Archive
University of Otago Win a Quarter of the 2017 Tertiary Teaching Awards
Posted 10:29am Sunday 13th August 2017 by Joe Higham
Last week Parliament hosted the award ceremony for the Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards for 2017, with the University of Otago receiving three of the night’s top awards. The Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching category included up to 10 awards in the General Category and two awards Read more...
University Pharmacy Students Using Elective Study Programme For Community Good
Posted 10:26am Sunday 13th August 2017 by Joe Higham
A campaign to raise awareness of New Zealand’s ‘prescription subsidy scheme’ in the Dunedin community is being run by five University of Otago students, who have received praise for their work from their supervisors. The name of the group, ‘20 Is Plenty’, reflects Read more...
Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 19
Posted 10:21am Sunday 13th August 2017 by Joe Higham
After the usual formalities the OUSA Executive welcomed Student Support Manager Sage Burke and OUSA Queer Support’s Hahna Briggs, who revealed a new initiative called ‘Peer Support’. A listening and sharing experience as opposed to actual clinical advice, it will consist of Read more...
Is Sky TV About to Be a Thing of the Past for Sports Broadcasting?
Posted 11:49am Sunday 6th August 2017 by Charlie Hantler
Yesterday, on 2 August, the sports broadcasting landscape changed permanently, as Amazon outbid Sky TV in the UK for the rights to tennis’s ATP World Tour. The biggest event in tennis outside of the four Grand Slams, it is believed that the e-commerce titan paid NZ$17.8 million for the rights. Read more...
Wifi Among Changes Aimed at Bringing Dunedin’s Buses into the 21st Century
Posted 11:46am Sunday 6th August 2017 by Joe Higham
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) has announced that it will be installing Wifi in their fleet of 80 buses around late September, among a raft of other changes. ORC Manager Support Services Gerard Collings told Critic that the council has had “many community requests for Wifi over a long Read more...
Labour’s Leadership Change a Magnificently Risky Move, But One That Could Pay Off
Posted 11:08am Sunday 6th August 2017 by George Elliott
I was preparing to write a piece about how Andrew Little should not resign as leader of the Labour Party until after the election, an election that they would surely lose. It was too late to change things up, I thought. Things were looking dire for Labour. The polls showed them in the low Read more...
Jacinda Ardern Becomes Labour’s Sixth Leader in Nine Years
Posted 11:00am Sunday 6th August 2017 by Joe Higham
The leadership of the Labour Party has changed just six weeks out from September 23rd’s General Election, following their worst poll result in 24 years. Former Deputy Leader and MP for Mt Albert Jacinda Ardern was nominated unopposed to replace Andrew Little, who said that “while Read more...
One Hundred Attend TEU Protest Against Staff Cuts
Posted 10:55am Sunday 6th August 2017 by Joe Higham
Approximately 100 people took to the University of Otago Clocktower on Tuesday last week to protest the proposed 182 full-time equivalent (FTE) general staff cuts. Set up by the Tertiary Education Union (TEU), the protesters drew chalk-outlined bodies on the road outside the building to symbolise Read more...
Fate of Octagon Five-Star Hotel Rests in Hands of Panel
Posted 10:53am Sunday 6th August 2017 by Joe Higham
The fate of the five-star hotel to be built in Dunedin’s Moray Place rests on the result of a consent panel, as the hearing was slated to end on Friday last week. Tekapo businessman Anthony Tosswill is behind the 17-storey residential development, which, according to his application, will Read more...
Students Paid More through Student Job Search than Anytime in the Last Decade
Posted 10:50am Sunday 6th August 2017 by Joel MacManus
Student Job Search (SJS) say that students are earning more money through their service than at any point in the last decade. SJS, which is a not-for-profit organisation owned by all of the university students associations, connects employers and students for part time, short term, and Read more...
Dunedin Mayor Cull Doesn’t Apologise, Pays Councilor $50 Large
Posted 10:46am Sunday 6th August 2017 by Joel MacManus
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull has paid $50,000 to fellow councillor Lee Vandervis to settle a defamation claim filed against him in July of last year, although he did not offer a public apology. At a council meeting in December 2016, Cr Vandervis claimed that there were issues with underhanded bribes Read more...
Queer and Far New Support for International Queer Students
Posted 10:44am Sunday 6th August 2017 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi
OUSA Student Support have initiated a new support service targeted at international University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic queer students. Named Queer and Far, it will provide a support and talking group. The project was conceived by the current OUSA Queer Support Co-ordinator Hahna Briggs, in Read more...
Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 18
Posted 10:42am Sunday 6th August 2017 by Joe Higham
After the various procedural matters were out of the way, Education Officer Bryn Jenkins formally announced that he will be running for the position of OUSA Executive in the upcoming election. As far as Critic knows, he is the first to publically state his intention to do so. The nominations Read more...
The G.O.A.T Series – Men’s Athletics
Posted 11:32am Sunday 30th July 2017 by Charlie Hantler
As they enter the starting blocks, the three men glance at each other. One exudes swagger, confidence and sheer superiority as he extends his perfectly sculpted arms into an arrow. He nods to the crowd in acknowledgement. He is the entertainer. The second has faced trial and tribulation; he was told Read more...
Authentic Fakery: Who is the new US ambassador to New Zealand?
Posted 11:22am Sunday 30th July 2017 by George Elliott
It’s more obvious when an American is not being genuine. They can’t hide it from us. Chiefly, it’s the accent. We’re so conditioned to hearing it try and sell us things. If the transatlantic Beeb accent broadcasts the truth with authority, the piercing North American accent Read more...
Poland Pulls Back from the Authoritarian Brink after Protests and EU Condemnation
Posted 11:16am Sunday 30th July 2017 by George Elliott
Poland, once the poster child of the post-1989 democratic wave against communism in Europe, has been going through rough political times. Thousands of Poles have flooded city streets to protest the government’s continued effort to limit the independence of the country’s judiciary. Read more...
Opinion: The Deliberate Flouting of the Crimes Act at Auckland’s Drury Christian School
Posted 10:56am Sunday 30th July 2017 by Jean Balchin
Last year, I wrote an article on the horrors of Accelerated Christian Education (ACE), a fundamentalist American homeschooling programme being taught in homes and schools across New Zealand. I discussed how ACE upholds the belief that the Bible is literally true, that there should be no distinction Read more...
Household Income Report Reveals No Sign of Change for Poorest Families
Posted 10:51am Sunday 30th July 2017 by Joe Higham
A Ministry of Social Development report has revealed that the cost of housing in New Zealand remains a significant impediment to lifting people out of poverty. The Household Income Report (HIR) highlights that, although poverty has declined in the ten years since the Global Financial Crisis, Read more...
Nominate Your Favourite Teachers for OUSA’s Annual Teaching Awards
Posted 10:46am Sunday 30th July 2017 by Joe Higham
Nominations for OUSA’s 2017 Teaching Awards close on 18 August, meaning there is still plenty of time to put forward any lecturers, tutors, or lab demonstrators that you think deserve the much sought after recognition. As students provide the university with their largest revenue stream by Read more...
OUCC Kayakers Take on Raging Leith During Floods
Posted 10:44am Sunday 30th July 2017 by Joel MacManus
For some Dunedin residents, the recent flooding was a major disaster, putting homes at risk and straining emergency services beyond capacity. But for the Otago University Canoe Club (OUCC), it was a cause for celebration. When the Leith River floods, it becomes perfect for white water kayaking, Read more...
Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 17
Posted 10:37am Sunday 30th July 2017 by Joe Higham
The OUSA Executive welcomed University of Otago Chief Operating Officer Stephen Willis, Deputy Proctor Andrew Ferguson, Director of Student Services Karyn Thomson, and Student Engagement Manager Rachel Curry, to further discuss the plans to implement CCTV surveillance across North Dunedin, having Read more...
Building Code Causes OUSA To Scale Back Gender Neutral Toilets
Posted 10:32am Sunday 30th July 2017 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi
Earlier this year, OUSA chose to make the toilets in the Clubs and Societies building on both the ground and first floors gender neutral. In 2013 the Clubs and Socs Centre underwent extensive renovations, which included the ground floor toilets. However, in 2016, OUSA staff noticed that there Read more...
“No One Man Should Have All That Power” – Football Agents and Their Dangerous Message
Posted 11:28am Sunday 23rd July 2017 by Charlie Hantler
“And here comes Hurst! He's got... Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over! It is now, it's four!” The scene is the mid-1960s, as Geoff Hurst famously scored in extra-time to put England 4-2 up against West Germany and seal their one and only World Cup. Read more...
Opinion: Don’t be a Sucker – Vote or Get Voted on
Posted 11:21am Sunday 23rd July 2017 by Isaac Yu
It’s that happy time that only comes around once every three years. ‘It was the best of times, the most shitposty of times,’ the famous proclamation tells us. A time of soap box Facebook statuses on WHY. YOU. SHOULD. VOTE. Yet, despite all the internet slacktivism about how Read more...
No Plastic Bag Ban for Countdown NZ Despite Aussie Progress
Posted 11:07am Sunday 23rd July 2017 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi
Two large supermarket chains in Australia, Woolworths and Coles, plan to phase out plastic bag usage over the next 12 months. Four states (South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, and Tasmania) have already implemented state-wide bans. Coles supermarket is the Read more...
