Archive
Muslim and Atheists Students’ Associations Assigned to Share a Table
Posted 2:01pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Denzel Chung
The Muslim Students’ Association (MUSA) and the Society of Atheists, Rationalists and Skeptics (SARS) were assigned to sit together during OUSA’s clubs week. Despite the potential for awkwardness, both sides seemed to brush it off easily. In issue 7, Critic Te Arohi reported on Read more...
Student Visa Backlog due to “Capacity Issues”
Posted 1:59pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Zak Rudin
Despite borders reopening and Aotearoa once again officially ‘open’ to international students, eager student travellers have hit one critical snag: Immigration New Zealand (INZ). Processing struggles have left many overseas students in limbo as a result. Since April 12, Aotearoa Read more...
Ditch the Indomie and Cook Like A Granny
Posted 1:55pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Denzel Chung
A South Dunedin charity is aiming to teach life skills using the most potent source of wisdom known to humankind: grannies.They’re hoping their cooking workshops, focusing on cheap, sustainable recipes, will be a hit with eco-conscious, cash-strapped students. The adorably-named Read more...
Toilet Prices Behind Hyde Ticket Price Increase
Posted 1:53pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Keegan Wells
Last week Critic Te Arohi reported that Hyde Street ticket prices have jumped this year by 10% ($5) for students and a whopping 35% ($7) for street residents. To get to the bottom of this, we spoke to Jason Schroeder, Events and Venues Operations Manager for OUSA. Just like any good conspiracy, Read more...
Local Councillor Apparently Editing his Own Wikipedia Page
Posted 1:43pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Fox Meyer
A Wikipedia user by the name of “Leevandervis” has been making edits to the Wikipedia page of Lee Vandervis, a Dunedin city councillor with a history of making controversial headlines. Critic received a tip about edits made to Vandervis’ Wikipedia page on April 26, listed Read more...
Study Hopes to Pave Way for Blood Donation Equity
Posted 1:41pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Denzel Chung
A new study involving the University of Otago is hoping to collect data on HIV prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM). A key aim of this study is to change policies which have, until now, prevented many MSM from donating blood. The Sex and Prevention of Treatment Study (SPOTS) is Read more...
Vape Juice has More Nicotine than You Think
Posted 1:38pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Fox Meyer
If you’ve always wondered why vapes are such a tough habit to kick, here’s a possible reason why: it contains a fuckton of nicotine. To be precise, you’d get as much nicotine from a bottle of 30mg vape juice as you would smoking almost ten pouches of rolling tobacco, or over 700 Read more...
Ukraine War Casts Spectre Over OUSA ANZAC Service
Posted 1:34pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Denzel Chung
Around 200 people of all ages, from students, to staff, to elderly servicepeople, attended OUSA’s 2022 annual ANZAC Day service. Held by the Memorial Walk outside the Staff Club building, this service was the first to be held outdoors since 2019. The weather was mostly sunny, although the Read more...
Drink Spiking Incident Correction
Posted 1:31pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Fox Meyer
Last issue, Critic published a story about an OUSA club-organised BYO in which two people suspected their drinks had been spiked. The girl who suffered the worst of the two experiences got in touch with Critic to correct some major details of the story. Jamie* did not make it home ok, as Read more...
Ayo New Hyde St Just Dropped
Posted 2:21pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Keegan Wells
OUSA has confirmed that the Hyde St party is back for another year. After some uncertainty over dates, it’s finally been locked in to happen just a week before semester one exams. OUSA confirmed on April 12 that the Hyde St Party will go ahead this year. After previously postponing Read more...
Uni Spent Almost $750k On Dairy in 2021
Posted 2:19pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Denzel Chung
Figures obtained by Critic Te Arohi show the Uni spent almost $750k on milk and dairy products in 2021. Peer into almost any fridge in Uni and you’ll see it: bottle after bottle of Meadow Fresh milk. From hall breakfasts and morning coffees to office tearooms, the white stuff seems to Read more...
Food Sci 4th Years Fight Food Waste
Posted 2:16pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Fox Meyer
A group of Food Science 4th year students have designed a food box - like Hello Fresh - based entirely around NZ’s most commonly-tossed consumables. They plan to use local foodie social media accounts to promote their sustainable selection of goodies. “One of our main messages is that Read more...
New “Pop-Up” Youth Space Pops Up
Posted 2:14pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Zak Rudin
An after-school creative space, the Ōtepoti Youth Space, is being launched in Dunedin. Focused on high-school aged rangatahi, the aim is to make this a supportive and constructive space to engage with rangatahi and “celebrate… their creative talents”. Hailey Xavier, Read more...
