Christian and Maori Mythology

The Free Discussions Club, based at Victoria University College was, like other radical student groups around the country, committed to the principles of freedom of speech and action, whether on issues of religion, sex, politics, labour, or socialism. Although it, along with the VUC Debating Club, were thorns in the side of both the University and the city of Wellington for much of the 1920s, it achieved even greater notoriety when the student executive banned its left-wing journal, Student, in 1933 and broke its association with the club. Best's publication was precient for its time and his subtitle "The Clash of Cultures" indicates just how the left was reacting to the dominant Tory ideology of the day.

Further reading:

• Rachel Barrowman, A Popular Vision. The Arts and the Left in New Zealand 1930-1950 . Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1991.
• Stephen Hamilton, A Radical Tradition. A History of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association 1899-1999 . Wellington: Steele Roberts, 2002.