Controversial Warehouse Work-Experience Programme Expands
Posted 11:04am Sunday 23rd July 2017 by Joe Higham
The Ministry for Social Development (MOD) announced the expansion of the ‘Red Shirts in Community Programme’ that will now provide work experience opportunities to almost 1,000 16-24 year olds. The programme hit the headlines recently due to the absence of pay throughout the entirety Read more...
OPINION - Please OUSA, Can We Have Some More?
Posted 11:00am Sunday 23rd July 2017 by Joe Higham
The Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) website states that “online referenda are one of the many ways you can have your say through OUSA … on university policy or a wider issue, you can change OUSA’s stance.” This explanation, on top of the fact that Read more...
University Hits Roadblock In Plans to Implement CCTV Across North D
Posted 10:57am Sunday 23rd July 2017 by Joe Higham
The University of Otago’s planned CCTV surveillance installation took a hit last week as the university discovered they will likely need resource consent for many of their proposed camera locations. A university spokesperson told Critic that advice from the DCC is that “consent will Read more...
VC Reveals At Least 182 Job Cuts For General Staff
Posted 10:54am Sunday 23rd July 2017 by Joe Higham
University of Otago Vice-Chancellor Harlene Hayne addressed a packed College of Education Auditorium on Friday 14 July to reveal the changes to be made in their Support Services Review. Hayne first provided background to the review, before revealing that 182 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) staff will Read more...
Do your bloody recycling properly – DCC
Posted 10:51am Sunday 23rd July 2017 by Joel MacManus
The DCC is cracking down on residents not chucking the right stuff in the right bins, so they have launched a new crackdown initiative to make sure you’re not throwing your glass out with your plastics. The rate of incorrect rubbish being put in yellow bins has almost doubled in the last five Read more...
How Healthy Is Our Democracy? Otago Academics Make Their Arguments
Posted 10:48am Sunday 23rd July 2017 by Joel MacManus
We are entering an age of radical politics, where extremism on the left and right will become mainstream and authenticity of personality will trump good policies in the hearts of voters, according to a panel of political experts which spoke at the University of Otago public lecture “How Read more...
Is $200/week Enough To Buy The Under 23 Vote In The Election?
Posted 10:43am Sunday 23rd July 2017 by Joe Higham
The Opportunities Party (TOP) last week extended its Universal Basic Income (UBI) policy to all New Zealanders aged between 18-23. Set at $200 per week (after tax), the youth UBI is “designed to give all young New Zealanders a safety net of income to allow them to pursue their Read more...
University Murders Thousands; Critic Runs Inflammatory Headline
Posted 10:31am Sunday 23rd July 2017 by Sam McChesney
Over 70,000 animals have died in research at the university over the past five years. Figures released to Critic under the Official Information Act show that between 2012 and 2016 the University used 89,680 live animals for research purposes. 71,496 of those (80 per cent) were Read more...
Teams I Hate And Why You Should Hate Them Too #2 – The Golden State Warriors
Posted 11:49am Sunday 16th July 2017 by Charlie Hantler
Fuck Draymond Green This could very easily be an article in itself. The man sits on stage alongside the likes of Steve Smith, Quade Cooper, Bernard Tomic and Justin Gatlin for the most hateable person in sports, and he probably takes out the prize. Affectionate Warriors ‘fans’ Read more...
Government Searches For Way Around Regulations On Coal Mining
Posted 11:45am Sunday 16th July 2017 by George Elliott
Forest and Bird, says newly released documents show the government is working on “secret” plans to get around environmental protections to enable contentious coal mining. The documents, released to the environmental NGO through the Official Information Act (OIA), reveal that current Read more...
A Game-Changing Revelation in Trump Administration’s Russia scandal? Or More Noise?
Posted 11:39am Sunday 16th July 2017 by George Elliott
The Trump-Russia drama escalated last week after the US President’s son released an email chain from June 2016 in which he eagerly discussed plans to receive damaging information on Hillary Clinton. In the emails, publicist Rob Goldstone tells Donald Trump Jr. that there is dirt on the Read more...
Animal Law Conference calls for hearts, minds, and action
Posted 11:19am Sunday 16th July 2017 by Kari Schmidt
On 1 July, the New Zealand Animal Law Association (NZALA) hosted New Zealand's first ever animal law conference at the AUT campus in Auckland. Dr Jane Goodall set the scene, providing perspective on why the legal community must do more to advocate for animals. She focused on compassion. Read more...
