Archive

130 Dunedin activists protest ANZ’s $13.5 billion investments in fossil fuel

Posted 10:54am Sunday 15th May 2016 by Joe Higham

Approximately 130 people took part in a peaceful protest on Thursday May 12 against Australasian banking giant ANZ’s investments in the fossil fuel industry.  The protesters peacefully blockaded the entrances to the two ANZ banks on the corner of Hanover Street and George Street and Read more...

Young woman narrowly escapes abduction attempt

Posted 10:51am Sunday 15th May 2016 by Joe Higham

An 18 year old female, walking on Forth Street in North Dunedin at 4.25pm on 7th May was reportedly grabbed by a passenger in the back seat of a parked vehicle, in an attempt to abduct the young woman.  Despite the driver aiding the passenger in pulling her into the vehicle and also Read more...

Increased funding good news for Hep-C sufferers

Posted 10:49am Sunday 15th May 2016 by Henry Napier

Hepatitis-C suffers may be able to access currently unavailable, highly effective medicine in the near future following increased funding from the Government. Last week the Government announced an increase of $50 million to the PHARMAC—New Zealand’s drug buying agency. The Read more...

Why NZUSA sucks, & what we can do about it

Posted 10:39am Sunday 15th May 2016 by Sam McChesney

What do poop-flavoured lollipops, tits on a bull, and Matthew McConaughey’s shirts all have in common? They’re all slightly more useful than NZUSA. Last month, the annual chorus of boos aimed at the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations began, kicked off by Massey student Read more...

OUSA Execrable | Issue 11

Posted 10:36am Sunday 15th May 2016 by Joe Higham

Auckland University Students’ Association (AUSA) has given a notice of withdrawal to the New Zealand Union of Students’ Association (NZUSA).  The decision to give notice to withdraw from the organisation comes as a result of an AUSA review of NZUSA, which the AUSA Executive began Read more...

About as Likely as Kim Kardashian taking the Oval Office

Posted 11:13am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Sean Nugent

In arguably the greatest sporting upset in history, Leicester City have been crowned champions of the English Premier League after Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 2-2 draw by Chelsea, eliminating any chance of them catching the midland side. The 5000 to one rank outsiders were expected to be Read more...

Government to pump more coin into drugs

Posted 11:09am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Hugh Baird

Three weeks ahead of this year’s Budget announcement, Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman has announced an extra $39 million boost for national drug buying agency Pharmac.  Prime Minister John Key explained that it would boost Pharmac’s annual budget to $850 million a year. He Read more...

And the nominees are…

Posted 11:02am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Joel MacManus

The Indiana Primary last week gave the Republican Party one last chance to save themselves from having Donald Trump as their presidential nominee. If they could unite around one candidate, they could prevent him from getting to the magic number of 1237 delegates, and defeat him at a contested Read more...

#Zuckerberg2020

Posted 10:51am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Henry Napier

Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg may have signalled his intention to run for President of the United States sometime in the future. Facebook recently stated its proposed changes to the stock structure of the company, where a new class of non-voting shares would allow Zuckerberg to liquate Read more...

Offender still at large after unprovoked Octagon stabbing

Posted 10:48am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Joe Higham

A twenty-one year old male was stabbed in the early hours of Sunday morning near Dunedin’s Octagon, in an attack that has provoked on-going shock and worry among the local community.  The victim had received multiple stab wounds to his neck and back in a seemingly unprovoked attack, Read more...

More action needed to make New Zealand smokefree by 2025

Posted 10:44am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Joe Higham

In 2011, the New Zealand Government decided to set a goal to have New Zealand smokefree by 2025, which is categorised as having fewer than 5 percent of New Zealanders smoking by 2025. Currently that number stands at 15 percent. Tobacco kills approximately five thousand New Zealanders every year Read more...

Hundreds gather to protest appalling ‘slop’

Posted 10:41am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Anonymous Bird

Around 300 people gathered outside Dunedin Hospital on April 29 to highlight their dissatisfaction with the standard of Compass Group’s food for patients.  The protest was organised by the Real Meals Coalition, who have vociferously called on the Southern District Health Board to Read more...

