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The Advertiser
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Backflip on post and boast laws after 'disturbing' rise
A state has sensationally backflipped on its opposition to laws that crack down on crooks posting and boasting about their crimes. Victoria has become the last Australian state or territory to move on "post and boast" laws, making it a specific offence to brag about crimes on social media and messaging apps. Under legislation introduced to parliament on Tuesday, criminals who publish footage of their involvement in affrays, car thefts, home invasions, robberies or carjackings will face an extra two years in jail. The proposed offence will cover anyone who encourages or facilitates such crimes. Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said the Victorian government was responding to a "disturbing" rise in post-and-boast behaviour, particularly among young people chasing clout on social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. "We are criminalising when offenders turn crime into content," she told reporters. Ms Kilkenny said the legislation, which was expected to pass parliament and take effect later in 2025, would grant police powers to search property and devices connected to the alleged offence. Third parties, such as witnesses, bystanders and journalists, won't be captured by the laws. It will bring Victoria in line with penalties in NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia have also committed to rolling out similar measures. Ms Kilkenny said Victoria's laws would be similar to those in NSW but cover a wider array of serious offences. University of Queensland associate professor Renee Zahnow said there was no empirical evidence the laws stopped the conduct. Their biggest limitation, the criminologist said, was they did not stop footage of a crime being posted by other community members. "So if the aim is to address infamy and copycats then it will not necessarily have any impact," Assoc Prof Zahnow told AAP. "Because most of the CCTV and video footage posted online and then shared and replayed continuously by media outlets does not originate from perpetrators but instead from members of the public." The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service said the state government appeared to be copying other state and territories' "regressive approaches" to youth offending. "They are no 'tougher' than other states, but are equally misguided," its chief executive Nerita Waight said. In 2024, then-federal opposition leader Peter Dutton pushed to make it a Commonwealth offence to post material depicting violence, drug or property offences to bolster notoriety. The Victorian government at the time ruled out a specific offence to target the problem, suggesting it was covered by a charge created after the 2020 Eastern Freeway crash that left four police officers dead. But Premier Jacinta Allan signalled a potential change of stance in March after footage was uploaded online of a security guard being attacked by a gang of youths at a Bendigo shopping centre. Shadow attorney-general Michael O'Brien said Labor had been dragged "kicking and screaming" to the reforms. "We are the last state in the country to move on this issue," he said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin argued the government was introducing the legislation to appear tough on crime ahead of fresh crime statistics being released on Thursday. Police Minister Anthony Carbines denied the move was motivated by politics and rejected suggestions Victoria could have acted sooner. "We don't make any apologies for taking our time to get that right," he said. Victoria's post-and-boast crackdown comes alongside tougher bail laws and machete bans following surging rates of youth crime, aggravated burglaries and car thefts. Police union boss Wayne Gatt said the laws were unlikely to be a silver bullet to the crime crisis, with the solution lying in effective bail reforms that put offenders behind bars. "Once they are there, we're happy for them to boast as much as they like," he said. Another round of bail law reforms is expected to be introduced to Victorian parliament as early as July. A state has sensationally backflipped on its opposition to laws that crack down on crooks posting and boasting about their crimes. Victoria has become the last Australian state or territory to move on "post and boast" laws, making it a specific offence to brag about crimes on social media and messaging apps. Under legislation introduced to parliament on Tuesday, criminals who publish footage of their involvement in affrays, car thefts, home invasions, robberies or carjackings will face an extra two years in jail. The proposed offence will cover anyone who encourages or facilitates such crimes. Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said the Victorian government was responding to a "disturbing" rise in post-and-boast behaviour, particularly among young people chasing clout on social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. "We are criminalising when offenders turn crime into content," she told reporters. Ms Kilkenny said the legislation, which was expected to pass parliament and take effect later in 2025, would grant police powers to search property and devices connected to the alleged offence. Third parties, such as witnesses, bystanders and journalists, won't be captured by the laws. It will bring Victoria in line with penalties in NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia have also committed to rolling out similar measures. Ms Kilkenny said Victoria's laws would be similar to those in NSW but cover a wider array of serious offences. University of Queensland associate professor Renee Zahnow said there was no empirical evidence the laws stopped the conduct. Their biggest limitation, the criminologist said, was they did not stop footage of a crime being posted by other community members. "So if the aim is to address infamy and copycats then it will not necessarily have any impact," Assoc Prof Zahnow told AAP. "Because most of the CCTV and video footage posted online and then shared and replayed continuously by media outlets does not originate from perpetrators but instead from members of the public." The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service said the state government appeared to be copying other state and territories' "regressive approaches" to youth offending. "They are no 'tougher' than other states, but are equally misguided," its chief executive Nerita Waight said. In 2024, then-federal opposition leader Peter Dutton pushed to make it a Commonwealth offence to post material depicting violence, drug or property offences to bolster notoriety. The Victorian government at the time ruled out a specific offence to target the problem, suggesting it was covered by a charge created after the 2020 Eastern Freeway crash that left four police officers dead. But Premier Jacinta Allan signalled a potential change of stance in March after footage was uploaded online of a security guard being attacked by a gang of youths at a Bendigo shopping centre. Shadow attorney-general Michael O'Brien said Labor had been dragged "kicking and screaming" to the reforms. "We are the last state in the country to move on this issue," he said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin argued the government was introducing the legislation to appear tough on crime ahead of fresh crime statistics being released on Thursday. Police Minister Anthony Carbines denied the move was motivated by politics and rejected suggestions Victoria could have acted sooner. "We don't make any apologies for taking our time to get that right," he said. Victoria's post-and-boast crackdown comes alongside tougher bail laws and machete bans following surging rates of youth crime, aggravated burglaries and car thefts. Police union boss Wayne Gatt said the laws were unlikely to be a silver bullet to the crime crisis, with the solution lying in effective bail reforms that put offenders behind bars. "Once they are there, we're happy for them to boast as much as they like," he said. Another round of bail law reforms is expected to be introduced to Victorian parliament as early as July. A state has sensationally backflipped on its opposition to laws that crack down on crooks posting and boasting about their crimes. Victoria has become the last Australian state or territory to move on "post and boast" laws, making it a specific offence to brag about crimes on social media and messaging apps. Under legislation introduced to parliament on Tuesday, criminals who publish footage of their involvement in affrays, car thefts, home invasions, robberies or carjackings will face an extra two years in jail. The proposed offence will cover anyone who encourages or facilitates such crimes. Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said the Victorian government was responding to a "disturbing" rise in post-and-boast behaviour, particularly among young people chasing clout on social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. "We are criminalising when offenders turn crime into content," she told reporters. Ms Kilkenny said the legislation, which was expected to pass parliament and take effect later in 2025, would grant police powers to search property and devices connected to the alleged offence. Third parties, such as witnesses, bystanders and journalists, won't be captured by the laws. It will bring Victoria in line with penalties in NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia have also committed to rolling out similar measures. Ms Kilkenny said Victoria's laws would be similar to those in NSW but cover a wider array of serious offences. University of Queensland associate professor Renee Zahnow said there was no empirical evidence the laws stopped the conduct. Their biggest limitation, the criminologist said, was they did not stop footage of a crime being posted by other community members. "So if the aim is to address infamy and copycats then it will not necessarily have any impact," Assoc Prof Zahnow told AAP. "Because most of the CCTV and video footage posted online and then shared and replayed continuously by media outlets does not originate from perpetrators but instead from members of the public." The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service said the state government appeared to be copying other state and territories' "regressive approaches" to youth offending. "They are no 'tougher' than other states, but are equally misguided," its chief executive Nerita Waight said. In 2024, then-federal opposition leader Peter Dutton pushed to make it a Commonwealth offence to post material depicting violence, drug or property offences to bolster notoriety. The Victorian government at the time ruled out a specific offence to target the problem, suggesting it was