Ship Carrying ‘Blood Phosphate’ Arrives in Port Chalmers
Posted 2:12pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Zak Rudin
The ship Stony Stream has just landed in Port Chalmers, carrying 25,000 tonnes of phosphate from Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. This phosphate, which critics call “blood phosphate,” has been linked for decades to serious human rights abuses. Aotearoa is one of the last countries in Read more...
Suspected Drink-Spiking at BYO Leaves Club Baffled
Posted 2:10pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Fox Meyer
Two people suspect that their drinks were spiked at a BYO at the start of the year. According to Dunedin Hospital, rates of alcohol-related admissions spike around student party weekends like O-Week and St Paddy’s. The Otago University Snow Sports Club (OUSSC) hosted a public BYO at the Read more...
Stag Totals Students’ Car on West Coast
Posted 2:08pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Keegan Wells
A group of students survived a harrowing car crash with a stag on the West Coast over the mid-sem break. The crash claimed most of their car’s front end, but amazingly left it intact enough to drive a further 50km to the nearest town. On April 14, Ali was heading up the West Coast with her Read more...
Student Reports “Outrageous” Abortion Experience
Posted 12:49am Saturday 23rd April 2022 by Keegan Wells and Fox Meyer
A student trying to get an abortion has criticised Dunedin Hospital for a “disgusting” and “disrespectful” experience. She is currently undergoing her third procedure for the same pregnancy, which she believed could’ve been avoided if information was presented Read more...
University Emissions Report: Behind the Pretty Numbers
Posted 12:47am Saturday 23rd April 2022 by Zak Rudin
In our last issue, Critic Te Arohi reported that the Uni’s carbon emissions dropped 40% in 2020 compared to 2019. We spoke with Craig Cliff, the Uni’s Net Carbon Zero Programme Manager, to help us understand what is going on. The report showed that most of the 40% actually came from a Read more...
Woof! has “Busiest Week of Year” after Hit with Anti-Vax Negativity
Posted 12:37am Saturday 23rd April 2022 by Annabelle Vaughan
Local Dunedin bar Woof has faced some backlash for continuing to use vaccine passes, despite the government dropping vaccine mandates on April 4. Owner Dudley Benson spoke to Critic Te Arohi about what it’s been like, and how vital the community’s support has been in this Read more...
Greens, Student Assocs Launch Student Wellbeing Inquiry
Posted 12:35am Saturday 23rd April 2022 by Fox Meyer
A group of 33 student unions have rallied together to launch a People's Inquiry into student wellbeing, alongside the Green Party. They said that students have been “betrayed” by a government that promised to provide support, that incremental increases in student loans were Read more...
Castle Residents Pitch In To Clean Up Their Street
Posted 12:32am Saturday 23rd April 2022 by Ruby Werry
At noon on a Friday, most breathas would have still been sprawled in bed, wincing at the sunlight streaming through their ratty curtains. But on April 8, several hundred students instead had brushes and rubbish bags in hand, cleaning up the streets of North D. The group of students, mostly Read more...
Otago Uni Shifts Back to In-Person Learning, Drops Vaccine and Mask Mandates
Posted 5:34pm Wednesday 13th April 2022 by Denzel Chung
The Government’s shift to Orange has paved the way for sweeping changes to life at Otago Uni, including a transition back to “mostly on-campus teaching,” as well as dropping vaccine and mask requirements for most students. Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins Read more...
Otago Uni Shifts Back to In-Person Learning, Drops Vaccine and Mask Mandates
Posted 5:33pm Wednesday 13th April 2022 by Denzel Chung
The Government’s shift to Orange has paved the way for sweeping changes to life at Otago Uni, including a transition back to “mostly on-campus teaching,” as well as dropping vaccine and mask requirements for most students. Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins Read more...
Arise Church Responds To Critic After Ghosting Other Journalists, Begins Independent Review
Posted 10:15am Tuesday 12th April 2022 by Denzel Chung
Arise Church has sent a lengthy statement, written by a PR company, responding to allegations of abuse. The detailed statement came to us after enquiries sent by a high-profile journalist were initially ignored. Pastor John Cameron has since stated that he is “broken and devastated by these Read more...
“House DJ” Grateful that Red Settings are Still in Place
Posted 1:24pm Sunday 10th April 2022 by The Critical Tribune
Local breatha Thomas Bangerson has been using his somewhat upcoming, mostly failing career as a house DJ as his prime drawcard on Tinder. The only reason he isn’t playing the big stage, he claimed, “was because we’re in red, so I’m at the same level as Subsonic, Read more...
Parking Wardens Suspected as Cause for Pedestrianisation
Posted 1:22pm Sunday 10th April 2022 by The Critical Tribune
Sources close to the Mayor claim that the attempt to make George Street pedestrianised occurred after a run-in with DCC parking wardens. Mayor Hawkins’s close confidants reported that the recent attempts to remove cars from George Street is an attempt to put parking wardens out of a job. Read more...
