Archive

What Would Happen If There Was A Zombie Apocalypse (And How to Survive It)

Posted 10:35pm Sunday 24th August 2025 by Hanna Varrs

On March 25, 2020, Aotearoa New Zealand declared a nationwide state of national emergency and moved to Alert Level 4 in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. I remember how surreal it was – like something out of a low-budget movie. It affected everyone. If you’d told anyone before it Read more...

Critic’s Brush With Artistic Genius

Posted 11:51pm Sunday 17th August 2025 by Stella Weston

Art Week has made its mark again this year. The Link (turned art gallery) was even more of a hub of procrastination than usual, displaying a huge range of works of all mediums. Entries to the exhibition were showcased and sold alongside poetry, electronic art, and photography competitions. Critic Read more...

The Art of Dressing for Resistance: What to Wear to a Protest

Posted 9:58pm Sunday 10th August 2025 by Grace Hards

What you wear to a protest isn’t just about looking cool for the ‘gram. In reality, the clothes you wear to a protest are an intersection between fashion choices and politics: whether you’re marching for trans rights, chanting for Palestine, or standing silently in black on a Read more...

Is It Cheating? The Line Between Sleeping Sound and Sleeping Around

Posted 8:41pm Sunday 3rd August 2025 by Tilly Rumball-Smith

When you think of cheating, your mind will probably go to those who are constantly swinging between break-up and make-up sex as they swear they’ll never make that drunken mistake again – but can they please have a fourth chance? The blatant deception and betrayal of finding a grey hoodie Read more...

The Break You Don’t Take Will Break You

Posted 6:02pm Saturday 26th July 2025 by Nā Heeni Koero Te Rerenoa (Sky)

It was the second or third week of uni. I was still riding the high of being the first in my whānau to attend university. With three scholarships under my belt, a double degree ahead of me, and a fresh start away from Whangārei, everyone said I was going to do great things – and Read more...

Fresher Beware

Posted 4:38pm Saturday 19th July 2025 by Hanna Varrs

Disclaimer: Based on true stories. Identifying details have been changed. It’s that time of year. You and a few friends (or randoms from Facebook) band together to form a flat. The hunt begins: endless viewings, frantically handing in applications, long debates about whether a dishwasher is Read more...

Critic Te Ārohi Census 2025

Posted 12:00pm Monday 14th July 2025 by Nina Brown

Disclaimer: AI was used as a data analysis tool in the research for this article. The Critic Te Ārohi census is back for its fifth year. What originally began as thinly veiled nosiness has morphed into an annual data-gathering exercise, tracking the trends of the fine specimen we call the Read more...

John Robinson and Ōtepoti’s Queer History

Posted 5:06pm Sunday 25th May 2025 by Grace Hards

At the top of a steep flight of stairs, tucked into a small cluster of rooms that made up his studio, Ōtepoti artist John Robinson's handcrafted jewellery was carefully displayed. If you looked up, vibrant artwork stretched across the walls all the way to the ceiling – beautiful, Read more...

Flat & Garden: Critic Te Ārohi’s Search for the Best of Student Living

Posted 10:26pm Sunday 18th May 2025 by Critic Staff

It’s an age-old fact: flatting in North D can be rough. But here at Otago, we students get creative. We customise, craft, and conquer — armed with Blu-Tack and blind optimism. Despite what the nation’s landlords think, students can be house-proud (especially if you bless us with Read more...

TURN DOWN FOR WHAT! No seriously, what? I couldn't hear you

Posted 2:51pm Sunday 11th May 2025 by Jonathan McCabe

Whether it’s the smell of the Greggs’ factory, snorting lines through a rolled up $20, or staring at multiple screens for hours on end at the library, students are accustomed to abusing their senses on the regular. Putting your body through the wringer is part of the university Read more...