Jacinda Ardern Speaks to Crowd of 120 on Otago Campus Visit
Posted 11:09am Sunday 16th July 2017 by Joe Higham
According to a Colmar Brunton poll on the country’s preferred leader, Labour Party Leader Andrew Little is languishing back in fourth place, at just 5 percent, the lowest result for a leader of the opposition since 2009. Deputy Leader Jacinda Ardern placed third with 6 percent of those Read more...
Staff Brace For Redundancies as Support Services Review Proposal is Revealed
Posted 11:01am Sunday 16th July 2017 by Joe Higham
University of Otago Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne has presented a business case proposal that will outline future organisation and management of support services at the Uuniversity to staff on Friday last week. The meeting, which took place at the College of Education Auditorium, is Read more...
University Approves $26 Million New Music Building and Renovations
Posted 10:55am Sunday 16th July 2017 by Joe Higham
The University of Otago has approved plans to construct brand new recording studios for the Department of Music as well as refurbishing the nearby Music suite, Teaching Wing and Tower Block on the University of Otago College of Education campus. The project, which is scheduled to be completed by Read more...
University Objects to Night’n’Day Liquor License: OUSA President Hits Back
Posted 10:50am Sunday 16th July 2017 by Joel MacManus
OUSA President Hugh Baird has hit back at attempts by the University of Otago to prevent the sale of alcohol at a local liquor store. The University of Otago is objecting to the continuation of the liquor license at Regent Night’n’Day in North Dunedin, but Baird says their efforts are Read more...
Landlords Provide Perfect Conditions for Mould At No Extra Cost to Tenants
Posted 10:45am Sunday 16th July 2017 by Joe Higham
Former Blackcaps cricketer and current host of TV3’s AM Show, Mark Richardson, provided some advice to anyone worried about the inaccessibility of the property ladder last week: “just rent,” he said. However, research clearly shows that renting can expose people to serious Read more...
Students Fight ‘Unliveable’ Flats at Tenancy Tribunal
Posted 10:38am Sunday 16th July 2017 by Joel MacManus
Two student flats have won cases at the tenancy tribunal over flats which were deemed to not be in clean or liveable condition. Prime Campus Ltd., the property management firm which leases 654 Castle Street was ordered to refund the tenants $5,250, the equivalent of six weeks’ rent. When Read more...
OUSA Lead the Way in Re:Orientation Glass Ban Initiative
Posted 10:32am Sunday 16th July 2017 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi
A new initiative is being launched during this year’s Re-Orientation week that will ban glass in the North Dunedin area, in the hope of cleaning up the glass that regularly plagues the streets of the city's student quarter. The initiative continues to be student led, initiated by OUSA Read more...
Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 15
Posted 10:28am Sunday 16th July 2017 by Joe Higham
The Department of Tourism have made a proposal to “repaint the two corridors in the Division of Commerce building ... in the rainbow colours that have been utilised both by the LGBT community and the post-apartheid South Africa as an emblem of inclusivity”. The department wanted to know Read more...
Twelve Years On From a Series Whitewash, the Lions Could Make History
Posted 12:44pm Sunday 9th July 2017 by Joe Higham
As the Saturday of the final match of the 2017 British and Irish Lions approaches at breakneck speed, (mainly) Lions and (surprisingly) All Blacks fans alike will be feeling the nerves associated with a test-series decider. The Lions last won a test series against the All Blacks in 1971 (2-1) Read more...
Winnie's man in Whangarei: Shane Jones joins NZ First
Posted 11:49am Sunday 9th July 2017 by George Elliott
Former Labour MP Shane Jones has joined NZ First and will run in the Whangarei electorate in the coming election. The former cabinet member under Helen Clark, who retired in May 2014 and is usually known solely for his scandals, will become a conspicuous lieutenant for Winston Peters. Since Read more...
Like a Young Nat’s Wet Dream
Posted 11:40am Sunday 9th July 2017 by Joel MacManus
At 24, Todd Barclay was New Zealand’s youngest MP, anointed as the replacement for Bill English in Clutha-Southland, the safest National electorate in the country. He won by a huge majority. By 27, he was a disgraced politician who had not only ended his own career but also irreparably damaged Read more...
University seeks student feedback on CCTV proposal
Posted 11:11am Sunday 9th July 2017 by Critic
The University of Otago made a complaint to Critic Magazine that the article published on the University's CCTV implementation plan was not fairly reported. As a result, Critic provided this space for the University to respond to these issues. The University of Otago is seeking Read more...
University of Otago Researchers Criticise Government’s Tobacco Strategy
Posted 11:02am Sunday 9th July 2017 by Anna Linton
University of Otago scientists from the Burden of Disease Epidemiology, Equity and Cost-Effectiveness Programme (BODE³) have published research in the international journal Tobacco Control last month advocating various tobacco endgame strategies. This follows a 2011 announcement, Read more...