Acting Proctor unwilling to act on harassment claims

Posted 10:38am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Henry Napier

Acting Proctor Andrew Ferguson will not act on the accusations of harassment made by social work student Chris Boyd, saying Mr Boyd was offered the opportunity to meet with the then-Proctor Dave Miller which he refused. Last week fourth year social work student Chris Boyd contacted Critic with Read more...

Asbestos discovered in University Dental School

Posted 10:36am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Joe Higham

Building material that could contain asbestos has been discovered in the ground floor of the Otago University Dental School on Thursday morning. Otago University exclusively told Critic on Thursday evening: “there is no risk to people in the building, but we are taking a cautious Read more...

Healthy homes in the house

Posted 10:31am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Hugh Baird

Labour's healthy homes bill, which is set to bring in new regulations for rental properties passed its first reading late last week. The bill, which was passed by just one vote would make it compulsory for all rental properties to have proper insulating, heating and ventilation.  The Read more...

Execrable | Issue 10

Posted 10:27am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Joe Higham

The week’s executive meeting began with OUSA finance officer Jesse Hall’s financial report for the academic year to date. Laura Harris concluded that the report was a “comprehensive overview” and Hall spoke of how it showed that OUSA are in a “solid financial Read more...

Breakdown of the NBA playoff chances

Posted 11:01am Sunday 1st May 2016 by Sean Nugent

Western Conference Golden State Warriors – 2/1 In an article I wrote about the Warriors earlier in the year I said “in sport you have to expect the unexpected.” Well, here we are. After a record breaking season where they escaped any major injury setbacks, it took less than a Read more...

Too much coffee with Andrew Little

Posted 10:55am Sunday 1st May 2016 by Joel MacManus

Andrew Little, current Leader of the Opposition stares at the gigantic mug of cappuccino in front of him, “Actually… Yeah, I think this is number five today”. I try to restrict it to two or three cups a day. Maybe four. In a recess week you’re meeting with a lot of Read more...

Tesla passes through town without a sound

Posted 10:52am Sunday 1st May 2016 by Georgia Vosper

The Tesla SP90D electric supercar was on show last week in Dunedin, showcasing the future in the luxury automotive industry.  Tesla Motor Company was co-founded by Kiwi Ian Wright and has been revolutionary with the introduction of sustainable cars around the world. The Model S, one of the Read more...

Government signs historic Climate Change agreement

Posted 10:48am Sunday 1st May 2016 by Henry Napier

The Government has recently signed a major climate change reduction agreement in Paris, which according to the Minister for Climate Change Issues Paula Bennett will include a multi-faceted approach to reducing carbon emissions. The Paris agreement, which was finalised in December 2015, was signed Read more...

Government’s inflated positivity over increase in university fees

Posted 10:45am Sunday 1st May 2016 by Tom Kitchin

Otago university has argued that the increase in fees is necessary because it will help control spiraling costs. In October last year, Otago chief financial officer Sharon van Turnhout said the university was under “significant financial pressure” and “providing an acceptable level Read more...

Otago top ranked scientific research university in New Zealand

Posted 10:43am Sunday 1st May 2016 by Anonymous Bird

The University of Otago has been ranked the top university in New Zealand for publishing high-quality scientific research papers, according to the Nature Publishing Group.  This follows on from last year, where the university was also ranked first, second in 2014, and first again in Read more...

Otago University’s contribution to the World Wars

Posted 10:39am Sunday 1st May 2016 by Joe Higham

A week on from the ANZAC day commemorations, many of the emotive anecdotes, moving speeches, and poignant minutes of silence may largely be forgotten for another 51 weeks. New Zealand played a sizeable and courageous part in the wars, but how much of a part did Otago University play in the largest Read more...

Hipsters boycott sold-out festival

Posted 10:36am Sunday 1st May 2016 by Sam McChesney

It was time once again for long hair, bandanas, rull koiwi senging eccents, weed smoke and Double Brown at Pine Hill last Saturday as local music festival Feastock celebrated its eighth year. Around 400 people attended the sold-out event, which featured 18 acts from Dunedin, Auckland, Read more...

What has NZUSA given OUSA?

