Archive

Prospective Students Deterred by Staff Cuts

Posted 5:06pm Monday 8th May 2023 by Nina Brown

If you were on campus last Monday, chances are you tripped over a highschooler gawking at a map of the Uni with their mum. Critic Te Ārohi took the opportunity to ambush prospective students (prospies) to see if the incoming staff cuts had influenced their Uni decisions.   While most Read more...

Uni Budget Cuts Provoke Outcry

Posted 2:08pm Sunday 7th May 2023 by Zak Rudin

A panel of staff and students slammed the Uni for its funding cuts at OUSA last Monday, May 1. The Uni is set to cut $60 million from their budget this year, resulting in sweeping job losses across all departments. In response, around 25 people (mostly students) went to the ‘May Day Read more...

Landlords are (Once Again) Pressuring Students to Sign Early

Posted 2:06pm Sunday 7th May 2023 by Rosa Hehir

It’s that time of year again: students are feeling the pressure to decide whether to re-sign or leave their current flats for 2024. If you’re on a fixed-term lease, you don’t actually need to do this until 28 days before departure. Critic Te Ārohi spoke to a couple students Read more...

Student Petitions for Accessible ADHD Assessment

Posted 1:35pm Sunday 7th May 2023 by Hugh Askerud

Otago Uni student Jasmine has put forward a petition to parliament to make ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessments more accessible and affordable in Aotearoa. At time of writing, her petition - which will close on July 1st - has the backing of 2049 signatures. Jas’ petition seeks Read more...

Scabies Outbreak Divides Student Government

Posted 1:32pm Sunday 7th May 2023 by Fox Meyer

An outbreak of scabies is causing rifts within the 2023 OUSA Student Executive team. The team, once tight-knit over their controversial rise to power, is divided along party lines. Reid, the Clubs and Socs rep, campaigned on the promise of ‘Scabies-Free 2050’, but Welfare and Equity Read more...

What do the cuts mean for YOU?

Posted 4:15pm Sunday 30th April 2023 by Critic

The University’s current financial health is looking about as healthy as a deep-fried Mars bar, and many will be wondering what exactly this means for students. In their communications about the projected slashes to staff numbers and papers, the Uni said that all students will “be able Read more...

OUSA Clubs Unite for Earth Day

Posted 4:12pm Sunday 30th April 2023 by Zak Rudin

Last Saturday marked Earth Day, an international day of recognition to Papatūānuku and to raise awareness for environmental issues. To celebrate, around 30 students from a diverse range of OUSA clubs gathered at Woodhaugh Gardens “to celebrate te taiao (the natural world), tangata Read more...

Rat World Mag’s Fifth Issue Launches at Yours

Posted 4:08pm Sunday 30th April 2023 by Remy the Rat

Rat World, an independent quarterly publication, celebrated the release of their fifth issue with a launch party hosted by Evening Books and Yours cafe. The Tāmaki Makaurau based magazine launched the issue in Ōtepoti after Evening Books owner Frances offered to host. The party was an Read more...

Central Otago’s Drug Bust a Year in the Making

Posted 3:33pm Sunday 30th April 2023 by Jamiema Lorimer

Operation Vintage commenced in March of last year following a concerning increase of drugs and drug-related harm in Cromwell. Three men are facing charges for the sale and supply of cannabis and methamphetamines, and the unlawful possession of firearms. Properties were raided in Cromwell, Tarras, Read more...

The $40,000 Cone-undrum

Posted 3:30pm Sunday 30th April 2023 by Nina Brown

Currently, there are 1294 cones on the DCC’s George Street revamp project. They revealed that they’ve lost around $10k worth of cones and road signs to theft and damage on the project every quarter. That’s $40k a year. They said that, while they couldn’t break that figure Read more...

Salt in the Wound

Posted 2:48pm Tuesday 25th April 2023 by Fox Meyer

Over the weekend, a local man survived a gunshot to the liver. We do not know if the attack on the young Green-affiliated figure has anything to do with politics, but what we do know is that Jack Brazil - with a bullet wound in his abdomen - asked media to respect his privacy by holding off on Read more...

Otago Campus Vegans Support the “Vegan Treaty”

Posted 3:09pm Sunday 23rd April 2023 by Zak Rudin

The Otago Campus Vegans (OCV) unveiled their plans for a ‘Vegan Treaty’ to a crowd of around 20 people last Tuesday at OUSA. Claire, Vegan Society of Aotearoa spokesperson, told attendees via Zoom that the treaty has 38 proposals to be taken to local councils. They range from declaring a Read more...

