Archive

The 22nd Annual Critic Fish n Chip Review

Posted 2:48pm Sunday 14th May 2023 by Hugh Askerud

It’s time for the annual Critic Te Ārohi fish and chip shop review. Need we say more? Actually, we do, because this year we have decided to revolutionise the review system. One look at the infamous ‘Dunedin Fish and Chip Shop Review’ Facebook page suggests that North D is Read more...

The History of Hyde

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 7th May 2023 by Anna Robertshawe

25 years ago, it was a couple of mates doing a keg race. Today, the Hyde Street Party is one of the most iconic days of the year. Like fish to water, thousands of costumed students flock to the little street each year to sink piss under the open sky, accompanied by sausage sizzles and the Read more...

Would Your Degree Survive a Horror Film?

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 7th May 2023 by James Downing

University is meant to be fun and exciting but, let's be real, sometimes it can feel like a horror show. And just like any good slasher flick, recently it’s been giving us more than our fair share of cuts. So, for the fearless among us: are you curious about what lurks behind the Read more...

Voluntourism: Does the “Third World” Really Need Our “Help”?

Posted 3:57pm Sunday 30th April 2023 by Zak Rudin

Voluntourism. You’ve probably heard of it as that thing your mate did over summer where they travelled the world while helping indigenous communities in poor countries. Sounds great, right? Not always. Voluntourism can be extremely exploitative, while advertising is designed to hook Read more...

PAID IN FULL WITH BLOOD

Posted 3:53pm Sunday 30th April 2023 by Nā Skyla from Ngāti Hine

Kawiti was tired of digging graves, so he started digging trenches. Amidst a showdown between northern Māori and British forces, the Musket War veteran began construction of an underground fortress. Kawiti’s formidable pā was a never-before-seen bastion, made up of underground Read more...

Crushing the Critic and Conscience:

Posted 3:03pm Sunday 23rd April 2023 by Annabelle Parata Vaughan

On Thursday last week, the University announced that several hundred staff would be made redundant to help shore up their financial situation. They’ve increased student fees by the maximum allowable amount every year for several years now, and borrowed $30 million in December 2022 from bank Read more...

Faux Poverty

Posted 2:53pm Sunday 23rd April 2023 by Iris Hehir

Life in the ‘student city’ is a point of debate, disgust, and drama across the country. From falling off roofs on St Patrick's Day (which traditionally starts at 6am) to law camp scandals, endless Student Health AA referrals, flat initiations, the dying art of couch burning, and, of Read more...

You Cannot Be What You Cannot See

Posted 11:58am Sunday 16th April 2023 by Nā Skyla from Ngāti Hine

Since the establishment of colonial society in Aotearoa, Māori have remained massively underrepresented within the medical workforce. Despite increases since the 1990s, many Māori are often only able to find employment in entry-level, minimum-wage jobs such as cleaning, caregiving, and Read more...

Dunedin culture: An international perspective

Posted 2:55pm Sunday 2nd April 2023 by Anna Robertshawe

Now that the Covid monster has been slain (in the eyes of policymakers at least), the borders have opened and Dunedin has welcomed a swarm of international students finally able to fulfil their questionable dreams of studying at Otago. This year, the University has more than 750 international Read more...

Dunedin: The RTD capital

Posted 2:52pm Sunday 2nd April 2023 by Anna Robertshawe

When you’re drinking four nights a week, the contents of your can becomes a hot topic. Stories are told about that mean Byron Bay drink you had last Thursday, and how you can never go back to Part Time Rangers since you fucked out in the curb outside Rob Roy in first year. RTDs do more than Read more...

Like Water: Māori and Gender Fluidity

Posted 4:04pm Sunday 26th March 2023 by Skyla o Ngāti Hine

Māori ideas of gender, like water, were fluid. Also like water, they were polluted when colonists arrived and we’re still trying to take stock of the damage. But times are changing. At this year’s Te Matatini, the largest spectacle of kapa haka in the world, something Read more...

Georgina

Posted 3:26pm Sunday 26th March 2023 by Elliot Weir

[Content warning: Brief discussion of sexual assault and suicidal thoughts.] Georgina Beyer was the world’s first openly trans mayor, among many, many other things. She died earlier this month, but will hold forever an important place in New Zealand (and world) history. Georgina grew up Read more...

The Seven Wonders of Castle Street

Posted 2:52pm Sunday 19th March 2023 by Iris Hehir

The Seven Wonders of the Natural World are incredible and inspiring demonstrations of nature’s power, eclipsed only in recent years by better things like the internet and the Crunchwrap Supreme™.   But you don’t have to travel to the Amazon to be awestruck by natural Read more...

Live Laugh Lettuce

Posted 2:11pm Sunday 19th March 2023 by

Dunedin students have long copped a bad rep when it comes to sustainability. Google “Otago Uni student culture” and you’ll see images of crappy $2 store costume-clad Hyde Street Party goers, couch burnings, and streets littered with broken glass. These depictions don’t Read more...

Crunch/Time: A methodological analysis of snack texture over time

Posted 1:32pm Sunday 12th March 2023 by Elliot Weir

Abstract   This study was designed to address the common problem of post-party stale-chippery. Our results suggest that corn- versus potato-based chips de-crunchify at variable rates, and indicate that the safest snacks to leave open overnight are Harvest Snaps, Cornados, Snakachangi Read more...

Nacho Average Food Critics: The Critic Te Ārohi Nacho Review

Posted 12:44pm Sunday 12th March 2023 by Lotto Ramsay

Nachos are an easy, reliable, hearty meal. They should, therefore, be nearly impossible to fuck up. And yet, being the exceptional city that it is, Dunedin has somehow managed to fuck them up.   We crawled from chip to chip across town seeking out all the best places to get your nacho Read more...

The Return of the Olympics of Māoridom

Posted 2:23pm Sunday 5th March 2023 by Nā Skyla from Ngāti Hine

Te Matatini has returned after a four-year hiatus, with a fiery comeback in Tāmaki Makaurau. Known as the ‘Olympics of Māoridom’, or even the ‘Broadway of the Pacific’, 45 groups across 13 regions gathered to celebrate the competition’s great return after the Read more...

ONE MAN’S TRASH

Posted 1:39pm Sunday 5th March 2023 by Zak Rudin

Disclaimer: OUSA does not endorse dumpster diving as it can have serious legal ramifications. Are you a cash-strapped student tired of eating instant noodles and spending your entire StudyLink payment in a single shop? Well then, you might have a fair bit in common with dumpster divers. Critic Te Read more...

Best and Worst Flats 2022

Posted 7:22pm Sunday 26th February 2023 by Critic

Last year, Critic invited students to submit their pads or paddocks to win a free feed from Delivereasy. We went ‘round and toured the best and the worst of the lot, risking both our lungs and our livers to set things straight. Based exclusively on the flats that chose to enter, here are Read more...

The (Sea) Lion’s Share

Posted 7:04pm Sunday 26th February 2023 by Elliot Weir

New Zealand sea lions are the rarest sea lions on the planet today. But after being wiped out on the mainland, rāpoka are making a dramatic comeback to Aotearoa - and Ōtepoti Dunedin is one of the best places to enjoy their company.   Often known as rāpoka in te reo Read more...