Archive
Mosh Etiquette 101
Posted 6:47pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Rutene Rickard
While moshes can seem like animalistic anarchy, there is a crucial code of conduct that keeps all participants safe in their gnarly sonic and sweaty adventures. Moshing, which started up during the ‘80s with the rise of punk and hardcore, is now a widespread concert activity. The original Read more...
The History of the Dunedin Sound: A nostalgic look back on the birth of the Dunedin music scene
Posted 6:42pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Annabelle Vaughan
The Dunedin Sound is one of New Zealand’s best known music scenes. The cold, dreary and quirky city that we call home has produced some of New Zealand's most notable songwriters and musicians. Much of their work still influences Dunedin musicians today, and is responsible for our unique Read more...
The Rise of Dunedin’s Drum and Bass
Posted 6:36pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Runze Liu
Drum and Bass music is a major part of Dunedin life. It is the soundtrack to the Otago experience. But what will its future be? Critic sat down with some of Dunedin’s very own DJs to uncover the evolution of DnB. Bando is a bedroom DJ, a hobbyist who practises at home but doesn’t Read more...
How to Avoid Killing Your Herbs: When, Where, How, and What to Grow
Posted 9:06pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Elliot Weir
If you expected another article about growing weed, you will be sorely disappointed. This is all about literal herbs. When? Herbs don’t benefit from space heaters and alcohol blankets, so planting at the right time is the key to making sure your herbs survive the winter. Right now is Read more...
What Dunedin Street Litter Are You?
Posted 6:34pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Fox Meyer
A single sock. Ciggie butts. The natural landscape of Dunedin is rich with treasures. They say “you are what you eat,” but also “you are what you throw away.” Bins overflowing with torn black rubbish bags. Noodles, spilled like entrails from a corpse. Bits of rubber and Read more...
Pussy Galore: A Conversation with Cat Rescue Dunedin
Posted 6:00pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Erin Gourley
You might think you love pussy, but Cat Rescue Dunedin love pussy more than you. Critic sat down with Amber Coste, President of CatS (Cat Rescue Dunedin Student Association) and committee member of Cat Rescue Dunedin Charitable Trust, to talk about cats and how students can get involved with the new Read more...
University Courses If They Were Animal Crossing Villagers
Posted 5:45pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Oscar Paul
Nintendo’s Animal Crossing the perfect escape tool from the cruel reality of Covid, Uni stress, depression, the housing market and the loss of Harlene. It’s also a genuinely fun game to play. Each game hosts cute wee villagers, which are anthropomorphic animals. For you commerce students Read more...
A Critical Analysis: Why I Hate Barbie in My Scene Barbie Jammin’ In Jamaica (2004)
Posted 5:32pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Asia Martusia King
Barbie’s a feminist icon. She’s an astrophysicist. A business executive. A police officer. George Washington, somehow. A paratrooper (“United States Marine Corps Sergeant Barbie”, 1991). She’s also a toxic backstabbing manipulator with a victim Read more...
The Guide to being the Ultimate Fresher: the tips and tricks for getting through uni
Posted 3:52pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Annabelle Vaughan
This guide here goes out to all my freshers who have just begun their journey at the University of Otago. I get it, you’re probably feeling nervous, excited, and slightly panicked about the prospect of spending the next few years of your life in this freezing cold, chlamydia infested hole at Read more...
Local Produce: Night Lunch
Posted 3:45pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Sean Gourley
Night Lunch are a Dunedin duo of Liams made famous by the smash hit music video for their song House Full of Shit. The band features the uniquely minimalist combo of Liam Hoffman on drums and Liam Clune on a home-made instrument called a diddly bow. Hoffman has finished Uni but Clune has come back Read more...
Renters United: Fighting for a Fair Deal for Renters
Posted 3:26pm Monday 26th April 2021 by Elliot Weir
Abusive landlords, privacy breaches, and runaway rent prices are the bread to the butter that is Renters United. The only thing worse than landlords are the structural conditions that created them. Look, I get it, not everyone wants to own their own house at whatever point they’re at in Read more...
Local Produce: Scott Tisdall Is Making Potatoes Instafamous
Posted 1:20am Monday 19th April 2021 by Sean Gourley
Scott Tisdall is an Otago student who moonlights growing moonlight potatoes on his family farm. Using Instagram as a platform, he is gradually expanding his operation to bring locally grown potatoes to the tables of starving students. Last season, he gave 33% of his profits to the cancer society. We Read more...