covered by a charge created after the 2020 Eastern Freeway crash that left four police officers dead. But Premier Jacinta Allan signalled a potential change of stance in March after footage was uploaded online of a security guard being attacked by a gang of youths at a Bendigo shopping centre. Shadow attorney-general Michael O'Brien said Labor had been dragged "kicking and screaming" to the reforms. "We are the last state in the country to move on this issue," he said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin argued the government was introducing the legislation to appear tough on crime ahead of fresh crime statistics being released on Thursday. Police Minister Anthony Carbines denied the move was motivated by politics and rejected suggestions Victoria could have acted sooner. "We don't make any apologies for taking our time to get that right," he said. Victoria's post-and-boast crackdown comes alongside tougher bail laws and machete bans following surging rates of youth crime, aggravated burglaries and car thefts. Police union boss Wayne Gatt said the laws were unlikely to be a silver bullet to the crime crisis, with the solution lying in effective bail reforms that put offenders behind bars. "Once they are there, we're happy for them to boast as much as they like," he said. Another round of bail law reforms is expected to be introduced to Victorian parliament as early as July. A state has sensationally backflipped on its opposition to laws that crack down on crooks posting and boasting about their crimes. Victoria has become the last Australian state or territory to move on "post and boast" laws, making it a specific offence to brag about crimes on social media and messaging apps. Under legislation introduced to parliament on Tuesday, criminals who publish footage of their involvement in affrays, car thefts, home invasions, robberies or carjackings will face an extra two years in jail. The proposed offence will cover anyone who encourages or facilitates such crimes. Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said the Victorian government was responding to a "disturbing" rise in post-and-boast behaviour, particularly among young people chasing clout on social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. "We are criminalising when offenders turn crime into content," she told reporters. Ms Kilkenny said the legislation, which was expected to pass parliament and take effect later in 2025, would grant police powers to search property and devices connected to the alleged offence. Third parties, such as witnesses, bystanders and journalists, won't be captured by the laws. It will bring Victoria in line with penalties in NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia have also committed to rolling out similar measures. Ms Kilkenny said Victoria's laws would be similar to those in NSW but cover a wider array of serious offences. University of Queensland associate professor Renee Zahnow said there was no empirical evidence the laws stopped the conduct. Their biggest limitation, the criminologist said, was they did not stop footage of a crime being posted by other community members. "So if the aim is to address infamy and copycats then it will not necessarily have any impact," Assoc Prof Zahnow told AAP. "Because most of the CCTV and video footage posted online and then shared and replayed continuously by media outlets does not originate from perpetrators but instead from members of the public." The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service said the state government appeared to be copying other state and territories' "regressive approaches" to youth offending. "They are no 'tougher' than other states, but are equally misguided," its chief executive Nerita Waight said. In 2024, then-federal opposition leader Peter Dutton pushed to make it a Commonwealth offence to post material depicting violence, drug or property offences to bolster notoriety. The Victorian government at the time ruled out a specific offence to target the problem, suggesting it was covered by a charge created after the 2020 Eastern Freeway crash that left four police officers dead. But Premier Jacinta Allan signalled a potential change of stance in March after footage was uploaded online of a security guard being attacked by a gang of youths at a Bendigo shopping centre. Shadow attorney-general Michael O'Brien said Labor had been dragged "kicking and screaming" to the reforms. "We are the last state in the country to move on this issue," he said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin argued the government was introducing the legislation to appear tough on crime ahead of fresh crime statistics being released on Thursday. Police Minister Anthony Carbines denied the move was motivated by politics and rejected suggestions Victoria could have acted sooner. "We don't make any apologies for taking our time to get that right," he said. Victoria's post-and-boast crackdown comes alongside tougher bail laws and machete bans following surging rates of youth crime, aggravated burglaries and car thefts. Police union boss Wayne Gatt said the laws were unlikely to be a silver bullet to the crime crisis, with the solution lying in effective bail reforms that put offenders behind bars. "Once they are there, we're happy for them to boast as much as they like," he said. Another round of bail law reforms is expected to be introduced to Victorian parliament as early as July.