Arana Students in Limbo after Hall Delays

Posted 2:28pm Sunday 23rd April 2023 by Hugh Askerud

Students of Arana College are facing uncertainty this year as proposed renovations have come to an inconclusive end. Weeks ago, the University advised Arana students that residents “will no longer be moving to Te Rangihīroa College this year as previously planned,” despite previous Read more...

Death by a Hundred Cuts

Posted 2:26pm Sunday 23rd April 2023 by Fox Meyer

Last Thursday, the University of Otago sent out a shock press release announcing that several hundred academic and staff positions were going to be slashed. This came a day after the Uni also announced that the Bachelor of Applied Science programme was going to be discontinued, and weeks after Read more...

Retail Revamp Aims to Benefit Students

Posted 2:21pm Sunday 23rd April 2023 by Nina Brown

If you’ve been through George Street recently, you’ll have probably noticed that something big is going down. You probably wondered to yourself why, as a driver, you have to strategise like you’re on fucking Mission Impossible to get from point A to B, or noting the bounty of road Read more...

Death by a Hundred Cuts

Posted 4:46pm Thursday 20th April 2023 by Fox Meyer

On Thursday (4/20 nice) the University of Otago sent out a shock press release announcing that several hundred academic and staff positions were going to be slashed. This came a day after the Uni also announced that the Bachelor of Applied Science programme was going to be discontinued, and weeks Read more...

Alcohol Harm Minimisation Bill Fails

Posted 11:54am Sunday 16th April 2023 by Zak Rudin

The Alcohol Harm Minimisation Bill, proposed by Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick, recently failed at its first reading. The bill wasn’t proposing anything radical like taking away your bevvies; it simply aimed to end product-only advertising and alcohol sponsorship in broadcast Read more...

Tame Zoo Spurs Public Uproar

Posted 11:24am Sunday 16th April 2023 by Hugh Askerud

On Saturday, April 8, the infamous Forsyth Barr Zoo saw a historically low turnout for the Highlanders clash against the Hurricanes. This comes after a general downward trend of Zoo attendance that’s been made starkly apparent this year. Though the Zoo’s capacity of 4,500 hasn’t Read more...

“Stop Leaving the Cemetery a Mess,” Say Primary School Kids

Posted 11:21am Sunday 16th April 2023 by Nina Brown

Year 4 and 5 Ōpoho School students have written a letter to Otago University students asking them to stop leaving litter at Brackens Lookout (AKA the Cemetery). Students essentially told the children to get fucked, saying that the letter was “too long” and that they Read more...

New Food Court Just Dropped!

Posted 11:18am Sunday 16th April 2023 by Nina Brown

University of Otago Hospitality Manager Adrian is inviting students to check out the new food court venue Auahi Ora that opened for business in O-Week of this year. Adrian described it as a “multi-use space” with a new menu, new furniture, social bevvies of all kinds (including booze), Read more...

What’s the Best Day to Get $4 Lunch?

Posted 11:16am Sunday 16th April 2023 by Hugh Askerud

Critic Te Ārohi conducted a survey to answer what some have called “the most fundamental question of student existence”: On which day can you get the best $4 lunch? Opinions varied in the survey, however Monday was deemed the best lunch by 15 students, piping Wednesday by a Read more...

Pride Night at the Museum

Posted 3:16pm Sunday 2nd April 2023 by Lotto Ramsay

Tūhura Otago Museum hosted another After Dark event last Friday–this time, themed for Pride Month. With support from OUSA and Dunedin Pride, the After Dark - Pride Party was another rendition of the museum’s late-night R18 events, following on from the success of After Dark - Love Read more...

Students Raise $120k in Relay for Life

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 2nd April 2023 by

Students donned raincoats (and bunny tails) on Saturday, May 25, for the sixth annual Otago Uni Relay for Life. The 50 teams and 570 individuals signed up to the event raised over the targeted $100k before the relay even began, with the number continuing to climb as relayers circled campus for 12 Read more...

New Details: Eleven Bar “Super Crook”, Report Staff

Posted 3:09pm Sunday 2nd April 2023 by Ruari Warren

A former staff member said their time at Eleven Bar was “unlike any hospo job I’ve ever seen”. Reports from two ex-staff describe management drinking on the job, little to no oversight of employees and a security team that did little to control any of the resulting Read more...

2023 Castle Clean-Up Sees a “Whole New Generation” of Volunteers

Posted 3:07pm Sunday 2nd April 2023 by Anna Robertshawe

Returning for its fourth year, the Castle St clean-up on Friday, March 24, saw around 200 students congregate in the Dunedin sun to participate. Hosted this year by the student-led group Hold Onto Your Friends (HOTYF), the clean-up is aligned with the Sophia Charter, dedicated to Sophia Crestani. Read more...

