Archive
Controversial Councillor Candidate Cleared to Run As “Jedi”
Posted 3:33pm Friday 19th August 2022 by Denzel Chung
A candidate for the Dunedin City Council (DCC) is running as an “independent pro-freedom Jedi warrior”. Despite the candidate’s controversial political views, the Chief Jedi of Aotearoa seems to have given his blessing to the move. Malcolm Moncrief-Spittle, owner of online Read more...
Last-Minute Motions Added to OUSA Ballot
Posted 3:29pm Friday 19th August 2022 by Fox Meyer and Zak Rudin
The upcoming OUSA Annual General Meeting looks to be a serious and no-nonsense event, not to be missed by anyone passionate about student governance and bureaucratic procedure. Current proposals slated for inclusion include investigating the Taj Mahal fire, extending breaks for students, mandating Read more...
School Strike 4 Climate Slated for September
Posted 3:26pm Friday 19th August 2022 by Denzel Chung
Almost a year and a half after their last swathe of nationwide protests, the “School Strike 4 Climate” (SS4C) is planning to return to Aotearoa on September 23. Organisers hope that this will be “the biggest climate strike mobilisation in Aotearoa to this day”. On Read more...
(Inter-regional) Rail Me Daddy
Posted 3:25pm Friday 19th August 2022 by Keegan Wells
The Government’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee has opened an inquiry into “the future of inter-regional passenger rail in Aotearoa”, hoping to investigate whether trains could play a bigger role in intercity transport. And yes, this means a debauched winter booze train Read more...
Did Weet-Bix’s Stat Attacks Cause the All Blacks To Sink or Swim?
Posted 3:16pm Friday 19th August 2022 by Hugh Askerud
Shoppers were surprised and likely bemused to find Weet-Bix had released a new edition of their infamous Stat Attacks cards in the middle of July: timed perfectly to coincide with the All Blacks’ epic losing streak. For those who have only ever felt the stale, joyless sensation of Read more...
The Untold Story of the Mysterious Castle Street Tagger
Posted 3:05pm Friday 19th August 2022 by Anna Robertshawe
It was a dark and stormy night, but the Re-O parties were in full swing. DnB raged, bottles were smashed back, students galloped around North D, fuelled by alcohol and a desperation for good (or at least numbing) times. A familiar story. That is, until one visitor from “up north” changed Read more...
Sponsored Money Management Book Given Away By UBS
Posted 3:04pm Friday 19th August 2022 by Denzel Chung
Full disclosure: Denzel is a member of Simplicity, who funded and sponsored Money Made Simple. A mysterious money-management book, sponsored by a KiwiSaver provider, is being given away with every purchase at the University Bookshop (UBS). Critic Te Ārohi decided to investigate, primarily Read more...
Conservation Heroes Buy 40 Boxes of Purple Gs
Posted 3:02pm Friday 19th August 2022 by Fox Meyer
This week, we got a Snapchat of some local conservationists supporting the endangered Purple Goanna. We reached out to these intrepid environmentalists to see what inspired them to make such big sacrifices for such little reptiles. When we asked Rico, Angus and Ben how many boxes of Purple Read more...
Researchers Want YOUR Poop!
Posted 3:01pm Friday 19th August 2022 by Fox Meyer
On Wednesday, 10 August, a mass email was sent out by Dr. Dominic Agyei in the Food Science Department. It was asking students for their poop. The email was objectively hilarious, opening with the line: “We scratched our heads for a while but could not think of a nicer way to say it than Read more...
First Joint Māori-Pasifika Leadership Hui Held
Posted 1:41pm Monday 15th August 2022 by Fox Meyer
Last weekend, Te Rōpū Māori and the Otago Pacific Island Students’ Association joined forces to tautoko the tauira leaders of tomorrow. The kaupapa (event), the first student-led initiative of its kind at Otago, was attended by over 100 tauira (students) and various guest Read more...
Protest Against Noise Complaints Receives Noise Complaint
Posted 1:39pm Monday 15th August 2022 by Zak Rudin
Around 150 people occupied the Octagon on Sunday August 7 to support Dunedin's iconic Crown Hotel and oppose Dunedin City Council (DCC) regulations which they say have been threatening Dunedin’s live music scene. Ironically, they were even slapped with a noise complaint for their Read more...
