Archive
StudyLink Wait Times up 37%
Posted 6:01pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Ruby Werry
If you feel like StudyLink wait times are longer than usual this year, you’re on the money. StudyLink claims that average wait times sit at around 20 minutes (up 5 minutes from last year) – but students have been reporting far longer ordeals. Phone calls are already a bit of a mission Read more...
Blame Putin for RTD Shortage
Posted 5:56pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Ruby Werry
If you’ve noticed getting your hands on Diesels or Billy Mavs has been harder recently, you’re not alone, and you’re not wrong. International shortages of bourbon have been causing prices to spike. While the spirit is adored by middle-aged men and those who are middle-aged men at Read more...
You May Not Be Eligible For That Free $350
Posted 5:53pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Elliot Weir
While many students have already been scheming how they’ll spend the Government’s upcoming $350 cost of living payment, a caveat means that some students on a student loan will be ineligible to receive the payment. In May, as part of this year’s Budget, the Government announced Read more...
(Yet Another) Report Highlights Student Suffering
Posted 5:50pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Denzel Chung
Data from a nationwide survey of students has shown, yet again, that students largely live in poverty – often living in unaffordable housing and going without food, healthcare, clothing and other necessities. Aotearoa’s student unions, alongside the Green Party, are hoping that this Read more...
Free Condoms Abound on Campus
Posted 5:49pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Nina Brown
Condoms, while super important, can really stretch tiny student budgets: the average box retails at $12-$24, and in the cold, long nights of winter, the costs can add up fast. Dunedin, however, turns out to be busting with free condoms – so Critic Te Arohi decided to check out where you can Read more...
Students Make a Stand for Reproductive Rights
Posted 2:50pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Zak Rudin
Last Saturday, almost 200 Otago Uni students organised a peaceful sit-in at the lower Octagon to protest the overturning of Roe v Wade. The hour-long protest included speeches, music and (of course) TikToks. On June 25, the United States Supreme Court announced the overturning of Roe v Wade, a Read more...
MĀOR110 Te Reo Aptitude Assessment gets the Axe
Posted 2:46pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Skyla & Fox Meyer
For the first time, Health Sci First Year (HSFY) students can take “Intro to Conversational Māori” (MĀOR110) as an optional eighth paper. Last week, the University repealed an entrance requirement to the paper barring students with virtually any te reo background, lest they Read more...
UniQ Top Pride Fundraiser In The Country
Posted 3:57pm Sunday 17th July 2022 by Denzel Chung
Otago Uni’s queer students’ club, UniQ, raised nearly $13,000 for Sweat With Pride – more than double what they originally aimed for. This made them the top fundraising team in Aotearoa. Sweat With Pride is an annual fundraising event which encourages participants to do 21 Read more...
Swappa Cup App On The Rise
Posted 3:55pm Sunday 17th July 2022 by Zak Rudin
Chatime has finally given single-use takeaway cups a hard pass, instead stamping its seal of approval on the Swappa Cup “cup-borrowing” app. Outlets across campus are expected to roll it out soon. Every day, an estimated 800,000 disposable cups are (you guessed it) disposed of. Read more...
Inhibition-Lowering Substance Lowers Inhibitions, Study Shows
Posted 3:54pm Sunday 17th July 2022 by Nina Brown
New research by global comparison site Finder has made the shocking revelation that people like to buy shit while drunk. Every breatha who has bought a new vape after their first Mav of the night could tell you as much. According to their research, involving “a nationally Read more...
660 Scholarship Winners: What’re They Up2?
Posted 3:47pm Sunday 17th July 2022 by Annabelle Vaughan
Last year, Emily Bell and Samuel Leaper were two of the four students who received the University’s inaugural Six60 Scholarship. The scholarship lets them live, rent-free, at 660 Castle Street, for the whole year, as well as giving them the chance to be mentored by one of Aotearoa’s most Read more...
Volunteer Service Abroad Bounces Back After Covid
Posted 3:45pm Sunday 17th July 2022 by Fox Meyer
Te Tūao Tāwāhi (Volunteer Service Abroad, VSA) is gearing back up to send recent grads to work overseas. The whole “international travel” aspect was complicated by Covid, but a new “e-volunteering” strategy is now an option alongside the traditional Read more...
From “Fuck! I Can’t Cook” To “Fuck! I’m a Cook!”
Posted 3:40pm Sunday 17th July 2022 by Denzel Chung
Former Otago student Alice Taylor’s MasterChef run came to an end last week with a solid third-place finish. This isn’t the end of the culinary road for her, though, with judge Michael Dearth offering her a new job at his Italian restaurant Baduzzi. Alice sat down with Critic Te Arohi to Read more...