Posted 10:32am Sunday 1st May 2016 by Joe Higham

Last October’s referendum saw the student body overwhelmingly vote for OUSA to remain members of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA). Do OUSA need NZUSA or are they simply a hollow representative body? Linsey Higgins, NZUSA’s president, told Critic she Read more...

Campus Watch accuses student of being a “gang member”

Posted 10:30am Sunday 1st May 2016 by Henry Napier

Campus Watch has been accused of harassing and abusing a University of Otago student based on his appearance resembling that of a gang member. According to student Chris Boyd a Campus Watch officer approached him and proceeded to question his status as a University of Otago student saying he Read more...

Sevens side struggles in Singapore

Posted 11:47am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Willy Chapman

Singapore hosted the eighth round of the World Sevens Series last weekend, with New Zealand struggling to be at their best in an overall disappointing tournament. However despite losing three games, New Zealand coach Sir Gordon Tietjens is looking at the positives as he prepares his side for the Rio Read more...

Barcelona slide blows La Liga race wide open

Posted 11:00am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Sean Nugent

Barcelona suffered their third straight league defeat on Monday, allowing Atletico Madrid to move level on points with four games to go. Not only has Barcelona’s lean run seen Atletico catch them, but bitter rivals Real Madrid have also narrowed the gap to just one point. With such a thrilling Read more...

Cricketers of the year

Posted 10:56am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Sean Nugent

New Zealand cricketers Kane Williamson and Suzie Bates have been named the Leading Men’s Cricketer in the World and Leading Women’s Cricketer in the World by renowned cricketing almanac Wisden. Williamson became the first New Zealander to receive the honour when it was introduced in Read more...

Alarm bells: What ever happened in Burundi?

Posted 10:53am Sunday 24th April 2016 by George Elliott

It is almost a year since the small landlocked nation of Burundi, in the African Great Lakes region, burst into the world headlines. Experts and commentators feared a repeat of the 1994 ethnic genocide next door in Rwanda when between half a million and a million people were slaughtered. The current Read more...

Latest Poll: National Rises, Labour Fails BSNS103

Posted 10:50am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Joel MacManus

In the new One News-Colmar Brunton poll, Labour fell by two points to 28% while National rose three to a new high of 50%, and leader Andrew Little took a painful slide in the preferred Prime Minister rankings to 7%, coming in third behind Winston Peters. In an attempt to explain this, I refer to Read more...

Things not looking so peachy for Rouseff

Posted 10:46am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Hugh Baird

Brazil's President Dilma Rouseff faces impeachment following claims that she tampered with state funds to hide budget gaps ahead of her 2014 re-election.  Brazil’s lower house of Congress voted last Sunday to authorize the senate to open an impeachment trial against Rouseff. Read more...

Earthquake devastates Ecuador

Posted 10:44am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Henry Napier

At least 7,015 people have been injured following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador.  The Andean country has recorded up to 570 deaths and over 2,500 injured in the latest estimates from Ecuador’s Risk Management Office.  The earthquake struck on the coast of Ecuador, Read more...

200 dead and 100 abducted in Ethiopian Raids

Posted 10:42am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Hugh Baird

Over 200 hundred have been killed and over 100 children kidnapped by armed militants from South-Sudan in a cross border raid into Ethiopia.  Officials from Ethiopia have blamed the South Sudanese Murle tribesman for the deadly attacks which took place within some districts in the Gambela Read more...

Auckland University on the move

Posted 10:41am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Tom Kitchin

Auckland University are relocating. Well, to an extent. They’re not setting up shop in Dunedin just yet, but they have decided to sell their Tāmaki Innovation Campus, their campus farthest from the city centre, to a local property investment firm.  The role of the Tāmaki Read more...

Smoke-free Octagon effort heats up

Posted 10:39am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Henry Napier

The Octagon could become a smoke free area following support for a proposal to ban the activity from local businesses. Smokefree Otago has surveyed surround Dunedin businesses who recorded 73 percent of businesses wanting to ban smoking.  The proposal comes following a study conducted by the Read more...

