Help Us Save Craccum!

Email AUSA and the Student Consultative Group

Get your organisation, club or association to sign our open letter below

Tell the key decision makers below that you oppose the 2026 budget cuts to Craccum and you want to see Craccum's funding restored to $150k in 2026 and beyond so that Craccum can return to being a weekly print publication. For more context please see this article and this follow-up article.

Here is an email template:

Kia ora koutou,

I am emailing today to express my opposition to the proposed 2026 budget cuts to Craccum Magazine's funding as outlined in the CSSF Student Levy. It is shameful that The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau provides the lowest percentage of funding to their Student Media out of all the universities in Aotearoa.

I demand Craccum's funding be restored to pre-2025 levels ($150k+) in 2026 and beyond so that Craccum can return to being published in print on a weekly basis again, as it has been for the last 55 years.

I also demand that The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau and TKR AUSA immediately move to restore funding for Craccum Magazine to hire students to fill the essential roles of Te Ao Māori and Pasifika Editors. Without these students' voices, the University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau and TKR AUSA are failing to honour their commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and towards equitable representation in Student Media.

Craccum is a cultural taonga of The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau and a central pillar of student voice on campus. I strongly oppose any actions taken by TKR AUSA that censor, restrict, deter or otherwise undermine the students' voices.

Ngā mihi,

Your Name here

AUSA & Student Consultative Group Mailing List:

aesauoa@gmail.com, apsaexec@gmail.com, president@aucsa.org, auessociety@gmail.com, augssexec@gmail.com, president@aumsa.org.nz, dsa.uoa@gmail.com, misa.uoa@gmail.com, uoanasa@gmail.com, president.somsa@gmail.com, scisa.uoa@gmail.com, supauoa@gmail.com, sams.uoa@gmail.com, studentvoice@ausa.org.nz, generalmanager@ausa.org.nz, j.tomov@auckland.ac.nz,
b.fedrizzi@auckland.ac.nz,
b.mosely@auckland.ac.nz,
d.hayward@auckland.ac.nz,
jodie.peterson@auckland.ac.nz,
j.culley@auckland.ac.nz,
president@ausa.org.nz,
pgevp@ausa.org.nz,
ugevp@ausa.org.nz,
envp@ausa.org.nz,
welfare@ausa.org.nz,
fovp@ausa.org.nz,
pgso@ausa.org.nz,
iso@ausa.org.nz,
mso@ausa.org.nz,
piso@ausa.org.nz,
christine.quinn@auckland.ac.nz,
w.verschaeren@auckland.ac.nz,
v.watson@auckland.ac.nz,
int-questions@auckland.ac.nz,
katlego.molibeli@auckland.ac.nz,
kate.sommers@auckland.ac.nz,
wairemana.phillips@auckland.ac.nz, h.seal@auckland.ac.nz, j.tomov@auckland.ac.nz

Here is our open letter draft:

Kia ora koutou katoa,

Craccum magazine has been the voice of Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland’s students since 1927. Today, that voice is under threat. Funding cuts, censorship, and unpaid labour are putting our magazine—and the representation, opportunity, and perspective it carries—at risk.

We are calling on all students, clubs, associations, publications, alumni, and the wider community to stand with us. This isn’t just about a magazine—it’s about freedom of student expression, transparency in decision-making, and the right to be heard.

By signing our open letter, you are saying:

Student voices matter—they deserve fair funding and a seat at the table where decisions are made.
Editorial independence is essential—students must decide what their magazine publishes, free from interference.
Craccum is worth protecting—without it, the University loses a taonga vital for accountability, culture, and creative expression on campus.

If you care about student democracy, media diversity, and independent journalism, this is your chance to make a stand. The signatories below are issuing a demand to Te Rōpū Kahikatea – Auckland University Students' Association and Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland for the following:

Restore fair funding: Abandon the proposed budget cuts and reinstate Craccum Magazine’s funding in 2026 to pre-2025 levels (at least $150k), enabling its return as a weekly print publication. This commitment must be made in writing by AUSA and UOA to all current and future students.
Restore the Te Ao Māori Editor and Pasifika Editor as paid staff positions for 2026 and beyond, honouring Te Rōpū Kahikatea’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and equitable representation in student media.
Protect editorial freedom: Immediately repeal the 2024 changes to Part VIII Section 45 (“Editorial Independence”) of the AUSA constitution. A version of the pre-2024 clause should be reinstated: “The Editor(s) of Craccum shall have complete editorial independence to produce, procure and authorise the inclusion of any content in any issue of Craccum Magazine that they deem fit, insofar as it is consistent with these Rules.”
Financial Independence: the establishment of a bank account for Craccum to arrange its own advertising revenue to supplement funding for operational expenses.

Sign the open letter and show your personal or organisation’s support at this link: https://forms.gle/xwZSkc8WobYc7YdH9

Ngā mihi nui,

Craccum Magazine