When You’re Married to the Mob…

Posted 2:45pm Sunday 2nd April 2023 by Hugh Askerud

Ever wondered what it feels like to get harangued by a mob? Hundreds of Dunedinites found out on Saturday March 25, when members of dance crews from across the city hosted one of the most magnanimous flash mobs in Dunedin’s history. Over 100 people engaged in the mob at various points as it Read more...

Students Say Mid-Sem Break Is “Too Short”

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 2nd April 2023 by Emily Esplin

With Easter Break just around the corner, Otago students are once again asking themselves: “Why do we only get a one week break?” Critic Te Ārohi reached out to the Uni for answers. Again. We’ve done this a lot. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Helen Nicholson began by Read more...

Drug Testing: A Q&A with Know Your Stuff NZ

Posted 11:22am Friday 31st March 2023 by Fox Meyer

It's Global Drug Checking Day today! So we've got Lachlan Akers, Regional Co-Manager for KnowYourStuffNZ to answer some common questions about drug checking services in Aotearoa.   Q. What do you mean by drug checking? Isn't drug checking what my employer 'randomly' Read more...

Ōtepoti Stands in Solidarity for Trans Rights

Posted 8:25pm Tuesday 28th March 2023 by Zak Rudin

Around 150 people gathered in the Octagon last Saturday to stand in solidarity with the transgender and irawhiti community. The gathering came in lieu of the arrival of Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull (aka Posie Parker), an openly anti-trans woman who recently attracted controversy in Melbourne when Read more...

Students and Alumni React to University’s New Identity

Posted 4:08pm Sunday 26th March 2023 by Arlo Hill

There was a student hui last week to discuss the Uni’s proposed new logo and te reo Māori name. Initial reactions seemed largely supportive from current students, but with some concern over the price tag. Older members of the general public, mostly posting online, seemed to suggest that Read more...

Have Your Say on the Zero Carbon Survey

Posted 3:52pm Sunday 26th March 2023 by Zak Rudin

The DCC has pledged to go carbon neutral by 2030, and they are asking for the help of locals to get there. Their “Zero Carbon Ōtepoti survey” is a handy opportunity to have a say on issues including transport, energy use at home, and waste management  - all from the comfort of Read more...

Teachers Fight for Their Live(lihood)s

Posted 3:39pm Sunday 26th March 2023 by Emily Esplin

On Thursday, March 16, thousands of teachers and supporters across the motu left their classrooms to strike. Following a few difficult years recovering from consistent delays in education due to the pandemic, teachers are demanding extra support for their students and themselves. Critic Te Read more...

Huzur Teases Castle St on Paddy’s

Posted 3:37pm Sunday 26th March 2023 by

St Paddy’s partiers were teased by a brief appearance by Mustafa and his Huzur Kebab truck on Friday, March 17. Mustafa, owner of North Dunedin’s beloved Huzur Kebab, told Critic Te Ārohi that he got the idea to park up on Castle for the day from a DCC official who agreed it Read more...

Dog With Two Tails Closing

Posted 3:36pm Sunday 26th March 2023 by Zak Rudin

The collapse of Ōtepoti venues continues with Dog with Two Tails set to close on April 1. And no, this is not a prank. Critic Te Ārohi snagged an interview with the best boy’s manager, Phoebe, who said that there were “multiple reasons” behind the closure. An important Read more...

2023 Castle Cleanup sees “a whole new generation” of volunteers

Posted 1:09pm Saturday 25th March 2023 by Anna Robertshawe

Organisers were “really happy” with the turnout this year, speaking to the potential of the Dunedin student community to make positive change.  Last Friday, around 200 students congregated under the Dunedin sun to participate in a community clean up of Castle St. Led by the Read more...

OUSA Reacts to Uni Name Change Proposal

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 19th March 2023 by Fox Meyer

On Wednesday, 15 March 2023, the Uni announced that they’re opening feedback for their new visual identity proposal. Essentially, they’ve come up with a new name and logo for the Uni, which is one piece of a “long-term plan [with] the desire to become a Te Tiriti-led Read more...

Dental School Patient Fees Change

Posted 2:58pm Sunday 19th March 2023 by Fox Meyer

Patient fees at the Dental School now cost a flat rate of $120 per session, or $90 with a Community Services Card. The Dental School announced this change with the explanation that it will ensure their financial sustainability without sacrificing their level of care.   Previously, fees Read more...

Sextortion Scam at Otago One of Many

Posted 2:56pm Sunday 19th March 2023 by Fox Meyer

Nine male students have reported being hit with a sextortion scheme in Dunedin over the course of a single week. If they didn’t pay a ransom, their nude images would be sent to their course mates at Otago University.   Police told us that there were 81 reports of sextortion across Read more...