Leith Surges, Paddlers Rejoice
Posted 3:37pm Sunday 17th July 2022 by Denzel Chung and Keegan Wells
The nationwide storm last week saw the Leith rise to 70 times its normal flow. Local legends from the Otago University Canoe Club (OUCC) were all over it, tackling what they estimated was about a Grade 4 rapid. While the Leith normally cruises along at around 0.8-1 cubic metres of water per Read more...
Aotearoa Continues Imports of “Blood Phosphate”
Posted 3:32pm Sunday 17th July 2022 by Zak Rudin
A group of around 15 activists gathered outside Ravensdown’s fertiliser factory at Ravensbourne last Tuesday, for a “morning of mourning” over a “shipload of shame”. On a cold, dark and wet morning, the black-clad protesters were opposing the “unwelcome” Read more...
Ireland Screws All Blacks, Unscrews Lightbulbs
Posted 2:29pm Sunday 17th July 2022 by Fox Meyer
After handing the All Blacks their first-ever Dunedin defeat on Saturday 9 July, the Irish national rugby team parked up at Vault 21. And evidently, they weren’t too keen on leaving. Chris Dickie, a bartender at Vault, said that as closing time grew near that night, staff at the bar started Read more...
Everyone’s Favourite $4 Lunch Lady Begins A “New Incarnation”
Posted 2:27pm Sunday 17th July 2022 by Denzel Chung
Jane “J-Ma” Beecroft, long-known as the $4 lunch lady, is beginning a “new incarnation” on campus. She’s hoping her new “chat room,” which she calls “Life, the Universe and Everything”, will help provide a space where students can feel Read more...
Ireland Screws All Blacks, Unscrews Lightbulbs
Posted 1:14pm Wednesday 13th July 2022 by Fox Meyer
After handing the All Blacks their first-ever Dunedin defeat on Saturday 9 July, the Irish national rugby team parked up at Vault 21. And evidently, they weren’t too keen on leaving. Chris Dickie, a bartender at Vault, said that as closing time grew near that night, staff at the Read more...
SCANDAL! Man Opens Door!
Posted 1:59am Saturday 9th July 2022 by Denzel Chung
An Edinburgh Realty tenant was left feeling “infuriated” after a tradie unlocked her bedroom door to complete some repairs while she was asleep. Marie* rents in the Station Apartments complex, a set of 5 studio apartments on Anzac Avenue managed by Edinburgh Realty. At first Read more...
GARBAGE! EnviroWaste Red Bins GONEBURGER In Dunedin!
Posted 1:57am Saturday 9th July 2022 by Denzel Chung
At least one provider of Dunedin’s red bins, EnviroWaste, have pulled the plug on signing up new customers. Fears of an impending bin monopoly have been dismissed by EnviroWaste, who said the move is only temporary. A check of the EnviroWaste website using Dunedin addresses shows an Read more...
WOW! Otago Student Chef makes it BIG TIME
Posted 1:55am Saturday 9th July 2022 by Denzel Chung
While most of us were dumping two-minute pasta into a microwave bowl and serving it with a side of James Speight’s finest, an ex-Otago student has been rubbing shoulders with the likes of Nadia Lim on the latest season of MasterChef New Zealand. Critic Te Arohi caught up with Alice Taylor to Read more...
SOUTHLAND: The Next Silicon Valley???
Posted 1:54am Saturday 9th July 2022 by Fox Meyer
A massive, cutting edge carbon-neutral data centre is slated to open in – of all places – Southland. Otago Uni have already signed up to be one of the facility’s major clients. Despite what some Aucklanders may be thinking, there are actually some pretty good reasons for tech Read more...
Otago Lecturer speaks at Anti-Mandate Protest
Posted 1:35am Saturday 9th July 2022 by Elliot Weir and Denzel Chung
At a demonstration against vaccine mandates and Three Waters legislation, an Otago Uni lecturer spoke for five minutes to "educate" the opposing counter-demonstration across the road by reading the Britannica definition of fascism and sharing a stage with a prominent alt-right Read more...
Protest Standoff! Big Anti-Fash Bash TRIUMPHS Over “Freedom and Rights Coalition”
Posted 11:37pm Friday 8th July 2022 by Zak Rudin, Denzel Chung and Elliot Weir
At 12pm on Saturday 2nd July, around 150 anti-fascist counter-protestors faced off against a “Freedom and Rights Coalition” (FRC) protest, led by Destiny Church’s Derek Tait. With the anti-fascists outnumbering the FRC group five to one, Ōtepoti sent them a clear message: Read more...
Heaps of West Coast Land to be Reclassified
Posted 11:29pm Friday 8th July 2022 by Denzel Chung and Fox Meyer
The Department of Conservation (DoC) is set to reclassify 600,000 hectares of protected “stewardship” land on the West Coast – the size of over 3 Rakiura (Stewart Islands). DoC says that this will provide stronger protections for its natural and historic features, but some worry Read more...