Straits Times
13-06-2025
- Straits Times
Singapore in good stead to secure larger haj quota after award by Saudi authorities: Faishal Ibrahim
Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Dr Faishal Ibrahim greeting relatives of a member of the first group of Singapore Haj pilgrims at Changi Airport Terminal 3 on June 13. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Singapore in good stead to secure larger haj quota after award by Saudi authorities: Faishal Ibrahim SINGAPORE - An award given by Saudi Arabia to the Singapore Pilgrims' Association Office has put the Republic in good stead to secure a larger quota for haj pilgrims , said Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim. The Labbaitum Gold Award for excellence in delivering seamless and meaningful haj experiences for Singaporean pilgrims was conferred by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on June 9. 'This gives us the opportunity, the resolve, and the commitment to continue to engage and appeal to the Saudi Government for a higher quota for our people,' Associate Professor Faishal said on June 13. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is also committed to this resolve, he added. He was speaking to the media at Changi Airport Terminal 3, on the sidelines of welcoming the first returnees from this year's pilgrimage. The haj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and takes place over five or six days. In 2025, Singapore and Saudi Arabia struck a deal to allow 900 slots for Singaporeans to perform the haj pilgrimage. The number of haj slots each year is subject to Saudi Arabia's allotment, with 2018 being the last time the haj quota was increased from 800 to 900. The work of the Singapore Pilgrims' Association Office includes a Get Fit for Haj preparatory program, with health classes and exercise sessions to ensure pilgrims are physically fit before they embark on their haj journey. Assoc Prof Faishal said the first batch of Singapore pilgrims are safe and healthy, and the authorities will keep working hard to look after the rest who are still on their pilgrimage. In 2024, some 1,300 pilgrims died in an intense heatwave during the pilgrimage, after temperatures had soared to a high of 51.8 deg C in Saudi Arabia. In 2025, temperatures have so far reached 47 deg C. The first batch of 80 pilgrims arrived at Terminal 3 in the afternoon and were warmly greeted by their families. The rest will return progressively over the next two weeks, with the last batch arriving on June 25. In January, PM Wong and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced they will meet regularly to grow cooperation between Singapore and Saudi Arabia under a new council. Singapore secured 900 haj slots for 2025 after then-Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli met with Saudi Minister of Haj and Umrah Tawfiq Fawzan Al-Rabiah in Jeddah that month . Assoc Prof Faishal said he was happy to see services by travel agents, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore , and other stakeholders improve year after year. The first batch of 80 haj pilgrims arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 3 in the afternoon and were warmly greeted by their families. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Ms Lina Jumat, 42, was one of the many people anxiously awaiting their loved ones at the arrival hall of Terminal 3. The customer service representative came to welcome her mother home. Madam Ermina Zainah, 68, was travelling alone for the first time, which added to her daughter's worries. The housewife had been on the waitlist for the haj for 10 years, and had planned to go with her husband. He passed away in 2020 before they could make the trip together. Ms Lina said: 'I was worried for her, of course. Not only because of the heat, but because she is not too physically fit. But I was in contact with her throughout, now I'm just looking forward to hugging her again.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
The Star
11-06-2025
- The Star
Registry can take habitual offenders off the road, say experts
PETALING JAYA: Driving licences of habitual traffic offenders must be suspended automatically to prevent them putting the lives of others at risk, say experts. Drivers of commercial vehicles with multiple unpaid summonses or those involved in fatal accidents must also have their driving licences withdrawn immediately, they said. In fact, there should be a national registry of reckless drivers, said Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua, who is head of Universiti Putra Malaysia's Road Safety Research Centre. The Road Transport Department (JPJ), he said, needs to be empowered to suspend driving licences of offenders without the need of a court order. Stricter enforcement with the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cameras and real-time databases should also be in place to identify repeat offenders and immobilise their vehicles until they settle the fines. 'There should also be a registry that blacklists or bans repeat offenders from renewing licences or owning vehicles. 'To further boost road safety, telemetries must be mandated for all heavy vehicles. Global positioning systems and AI can monitor speed, fatigue, and maintenance in real-time. This can save lives,' Law told The Star. Road Safety Council of Malaysia executive council member Datuk Suret Singh said the suspension of driving licences under the demerit points for traffic offences system (Kejara) has failed. 'How could a driver with 18 summonses, with most of it for speeding, be allowed on the road? 'He should have faced severe action. This goes to show that the Kejara system has failed us,' he said. The driver in the Gerik bus crash in which 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students were killed has 18 outstanding summonses, 13 of them for speeding. Suret said the law only allows the suspension of driving licences through Kejara or a court order. However, he said drivers with three or more summonses for serious offences such as speeding and beating traffic lights should face instant suspension of their driving licences. 'There is a critical need for the weaknesses of Kejara to be fixed. 'Let us learn to be proactive and not reactive only after more than a dozen people died in an accident,' he said. He said the compulsory use of seatbelts in buses could also minimise casualties. 'The Gerik tragedy may not have seen such grave consequences if seatbelts were used. Speed limiters are another feature that may address speeding by commercial vehicles. 'However, these devices are often tampered with by operators. There should be a feature that alerts the authorities when this happens,' Suret said. Crime Consciousness and Public Safety Society chairman Datuk Mohamad Anil Shah Abdullah agreed that there are weaknesses in the Kejara system as demerit points take effect only when a summons is paid and not when it is issued. 'If the offender does not pay up, they are not subject to demerit points. 'We need to re-examine the Kejara mechanism to see that it effectively addresses reckless driving,' said the former police senior assistant commissioner. Meanwhile, the Malaysian Academic Association Congress urged the government to draw up a comprehensive national action plan to implement speed monitoring systems and driver alert mechanisms for all public transport vehicles.