Watch Out: Coffee News has a Rebel at the Helm

Posted 2:28pm Sunday 19th March 2023 by Ruari Warren

In defiance of the Coffee News franchise’s prime directive of being trivial and mediocre, local franchisee Ash is keen to promote Dunedin's underground print media scene in its coffee-table-corporate-shitposting pages.   Ōtepoti Zinefest organiser Spencer Hall describes Read more...

Former Green Party Co-leader Joins Law Faculty

Posted 2:15pm Sunday 19th March 2023 by Nina Brown

Former Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei has joined the Otago Uni Faculty of Law as a Senior Lecturer. This semester, she is taking the third-year compulsory law paper LAWS302: Jurisprudence. Critic Te Ārohi spoke to students to see what they thought about the Uni’s newest Read more...

“Toss the Boss” off Forsyth Barr

Posted 2:14pm Sunday 19th March 2023 by Zak Rudin

On May 12th, Co-President of the National Disabled Students Association (NDSA) Sean Prentice is going to be “tossed” off Forsyth Barr Stadium to raise money for charity. Sean is “petrified of heights”, so this will be a fun one.   The irony of being Read more...

Dental School Patient Fees Change

Posted 11:48am Thursday 16th March 2023 by Fox Meyer

Patient fees at the Dental School now cost a flat rate of $120 per session, or $90 with a Community Services Card. The Dental School announced this change with the explanation that it will ensure their financial sustainability without sacrificing their level of care.   Previously, fees Read more...

OUSA Reacts to Uni Name Change Proposal

Posted 2:41pm Wednesday 15th March 2023 by Fox Meyer

On Wednesday, 15 March 2023, the Uni announced that they’re opening feedback for their new visual identity proposal. Essentially, they’ve come up with a new Māori name and logo for the uni, which is one piece of a “long-term plan is the desire to become a Te Tiriti-led Read more...

Dunedin SS4C Strike Underwhelms

Posted 2:04pm Sunday 12th March 2023 by Emily Esplin

School Strike 4 Climate (SS4C) and Fridays for Future joined forces in a nation-wide intergenerational climate strike across the motu on Friday, March 3. The Ōtepoti event, whose organisation was outsourced to Extinction Rebellion (XR), was smaller than most other cities, prompting some Read more...

Back in Black

Posted 2:01pm Sunday 12th March 2023 by Anna Robertshawe

Thursdays in Black is a nation-wide student-led campaign devoted to preventing and responding to sexual violence in tertiary spaces - and it’s back for another year in Dunedin.   Thursdays in Black is aimed at removing stigma and spreading awareness around sexual violence, whilst at Read more...

Sophia Charter Display Launched

Posted 1:06pm Sunday 12th March 2023 by Nina Brown

A new display was launched in the Link last Wednesday, March 8, in honour of the Sophia Charter. The event included speeches from Deputy Vice Chancellor Tony Ballantyne, Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich, representatives of the student group Hold On To Your Friends, and Sophia’s parents Elspeth and Read more...

Bureaucracy, Constipated.

Posted 1:00pm Sunday 12th March 2023 by Lotto Ramsay

It’s taken the University nearly ten years to make more plans than progress on gender-neutral toilets. This is a story about a minority group’s representation on campus, yes, but it’s also an example of a wider problem: how the University’s institutional bureaucracy can get Read more...

Started from Baduzzi Now we Here

Posted 12:54pm Sunday 12th March 2023 by Nina Brown

Former Critic Te Ārohi food columnist Alice Taylor is moving from two-hatted Auckland restaurant Baduzzi to the three-hatted Amisfield in Queenstown. For those of you who don’t know, restaurants are like balding men: the more hats, the better. Three is very impressive.   Last Read more...

Inside that 800-Person Backpackers Party

Posted 2:47pm Sunday 5th March 2023 by Anna Robertshawe

On the Wednesday night of O-Week, View Street throbbed with DnB and pheromones as hundreds of third year students migrated to Backpackers flat for a “sports-themed” host. It was shut down by police in protective gear, and widely criticised online as a “dangerous 800-person Read more...

Gravy Train Derails in NZ

Posted 2:03pm Sunday 5th March 2023 by Fox Meyer

Students from Otago and Victoria Universities had a bone to pick with Yung Gravy’s Ori performances. While the Otago attendees' main complaint was about the American rapper’s stage presence, who “appeared to be fucked out of his mind”, Wellington gig-goers were Read more...