The Most Famous Pub In New Zealand Is Up For Sale... Again
Posted 10:56am Sunday 9th July 2017 by Joe Higham
The Captain Cook Hotel is once again up for sale. With a name arguably as well known as any other pub anywhere in the country, the recently renovated Cook (as it’s known to most students) should, it is hoped, be snapped up as quickly as possible. ABC Business Sales, who are tasked with Read more...
Tenants Receive Financial Payout After Council Flats Found to be Unsafe
Posted 10:51am Sunday 9th July 2017 by Joel MacManus
Eleven tenants, many of whom are students, at a council-owned flat complex have received financial payouts after investigations found faults in the fire alarm system which would have put residents in danger in an emergency. The boarding house on the upper two levels of the Moray Place carpark Read more...
Dunedin Hospital Rebuild may Cost Millions, Billions or Squillions
Posted 10:48am Sunday 9th July 2017 by Joe Higham
Dunedin’s Hospital rebuild has suffered yet another setback in its completion dates, with the Otago Daily Times reporting that the best case scenario is now 2027. They claim the worst-case scenario is a completion date of 2031, which would be a “part rebuild and part refurbishment on Read more...
Unipol Struggling to Keep In Shape
Posted 10:45am Sunday 9th July 2017 by Joel MacManus
The University Plaza Building, which houses the Unipol Recreation Centre, is suffering structural issues in the stonework. The cause of many of the issues has not yet been identified, although efforts are underway. Since the building was completed just over five years ago, a number of cracks have Read more...
Dr Timothy Molteno – University of Otago Physicist and Internationally Wanted Criminal
Posted 10:42am Sunday 9th July 2017 by Joe Higham
What names do you associate with Interpol’s wanted criminal list? El Chapo? Osama Bin Laden? Pablo Escobar? The list of infamy goes on and on. One name a little closer to home than downtown Medellín or the mountains of Afghanistan is Dr Timothy Molteno. Currently a Senior Lecturer Read more...
Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 14
Posted 10:37am Sunday 9th July 2017 by Joe Higham
Your OUSA Executive continued to meet up and work on your behalf throughout the semester break. With the results of the referendum coming just before the beginning of first semester’s exam period, they spent much of the meeting discussing the complaints arising out of the voting period and the Read more...
UKIP Tries to Stay Relevant by Turning to Islamophobia
Posted 11:51am Sunday 28th May 2017 by Cameron Meads
The Brexit vote rattled Britain and the world. The death of the European Union and the rise of a new world order seemed imminent with Donald Trump and Marine Le Pen’s mobilisation of alt-right voters. Almost a year on, many of these fears have faded while new implications have Read more...
Labour Confronting Important Issues
Posted 11:48am Sunday 28th May 2017 by Jack Pacey
The Labour Party has added to its promises for the upcoming election with another set of policy announcements centred around the growing housing debate and the issue of mental health in New Zealand. These plans represent the start of what Labour hopes to develop into a coordinated effort to present Read more...
The G.O.A.T. Series Part Two: Women’s Edition
Posted 11:37am Sunday 28th May 2017 by Charlie Hantler
Following on from the men’s edition, we now turn our focus in on the women’s sport and their greats. Names such as Venus and Serena Williams, Flo-Jo and Irene van Dyk spring to mind, due to their sheer dominance of their codes, but they have plenty of competition for their respective Read more...
Winston Peters Speaks at Otago Uni, Doesn’t Like Tomato Sauce
Posted 11:17am Sunday 28th May 2017 by Joe Higham
NZ First leader Winston Peters spoke at the University of Otago’s Main Common Room last Wednesday, and within just a few minutes of his speech beginning, began targeting Critic for an article we published in Issue Four. The article, entitled “Winnie Blues: Winston Peters on Yet Read more...
Opinion Piece: On The Upcoming OUSA Referendum
Posted 11:13am Sunday 28th May 2017 by Sam McChesney
A few years back, when the government was pushing through Voluntary Student Membership (VSM), students’ associations across the country were being slammed as leftwing fringe groups. Students’ associations, it was claimed, had no business making political statements on behalf of students Read more...
Students Outnumbered By Pizzas at OUSA Student Forum
Posted 10:57am Sunday 28th May 2017 by Joe Higham
OUSA’s annual Student Forum took place on Monday 22nd May, providing a chance for students to ask questions in relation to the 11 questions included in the upcoming referendum, due to begin from 9am on 29 May. The event is notoriously poorly attended, and this year saw even the amount of Read more...