Green Island Landfill fire “under control”

Posted 10:37am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Joe Higham

A fire that broke out at the Dunedin City Council’s Green Island Landfill has now been extinguished without causing any damage to nearby property.  The initial blaze began in the early hours of Monday morning, before being reported to the Fire Service and the DCC at 3.20am. Council Read more...

Otago researchers tripping (over their feet for psychedelic research)

Posted 10:31am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Sally Wilkins

Dunedin academics are part of an international resurgence into psychedelic drug research within a medicinal context.   “Psychedelics” are a class of drugs characterized by their mind-altering qualities and include LSD, psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and mescaline containing cacti. Read more...

Mental health counselling “pilot” under scrutiny

Posted 10:27am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Joe Higham

Critic has obtained information revealing a worrying situation in regard to the University’s handling of student’s mental health issues.  The counselling “pilot” scheme that the University of Otago has implemented recently has caused concern to some people, due to the Read more...

Hep C centre sufferers to lose access to lifesaving drugs

Posted 10:25am Sunday 24th April 2016 by Henry Napier

The closure of a Dunedin Hepatitis C resource centre may mean local patients will no longer be directed to overseas drug buying clubs to access necessary medicines. The local centre provides a range of services to patients who have contracted Hepatitis C, including facilitating access to overseas Read more...

Kiwis Begin To Take Flight In Super Rugby

Posted 11:03am Sunday 17th April 2016 by Willy Chapman

Not even half way through this year’s instalment of Super Rugby and New Zealand teams are strongly in the box seat. In what is turning out to be quite a lop-sided competition, New Zealand teams are dominating their overseas competitors as four Kiwi sides are on track to qualify for Read more...

Bollywood Meets Eden Gardens

Posted 10:55am Sunday 17th April 2016 by Sean Nugent

The IPL is back! Are you ready to parrrrtttyyy!!! Get ready for another few weeks of watching huge crowds of delirious fans go crazy as club bangers of 2012 blast across the stadium every time Chris Gayle hits a six. So please, don’t blush baby, as we preview the teams for this Read more...

Clark Eyes Top Job

Posted 10:48am Sunday 17th April 2016 by Joel MacManus

When Helen Clark announced her historic campaign for the United Nations Secretary-General last Monday, it was met with near universal acclaim from New Zealand media and political figures, who simply could not praise her enough, even if some of it was a little backhanded – Former opponent Don Read more...

Green Party: A Tale Of Two Leaders With Two Directions

Posted 10:40am Sunday 17th April 2016 by Henry Napier

The Green Party’s co-leadership structure provides the most accurate metaphor for the party itself. The Party has two leaders, Metiria Turei and James Shaw, each representative of two directions the party is taking going forward: The petty, outdated, overly-stringent projection of a moral high Read more...

Critic breakdown: Panama Papers

Posted 10:36am Sunday 17th April 2016 by Henry Napier

The Panama Papers are being called the biggest journalistic leak in history. The scandal has shed light on the tax-avoidance practices of some of the richest and most famous people in the world. Here’s what you need to know: The leak Two weeks ago 11.5 million files, or 2.6 terabytes, Read more...

Otago Hockey Aims To Strike At World Record

Posted 10:27am Sunday 17th April 2016 by Henry Napier

The Otago Hockey Club is attempting to break the record for the world’s largest hockey game. The record attempt, scheduled for Friday 15th, has docked over 250 registered participants, exceeding the previously held record of 134 players. According to Adam Walker, an organiser of the event, Read more...

Council Votes Against Making Homeless More Homeless

Posted 10:26am Sunday 17th April 2016 by Hugh Baird

Wellington councillors have voted against introducing bylaws that would put a ban on begging in the city.  The vote came after a report was released stating that begging in the nation’s capital was on the rise after many homeless had drifted from both Auckland and Read more...

Otago’s Hepatitis C Centre Has Funding Cut As Government Lacks Necessary Empathy

Posted 10:21am Sunday 17th April 2016 by Joe Higham

Dunedin Hepatitis C Resource Centre Otago has recently had its funding cut by central government, leaving them needing to seek new funding streams or close their doors entirely.  The reason given by the Government for their decision is that “The Ministry of Health has taken steps Read more...

