Headline Junkie: 6 March 23'

Words by Niamh Vaughan (she/her) and Tessa Keenan (she/her; Te Ātiawa)

Salient Office Overrun by Head Lice Infestation 

Any poor soul who wandered into the Salient office last Tuesday would've wandered into pandemonium. The culprit? Nits. The nearly-invisible blood suckers sent workers into a panicked spiral, after it was discovered there was an infested team member. "I've been in so much itch," said a Salient staff member, who wished to remain anonymous. Suspicion regarding a communal head scratcher followed in the wake of the head lice infestation. "It just appeared one day. I'm not suggesting foul play, but I'm also not ruling it out," says Chief Reporter Niamh. Ethan, News Co-Editor, wants the public to be assured he is not one of the infected. "My scalp remains pure," he says. Salient Co-Editors Maia and Fran were unavailable for comment. 

Te Matatini = Māori Excellence

Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival was held at Ngā Ana Wai Eden Park from 22-25 February, attended by at least 18,000 people. Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau a Apanui won the overall competition, with Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue (who had never reached the national finals before) and Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti tying second place. Many rōpū remembered those who made a great impact to kapa haka and Te Ao Māori in their lifetime; the waiata-ā-ringa of Te Whānau a Apanui was in memory of the influential tikanga, tino rangatiratanga, and decolonisation scholar and advocate (and VUW alum) Dr Moana Jackson. Te Paati Māori also took the occasion as an opportunity to highlight the inequity of yearly funding for Te Matatini compared to the NZ Symphony Orchestra and the Royal NZ Ballet, an issue which PM Chris Hipkins says the government is considering addressing.