Craccum Wars: The SGM — A New Hope

Episode II of a series

Craccum is spearheading two motions: independence or reform, which both call for a Special General Meeting (SGM) that has attracted more than one hundred signatures from AUSA student members.

Managing Editor, Lewis Creed argues that these changes are needed as the current arrangement is unsustainable, and without any reassurances given by AUSA regarding the future of Craccum, the SGM is necessary to safeguard our magazine. He noted that around 90% of Craccum’s content is produced by volunteers — unpaid student labour he described as “unethical”.

Under the 2025 budget, Craccum’s print schedule has been slashed from 24 to 10 issues, with several section editor roles eliminated (including Te Ao Māori, Pasifika, Features, Arts, Lifestyle, and Environmental).

“Under the current financial conditions, the magazine is under a lot of stress and relies entirely on volunteer labour of contributing students to function”, Creed told students at an information session on 29 August.

Craccum staff are concerned that the 98-year-old magazine is at risk. “It would be truly outrageous if a magazine that saw and survived the Great Depression dies out now”, wrote News Editor Irene Parsaei, speaking to Craccum’s existential crisis amid the suggested defunds and AUSA’s content oversight, which Craccum staff view as editorial meddling.

To secure Craccum’s future, concerned students are advancing two motions for the SGM:

Motion 1: Direct AUSA to endorse Craccum becoming an independent incorporated society and support them in the transition.

Motion 2: Require AUSA to guarantee Craccum’s financial and editorial autonomy within the existing structure, among other reforms.

Regarding the SGM, AUSA President Gabriel Boyd has commented: “TRK AUSA is more than open to having this conversation and holding an SGM, assuming everything in the proposed motions is in line with the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.”

After nearly 2 months of legal review, AUSA has still not announced a date for the Craccum SGM. The earliest estimates indicate that the meeting will likely be held later this semester, in Week 11 or Week 12, when AUSA received the petition a week before the semester break.

Section 14(1)(c) of the AUSA Constitution is clear: “a Special General Meeting must be called as soon as reasonably practicable”.

However, according to Craccum staff, AUSA (via President Gabriel Boyd) has indicated they would not be supporting Craccum in any way if Motion 1 were to pass, which seems to be a contravention of the directives outlined in the said motion. AUSA is yet to confirm their plans for Craccum in 2026 if the SGM's motions do not pass.

The Rogue One: A Craccum Wars Story

On 19 August, Editor-in-Chief Harry Sutton publicly opposed Craccum’s independence bid, saying it was “not in Craccum’s best long-term interest”. He held this position following a private meeting with AUSA General Manager David Fulton the day before — a meeting from which his Co-Editors, Lewis Creed and Lee Li, say they were excluded by AUSA despite their protests. Fulton has yet to comment on the circumstances surrounding this meeting.

In a message to Craccum, Sutton said, “Yes I did meet with David Fulton on that day, and we discussed what would happen if CRACCUM did end up becoming independent.”

The other Co-Editors were blindsided by Sutton’s opposition: “Harry suddenly became very vocally against the SGM, he never expressed any concerns or tried to stop our campaign before this, and had months to consult and give feedback on the drafting of the SGM, yet said nothing on the matter” until after his conclave with AUSA’s David Fulton.

The head Editor later clarified his position: “I totally agree with the more funding part, however, not the independence part”. He argued that splitting from AUSA would force Craccum to negotiate directly with the University, weakening its ability to broker for a higher budget.

“The independence part written by Lewis is accurate. However, I think the student funding option and the open letter are a much better idea, which is why we are promoting this option more and going for it more now than the SGM”, Sutton notes.

AUSA has yet to acknowledge or address Craccum’s Open Letter or any of the various complaints students have raised about their management of the magazine.

Furthermore, the concerned staff also note that AUSA has gutted Craccum’s budget, even though it remains under its supposed care. On top of this, the recently leaked documents revealing AUSA’s plans to “kill” Craccum cast doubt on whether Craccum’s long-term future really would be safer staying under the control of AUSA.

Craccum and 95bFM are not mentioned in a copy of AUSA’s Strategic Plan for 2025-2030. The student magazine appears to be absent and destined for the slaughterhouse in the near future, while the campus radio is currently on the chopping block.

Leaked AUSA records also indicate that Craccum received only $116,826 this year, significantly short of the $150,000 the University had outlined as the appropriation for the magazine.

With the student levy’s estimate for Craccum’s funding shrinking again for 2026, doubts grow over whether AUSA has either the will or the ability to secure the resources needed to keep the magazine alive.

If Craccum is a student magazine, why are students being given very little say on its future?