Plot to Overthrow the New Zealand Government Discovered at MenuDeliverEats Offices.
Posted 1:21pm Sunday 10th April 2022 by The Critical Tribune
Agents of the Crown have recently unearthed plans for MenuDeliverEats employees to institute a coup in the highest levels of the New Zealand government. This has confirmed the suspicions of local residents, who said “They don’t fear anything. I’ve seen one park on double yellow Read more...
ABBA Awards Richardson Building Highest Architectural Honours
Posted 1:19pm Sunday 10th April 2022 by The Critical Tribune
The Richardson building has just received an award from the Appreciation of the Blind for Building and Architecture, or ABBA for short. This came as a shock to most people who have ever seen the building, but the Richardson building defended its title. “Most people don’t see me in my Read more...
Clubs Week Helps Weakened Clubs
Posted 1:40am Saturday 9th April 2022 by Hugh Askerud
Last week, OUSA Clubs and Socs held a ‘Clubs Week’ celebrating the various oddities and misfits who call Otago home. Housed on the edge of the Link, each club was given 90 minutes to win over the hearts of passers-by heading through campus. As Critic Te Arohi has reported Read more...
SHOCKER: Study Finds “Students Shivering inside Cold, Damp Homes”
Posted 1:38am Saturday 9th April 2022 by Zak Rudin
A recent study conducted by Otago Uni has found that many students live in miserably cold, damp and mouldy homes. Most students also don’t know that StudyLink can help with massive power bills. The nationwide study, led by Dr. Kimberley O’Sullivan, was conducted by He Read more...
Multi-Million Dollar Church Reportedly Tells Students to Donate their Course-Related Costs
Posted 1:36am Saturday 9th April 2022 by Elliot Weir
Journalist and documentary filmmaker David Farrier has published an exposé of Arise Church. The piece alleges exploitation of their interns and attendees, including an account from an Otago Uni student who attended their Dunedin branch. Arise Church is one of the largest churches in Read more...
Uni’s Carbon Emissions Dropped In 2020
Posted 1:35am Saturday 9th April 2022 by Denzel Chung
A new report has found the Uni’s carbon emissions dipped by 40% in 2020, to 30,661 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). Reasons for the decrease include a lockdown, fewer jet-setting employees and a coal phaseout. The Uni’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory was released in Read more...
PRANK101: Chewbacca Impressions Chew Student’s Ear Off
Posted 1:33am Saturday 9th April 2022 by Keegan Wells
Chewbacca, affectionately known as Chewie, is known for his big heart and unwavering loyalty to his friends. Critic Te Arohi hopes Tom still feels the same way about his mates, after his flatmate put his phone number all over campus advertising a Chewbacca impression contest. A box of Major Majors Read more...
Easing Covid Restrictions: What Does it Mean for Disabled Students?
Posted 1:31am Saturday 9th April 2022 by Zak Rudin
For many, the Government lifting most Covid restrictions has been a welcome relief. But for those who are disabled and immunocompromised, it represents a scary step into a world now fraught with risk. Sean Prenter, co-president of the Otago University Disabled Students Association (OUDSA), Read more...
Night ‘n Day Sauce Stories Continue to Spill
Posted 1:29am Saturday 9th April 2022 by Zak Rudin
After reading about Flynn’s misadventure at Night ‘n Day, Ruby and Angus reached out to Critic Te Arohi to share their suspiciously similar stories. Turns out, there are quite a few people who have faced a saucy fine from the 24hr store. Ruby described going to the Night ‘n Day Read more...
Muslim Students Ring in the Month of Ramadan
Posted 1:28am Saturday 9th April 2022 by Denzel Chung
This year, April 1 marked the beginning of the month of Ramadan, a sacred month for Muslims across the globe. Critic Te Arohi checked in with the Muslim Students’ Association (MUSA) to see how students are spending this time. MUSA, alongside the Otago Muslim Association, are hosting Read more...
Uni Giving out Free Shots
Posted 1:26am Saturday 9th April 2022 by Denzel Chung
Some nasty viruses are heading our way once again - and no, their names don’t start with C. As things get cold and flu season approaches, Critic Te Arohi spoke to Otago Uni expert Dr. Lucy Telfar-Barnard about why students should be ready to roll up their sleeves one more time. Dr. Read more...
Taj Mahal Gutted by Early-Morning Fire
Posted 1:24am Saturday 9th April 2022 by Denzel Chung
An early-morning fire engulfed Dunedin’s Taj Mahal, bringing a tragic (but hopefully temporary) end to a BYO institution beloved by students. No one was hurt in the incident. The fire is not believed to be suspicious. Senior Station Officer Mark Leonard, from Fire and Emergency New Read more...