The Breatha Diet: a vape a day keeps the doctor away
Posted 12:59am Monday 19th April 2021 by Annabelle Vaughan
There is quite possibly no creature as great, and as wild, as the Otago breatha. They can often be seen vaping, drinking, and sending pesky “you up x” texts at ungodly hours. How do breathas maintain such a lifestyle? What on earth could they possibly be fuelling their bodies Read more...
OPINION: Make Dunedin More Walkable
Posted 12:51am Monday 19th April 2021 by Elliot Weir
Dunedin was largely planned out by settlers that were probably way too deep on Scotch and Irn-Bru. In that state, they thought that a street with a 35% incline would be a funny meme. They literally tried to superimpose Edinburgh onto the Otago landscape, stubbornly ignoring all of the hills that Read more...
A Review of Lee Vandervis’s Book
Posted 12:38am Monday 19th April 2021 by Sophia Carter Peters
DCC Councillor Lee Vandervis has recently released a “book” (his words). The full title is The Hitch-hikers Guide to the Mayoralty Part 1: Invaluable for understanding the DCC and reading between the lines of local print-media monopoly. The title is only a fraction of this truly bizarre Read more...
Community Law: Where Otago law students do something useful for once
Posted 12:27am Monday 19th April 2021 by Annabelle Vaughan
Sometimes as students we find ourselves in sticky, stressful situations. Whether it's tenancy troubles, uncertainty about contracts, or a dispute with an employer, we can sometimes feel out of our depth and unsure about where to go. Luckily, Community Law Otago can assist with all of Read more...
Some Astrology Bullshit About Chlöe Swarbrick
Posted 12:18am Monday 19th April 2021 by Asia Martusia King
Jacinda Arden wouldn’t give me her birth time. But I figured that if any other politician had a CoStar it would be Chlöe Swarbrick, because she’s queer and vegan. I was wrong. Thankfully she’s a gem, and texted her mum for me. Chlöe schlorped into this world on 26th Read more...
Power Ranking the Dunedin News Splinter Groups
Posted 11:57pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Erin Gourley
Dunedin News, the original news group for Dunedinites, is infamous for its (il)liberal “you will be kicked out if the admin does not like you” policy. There is a strict list of offences that will get you kicked out, all of which are broadly interpreted by Daryl Taylor, the page’s Read more...
Local Produce: Paddy Patterns
Posted 12:40am Sunday 11th April 2021 by Susana Jones
Paddy Patterns are just a pair of gals who make the loveliest handmade clothes (mostly tops) from funky, retro, preloved materials. Emily and Allie, both students at Otago, are the big brains behind Paddy Patterns. “We’ve been friends since year seven. We started making some very Read more...
The Critic Mid-Sem Haiku Competition
Posted 12:30am Sunday 11th April 2021 by Critic
Nothing screams Easter like a haiku competition. We asked you to send in haikus and you did, in moderate numbers, so thanks. While only the top 20 could be published and only the top 5 get tote bags, we were in equal parts inspired and depressed by all of them. If you wrote one of the poems in the Read more...
Let Us Live: Ōtepoti and the world need to address gender-based violence
Posted 12:21am Sunday 11th April 2021 by Eileen Corcoran
TW: sexual assault, harassment, femicide. Sarah Everard followed all the rules women are taught from birth. She spoke to her boyfriend as she walked through a park home at 9pm on a Wednesday, she wore comfortable and warm clothes, and shoes made for running. Still, it didn’t save her. She Read more...
Generation Hero: How Gen Zero are taking on climate change
Posted 5:35pm Sunday 28th March 2021 by Annabelle Vaughan
Climate change is a scary subject. As concern has grown, so has the number of environmental organisations and people willing to take on the challenge of our generation. One of these organisations is Generation Zero, a non-partisan group which focuses on a solutions-based approach to climate Read more...
Stoner’s AI Creation Sounds Like Adorable Children’s TV Show
Posted 5:31pm Sunday 28th March 2021 by Denzel Chung
Maybe it was an internet rabbit hole, where at 3am on Tuesday morning you stumbled on a video of an M&M serenading you with a Japanese ballad. Maybe it was Kim Jong-Un singing “Witch Doctor”. Or maybe, if you are actively involved in Dunedin News (i.e. over 50), you saw mayor Aaron Read more...
The Slinks: Kings of Flat Parties
Posted 5:24pm Sunday 28th March 2021 by Sean Gourley
The Slinks are an up and coming band on the Dunedin scene. Starting out in 2019, they’ve worked their way up from playing at the humble Crown Hotel to playing gigs as far out of town as Queenstown. They have two EPs out on Spotify: The Slinks and Come On Now. We checked in with them to see Read more...
