Cutlers Allegedly “Pressures” Tenants

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 9th October 2022

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...

“Big Yikes”: Heaps of Uni Data Unprotected

Posted 5:03pm Thursday 6th October 2022

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

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...

Fire Department Releases Report on Taj Mahal Fire

Posted 2:34pm Sunday 2nd October 2022

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...

Ski Club “Coup” Nearly Sweeps Exec Elections

Posted 2:20pm Sunday 2nd October 2022

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...

Otago Student Joins Highlanders Squad For 2023

Posted 1:33pm Saturday 24th September 2022

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...

“Curry Grenade” Smashes Through Castle St Window

Posted 9:55pm Sunday 18th September 2022

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...

Property Management Offers Prizes for Good Reviews

Posted 7:29pm Sunday 18th September 2022

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...

Christchurch Counter Protest Draws Dunedinites Decrying Discrimination

Posted 6:46pm Friday 2nd September 2022

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...

OUSA’s Annual General Meeting Canned Due To Lack Of Students

Posted 6:45pm Friday 2nd September 2022

OUSA’s annual general meeting (AGM) happened on Tuesday 23 August. Or at least, it should have, before it was cancelled because not enough students showed up. The AGMs, also known as “Student General Meetings” (SGMs), are theoretically meant to be a chance for students to have Read more...