Hoooly shit, what a year it’s been. The Crazy Relatable Art Cunts Creating Unamusing Magazines are back for one final hurrah for 2022. We know, we can’t believe that it’s essentially been a whole year already either. Twenty-three issues of Craccum later, and here we are: burnt-out, hollowed-out, brain-dead husks of the humans we once were. Only (partially) joking!
In all seriousness though, it feels like it was only last week that we published the first issue of the year—but now here we are, at the end of our Craccum reign. 2022 truly is a fever dream that simultaneously feels like it’s never-ending and also flashing before our eyes.
Let’s revise. This year, we saw: Russia invade Ukraine; all new-and-improved Covid variants; lockdowns; a volcanic eruption in Tonga; climate disasters and extreme weather events coinciding with an IPPC report that the climate change is approaching “irreversible” status; monkeypox; widespread global inflation; the killing of Mahsa Amini, sparking protests locally and internationally; and now, fucking Wayne Brown as Auckland Mayor after only roughly 35% of eligible Aucklanders voted in the local election.
It’s been a disappointing, fraught, and terrifying year in many respects.
Yet, the wonderful and continuously growing Craccum whānau has been a steady, comforting, and supportive presence through it all. Producing a weekly mag is no easy task, but it’s one that has been hugely rewarding in many ways. We don’t always hear from our readers (and sometimes when we do it’s not a good sign in our inbox), but every so often we’d hear assurances that Craccum is being read and that the content is being enjoyed, and it does warm our hearts.
We’ve seen an uptick in community engagement and contributors this year. We’ve restructured the team from previous years to expand and diversify the roles available, and have seen positive team-building and stronger mahi as a result. We’ve addressed the issues that concern you, the student body, including: the centralisation of student services, the increasing surveillance of students, lecture and exam troubles, initiatives in student wellbeing such as the introduction of free morning-after pills and drug-checks, public transport, and student council and local elections. In other words, our News section has been put through the wringer.
We’ve also provided a space to celebrate the vibrant arts community of Auckland, a (metaphorical) space to fuck-around in between lectures (our crosswords might be wrong but our horoscopes are always right!), and generally facilitated discussions on wider student cultures and concerns.
We pushed the envelope, as student media should, and even received our first hate mail as a result. Look Mama, we made it!
And on that note, tēnā koutou katoa for such a fantastic year. Yes, even to our haters—we appreciate the fanboy behaviour. Although we’re taking a long break for exams, we know that the Craccum community is never too far away.
Don’t miss us too much. We’ll be back soon, promise!
Arohanui
XOXO
Flora Xie (she/her) and Naomii Seah (she/they)