Pride Night officially joins O-week

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 5th March 2023 by Lotto Ramsay

An open space in the Ori ‘23 lineup led to what organisers have called a “golden opportunity” for our queer student community. OUSA Queer Support partnered with Dunedin Pride and UniQ to bring a pride event to O-Week for the first time ever, on Friday 24 February. Hosted on the Read more...

Flat Burgled While People Drank Downstairs

Posted 12:58pm Tuesday 28th February 2023 by Anna Robertshawe

On the Friday of Flo-week at approximately 10pm, a boys’ flat near Queen St had nearly $4,000 worth of stuff stolen from their bedrooms. The theft took place during a party while about 10-15 people were drinking downstairs. It is assumed that the thief came down some steps from a back road and Read more...

No, Adventure Time Wasn’t Shut Down for Playing NWA

Posted 12:51pm Monday 27th February 2023 by Zak Rudin

A party at Adventure Time was shut down at midnight on O-Week’s Thursday, right as NWA’s “fuck the police” came on. This was a coincidence. At around five to midnight NWA came over the speakers, and a roaring crowd sang “fuck the police!” However, when the Read more...

Campus Watch Scores Free Period Products

Posted 7:47pm Sunday 26th February 2023 by

Over the summer break, Campus Watch legend Annabel Cole secured ten pallets of menstrual products for students. They’ll be available for free at the Campus Watch office, OUSA buildings, and at any of the uni colleges while stocks last.   Periods aren’t cheap. While a cool Read more...

Students Oppose Octagon Bar

Posted 5:56pm Sunday 26th February 2023 by Rauri Warren

Students and police united to object to Eleven Bar’s liquor licence renewal at a public hearing on Friday February 17, concerned about the potential harm the establishment could be causing to the “vulnerable student population”. An ex-employee has called the bar “the most Read more...

Arise Church Asked to Leave Tent City

Posted 5:47pm Sunday 26th February 2023 by Fox Meyer

Arise Church has been asked to leave Tent City. As far as we can tell, they’re gone.   Tent City is run by OUSA, and stalls are given contracts to be there. Critic Te Ārohi, also a part of OUSA, has reported extensively on Arise’s allegations of intern abuse and their Read more...

Study: Some Students Intentionally Caught Covid, Didn’t Report Positive Tests

Posted 5:07pm Sunday 26th February 2023 by Zak Rudin

A recent study by a group of sixth-year Otago Med students claims that students significantly under-reported positive Covid-19 RAT tests, both to the Uni and Government. The study was conducted in 2022 between Flo-Week and the end of Semester One. 160 households in North Dunedin were randomly Read more...

Pride Night officially joins O-week!

Posted 6:32pm Saturday 25th February 2023 by Lotto Ramsay

An open space in the Ori ‘23 lineup led to what organisers have called a “golden opportunity” for our queer student community. OUSA Queer Support partnered with Dunedin Pride and UniQ to bring a pride event to O-week for the first time, ever.    Hosted on the museum Read more...

Selwyn River Run Returns

Posted 1:07pm Saturday 25th February 2023 by Hugh Askerud

Earlier this morning, the Leith river became host to the first ‘Water of Leith Run’ since 2021. Around 100 students gathered in the underbelly of the botanical gardens to ready themselves for a sprint down the slippery stones of the infamous river. Another 50 students watched from the Read more...

Arise Church Asked to Leave Tent City

Posted 1:53pm Tuesday 21st February 2023 by Fox Meyer

Arise Church has been asked to leave Tent City. As far as we can tell, they’re gone.   Tent City is run by OUSA, and stalls are given contracts to be there. Critic Te Ārohi, also a part of OUSA, has reported extensively on Arise’s allegations of intern abuse and their Read more...

No, that Landlord Website Wasn’t Taken Down

Posted 4:40pm Saturday 11th February 2023 by Zak Rudin

“What Does My Landlord Own?” came online last Wednesday, allowing users to enter an address and see all other properties tied to that owner. It uses publically available data, but nonetheless the Privacy Foundation has called for it to be taken down.   The website saw 75,000 Read more...

Cone Antics Subvert Police

Posted 3:39pm Monday 23rd January 2023 by Rauri Warren

On Saturday, January 21, at around 11:15pm, trouble was brewing on State Highway 1. Biff*, an Aussie bloke with the mullet to prove it, was about to try his hand as a traffic director, steering cars away from a breathalyser station just down the road.  Biff was staying at the Leviathan, a Read more...

Global Ice Skating Celebration Starts in Dunedin

Posted 3:19pm Saturday 3rd December 2022 by Fox Meyer

The Dunedin Ice Stadium is about to make history. On December 4, it will become the first ice rink to see the sun on the first-ever World Ice Skating Day. This is ironic for several reasons. The most glaring bit of irony is that it’s the middle of summer. World Ice Skating Day (WISD) was Read more...