DOCO DRAMA! Filmmakers Condemn Israeli Embassy Funding
Posted 11:27pm Friday 8th July 2022 by Denzel Chung
A group of filmmakers participating in the Doc Edge documentary film festival have written an open letter over its acceptance of sponsorship funding from the Israeli Embassy in New Zealand. The Embassy is supporting the screening of the film “Dead Sea Guardians”, an Israeli Read more...
Maths Mayhem!
Posted 11:25pm Friday 8th July 2022 by Nina Brown
Six mathematics alumni and current students have sent an open letter to the University of Otago expressing their concerns over its alleged disregard of the importance of maths education. Critic Te Arohi spoke to Elliot Marshall, a signatory of the letter, about claims that inadequate funding and the Read more...
Guard who Dispensed "Sauce Fines" Apparently Unlicenced
Posted 11:24pm Friday 8th July 2022 by Denzel Chung and Fox Meyer
The security guard who allegedly called a student “stupid” and “selfish” after issuing her a $300 fine for “stealing” a packet of tomato sauce no longer appears to be working at Night N’ Day or Pak ‘N Save, where he was also employed. This may Read more...
Fake News Tourbus Chased Out of Dunedin
Posted 1:37pm Saturday 4th June 2022 by Denzel Chung
A nationwide tour by Counterspin, a group promoting Covid-19 misinformation and often violent rhetoric, was forced out of Dunedin city after sustained public pressure caused several hosts to pull out. The nationwide tour, titled “Let’s Not Forget,” had stopped in Read more...
Uni’s Emissions Boss Responds To Govt’s Emissions Reduction Plan
Posted 4:58pm Sunday 29th May 2022 by Zak Rudin
Last week, the Government released their first Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) since passing the Zero Carbon Act in 2019. Critic Te Arohi spoke with Craig Cliff, the Uni’s Net Carbon Zero Programme Manager, on the impact of the plan and whether it goes far enough to address the existential Read more...
Kind Company Rebrands To “Kindred”
Posted 4:55pm Sunday 29th May 2022 by Zak Rudin
Around two weeks ago, Kind Company, a vegan cafe on George Street, became Kindred. They’re now a “mostly” vegan cafe that serves some meat and dairy. Critic Te Arohi spoke to Penelope, the owner of Kindred, about the change. Penelope, told Critic Te Arohi the rebranding was an Read more...
“Storm Hyde St” Event Page Gets the Axe
Posted 4:52pm Sunday 29th May 2022 by Keegan Wells
A pisstake of a Facebook event page has been taken down after its creator received a stern talking to by the Campus Cop, who was worried it could “put the future of Hyde Street in jeopardy”. The page encouraged students to storm Hyde Street, as “they can’t stop us Read more...
Dunedin Jobs Facebook Group Invaded by Camgirls, Spammers
Posted 4:49pm Sunday 29th May 2022 by Sean Gourley
A local Facebook group meant for promoting job opportunities has been swamped by spam and ads promoting WhatsApp camgirls. Dunedin Jobs, which boasts almost 18,000 members, is a “a group that facilitates posts for everyday jobs for everyday people”. More recently, they seem to Read more...
PHARMAC Simplifies Criteria To Access HIV Prevention, Treatment
Posted 4:48pm Sunday 29th May 2022 by Denzel Chung
PHARMAC, Aotearoa’s national drug-funding agency, will simplify the criteria for patients wanting to access pre-exposure prophylaxis of HIV (PrEP). The changes, which will take effect from 1 July, are being labelled as “a massively positive change for [the LGBTQI+] Read more...
Ōtepoti hosts Festival of Anarchy
Posted 4:34pm Sunday 29th May 2022 by Zak Rudin
On Saturday 21 May, from midday to sundown, people congregated at 111 Moray Place for the Ōtepoti Festival of Anarchy (or A-Day, as the cool kids call it). Despite the cold, the festival delivered on providing food, music, workshops and free stuff. What more could you ask for? Critic Te Arohi Read more...
Otago Uni Students* Say No to Microbreweries and te ao Māori papers, Yes to Freshers at Pint Night
Posted 4:32pm Sunday 29th May 2022 by Keegan Wells
The results of OUSA’s referendum have been released, with students voting on everything from mental health accessibility and compulsory recording of lectures to Pacific law school entry pathways, compulsory te ao Māori papers and two-week semester breaks. The exciting admin stuff Read more...
Two Students Shave $6k Worth of Hair
Posted 4:28pm Sunday 29th May 2022 by Nina Brown
Two third-year students managed to raise almost $6,000 for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand, as part of Shave for a Cure. Critic Te Arohi spoke to the two do-gooders to find out how they pulled it off. What started as a comment about how much easier it would be to gender-bend with a Read more...