New Vegan Food Box Just Dropped
Posted 5:18pm Sunday 28th March 2021 by Fox Meyer
Let me tell you that this box fucking slaps. Taste Nature is an organic food store (and much more) located by the casino. It’s a bit out of the way for your average student, but that’s okay, because the people who may be interested in an organic, plant-based meal box are the same Read more...
The Cycle of Agua: How to recycle your cooking water and save the planet
Posted 5:07pm Sunday 28th March 2021 by Susana Jones
Water. Everyone’s favourite health food. We know and love it, and most of us should probably be drinking more of it. Sure, 70% of the Earth is covered in water, and with global warming being today’s hottest topic, sometimes it seems like we are being engulfed by water. But that drip-drip Read more...
The Pain of Endometriosis
Posted 5:00pm Sunday 28th March 2021 by Alice Taylor
Endometriosis can be summed up in one word: pain. Endometriosis is a chronic condition that affects one in ten women. It occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. You can only be officially diagnosed through a laparoscopic surgery under general anesthetic. Read more...
Your Indie Movie Beach Parties Are Killing Baby Penguins
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 28th March 2021 by Asia Martusia King
At a cave in Long Beach, a group of students are having a party. They sip on ciders around a campfire, laughing gleefully while the sunset dips over the horizon. Tongue Tied by Grouplove is inexplicably playing. A white man with dreadlocks is strumming the one song he knows on ukulele. I dunno, no Read more...
The Pros and Cons of Different Methods of Consuming Drugs
Posted 3:05pm Sunday 21st March 2021 by Runze Liu
Warning: Drugs can cause harm. This guide does not substitute medical advice. If you think you or someone is in danger from drugs, call 111. Whether you’re just lighting up a joint with your flatmate or you’re about to rail some lines of coke in an R-rated comedy trilogy about a Read more...
Trial by Zentech: A Story of Blood, Piss and Prostate
Posted 3:02pm Sunday 21st March 2021 by Fox Meyer
This is a true story. It has been edited for clarity, but all of the content you’re about to read came straight from the mouth of an anonymous student using the pseudonym “Dusty”. The drug I tested in 2018 was a prostate anti-inflammatory. Possible side effects included Read more...
Which Antidepressant Are You?
Posted 2:54pm Sunday 21st March 2021 by Sophia Carter Peters
1. What is your preferred method of escapism? a. Online shopping (1) b. Poetry Read more...
Local Produce: Judah Kelly
Posted 1:35pm Sunday 21st March 2021 by Fox Meyer
Dunedin-raised Judah Kelley believes that building your own power and voice is important, and that music is a way to share that message with anyone who wants to listen. “It’s a better message to send than just another sad song,” she said. She continues to be a local crowd-pleaser, Read more...
Fantastic Drugs and Where to Find Them
Posted 1:27pm Sunday 21st March 2021 by Elliot Weir
The Dark Web The Deep Web, whilst sounding like a 2005 sci-fi hacker fantasy realm, actually just refers to anything on the internet that won’t directly show up when you search on a search engine like Google. This includes anything from your email homepage, to your Netflix homepage, Read more...
How to Grow Weed in Your Flat
Posted 12:55pm Sunday 21st March 2021 by Harold the Giraffe
Kia ora kids! Harold the Giraffe here. Aunty Jacindy might have banned the ol’ wacky baccy despite disproportionately racist levels of cannabis-related incarceration in Aotearoa, but don’t despair. DIY is in our DNA! Anyone can grow the devil’s lettuce in their flat with a bit of Read more...
Kava: From Root to Ritual
Posted 12:38pm Sunday 21st March 2021 by Susana Jones
Kava, yaqona, ‘ava, ‘awa, malok, grog. My earliest memory of this sacred substance was when I was about 10 years old, sitting cross-legged on the floor covered in woven mats in my childhood home. Family surrounded me while my uncle squeezed the brown out of the powdered root and into the Read more...
Best Places to Skate in Dunedin
Posted 2:42pm Sunday 14th March 2021 by Jay Bailey
In the glory of an empty, level-four-lockdown Dunedin, I finally faced my fears and learned how to ride a skateboard. Learning to skate at nineteen years of age may not impress some, but after years of desire, envy, fear, and trepidation, I was thrilled to cruise around the old Coupland’s car Read more...
Fuck, I Can’t Cook!
Posted 2:23pm Sunday 14th March 2021 by Alice Taylor
This recipe for Pad Thai hits my craving for noodles when I simply don’t have the means to spend on my dearest, Thai Hanoi. I shamelessly use Wattie’s Pad Thai sauce because I am poor and lazy and the sauce is delicious. Serves 3 250g rice noodles 2 eggs 1 onion 4 spring Read more...
