Archive

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...

A Time-controlled Study on the RTD-Teeth-Grossness Connection

Posted 6:39pm Sunday 9th October 2022 by Beth Wishart

Abstract This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home. Eight little piggy’s teeth were submerged in RTDs to see how fast they’d dissolve over time. The teeth were sourced as humanely as possible and handed over to Critic’s Science Editor to run the Read more...

Goth Vs. Wild

Posted 6:34pm Sunday 9th October 2022 by Lotto Ramsay

For a natural science major, I kinda hate going outside. Nature is great and all and I want to help conserve it, but just so other people can enjoy it. Me? No, I’m good thanks. Trying to quit, actually.  Another issue is that my degree is full of what I refer to as the Outdoor Folk. I Read more...

BOTY: The Bird of the Year Competition is back to ruffle some feathers

Posted 2:44pm Sunday 2nd October 2022 by Ruby Werry

As Kiwis, we’ll vote in many elections over our lifetimes. Local, general, special, OUSA – the list goes on. But there is no democratic decision more important in Aotearoa than Te Manu Rongonui o Te Tau - The Bird of The Year. Voting for the 2022 election starts soon, so let’s have Read more...

The Land of Milk and Money

Posted 2:41pm Sunday 2nd October 2022 by Zak Rudin

There’s no use crying over spilled milk, but intensively-produced and almost-entirely exported milk powder may warrant a tear or two. Aotearoa markets itself to the world as a “clean, green” paradise, all while it supports intensive agriculture amidst increasing dairy exports. Read more...

OUSA 2022 Executive Election Nominees

Posted 7:27pm Saturday 24th September 2022 by Critic

President Josh Stewart: Kia ora mai tātau katoa My name is Joshua Stewart and it is my pleasure to be running for President. OUSA has and continue to provide so many services and duties to students, and it would be my privilege to continue this work and bring my own fair to the Read more...

What’s Up With Student Health?

Posted 1:45pm Saturday 24th September 2022 by Elliot Weir

Underfunded and understaffed, Student Health Services is buckling under the pressure. Students say they’re “rushed in and rushed out” and “feel like [they’re] going to get screwed over every time”. Many have given up on Student Health Services altogether. There Read more...

Why the cops aren’t chasing the biggest theft in the country

Posted 7:49pm Sunday 18th September 2022 by Elliot Weir

What do you think of when you think of theft? Maybe you think of car theft. Maybe you think of an elderly woman having her purse snatched on the street. Maybe you think of someone shoplifting at a grocery store. Maybe your mind turns to the ram raids dominating headlines in recent months. Maybe Read more...

Dunedin’s True Crime History

Posted 7:48pm Sunday 18th September 2022 by Ruby Werry

CW: murder, suicide, executions, poison The skyrocketing price of alcohol and the fact that McDonald’s doesn’t do hash browns past 11am both feel like terrible crimes, but these are only a smidgen of Dunedin’s illustrious true crime history. True crime fascination is not a new Read more...