Archive

Critic’s Vice Purity Test

Posted 3:18pm Saturday 11th April 2026 by Critic

The Critic Te Ārohi Vice Purity Test serves as a segue from O-week to what a couple of Critic writers think encapsulates University life.  It's a voluntary opportunity for O-week groups to bond, and for students to track the maturation of their experiences throughout Read more...

Weed, The Gateway Drug

Posted 3:11pm Saturday 11th April 2026 by Critic

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 For most young people , the phrase feels outdated and inaccurate: a relic left over from Harold's discussions and stern talks with our parents that convinced us one joint would inevitably lead to heroin.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 Read more...

How best to spend your mid-semester break

Posted 12:06pm Sunday 29th March 2026 by Jesse Valpy

Ah yes, the age-old question: What to do during the first break of the year. It's a strange, liminal period where lectures disappear, responsibilities feel like they temporarily evaporate, and you're left alone with your thoughts (scary). The opportunities are endless, so I’ve decided Read more...

A Culture Carol: Dunedin’s Ghost of Student Bars Past, Present and Future

Posted 9:38pm Saturday 21st March 2026 by Jesse Valpy, Hanna Varrs & Molly Smith-Soppet

Dick is a Castle Street man, through and through. Everyone knows a Dick. If you've spent longer than ten minutes North of the campus, you’ve probably met one. Dick lives in a mouldy flat halfway down Castle, swears flat parties are the pinnacle of student culture, and believes that Read more...

A Personal Essay Dissecting The Male Loneliness Epidemic

Posted 9:27pm Saturday 21st March 2026 by Harry Almey

CW: Mentions of suicide The male loneliness epidemic. As a man with many many women friends, I’ve heard plenty of discussion about it. “The male loneliness epidemic isn't real, y'know," my colleague told me one day. "Guys suck anyways, they deserve to be alone." Read more...

How to Curate The Perfect Instagram Dump

Posted 7:56pm Saturday 21st March 2026 by Molly Smith-Soppet

The Instagram dump is not just a post – it's an art form. A carefully curated collection of snapshots of your life. Whether it's blurry photos, sunburnt faces, or suspiciously aesthetic food photos, they all communicate one simple message: I have a better life than you, see? Now Read more...

An American Exchange Student’s Welcome to Ōtepoti, Aotearoa

Posted 7:33pm Saturday 14th March 2026 by Dylan O'Connor

One month ago – after a hop, skip, and a jump all the way from not-so-sunny Northern California, I arrived in New Zealand for the first time in my life. I’m here on a study abroad semester – which is technically slightly different than an exchange term, though I wouldn’t be Read more...

Who Gets to Be High?

Posted 11:41am Sunday 8th March 2026 by Critic

The big move South to university opened my world.  One night you’re sitting at home with your parents, half-listening to them hammer in their values and opinions at the dinner table. Next, you’re living in close quarters with a few hundred frothy eighteen year olds. People from Read more...

Four Days In The Belly Of The Beast

Posted 11:35am Sunday 8th March 2026 by Heeni Koero Te Rerenoa (Sky)

I went to London to see what all the fuss was about. After all, it has a long history of looking in our direction first. It’s the third week of uni, which means I should be pretty locked in: highlighting readings, colour-coding my calendar, and convincing myself this is the semester I Read more...

Rob Roy: The Ultimate Guide to Hurrying The Fuck Up and Ordering

Posted 1:33pm Sunday 1st March 2026 by Imogen Perry

Potential laxative. Occasional platonic matchmaker. Guaranteed temporary serotonin release. Ice-cream. The lifeline of the student population, but only after a long hard day of pretending to study at Central. Located on the corner of George and Albany Street, Rob Roy is essentially an institution: a Read more...