You Cannot Be What You Cannot See
When you think of drugs, your mind probably goes straight to the obvious – weed, party culture, the spectacle of harm. But the substances most deeply embedded in Aotearoa’s everyday life rarely attract the same scrutiny. Sugar, alcohol, and caffeine have been normalised to the point of invisibility. Their impact is not immediate, but cumulative, shaped as much by environment and access as by what we are told is “individual...Weed, The Gateway Drug
Cannabis has spent decades carrying the label of a “gateway drug.” For most young people , the phrase feels outdated and inaccurate: a relic left over from Harold's discussions and stern talks with our parents that convinced us one joint would inevitably lead to heroin. But by the time we reach university, if any of us still believed whatever Harold was waffling on about, that assumption about weed being some gateway to trouble is...University Defends Partnership With Palo Alto Networks
The University of Otago announced its partnership with international cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks (PANW) in May of last year to aid in the development of a new Masters in Digital Technology at the budding Queenstown campus. However, the partnership has recently come under scrutiny by Otago Staff for Palestine (OSP). According to an opinion piece published in the Otago Daily Times by OSP, this is due to PANW having “deep links to...Vice-Chancellor’s Welcome Email Returns 100% AI Prediction
Critic Te Ārohi recently received a news tip from an anonymous student that ran Vice-Chancellor Grant Robertson’s welcome email through GPTZero (Model 4.2b). The message was sent to all students at the start of the year, and had the subject-line “Student update: 25 February 2026”. The model returned a 100% AI-generated prediction on the email. “The Vice-Chancellor maintains personal, human oversight in all his...Explainer: Albany Street Connection Project
Since 2021, the Dunedin City Council (DCC) has done heaps of advertising, letter drops, media coverage and public consultation about the changes happening to Albany Street and surrounding areas. The $4.8 million Albany Street Connection Project (ASCP) construction and road reseal will fully take place late 2026, adding a whole bunch of pedestrian and cyclist friendly shit to streets around the Uni. Some of the changes have already taken...Editorial: Drugs are Everywhere
Kia ora and welcome to Critic Te Ārohi’s annual Drug Issue. This happens to be one of Critic’s most popular issues (alongside the sex issue – maybe we are all as mature as we...
A Word From Know Your Stuff
Who are we? KnowYourStuffNZ is a peer-led drug checking and harm reduction service that has been operating since 2015. We address the lack of factual, proven information available to drug users about the substances they intend to take by providing...
Better Cones and Gardens: The Logistics Behind a Rager
Fresh out of first year halls, it’s finally your turn to host the party of the century. Last year, the tenants threw a rager...
Thursdays in Black: More Than Just a Black T-Shirt
The concept behind Thursdays in Black (TiB) couldn’t be simpler: wear black on Thursdays. Through symbolically wearing black each week on campus, TiB Otago creates weekly visibility and raises...
Inclusion On Campus
Within my short time as Welfare and Equity Representative, and throughout my studies in general, there is one topic that has come up consistently: students who identify as being in one or more equity groups often feel “othered”. This can come from...
Critical Tribune: Hyde Street Party 2026 Flat Themes Unveiled
As Otago students return from mid-sem break, speculation from the shitposters of the Castle26 Facebook group has been at an all...
Local Produce: Bunchy’s Big Score
Bunchy’s Big Score is an Ōtepoti art/pop/rock band who have become well-loved in the local scene over the past two years. Known for their noisy ear-worm bangers and ridiculously fun live...
Booze Review: Cody’s Bourbon & Cola 7%
Sup pissers and shitters. This week we set out with one goal: to tackle a tried-and-true Kiwi classic. It’s a drink with a reputation that walks the line between nostalgia and being a straight...
Moaningful Confessions: Summer School Gets Steamy
To set the scene, it was Summer School. Already a pretty cursed time of year. Half the campus was deserted, and the people left milling around campus were a little strange. I mean, who does Uni during...
Horoscopes: Issue 7 2026
Taurus Your current employer is making you wanna quiet quit, or even just straight-up ghost them. Even though the job market is fucked, it can’t be worse than your current job. The next desk your resume lands on will be the right one. You deserve higher...