“Totally Sick” Pint Night Sees Meningitis

Posted 10:40am Tuesday 25th October 2022 by Nina Brown

On Wednesday the 12th, someone with meningococcal meningitis went to Pint Night.  While this bacterial infection can be dangerous, it’s also not the easiest to spread around. A statement from the University described that “it passes from person to person by regular close, Read more...

New Details on Uni Security Lapse

Posted 5:00pm Wednesday 12th October 2022 by Fox Meyer

Last Wednesday, a student tipped us off to the fact that a trove of private University files were accessible online because a security “door” had been left open. This door has since been closed, and we can share more details about exactly what went down.   In June, the Read more...

International Students Brag About Snow

Posted 6:29pm Sunday 9th October 2022 by The Critical Tribune

During last week’s snowfall, international students (mostly American) took to the streets to remind everyone how good they were at dealing with snow. “Kiwis here really can’t handle snow”, said one American, kitted out in jeans and jandals for a brisk walk down snowy George. Read more...

Local Man Warns of Rampant Scam

Posted 6:28pm Sunday 9th October 2022 by The Critical Tribune

Dave, local pisshead and student, contacted the news to report a scam. “Hey bro, I just realized the other day that I’m actually being scammed, and I need to tell other people about it”, he warned. It was very serious. “So, turns out, I’m being scammed by my Read more...

Stop Your Crying, It’s a Sign of the (Local Election) Times

Posted 6:27pm Sunday 9th October 2022 by Jamiema Lorimer

Many signs showed that local elections were in full swing over the last three weeks – including plenty outside student flats. What encourages people to turn their front yards into a massive election advertising space? Critic Te Ārohi talked to some of these flats to find out.  One Read more...

Cutlers Allegedly “Pressures” Tenants

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 9th October 2022 by Denzel Chung

A student has accused Cutlers Property Management of using “pressure tactics” to force them to re-sign their flat as early as June. This included advertising their flat for rent before they’d decided what they wanted to do next year, and preparing to hold flat viewings without Read more...

Lecturer Brings Protests, Podcasts into Classroom

Posted 6:24pm Sunday 9th October 2022 by Nina Brown

Computer science students in COSC203 have voiced concerns (and confusion) over a recent ethics lecture and assignment by lecturer Iain Hewson. Despite ostensibly being a web, databases, and networks paper, students Critic Te Ārohi spoke to claimed that neither the lecture nor the assignment Read more...

“Big Yikes”: Heaps of Uni Data Unprotected

Posted 5:03pm Thursday 6th October 2022 by Denzel Chung

Using an alarmingly simple exploit, pretty much anyone with an Otago email could access a trove of official University data until late on Wednesday night, October 5th. This included personal contact information, transcripts, academic misconduct warnings and even Otago Uni invoices - but it Read more...

$50k of Library Fines Charged in 2021, but Very Little Paid

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 2nd October 2022 by Denzel Chung

Otago Uni charged almost $50,000 in library fines over 2021. Despite this, only a tiny fraction of this amount was actually paid.  According to a publicly available Official Information Act request on FYI.org.nz, the Uni issued $49,941.42 worth of fines for late, overdue and damaged books in Read more...

Unipol Step Fit Legend Retires to Save Lives

Posted 2:37pm Sunday 2nd October 2022 by

Three years and 340 classes later, Unipol Step Fit legend Corben Brown has officially retired from his position as a group fitness instructor to take a job at the Dunedin Hospital as a junior doctor. So, fair enough, really. Critic Te Ārohi nabbed the local star for a chat after his last class Read more...

Fire Department Releases Report on Taj Mahal Fire

Posted 2:34pm Sunday 2nd October 2022 by Denzel Chung

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ)’s investigative report into the Taj Mahal fire was released last week. While the cause was officially unable to be determined, FENZ pointed to electrical devices under the counter as the likely cause of the conflagration.  The 31-page report, Read more...

20% of Drugs Were Not as Advertised

Posted 2:28pm Sunday 2nd October 2022 by Zak Rudin

The annual drug checking report published by KnowYourStuffNZ (KYS) just dropped. Critic Te Ārohi delved into the numbers to uncover the highs and lows of drug testing over the 2021-2022 season. KYS are a “community organisation of volunteers,” operating in partnership with the Read more...

Annual Awards Affair Airs Astounding Achievements

Posted 2:24pm Sunday 2nd October 2022 by Keegan Wells

The annual Blues and Golds awards night was held last Wednesday, with a veritable swag of student achievements (outside of the standard uni grind) being celebrated.  Awards were handed out for community service (Silver Service Awards), sporting achievements (Blue Awards) and arts Read more...

