Mānawa mai te mauri tau, te mauri āio,
Mauria mai te mauri ki te whānau o Waipapa Taumata Rau,
Āio ki runga,
Āio ki raro,
Āio ki ngā mea katoa,
Tuturu ōwhiti whakamaua kia tina
Haumi e,
Hui e,
Tāiki ē!
Nau mai, haere mai and welcome to Waipapa Taumata Rau, Auckland University. Our names are Mairātea and George and we are your 2023 Craccum editors! Think of us as older cousins with a bit of life experience—we’ve failed papers, failed out of jobs and have even failed a few relationships. So if you find yourself not living up to your own unachievable standards…Who cares!
The academic year has quickly reached us and like many of the trees around Auckland, O-Week has finally fallen upon the University!
Amidst the hustle and bustle of students getting back into the grind, the excited chirps of first-year chickadees start to make themselves present. Congregating on Alfred street this week a lot of us will be experiencing our very first O-week on campus! With an exciting lineup of events we want to remind you all to have fun, check your drugs and know that while you can always take more later, you can’t un-take something ever. Always remember to check on your (useless) drunk mates and be sure to stay away from 3+ years at Bar 101.
This week usually brings new friends, new experiences and a whole new view on life. It’s where one of us got blackout for the first time and it’s also where the other projectile vomited green liquid. (Ok it was only one of us, but you gotta guess who.)
O-week is also where George and I met. While it wasn’t on the streets next to AUSA house, it was just as iconic, New World, Victoria Park. We bonded over screaming patrons and laughed together at tech illiterate boomers (turns out theres at least 5 different ways to fuck up paywave).
George was one of the first wanky JAFFA mates I made after leaving Rotorua. He taught me never to trust an AT bus schedule and gave me lessons on how to strut (never run) across a pedestrian crossing. With his help I have escaped my little country mouse hole and in turn I make sure to smash him back down to the ground every time he acts a little too Auckland-y.
We are super excited for the year ahead. While Craccum may look a little different this year—I mean our diversity hire is literally a white guy. Our goal is still the same. We are still here to represent you and bring you a Craccum that’s fun and exciting!
You can find us, and Craccums littered across campus; Or you can find Craccum on Twitter (@craccum), Instagram (@craccum) and of course, Facebook. If you’d like to contribute or just be nosy, hit us up! We want to hear all your ideas, so if it’s important to you or the student body…Let us know! We have an open door policy at the Craccum office, so come find us on the fourth floor above the Quad.
We have an amazing team this year who have been working hard around the clock to bring you this first issue. We’d like to introduce you to Paris, Oliver, Talia, Sanskruti, Freya, Theepika, Ruby, Amanda, and returning favourite, Nancy, who’ve juggled jobs, study, and stress to put together this Craccum. So if you see them around say hi, they’re super friendly.
We’re continuing to grow and we’re always hungry to hear more from you all. So if you’ve got an idea please don’t hesitate to get in touch, we don’t bite, unless you beg.
Anyways, we can’t wait to see where the year takes us.
If you’re unhappy email us at editor@craccum.co.nz or shove it up your arse. 🙂
Love ya loads,
Mairātea and George