Memorial Service Held to Remember Hiroshima
Posted 1:37pm Monday 15th August 2022 by Zak Rudin
A sombre group of around 30 people gathered at the Museum Reserve Peacepole on Saturday August 6, to mark 77 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Ashley Macmillan from the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies said it was a “gathering to remember the atrocity and call for it never Read more...
Academic Who Withdrew From Sustainability Panel Speaks Out
Posted 1:33pm Monday 15th August 2022 by Denzel Chung
Last week, Critic Te Ārohi reported on the criticism faced by an Otago Uni panel discussion about “Inequality in Aotearoa” which featured an all-Pākehā group of panellists. Ahorangi Tūhono (Associate Professor) Alex MacMillan, who was due to participate in a separate Read more...
Aussie Skateboarder First in World To Hill-Bomb Baldwin
Posted 1:32pm Monday 15th August 2022 by Keegan Wells
On August 1, Zak Mills-Goodwin became the first ever person to bomb Baldwin Street on a skateboard. He thinks he managed to hit speeds of 70km/h, but didn’t want to confirm anything on the record since speed limits can still be broken on skateboards. Zak, an Australian, has been doing Read more...
All-Male Flat on their 15th Application
Posted 1:31pm Monday 15th August 2022 by Anna Robertshawe
All-male flatting groups are struggling to find a place to live next year. A few have blamed their bad luck on gender discrimination – with stereotypes continuing to haunt boys on the lookout for flats. “It’s the most demoralising thing: turning up to a flat viewing as a group Read more...
Otago Daily Times Runs Paid Articles From Chinese Government
Posted 1:25pm Monday 15th August 2022 by Denzel Chung
On July 28, the Otago Daily Times ran a sponsored article from a media outlet controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and have since published at least three more. The original article, titled “Chinese-built modern railway leads to brighter future for Kenya,” has nothing to Read more...
$4 Lunch Goes AWOL For A Week, Students Destitute
Posted 7:04pm Friday 5th August 2022 by Nina Brown
OUSA’s beloved $4 lunch fell victim to Aotearoa’s latest Covid wave, forcing it to shut for a week. It left a trail of starving, impoverished students in its wake. Critic Te Arohi went out to check on the destitute, lunch-less masses, left with nothing to sustain them but the salt from Read more...
Students Hoard Minion Daddies
Posted 7:03pm Friday 5th August 2022 by Fox Meyer
Last week, Critic Te Arohi was sent a Snapchat of a student’s room. It was covered wall-to-wall with the Minion Daddy centrefold from our sex issue. Interior design experts Josh and K stopped by to explain their life choices. Josh and K are both first years at Aquinas. K had just moved into Read more...
Peeking Behind the Med Revue Curtain
Posted 7:01pm Friday 5th August 2022 by Zak Rudin
The annual Med Revue took place last weekend, drawing med and non-med students alike for three nights of theatrical antics. “Charlie and the Doctor Factory” gave students their money's worth with three hours of skits and choreographed song and dance. And as a bonus, most of the jokes Read more...
Student Wants YOU! (To Vote, For Him)
Posted 7:00pm Friday 5th August 2022 by Denzel Chung
Otago Uni student Jett Groshinski is the first student to put his hand up for this year’s local body elections. He’s gunning for a spot on the Dunedin City Council (DCC), and is aiming for a chance to wear the Mayoral chains, too. The PPE (Philosophy/Politics/Economics) and Read more...
Students Upset over Lack of Recordings
Posted 6:58pm Friday 5th August 2022 by Fox Meyer
Lecture recordings are not mandatory at the University of Otago. A debate sparked in COSC204 provides an example of the problems this can create. Associate Professor Andrew Trotman’s decision not to publish recorded lectures led to a lengthy series of emails with his COSC204 students Read more...
International Students Stuck Between A Complex and a Hard Place
Posted 6:56pm Friday 5th August 2022 by Keegan Wells
Nine American international students have been put into an Airbnb “complex” up on Heriot Row, paying US$2,000 more for the semester than what they were originally offered – and not even getting a Kiwihost for the privilege. These nine students were put into this Read more...
“Inequality in Aotearoa” Discussion Panel Purely Pākehā
Posted 6:53pm Friday 5th August 2022 by Denzel Chung
An Otago Uni panel discussion about “Inequality in Aotearoa” has copped criticism for featuring an all-Pākehā group of panellists. The panel has since been delayed, to give Otago Uni time to “ensure our panel features a diverse range of knowledge and Read more...