The Star
07-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Money dysmorphia: Flexing fantasy online
How has the rise of "flex culture" in Malaysia – where influencers showcase luxury lifestyles – contributed to money dysmorphia among young Malaysians? —Pexels HOW has the rise of 'flex culture' in Malaysia – where influencers showcase luxury lifestyles – contributed to money dysmorphia among young Malaysians? Universiti Teknologi Mara Shah Alam's Assoc Prof Dr Sara Chinnasamy observes that more young people worldwide are feeling the pressure to impress or keep up with their peers, often because of flex culture. Bank Negara Malaysia reported in 2021 that 40% of millennials were spending beyond their means, with 47% carrying high credit card debts, she says. 'In simple terms, flex culture means publicly displaying one's wealth, success, and luxurious possessions without humility, whether on social media or in person. Many youth today are chasing extraordinary lifestyles and the lifestyles they are trying to pursue, as seen on social media, are not suitable for most people. 'Malaysian youth need to think thoroughly before spending on discretionary goods. Social media is as a major contributor to the flex culture,' says Assoc Prof Chinnasamy, who is a political and social media analyst at the university's communication and media studies faculty. Prof Dr Sara says social media platforms are saturated with content creators pushing new trends, selling must-have items, and flaunting luxury hauls. She adds that social media platforms often fuel money dysmorphia by promoting unrealistic financial comparisons, especially among impressionable youths. 'For younger users, who are still forming their financial identities, this constant exposure can be especially damaging. Seeing peers or influencers their age seemingly thriving financially can lead to feelings of inadequacy or failure. 'The curated nature of social media can hide the reality behind the scenes – credit card debt, brand sponsorships, and staged content. Yet the emotional impact is real.' According to her, social media platforms are saturated with content creators pushing new trends, selling must-have items, and flaunting luxury hauls. 'And that's where money dysmorphia comes in. The onslaught of these videos may leave some feeling financially inadequate and pressured to recreate these lifestyles. 'The consumerism and neverending comparison traps can lead to anxiety, overspending, and growing fears around financial stability.' She reminds young people that influencer lifestyles often don't reflect reality. 'Unfortunately, many individuals are ensnared by this charm, striving to project an extravagant image to friends, often at the expense of financial feasibility. This involves indulging in pricey dining experiences and acquiring designer items, constructing a facade that doesn't necessarily align with their financial truth.' This trend, she warns, often leads youth to unintentionally accumulate debt in an effort to maintain a certain image. A major driver of this is the growing sense of obligation to uphold a particular lifestyle, resulting in heightened expenditure. 'The products and lifestyles influencers showcase are often sponsored or gifted by brands, who also pay them for endorsements. It's important to remember that what we see online isn't always the full picture – especially as we navigate our own finances.'