Announcement of Financial Help for Students Not All It Seems for Dunedin
Posted 10:54am Sunday 28th May 2017 by Joel MacManus
Students in financial trouble may breathe a slight sigh of relief after the changes announced in the 2017 Budget, although little help is on the way for those studying in Dunedin. Minister for Finance Steve Joyce announced a $20 per week increase in the accommodation supplement for those on Student Read more...
CompSci pips Biology for hardest subject at Uni
Posted 10:51am Sunday 28th May 2017 by Joel MacManus
If you’re looking for an easy pass on that last paper of your degree, we’ve got your back. A request made by Critic under the Official Information Act (OIA) has revealed the average pass rates by subject area at the University of Otago for the last several years. As a public Read more...
Otago Scientist leads New Zealand Study in Opioid Addiction Recovery
Posted 10:38am Sunday 28th May 2017 by Anna Linton
An Otago Medical Anthropologist, Dr Geoff Noller, has conducted a study in New Zealand into the controversial use of ibogaine in treating opioid dependency. Ibogaine is a plant-alkaloid derived psychoactive substance. It has been toted as an alternative medicine treatment for drug addiction, Read more...
University To Finally Provide Late Night Study Spaces To Students
Posted 10:32am Sunday 28th May 2017 by Joel MacManus
The University of Otago has responded to student demand for more late night study spaces on campus. From 22 May to 21 June the St David lecture theatre concourse and surrounds, as well as the upstairs, will be available 24 hours with student swipe card access. From 29 May to 18 June the Union Read more...
Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 13
Posted 10:27am Sunday 28th May 2017 by Joe Higham
This OUSA Executive meeting was the final one before the vital referendum kicks off at 9am on Monday 29 May. During the meeting, Education Officer Bryn Jenkins pointed out that “this is the most important [OUSA] referendum in a decade,” a statement that caused the other eight members of Read more...
Teams I Hate and Why You Should Hate Them Too: Liverpool FC
Posted 11:22am Sunday 21st May 2017 by Charlie Hantler
Everyone has sports teams they love, for me these are Otago, the mighty Highlanders, the Black Caps, Manchester United, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. I thoroughly enjoy cracking open a Speight’s, putting my feet up and watching them do their thing. It really is a great time. However, like Read more...
Ransomware attack: Mass infrastructure catastrophes no longer sci-fi
Posted 11:15am Sunday 21st May 2017 by George Elliott
The ransomware attack last week, coined WannaCry, has been heralded as a wake-up call for the world on the very material dangers that cyberwarfare can have on society’s infrastructure. First appearing in Spain on 12 May, WannaCry spread via email, exploiting vulnerabilities in Microsoft Read more...
Animal Research at Otago
Posted 11:09am Sunday 21st May 2017 by Oska Rego
Animal testing is always a hugely controversial and divisive topic, with each side rigid in their beliefs. The University of Otago are following through on plans to spend $50 million on a new animal research facility meaning the debate has reared its head once again throughout campus. If Read more...
OUSA Referendum Questions
Posted 11:00am Sunday 21st May 2017 by Critic
Voting on student issues in the OUSA Referendum begins next week and will finish at 4pm on Wednesday. To discuss any of the questions head along to the OUSA Forum this Monday at 1pm in the Main Common Room in the Link. The things you can vote on are: Should the Otago University Students’ Read more...
Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 12
Posted 10:55am Sunday 21st May 2017 by Joe Higham
Concern over the Bible Elohim Academy, which some have labelled as a ‘religious cult’, was discussed, due to the group wanting to affiliate with OUSA. They are seen by OUSA Recreation Manager Michaela Tangimetua as being an “extension of” controversial South Korean religious Read more...
CCTV Debate Continues In The Run Up To Vital OUSA Referendum
Posted 10:49am Sunday 21st May 2017 by Joe Higham
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.0px; font: 8.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 11.3px; line-height: 12.0px; font: 8.0px Helvetica} Dunedin City Councillor Lee Vandervis, who has long been a vocal advocate for extra surveillance to be Read more...
Iconic Dunedin Castle May Soon Be Open To The Public
Posted 10:47am Sunday 21st May 2017 by Joel MacManus
One of Dunedin’s greatest historic landmarks may soon be accessible to the public, if plans go smoothly, according to Steven De Greef, Chairperson of the Cargill’s Castle Trust. Cargill’s Castle, one of only two castles in New Zealand (the other being Larnach Castle, also in Read more...
Satire: The Truth is Out There
Posted 10:36am Sunday 21st May 2017 by Charlie O’Mannin
Over the past week construction has stopped on the stretch of the Leith River between Union St and the Leith St footbridge, around the same time as a mysterious blue tarpaulin appeared. They have clearly found something that has halted construction. One anonymous law student said that he “saw Read more...