Free Speech Debate Looking for Student Voices
Posted 1:51pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Fox Meyer
Your student president has pulled out of a “free speech panel” hosted by the Free Speech Union (FSU) on 17 August, citing “pressing work and study commitments”. The FSU has previously faced controversy for promoting and platforming views critics say are “extremist, Read more...
OUSA Exec Breach Own Policy
Posted 1:50pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Fox Meyer
The Student Executive board for OUSA have breached their own accountability policy, according to minutes from the 14 July meeting this year. All Exec members are required to submit weekly breakdowns of what they’ve been up to, to provide a record of their work and also to prove that Read more...
MĀOR110 Enrolments Up 52%, While Health Sci Numbers Fall
Posted 1:47pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Leo Lublow-Catty
The Strategy, Analytics and Reporting office (SAR) at Otago Uni have released this year’s enrolment growth statistics, revealing the fastest-growing and fastest-shrinking first-year papers in the 2021-22 period. The paper with the biggest percentage increase in enrolment was EAOS111, Read more...
Burger Plant Changes Ownership
Posted 1:21pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Zak Rudin
Burger Plant, the vegan burger joint on Fatty Lane, has just changed owners. Critic Te Arohi spoke with Tom, the previous owner and a culinary arts Polytech student, to get to the meat of the issue. What is now Burger Plant began with a little setup at the Farmers Market in 2019: “$600 Read more...
Super Sick Students Surf Stormy Stream
Posted 1:18pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Keegan Wells
While students across North D were busy hunkering down during last week’s storm, two looked at the waves of the Leith and saw something else: a mid-winter surfing opportunity. They promptly chucked their wetsuits on, rented Unipol boards, and hit the eddy just near the Clyde St bridge on last Read more...
Apartment Development Concerns Musos
Posted 1:17pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Denzel Chung
Around 60 supporters of Dunedin’s music community gathered for a hui to support the Crown Hotel, amidst fears that the renowned music venue could be threatened by a new apartment building next door. The group are hoping that a protest on Sunday 7th of August could help raise further awareness Read more...
Ultimate Frisbee Club Ultimately Unhappy with Unipol
Posted 1:14pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Keegan Wells
A new Unipol system which replaces most court bookings with a free-for-all “drop-in-and-play” system has been questioned by Otago Uni’s Ultimate [Frisbee] Club (OUUC), who say that it has been disruptive to training and “makes it hard for small developing sports to grow, Read more...
OUSA Doesn’t Support Fair Pay Agreements
Posted 1:12pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Denzel Chung
OUSA has criticised the Government’s proposed new Fair Pay Agreements, with their submission on the Bill currently before Parliament calling it a “fundamentally flawed… [and] restrictive model”. This stands in contrast to other student submissions on the Bill, which have Read more...
New Covid Wave Raises Mask Questions
Posted 1:10pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Zak Rudin
With another semester comes another wave of Covid, and students and staff are once again in the firing line. Despite years of grim Zoom calls making many staff and students desperate for in-person learning, for some, the risk of getting Covid still outweighs the benefits of being on campus. This Read more...
Med Students (Even More) Stressed by Ballot Delays
Posted 1:08pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Nina Brown
Concerns have been raised by some medical students over the “unnecessary uncertainty” caused by this year's drawn-out Medical School ballot process. Attempts to address an unusually large third-year cohort heading off in 2023 for placement resulted in a lengthy consultation over Read more...
North D Flats Receive an Unwanted Interior Makeover
Posted 1:05pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Keegan Wells
Several Castle St flats have been broken into recently. Unlike most break-ins, nothing was taken: instead, they’ve received an unwanted interior design makeover, with a face being spray painted on the inside. The culprit is still at large. On the Saturday night of Re-O Week, the residents Read more...
All Buses Stay Half-Price as Services Slashed By 30%
Posted 6:02pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Elliot Weir
Bus fares in Ōtepoti Dunedin will remain at a dollar until January 31 next year, thanks to the Government extending their half-price public transport scheme. A more urgent problem is emerging, however: a driver shortage that is leading to sweeping service cancellations, causing grief for Read more...
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...
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