The Great Exec Quarterly Report Round Up
Posted 5:59pm Friday 1st April 2022 by Keegan Wells, Denzel Chung, Zak Rudin and Fox Meyer
Thrice a year, the OUSA exec team submit reports on what they’ve been up to. We’ve summarised those here for your convenience. President: Melissa Lama Melissa has been absolutely killing it. She’s done 44 interviews with various media outlets and attended to her Read more...
Death Star once more a Fully Operational Battle Station
Posted 5:52pm Friday 1st April 2022 by Lotto Ramsay
Like its namesake, the post-mandate rager at Castle Street’s Death Star was structurally questionable but fully operational. It was also full of massive fucking weapons. With the Government lifting most Covid gathering limits last Friday, party-starved breathas jumped at their chance. Read more...
Otago Towns Come First, Last in Map of NZ’s “Sexiest Cities”
Posted 5:50pm Friday 1st April 2022 by Lotto Ramsay
Lovehoney, an online sex toy shop, recently revealed their list of New Zealand’s “sexiest cities”. Using a combination of search and sales data, they compiled an interactive ‘Sex Map’ power-ranking 42 of Aotearoa’s towns and cities on their kinks, favourite toys, Read more...
Rugby Crowd Appeared to Behave Well
Posted 5:48pm Friday 1st April 2022 by Hugh Askerud
The deafening screams of thousands signalled the start of something wonderful last Saturday. At 4:35 pm, with Covid-19 restrictions loosened just the day before, Forsyth Barr Stadium opened its various gates to the rugby-starved masses. This gave students their first taste of life in the Zoo this Read more...
Church Works With Student Groups To Host Pride Service
Posted 5:46pm Friday 1st April 2022 by Denzel Chung
Last Sunday, St. Paul’s Cathedral hosted a “queer-affirming reflective service” alongside Dunedin Pride, the Student Christian Movement and representatives from St. Hilda’s Collegiate School. This is believed to be the first service of its kind in Dunedin. Richie, from the Read more...
New Club Wants To “Make Composting Sexy Again”
Posted 5:45pm Friday 1st April 2022 by Denzel Chung
A new club at Otago Uni wants to raise awareness about how food choices can make a big difference to our planet and our pockets. Their priorities include encouraging students to forage, compost, and stop throwing out so much food. According to their blurb, Slow Food Youth Otago (SFYO) is a Read more...
$9,000 from Dead Clubs to be Reappropriated by OUSA
Posted 5:43pm Friday 1st April 2022 by Denzel Chung
$9,000 from inactive clubs has been sitting in an OUSA bank account untouched for at least six years. This money will get redistributed, with $7,200 probably going back to Clubs & Socs. At an OUSA Exec Meeting on 24 March, Clubs & Socs Rep Tulsi Raman said the original idea behind the Read more...
Busted Breatha Budgets Boosted
Posted 5:41pm Friday 1st April 2022 by Zak Rudin
With the cost of rent, fuel and food skyrocketing (looking at you, tomatoes), the Government’s plans to increase Student Allowance and Loan payments have been cautiously welcomed by cash-strapped students. From April 1, Student Allowance rates will rise by $25/week, and people receiving Read more...
Saucy Debacle: Resolved
Posted 5:39pm Friday 1st April 2022 by Zak Rudin
Two days after publishing the Night ‘n Day sauce debacle, Flynn told Critic Te Arohi that his $300 fine had been revoked. “Obviously it’s great the manager [Matt Lane] revoked the fine,” but “it’s a shame the police and media had to be involved before this could Read more...
New Fizzliss Drink is the Shit, not the Shits
Posted 5:32pm Sunday 27th March 2022 by Sean Gourley
Fizzliss, an RTD company run by Otago grads, has renewed their lineup, improving their original flavour and introducing a brand new one. They hope that this will make a fresh start for the company, after their first RTD release last year produced some rather hilarious controversy. When Fizzliss Read more...
New Club Aims to “Unite Students of Colour”
Posted 5:31pm Sunday 27th March 2022 by Denzel Chung
A new club has been established for Otago students who identify as people of colour (PoC). They’re aiming to “build a community” for people to bond over, and are ultimately hoping to become a “strong advocate and voice for the PoC community” here. Emika, the Read more...
Victoria Uni’s Student Association Votes to Begin Leaving NZUSA
Posted 5:28pm Sunday 27th March 2022 by Denzel Chung
Victoria Uni’s Student Association (VUWSA) has narrowly voted to leave the New Zealand Union of Student Associations (NZUSA) in a referendum. However, only 3% of students voted on the measure, raising questions on whether VUWSA will actually follow through. Results from the referendum, on Read more...
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