Otago Daily Times
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Stories from the heartwood
A new collection of short writing doubles down on language, Tom McKinlay writes. A well known whakataukī (proverb) could very well stand as the guiding principal for a new collection of writing. The whakataukī "Ruia taitea kia tū ko taikākā anake" can be understood as "only the strong survive", but more literally translates as "Strip off the sapwood so the heartwood remains". Ruia (strip away), taitea (sapwood), tū (remain), taikākā (heartwood), anake (only). All 100 of the contributors to Short Poto achieved just that, meeting the book's requirement to come in at under 300 words — not a splinter more. And appropriately enough, the whakataukī also gets an outing in one of the book's entries, Jessica Hinerangi's small story Horse girls . At least it does in the te reo Māori translation ( Kōhine hōiho ). Because each of the contributions here appears twice — on facing pages. On the left in English, on the right in te reo Māori. The whakataukī is not used in full in Horse girls/Kōhine hōiho , rather the translator has adapted it to Hinerangi's narrative. The line in Horse girls , as written by Hinerangi, is "... to exist as a myth and shed all sides of the self?". The protagonist in Hinerangi's story becomes one with the horse she is riding, "a wisp of racing smoke", shedding all that is extraneous to that purpose. So, the translation for Kōhine hōiho is "kua ruia katoatia ngā taitea o te tinana". Ruia katoatia (shed completely), ngā taitea (sapwood), o te tinana (of the body). It's a translation, but more than that, it shifts the action of Hinerangi's story into te ao Māori. That's the job of the translator, says Assoc Prof Hone Morris — who oversaw the work of translating the stories in Short Poto , including Horse girls — not just to translate the English into gramatically correct te reo Māori, but to express the thought in an authentically reo Māori way. "There's an English mind and a Māori mind," Prof Morris says. "And some translations, they might be Māori words, but the thinking behind it is English." This then was the considerable challenge Prof Morris and his 10-strong team of translators faced in Short Poto (subtitle "The big book of small stories: Iti te kupu, nui te kōrero"), the new collection edited by Dunedin-based Michelle Elvy and Kiri Piahana-Wong (Ngāti Ranginui). Each translation needed to be not only faithful to the collection's enormous variety of styles and voices but also render the myriad imagery in a Māori way. The book is a celebration of spare, condensed focus, across its mix of flash fiction, prose poetry and creative non-fiction but also very deliberately designed as a resource for learners of te reo Māori — so they can read the English and see how the same idea might be expressed in te reo. Elvy says she started thinking about developing such a resource some years ago. "I started thinking that the small form, a story on a page, it's the perfect model for learning a language," she says. The idea was informed by her own experiences in multilingualism, as someone who has lived in countries with various mother tongues, learning them as she went. Resident now in Aotearoa since 2008, Elvy has long championed micro and flash fiction, editing the literary journal Flash Frontier and organising the country's National Flash Fiction Day — and saw the opportunity the form offered as an educational tool. "You know, you go back to those school years that we all had where you learn French or German or Spanish, and you might read the text side by side at some point, because you start to see how phrases form, how language is not a word-for-word translation, but it's about the rhythm and the way an idea is captured, certainly in something poetic," she says. "So, I started to think, gosh, we should have something like this in New Zealand. It would be fantastic. Because, also, so many more people that I knew all around me, including myself, were starting to learn this language, because we realised it's something we need to do." Hinerangi's piece, that reads like a memoir, started life in a collection of her poetry. Other pieces among the 100 range from satire and political commentary to slithers and slices of the everyday, from humorous to sobering. Robert Sullivan teaches a lesson in New Zealand's colonial history in fewer than 200 words, in his prose poem Pupurangi Shelley (it references Ozymadias ). Pūpū rangi are kauri snails, and Sullivan's snail journeys to the battleground New World (Ao Hou) supermarkets of Pukehinahina, Ruapekapeka and Ōhaeawai "teaching our kids about their history" (hei whakaako i ā tātou tamariki i tō rātou hītori). Pupurangi Shelley is from Sullivan's Ockham-nominated collection Hopurangi — Songcatcher . The translation leans into Sullivan's telling by rendering "wind" as "Tāwhirimātea". "I miss most my kauri trees with their big trunks that sing with the wind ..." becomes "Ko te mea e tino aroha ana ahau ko ōku rākau kauri me ngā tīwai kaitā e toiere ana me