Ill Bus Drivers Cause Wave of Cancellations
Posted 4:26pm Sunday 29th May 2022 by Denzel Chung
Bus commuters in Dunedin have been having it rough lately, with a wave of cancellations and delays hitting local services. These have been blamed on “high levels of illness” among bus drivers. The cancellations have been happening since at least May 17, when Orbus Read more...
Hundreds Hospitalised By Flu, Worst Yet To Come
Posted 4:23pm Sunday 29th May 2022 by Denzel Chung
Hot on the heels of Omicron, a flu outbreak is now ripping its way through North D. Dunedin Hospital has already admitted nearly 200 emergency cases, with many more expected in the community. Across Aotearoa, after our immune systems enjoyed a cushy two years with zero influenza cases Read more...
Hekate Opens Doors
Posted 5:07pm Saturday 21st May 2022 by Fox Meyer
A period health clinic on Albany Street has recently rebranded. Despite the flashy new look, they’ve promised they’ll continue to offer services to menstruators from all backgrounds. Hekate presents itself as “New Zealand's leading private, nurse-led health clinic with Read more...
Uni Makes Big Economy Go Boom Boom
Posted 5:04pm Saturday 21st May 2022 by Keegan Wells
Otago Uni’s 2021 Economic Impact Report found that they contributed a whopping $1.79 billion to the New Zealand economy last year. In other news, the new Budget plan means that everyone earning under $70,000 a year is getting a free $350, which you can then give straight back to the Uni. How Read more...
Dough-No!
Posted 5:00pm Saturday 21st May 2022 by Fox Meyer
It’s been a rough few weeks for Mama’s Donuts. After struggling with staff shortages due to Covid, the icing on their donut came when their donut-slinging caravan was blown off the road en route to Milton. Rachel from Mama’s Donuts told Critic Te Arohi that her son was driving Read more...
Flu Vaccine Shortage Resolved
Posted 4:59pm Saturday 21st May 2022 by Sean Gourley
Student Health has now replenished their stocks of flu vaccines. This comes after supply shortages caused roughly thirty students to be turned away from a vaccination clinic set up in the Dental School. Head of Health Services Manager Margaret Perley said the shortage was due to a series of Read more...
Mandatory Masks Removed, Mask Usage Declines
Posted 4:56pm Saturday 21st May 2022 by Zak Rudin
Even though it doesn’t feel like it, Covid-19 is still spreading amongst the student community – now joined by an old friend of ours, the flu. In-person lectures have resumed and the Government’s mask mandate has now been dropped. Meanwhile, the official advice from the University, Read more...
Filipino Students Concerned After Marcos Jr Wins Election in the Philippines
Posted 4:53pm Saturday 21st May 2022 by Zak Rudin
*Note: the views expressed in this article do not represent the opinion of the whole Filipino community* On May 9, the Philippines elected Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, the son of previous president Ferdinand Marcos, as their new President. Sara Duterte, daughter of outgoing Read more...
Cowards Steal from Charitable Beekeeper
Posted 4:50pm Saturday 21st May 2022 by Fox Meyer
Someone has stolen an entire hive of bees – queen included – from the Peace Garden Albany street sometime in the last month. A three-box hive is worth about $500 at the moment, so it’s a significant loss to the man who voluntarily keeps the bees and gives away the honey for Read more...
New Vice-Chancellor Hanging by a Thread
Posted 4:48pm Saturday 21st May 2022 by Fox Meyer
Vice Chancellor David Murdoch strapped in for a 35m abseil down the Forsyth Barr Stadium on 17 May. The ‘Toss the Boss’ event was hosted by the Malcam Trust to fundraise for their youth development mahi in Dunedin. David was one of dozens of local bosses taking the plunge, and his Read more...
Students React to Potential Abortion Ban in the USA
Posted 4:45pm Saturday 21st May 2022 by Zak Rudin
A leaked United States Supreme Court draft majority opinion has revealed plans to overrule Roe v Wade, a 1973 Supreme Court decision which upholds the right to an abortion as a constitutional right. The decision, if followed through on, is expected to have wide-reaching implications for other human Read more...
Cowards Steal from Charitable Beekeeper
Posted 2:30pm Tuesday 17th May 2022 by Fox Meyer
Someone has stolen an entire hive of bees – queen included – from the Peace Garden Albany street sometime in the last month. A three-box hive is worth about $500 at the moment, so it’s a significant loss to the man who voluntarily keeps the bees and gives away the honey for Read more...
Edinburgh Asks Students To Re-Sign by May, Backtracks
Posted 7:50pm Sunday 15th May 2022 by Quintin Jane
Edinburgh Realty was sending letters to students telling them to decide whether they would re-sign their flats in May. They were forced to backtrack after admitting that their demands violated the Residential Tenancies Act. In the letter sent to tenants, Edinburgh Property Management asked Read more...
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