Hepatitis C Resource Centre Closes Doors Due To Funding Shortfall
Posted 10:32am Sunday 21st May 2017 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi
After facing a tumultuous period in recent years, the Otago and Southland branch of the Hepatitis C Resource Centre Trust has shut its doors for good. Since the government cut the centre’s already meagre funding (they only received $45,000 per year, to cover wages amongst all the other Read more...
Labour floats “Māori-run” prison idea
Posted 11:05am Sunday 14th May 2017 by George Elliott
Last week, Labour’s corrections spokesman Kelvin Davis mentioned an idea to turn the existing Ngawha prison in Northland to one run sole on Maori values: "A prison based on Māori values, not exclusively for Māori but for anybody, but they'll know that the values that the Read more...
You Can Count On Us To Keep Workplace Gender Identity Issues Down
Posted 10:55am Sunday 14th May 2017 by Joel MacManus
Countdown supermarkets have garnered praise from LGBT support organisations after releasing a new policy to support employees transitioning between genders. The policy, which has been introduced at all Countdown supermarkets, distribution centres, processing plants, and support offices allows for Read more...
After Hours Oral Pleasure Cumming to Campus
Posted 10:52am Sunday 14th May 2017 by Joel MacManus
The University of Otago is seeking to revamp and extend its campus food and beverage offerings, with a specific focus on increasing availability and atmosphere outside of typical study hours. A tender has been put out to consultants to provide a “campus wide food, beverage, and retail Read more...
‘Love Another Mother’ Campaign Begins, Helping Dunedin’s Vulnerable Women
Posted 10:49am Sunday 14th May 2017 by Anna Linton
Te Roopū Pūtaiao (TRP), the University of Otago Māori Science Students’ Association, has expanded their ‘Love Another Mother’ volunteer initiative, which is aimed at giving gifts to vulnerable women in the Ōtepoti community for Mother’s Day. The Read more...
Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 11
Posted 10:41am Sunday 14th May 2017 by Joe Higham
The University of Otago’s Deputy Proctor Andrew Ferguson and Team Leader for Media Engagement Jo Galer were both present to inform the executive confidentially about the university’s plans. Ferguson began his pitch selling the initiative to the executive, although, approximately two Read more...
Otago University To Install 60 CCTV Cameras in North Dunedin's Streets
Posted 9:16am Friday 12th May 2017 by Joe Higham
A procedural mistake made during the latest OUSA Executive meeting (Monday 8 May) has provided Critic with an unintended and exclusive insight into Otago University’s controversial plans to drastically increase the amount of closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV), the large majority of Read more...
The G.O.A.T. Series Part One: Male Athletes
Posted 11:57am Sunday 7th May 2017 by Charlie Hantler
G.O.A.T., or the ‘greatest of all time’, is an American phrase which has now become commonplace in sporting circles with discussions about which sportsperson is the best to ever grace their code’s pitch/ring/field and so on. Throughout the rest of the year, Critic will conduct a Read more...
Interview with Nicky Hager
Posted 11:43am Sunday 7th May 2017 by George Elliott
George Elliot: There’s been a lot of blowback from Hit & Run. What is your assessment from the response to that? Nicky Hager: So far the book is going very well. It could seem like the goal was that the government announced the enquiry, and that was the test of whether it worked, but Read more...
Critic Sides With Scientific Evidence As Pro- and Anti-Vaxxers Lock Horns
Posted 11:31am Sunday 7th May 2017 by Joe Higham
An OUSA Facebook post promoting National Immunisation Week (1-7 May) provided the latest platform for both sides of the vaccination debate to lock horns. OUSA made the post on 2 May to help spread awareness for the Southern District Health Board’s program of providing free human Read more...
National Drafts New Law Following Landmark $2 billion Pay Equity Settlement
Posted 11:24am Sunday 7th May 2017 by Anna Linton
The National Party has announced that they are currently drafting legislation to overhaul the pay equity laws. The new law will provide a non-judicial framework for pay equity claims and narrow the current ‘comparator’ process. Under the current Equal Pay Act 1972, employees must find Read more...
License Suspensions Handed Out For Branson’s Bar and Alley Cantina
Posted 11:20am Sunday 7th May 2017 by Joel MacManus
Two Dunedin bars popular with students have had their licenses suspended following rulings from the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority. Branson’s Bar on St Andrew St and Alley Cantina on George St had their licenses temporarily revoked, for 72 and 48 hours respectively, for serving Read more...
NZ Government Pissed Off With Australia’s Backstabbing Education Reform
Posted 11:15am Sunday 7th May 2017 by Joe Higham
The Australian Government has decided to impose international tuition fees on New Zealand students at Australian universities as part of their recently introduced Education Reform Package. The changes will come into effect from 1 January 2018 and will likely affect thousands of New Read more...