Ski Club “Coup” Nearly Sweeps Exec Elections

Posted 2:20pm Sunday 2nd October 2022 by Denzel Chung

Your student leaders for 2023 have been voted in. Less than 10% of the student population bothered to cast their ballot. Ski Club members, who had heard that many roles were uncontested, stacked the ballot with their club. They took home five positions, and ousted the returning Vice Read more...

Showtime For Capping Show

Posted 2:18pm Sunday 2nd October 2022 by Zak Rudin

Capping Show has hit Otago University for the 128th year running. This year’s theme: Campus Nine-Nine. Critic Te Ārohi sat down with Martha and Nina, two of the directors of the show, to get the lowdown. With well over a century of shenanigans, the Capping Show has certainly been Read more...

Pollinator Workshop at Te Oraka

Posted 1:41pm Saturday 24th September 2022 by Zak Rudin

Last Saturday, Animal Aquatic Plant Ecological Society (AAPES) and Slow Food Youth Otago (SFYO) joined forces to host a pollinator workshop at Te Oraka. The workshop had it all: “pollinator activities, groovy tunes and yummy snacks”. What even are “pollinator activities,” Read more...

(More) Student Food Outlets Closed

Posted 1:39pm Saturday 24th September 2022 by Nina Brown

The already emaciated student food scene has taken another blow with the closure of three more campus food outlets for the rest of the year. In their most recent communications email (the one you stopped reading mid-way through the pandemic), the Uni announced the closure of Hunter Cafe, Frankly Read more...

US Air Force Plane Spotted at Dunedin Airport

Posted 1:37pm Saturday 24th September 2022 by Fox Meyer

An international intelligence group is meeting in Queenstown, and it appears that an American Air Force plane hopped over to Dunedin for Monday night last week. Why would American spies take a break from their busy schedule to visit Dirty Duds? We can only speculate. The Five Eyes are an Read more...

Students “Giving Back” to Rescue Choppers, Blood Donations

Posted 1:36pm Saturday 24th September 2022 by Zak Rudin

Following a gnarly Mt Hutt crash, two Otago Uni students recently partnered with the New Zealand Blood Service (NZ Blood) and the Canterbury Westpac Rescue Helicopter to take blood and money from students. For a good cause, of course.  Last year, Isaac suffered a compound fracture to his Read more...

Otago Student Joins Highlanders Squad For 2023

Posted 1:33pm Saturday 24th September 2022 by Denzel Chung

It’s common for students to have a side hustle alongside their study commitments. It is, however, a bit rarer for that side hustle to be playing professional rugby in one of the world’s top competitions.  For business student James Arscott, however, playing top-level rugby has Read more...

Uni Staff Vote For Strike Motion

Posted 1:31pm Saturday 24th September 2022 by Zak Rudin

A nationwide strike of Tertiary Education Union (TEU) members, including some of your professors, could be on the cards.  On Tuesday 21st, around 150 Uni staff united in the Main Common Room as part of a nationwide TEU “stop work meeting” to vote on a motion to go on strike. The Read more...

Starters, Student Engagement and Ski Shenanigans Dominate OUSA Forums

Posted 1:22pm Saturday 24th September 2022 by

This week, we’ll get the chance to vote for our very own student leaders. Critic Te Ārohi attended OUSA’s Exec candidate forums last week to get a vibe check on the candidates, and found them agreeing on a surprisingly large range of topics, from student bars to low student Read more...

“Curry Grenade” Smashes Through Castle St Window

Posted 9:55pm Sunday 18th September 2022 by Denzel Chung

A Castle St resident got a rude shock on Sunday 11 September, when their first-floor room’s window was smashed by a “curry grenade” hurled from a nearby flat.  Elaina told Critic Te Ārohi that she was sitting downstairs with her flatmates when she heard “a Read more...

Radio One Keeps Ice Hockey Trophy with OUSA

Posted 7:43pm Sunday 18th September 2022 by Fox Meyer

Last weekend, the Kinoko Homes Beavers defeated the Aotea Amps to win the coveted B-League Dunedin Ice Hockey finals, because nothing is more important than B-level ice hockey in a city about as far away from Canada as physically possible. This meant that, for the second year in a row, student Read more...

Merino Muster Marathon Mastered by Muscle and Malcholol

Posted 7:37pm Sunday 18th September 2022 by Keegan Wells

Ian Hardenbergh, an international student from Colorado, came second in his age group and third overall out of 200 competitors at the Merino Muster cross country ski race at Snow Farm. The race was 42km long, and he only stopped at 18km to yak and felt “much better after”. How does such Read more...

