Craccum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Craccum is the weekly magazine produced by the Auckland University Students' Association of the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The name originated from the scrambled acronym of "Auckland University College Men's Common Room Circular".

Others remember the acronym as standing for "Auckland University College Men's Common Room Committee".

Craccum is the largest student magazine in New Zealand, with a weekly distribution of 10,000 copies. It is anomalous as a publication due to the fact of it having annual student elections for the position of editor.

The magazine is infamous for its controversial content, with previous editors choosing to publish stories on "Suicide and how to do it", as well as recipes for illegal drugs. It is also a popular proving ground for New Zealand mainstream media, with most of its alumni moving on to publications such as The Listener, The New Zealand Herald and Metro magazine.

During the 1950s at least, editorial disputes led to the publication of a small number of rival versions of the paper under the title "Wreccum".

In more recent years Craccum has become a haven for fringe stories, reporting and discussing topics outside the eye of most mainstream media, and outside the scope of politically correct discourse, and the magazine has drawn criticism for allegedly being too biased toward the political left.

In 2005, the rights to the front cover of one issue of Craccum were auctioned on Trademe. Salient, the student magazine for Victoria University of Wellington, won the auction.

An 'unofficial official' online forum, the Craccum Forum, was also created in 2005 as a spin-off of the print magazine. In February 2006, this site was shut down and re-emerged as Loob. Unlike the original Craccum Forum, Loob is not linked to from the official Craccum.com site, due to the complete lack of reference to Craccum in its structure.

Craccum is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA).

[edit] Editors

The Craccum editor is elected every year at the same time as the elections for the Auckland University Students' Association Portfolio positions. Voting takes place in the 5th week of the 2nd Semester every year. Only members of AUSA are eligible to vote.

Ryan Sproull is the current editor (2006).

Simon Coverdale and Matthew Backhouse were elected 2007 editors on August 17th of 2006.

Former editors of Craccum include -

• 2005 - Alec Hutchinson and Stian Overdahl
• 2004 - Allan Swann and Hannah Jennings-Voykovich
• 2003 - Chris Garland
• 2002 - Colin 'b.' Mitchell and Susan Edmunds
• 2001 - 'Dr' John Marshall
• 2000 - Ben Thomas and James Cardno
• 1999 - Gareth Elliot and Thomas Shadbolt
• 1998 - Alistair Bone
• 1997 - Martyn 'Bomber' Bradbury
• 1996 - Tim Mullins and Anton Pilcher
• 1995 - Martyn 'Bomber' Bradbury and Stewart Gardiner
• 1994 - Penny Murray
• 1993 - Peter Malcouronne and Vangelis Vitalis
• 1992 - Jo Mackay
• 1991 - Jo Mackay
• 1990 - Steve Amanono and Sarah Murray
• 1989 - Aiden B. Howard and Michael Lamb
• 1988 - Miriam de Graff, Carl Fagan, Simon Holyroyd and Wendy Lawson
• 1987 - Rachal Callender, Dereck Craig, Kerry Hoole, Ewen Smith, Pat Stodart, Vicki Turner and David Ward
• 1986 - Peter Boys
• 1985 - Pam Goode and Brigitta Noble
• 1984 - Neil Morrison and Rangi Chadwick
• 1983 - Louse Rafkin
• 1982 - David Faulls
• 1981 - David Kirkpatrick
• 1980 - Katherine White
• 1979 - David Merritt
• 1978 - Louse Chunn
• 1977 - Francis Stark
• 1976 - Allan Bell
• 1975 - Mike Ram
• 1974 - Brent Lewis
• 1973 - Bob Hillier
• 1972 - Heather McInnes, Tim Shadbolt and Gordon Clifton
• 1971 - Stephan Chan
• 1970 - Ted Sheehan
• 1969 - Mac Price
• 1968 - George de Bres
• 1967 - Geoff Chapelle (to June); George De Bres and Michael Volkering
• 1966 - Lei Lealulu and Dave Fleming (to June); Mike Morrisey
• 1965 - C. A. Moir
• 1964 - John Sanders
• 1963 - Dick Johnstone
• 1962 - Francis J. Lillie
• 1961 - Adrienee Rhones
• 1960 - Felicity Maidment
• 1959 - Jonathan Hunt
• 1958 - S. E. Cox and D. R. Taylor
• 1957 - R. W. Armstrong
• 1956 - D. J. Stone and R. W. Armstrong
• 1955 - Jim Traue and David Stone
• 1953 - Brian Smart and Peter Boag
• 1952 - Gerald Utting (to August); John Anderson and Geoff Fuller
• 1951 - NO RECORD
• 1950 - Peter Timm, David Grace and Roderick Smith (to March); Gerald Utting and M. Lovegrove
• 1949 - Peter Cape
• 1948 - John Ellis (to September); Peter Cape
• 1947 - Nora Bayly
• 1946 - J. A. Nathan
• 1945 - R. I. F. Pattison
• 1944 - Travis Wilson
• 1943 - Betty Belshaw (nee Sweetman)
• 1942 - NO RECORD
• 1941 - G. I. Cawkwell
• 1940 - P. W. Day
• 1939 - P. W. Day (to March), Avenal Holcombe
• 1938 - A. O. Woodhouse
• 1937 - Eric H. Halstear
• 1933-1936 - NO RECORD
• 1932 - J. A. E. Mulgan
• 1931 - Eric Harold Blow
• 1930 - P. L. Soljak; J. A. E. Mulgan (June-August)
• 1928-1929 - NO RECORD
• 1927 A. K. Matthews, Nigels Wilson and Winifred McNickle