Why the Pisces Moon Might Be Fucking With You
Posted 1:49pm Sunday 14th March 2021 by Sophia Carter Peters
These past few weeks we have been experiencing a Pisces moon. For those unfamiliar with astrology, Pisces (Feb 19 – March 20) is a sign commonly associated with empathy, impressionability, white wine, creativity, and emotional fragility. Basically, they’re weak ass bitches. We knew Read more...
Which Uni Building Are You?
Posted 1:29pm Sunday 14th March 2021 by Elliot Weir
1. How old are you? a. A literal baby (1) b. A teenager (2) c. Early 20s Read more...
Jutland Studio/Spaceland: A New Dunedin Creative Renaissance
Posted 1:13pm Sunday 14th March 2021 by Sophia Carter Peters
The scene: Waterfront warehouse district, surrounded by big trucks, empty buildings, and corrugated iron everywhere. Enter a new resurgence of the local gig scene. A quiet, yellow corner building with high ceiling and some bizarre architecture is the setting for a rejuvenation of the Dunedin music Read more...
Local Produce: Zena Burgess, owner of Zen Blu Jewellery
Posted 12:24pm Sunday 14th March 2021 by Annabelle Vaughan
Zen Blu necklaces look like what would happen if you told a mermaid to pull apart some 70s jewellery and make it into something magical. The brightly coloured plastic beads sit alongside pearls, seashells and (presumably) enchanted symbols. On the Instagram page, the necklaces are edited onto a Read more...
Top 10 Ways to Trick Your Flatmates into Doing Shared Flat Meals
Posted 1:34am Sunday 14th March 2021 by Callan George
Just do it. Start cooking. Make a giant fuck off meal and serve it to the whole clan. Odds are, they’ll accept a free feed. Repeat this until your flatties feel as if they have to return the ‘favour’ and then boom, you’ve guilt tripped them a system of mutual Read more...
OPINION: Priority Should Be Given to Māori Students When it Comes to Teaching Te Reo
Posted 1:23am Sunday 14th March 2021 by Annabelle Vaughan
The use of te reo Māori has been revived over the past five years. Both non-Māori and Māori are now open to learning the language. However, with this spike in popularity comes the need for the appropriate resources and infrastructure to ensure that anybody who wishes to learn te reo Read more...
Are Mullets Sexy? The Castle Street Perspective
Posted 1:18am Sunday 14th March 2021 by Asia Martusia King
Mullets have a long history. The world’s first mullet was depicted on a metal deity figurine unearthed in an English car park, dating back to 1st-century AD (After Drip). Roman warriors with mullets were engineered for battle, their hair styled out of their eyes and difficult to grab. Murder Read more...
Job Searching, Now With a Side of Mental Health Support
Posted 12:27am Sunday 7th March 2021 by Susana Jones
If you’ve ever been a student searching for a job, you’ve definitely heard of Student Job Search (SJS). If you’re funded by a Daddy and have never been on that job search grind, SJS is a charity, underwritten by MSD and the student unions, that hooks students up with job Read more...
Where Did the Word “Breather” Come From?
Posted 11:33pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Oscar Paul
For years, Otago students were dubbed ‘scarfies’. The word was popularised by the eponymous 1999 film and came loaded with half-a-century of resentment from older generations. As ubiquitous as the ‘scarfie’ moniker once was, it has increasingly been replaced by a newer, more Read more...
What’s Wrong With Freshers?
Posted 10:56pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Fox Meyer
We intercepted first-years on their way out of the Toga Party to ask a simple question: What is the biggest problem in your life right now? Three new friends all admitted that “coming from a solid group of friends back home, and starting anew” was really tough, but patted Read more...
Local Produce: Sometime Winner
Posted 10:35pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Annabelle Vaughan
As the saying goes, you win some, you lose some. This mantra rings especially true for one of Dunedin’s newest up and coming acts, Sometime Winner. The five-piece line up consists of lead singer Louis (who dubs himself Kid Freeman on the Mic), guitarist Silas, violinist Rose, bassist Read more...
From the Parthenon to the Octagon
Posted 10:21pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Elliot Weir
The first question Critic asked Sam, as we sat down for an interview in the sun, was how The Bacchae is pronounced. The answer, apparently, is ‘back-eye.’ The play is an ancient Athenian tragedy written by Euripedes, reimagined for a modern audience by a local team led by Read more...
What Coping Mechanism Are You?
Posted 11:23pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Sophia Carter Peters
How long have you been in Dunedin? a. Less than 2 years Read more...
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