NZME & Fairfax Merger Declined Amid Concerns for NZ Democracy
Posted 11:11am Sunday 7th May 2017 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi
The authorisation for a merger between media companies NZME and Fairfax has been declined by the Commerce Commission. The decision came after a year of lobbying and speculation involving some of the country’s largest media brands. NZME’s subsidiaries include the NZ Herald and Newstalk Read more...
Winnie Blues: Winston Peters on Yet Another Anti-Immigration Rant
Posted 11:07am Sunday 7th May 2017 by Joel MacManus
Winston Peters has targeted international students in his latest crusade on immigration, calling on the government to get rid of rules that allow foreign students to earn work visas and permanent residency after completing their qualifications. “We’re going to restore the integrity of Read more...
Human Rights Commission Report Shows Serious Mistreatment in NZ Prisons
Posted 10:52am Sunday 7th May 2017 by Joe Higham
An independent report, conducted by the Human Rights Commission, has raised several serious concerns about the use of seclusion and restraint practices in New Zealand’s prison system. The report, written by international expert Dr Sharon Shalev, “indicates that seclusion and Read more...
Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 10
Posted 10:46am Sunday 7th May 2017 by Joe Higham
The Otago Students Against Animal Testing group was affiliated to OUSA without any issue. President Hugh Baird and Campaigns Officer Eden Lati recently returned from visiting the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) in Wellington, where they were determining a strategy Read more...
Folkloric Heroes: NZ Cricket’s All-Time Battlers XI
Posted 11:34am Sunday 30th April 2017 by Charlie Hantler
Kane Williamson. Martin Crowe. Richard Hadlee. Ross Taylor. These are but a few of the names that have been carved into national cricket history as heroes for the right reasons. Unfortunately, in a nation of roughly 4.5 million people, and with a professional cricket population of about 100, Read more...
Kaye Takes Education & Brownlee Takes Foreign Affairs in Safe Cabinet Reshuffle
Posted 11:21am Sunday 30th April 2017 by George Elliott
The reshuffle has been perceived as a safe refresher for PM Bill English’s team—a balanced response to the departure of two senior officials. Nikki Kaye will replace Hekia Parata as Education Minister; Gerry Brownlee will replace Murray McCully as Foreign Affairs Minister. Gerry Read more...
Frances Radical Centrist Macron to Face Populist Le Pen in Election Second Round
Posted 11:18am Sunday 30th April 2017 by George Elliott
Newcomer centrist Emmanuel Macron and hard-right populist Marine Le Pen will face off in the second round of France’s presidential elections on the 7th of May after no candidate won a majority last week. Macron came away with 24.01 percent of the vote, while Le Pen was a million votes behind Read more...
Does Andrew Little Have a Point On Immigration Policy? No, he does not.
Posted 10:59am Sunday 30th April 2017 by Joe Higham
As with any election year, political parties tend to ramp up their immigration rhetoric, and with five months left until we know who will be leading our country for the next three years, this trend is already well underway. With net permanent and long-term migration (arrivals minus Read more...
Second Blackest Black Paint in the World Not That Black
Posted 10:54am Sunday 30th April 2017 by Lucy Hunter
Critic recently obtained a small bottle of “Stuart Semple Black”, which was meant to be a replica of the world’s black- est material, “Vantablack”, of which controversial artist Anish Kapoor has exclusive rights. Vantablack absorbs about 99.6 percent of light, Read more...
Common Sense Prevails in Australia’s Bloody Battle With Sharks
Posted 10:46am Sunday 30th April 2017 by Sam Fraser-Baxter
The Western Australia (WA) Government has announced that they will not cull sharks following the death of a teenage girl in the Australian state two weeks ago. 17-year-old Laeticia Brouwer was surfing with her father near Esperance in South Western Australia when she was mauled by what is Read more...
Otago University Coy Over Plans to Replace Dept. of Politics Staff Member
Posted 10:45am Sunday 30th April 2017 by Joe Higham
Critic understands that a second staff member from the Department of Politics has taken an offer of voluntary redundancy, with the University keeping tight-lipped on whom, if anybody will be replacing them. It is not publically known at this stage which staff member has taken up the offer. The Read more...
What the Hell is Going On with the Hospital Rebuild? A Short History
Posted 10:42am Sunday 30th April 2017 by Joel MacManus
The Dunedin hospital rebuild has been continually stalled for the last two years, dragging along with more reluctance than a student finishing a research assignment. Another roadblock appeared this week with news that the Ministry of Health apparently doesn’t know what parts they can Read more...
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