Night Market Held at Te Oraka

Posted 7:35pm Sunday 18th September 2022 by Zak Rudin

Te Oraka held a “night market” for students last Thursday. It was a chilled, incredibly wholesome night featuring student-run stalls, live acoustic music, thrift shopping and (most importantly) hot choccies. Te Oraka is a student-run sustainability hub, thrift shop, “repair Read more...

Students Take On Ōtepoti’s First Marathon in 3 Years

Posted 7:31pm Sunday 18th September 2022 by Hugh Askerud

Sunday mornings are often a challenge for students indulging in a life of Hemingwayesque hedonism; even more so if you’ve got a 42.2km run lined up in less than an hour. This was the exact predicament a number of students found themselves in as the first marathon to be held in Ōtepoti Read more...

Property Management Offers Prizes for Good Reviews

Posted 7:29pm Sunday 18th September 2022 by Denzel Chung

Last week, an Ōtepoti property manager sent an unsolicited email to all their customers, offering everyone who left a good Google review a chance to win a $500 Prezzy card, while discouraging people from leaving bad reviews. The email was sent by Bex Harris, who co-owns the Propertyscouts Read more...

Crooked Spoke Throws Spring Bike Party

Posted 7:27pm Sunday 18th September 2022 by Zak Rudin

The Spring Bike Party (not to be confused with Springbok Party) hit the streets of Ōtepoti last Friday night. Featuring bikes rigged with sound systems and lots of street dancing, it had “the vibe of a school disco and the agility of a snail”. The party consisted of around 50 people Read more...

(Continued): Every Local Election Candidate, Summarised

Posted 7:25pm Sunday 18th September 2022 by Critic

Running for Dunedin City Council (DCC) Andrew Whiley Team Dunedin Running under the centre-right Team Dunedin ticket, Andrew spruiks his experience “speaking on, representing and supporting all communities across the city”. He wants to ensure “everyone has the opportunity to Read more...

Political Signage Bombards the Streets

Posted 6:03pm Sunday 11th September 2022 by Hugh Askerud

With local council elections just over a month away, political candidates are waiting with baited breath to see if the public will make or break their futures in office. While breath-holding competitions may be the strategy for some, it seems like most have taken to festooning their faces to Read more...

Snow Flurries Hit Ōtepoti

Posted 5:54pm Sunday 11th September 2022 by Zak Rudin

Skiers, snowboarders and snow enthusiasts rejoiced last Monday as snow returned to the streets of Ōtepoti. The flurries hit North Dunedin at around 7:30pm, sending students out into the night in a collective frenzy of excitement, many still clad in their dressing gowns.  Unsurprisingly, Read more...

Psych Building Named After Certified Racist

Posted 5:50pm Sunday 11th September 2022 by Nina Brown

Otago Uni has confirmed that Galton House, an Otago Uni Department of Psychology building, is named after Sir Francis Galton. A world-leading psychologist, statistician, geographer, meteorologist and overall genius, he was also, unfortunately, a massive fucking racist.  Galton was an ardent Read more...

(Almost) Every Local Election Candidate, Summarised

Posted 5:42pm Sunday 11th September 2022 by The Critic News Team

It’s that time of year again: billboards line fences and roadsides, posters with grinning faces are everywhere, targeted ads are clogging your social media feed. Winter has come and gone. Election season is here. But with 39 candidates for the Dunedin City Council (DCC) and 12 Dunedin Read more...

The Hunt for Dunedin’s Space Rock Is On

Posted 5:25pm Sunday 11th September 2022 by Fox Meyer

At 10:50pm on Sunday August 28, a fireball ripped across Otago’s night sky. Three specialty cameras, set up just a month before the event, managed to catch the meteor’s trajectory before it smashed into paddocks just outside Dunedin. To our knowledge, no alien technology has been Read more...

Club Constitutions Won’t Have to be Revamped Quite Yet

Posted 6:49pm Friday 2nd September 2022 by Fox Meyer

OUSA club execs were frustrated last week when a request went out that all OUSA clubs would have to redo their constitutions. This would have been a very lengthy process, and a lack of consultation ruffled some feathers. Action by the OUSA Student Exec has seen this backpedalled, with the addition Read more...

Christchurch Counter Protest Draws Dunedinites Decrying Discrimination

Posted 6:46pm Friday 2nd September 2022 by Denzel Chung

Last Wednesday, a small, dedicated group of anti-fascist protesters confronted a crowd of Counterspin Media supporters in Ōtautahi Christchurch. The anti-fascists hoped to “get their narrative” out, and stood in opposition to a protest marked by intimidation and Islamophobia. Read more...