Headline Junkie - 27 February 23'

Tamatha Paul Selected as Green Candidate for Wellington Central 

Tamatha Paul has been selected as the official candidate of Green Party in the race for the Wellington Central electorate. Paul, a current Wellington City Councillor, announced the news via social media, and is currently the only candidate from the electorate to announce their candidacy. She was endorsed by Greens leader James Shaw at the start of the month, after he stepped aside to make room for the former VUWSA president. Former candidates Nicola Willis (National) and current Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson (Labour) have announced they will not run in the electorate this year. 

Campus Vending Machine Mishap Leaves VUW Student “Embarrassed” and “Vulnerable”

A vending machine at Kelburn campus ignited controversy last week following an incident that saw a student lose over $3 after a bag of kumara chips failed to dispense. The second-year English and Classics student, who ^Salient has agreed not to name, attempted to purchase the chips from a vending machine outside The Bubble, but was left empty-handed and hungry. “The chips didn't even move at all,” they said. “That was the last thing I needed right now, that was my bus fare.” The vending machine has refused to comment.

Wellingtonians Shooketh After Shaky Evening

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake shook Wellington on 15 February. Geonet has shared that the earthquake occurred 50km northwest of Paraparaumu at 7:38 p.m. The shake has reportedly been felt from Auckland to Christchurch. A second earthquake was reported in Taupō at 8 p.m. Wellingtonians described the shake across social media platforms as “loud”, “strong”, and “scary”. Some took to Twitter to share videos of the earthquake shaking their homes. No significant damage has been reported as a result of the quake.

Shared Sentiment of Climate Action Following Cyclone Gabrielle

As many across the North Island grapple with the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle, a united push for climate action is being echoed across Aotearoa. Numerous big names have contributed to the call for climate action from across the political spectrum with everyone from James Shaw to Christopher Luxon. Luxon said there is “no doubt” that climate change contributed to the disaster. Former ‘first bloke’ Clarke Gayford also spoke out about what he dubbed a “worldwide issue”, saying, “the time of denial is over”.