Tāwhirimātea". "I think that goes with the whole essence of the spirit of the story," Prof Morris says. "By using that personified form of natural energy." Elvy's own piece of short writing in the collection is Tussock/Hinarepe , in which a mother and child visit Central's stark landscape. Her line "She looks across the land" becomes "Ka kai ōna mata ki te whenua", literally, her eyes (mata) eat (kai) the land (whenua). You'll find that saying a lot in mōteatea, Prof Morris says, the ancient songs, many of which were collected by Apirana Ngata. "You'll find that, e kai ō mata, e kai ō mata, feast your eyes there." The translation team will also have reached for the traditional language of whaikōrero (oratory) and karanga (calls of welcome) to find the appropriate phrases, he says. For Elvy, beyond the pleasure of publishing a book in the two languages, it has been the excitement of seeing the ways in which these short forms are evolving and finding favour. In 2018 she edited a collection of flash fiction and its sister forms called Bonsai , with Frankie McMillan and James Norcliffe, and has been thinking about how this new collection compares, what's changed in terms of the subject matter and how it represents who we are. "I think you have a really diverse set of stories with this book, and I think it holds up as an incredible representation of the small form." Among the things Elvy likes is the blurring between the various forms the writers are using. "That's the other thing about flash fiction that I really love, that line between poetry and short fiction is very fine, and sometimes hard to define. Sometimes we can't define it." David Eggleton, whose evocative Perfume/Whakakakara also appears in Short Poto , is a good example of that, she says. Elvy is working across these languages in other ways. Her journal Flash Frontier takes a theme for each issue, and for July it will be "Stars / Ngā Whetū" — a special winter edition, with works in English and te reo Māori. "We really want to use the small form to keep sharing this idea that the language can be learned, it can be accessible," she says. Elvy is also pleased with the timing of the book's appearance in Aotearoa New Zealand, when here as elsewhere culture is under attack and te reo Māori has become a target. "I think a book like this has importance in terms of not just the beauty of literature and language but making a statement," she says. "I had this idea three years ago and it was a completely different set of ideas that drove me at first. But now that it's out, the timing of it could not be more right." The book • Short | Poto: The big book of small stories | Iti te kupu, nui te kōrero , edited by Michelle Elvy and Kiri Piahana-Wong, published by Massey University Press, is out on Thursday. Pupurangi Shelley Robert Sullivan I am a kauri snail kaitiaki, look on my green spiral shell, ye mighty, and despair. I admit I've eaten noke or native worm sushi but I am a hundred millimetres long and move at 0.013 m/s through the Whirinaki, the Tai Tokerau, Waitākere and Kaimai ranges to reside outside New World Gate Pā, Pak'nSave Ruapekapeka and the Ōhaeawai Four Square, teaching our kids their history at 2 a.m., or thereabouts, distributing udon noodles from the dumpsters so our kids can save the noke. I miss most my kauri trees with their big trunks that sing with the wind and admit they stretch taller than my tall tentacles. I tell the tamariki our whānau whakapapa goes for 200 million years beyond the Treaty of Waitangi and James Busby picked up our tūpuna in a tentacular blink twice giving us his surname, Paryphanta Busbyi Busbyi, making it all about him. Aroha mai, sorry, I must eat and run. Pūpū rangi Shelley Nā Robert Sullivan He pūpū rangi, he kaitiaki ahau, titiro mai ki taku anganga kākāriki e tōrino nei, e mārohirohi mā, me tō aurere. Āe, kua kaingia e au te noke, me kī, te sushi noke māori, heoi, kotahi rau mitamano taku roa, e 0.013 mitamano/hēkona te tere o te kōneke i ngā pae maunga o Whirinaki, o Te Tai Tokerau, o Waitākere o Kaimai hoki kia noho ki waho o Ao Hou i Pukehinahina, o Pak'nSave i Ruapekapeka, me te Four Square i Ōhaeawai, hei whakaako i ā tātou tamariki i tō rātou hītori i te 2 karaka, i taua takiwā pea, kia tuari atu i ngā kihu parāoa udon mai i ngā ipupara nui kia ora ai i ā tātou tamariki te noke. Ko te mea e tino aroha ana ahau ko ōku rākau kauri me ngā tīwai kaitā e toiere ana me Tāwhirimātea, āe, ko tōna tāroaroa ka toro ake i ōku ake kawekawe roroa. Ka kī atu au ki ngā tamariki nō ngā 200 miriona tau i tua atu o Te Tiriti o Waitangi tō mātou nei whakapapa, ā, nā Te Pūhipi ō mātou tūpuna i rarau atu i tētahi kimo kawekawe rā me te tapa mai ki tōna ake ingoa whānau, ko Paryphanta Busbyi Busbyi, hei whakamana i a ia anō. Aroha mai, me kai au, me kōneke atu. Short | Poto: The big book of small stories | Iti te kupu, nui te kōrero , edited by Michelle Elvy and Kiri Piahana-Wong, Massey University Press. Pupurangi Shelley was previously published in Hopurangi — Songcatcher: Poems from the Maramataka (AUP, 2024).
