relatively functional, but is far from perfect — may have percolated through to you. In […]

Vic’s first Sustainability Day took place in the Hub last Wednesday, as a follow-up from Sustainability Week earlier in the year. The clubs reconvened months after the week of events in May. They have since been formalised into the Sustainability Committee, and last week’s event was done in conjunction with VUWSA as a further promotion […]

After months of hounding by Salient, and despite VUWSA Treasurer-Secretary Jack Donovan’s many promises, the VUWSA work reports are still not available on the VUWSA website. As a result, students have no way of holding their student union executive accountable. The work reports are a written record of the hours and the work that the […]

CW: attempted suicide, mental health *Names of students have been changed to protect their privacy Several more students have come forward with their own stories of being asked to leave halls of residence. Anna* was asked to leave Katharine Jermyn hall towards the end of 2017 following what was perceived to be a suicide attempt. […]

On 31 October the New Zealand Defence Industry Association (NZDIA) will host its annual New Zealand Defence and Industry Forum at a Palmerston North City Council (PNCC) venue, and protesters are mobilising against it. Every year, protesters from around New Zealand rally together to disrupt the “weapons expo” or “wexpo”, which is criticised for war-profiteering. […]