Execrable | Issue 7

Posted 10:17am Sunday 17th April 2016 by Henry Napier

Two OUSA Executive officers who were not in Dunedin at the start of their tenure have not received their full honorarium payments. Both Administrative Vice-president Jarred Griffiths and Finance officer Jesse Hall have had payments withheld from January 1 to February 11. OUSA President Laura Read more...

Otago University enrolment numbers up for 2016

Posted 10:13am Sunday 17th April 2016 by Joseph Higham

The University Council Meeting that took place on Tuesday last week provided promising news of increases in both international enrolment numbers and first year domestic student numbers, resulting in the University of Otago meeting their enrolment target for 2016. The announcement marked the first Read more...

From Schoolyard To Eden Park

Posted 10:53am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Sean Nugent

It was just another lunch break at Mt Eden Normal Primary School in mid-2005. There were around seven or eight of us that would play some kind of sport all year round during lunchtime. Generally we would play cricket in the summer and rugby in the winter. At the time we had an abundance of quality Read more...

Universal Basic Income: Labour Attempts Blatant Pr Stunt, Fucks It Up

Posted 10:49am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Joel MacManus

A couple weeks ago the Labour Party’s ‘Future of Work Commission’ published a discussion paper on the possibility of instituting a Universal Basic Income. This interesting concept is popular among certain economic theorists involves paying every citizen aged 18 or older $11,000 a Read more...

Following The Karadzic Verdict, It’s Time For A Tribunal On Syria

Posted 10:48am Sunday 10th April 2016 by George Elliott

More than two decades after the deadly siege of Sarajevo and the massacre of some 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica, a United Nations tribunal in The Hague has convicted former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed during the 1992-1995 war in Read more...

“No Doubt” U.S Drone Strikes Killed Civilians

Posted 10:46am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Liam Brown

United States president Barack Obama confirmed suspicions last week that there has “no doubt” been civilian casualties of U.S. drone strikes. Speaking from a news conference at the nuclear security summit in Washington, Obama acknowledged the shortcomings of using drones to carry out Read more...

The Panama Papers Leak: The Secret Lives Of The Filthy Rich

Posted 10:43am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Sally Wilkins

Touted as the biggest confidential document leak in history, the release of “the Panama Papers” has rocked the world’s financial elite and strengthened calls for clampdowns and greater transparency on the tax haven system. The leak comprises 2.6 terrabytes of data Read more...

Eu Begins Deporting Refugees, Despite Plans Labeled “illegal”

Posted 10:41am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Joe Higham

On April 4, the Greek Police, along with the EU border agency Frontex, began the process of deporting almost all migrants and refugees from Greece to Turkey, thus removing them from the European Union.  The practicability of removing all migrants and refugees from Greece en masse has been Read more...

Green Party Calls For A Charge On Fresh Water

Posted 10:37am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Henry Napier

Opposition parties are calling for Government action on polluted fresh water following a report showing 61 percent of monitored water ways are ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. A charge for water for farmers would help solve the growing pollution in New Zealand according to Green Party Read more...

Health Professors Rally For Sugar Tax

Posted 10:34am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Jessica Thompson

Several health experts around the country have proposed that sugary drinks such as coke, fanta and sprite be taxed to help combat New Zealand’s high rate of child obesity (fourth highest in the world), diabetes and heart disease. Over 70 health academics have voiced their opinions, Read more...

Arrest Causes Surge In Student Loan Repayments

Posted 10:32am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Joe Higham

The arrest of Ngatokotoru Puna, an overseas-based borrower who defaulted on his loans, at Auckland Airport in January has caused overseas borrowers to begin making repayments on their student loans, the Government says.  According to a Government press release, overseas borrowers repaid Read more...

Auckland Uni Facebook Post Leads To Racial Profile Debate

Posted 10:25am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Tom Kitchin

The issue of racial violence in our country’s biggest city is contentious, and it has been brought to light recently due to a number of attacks against people of Asian ethnicity in the city. This culminated in the publication of a post by a student on the Overheard @ University of Auckland Read more...

Fiesta Gets Feisty

Posted 10:21am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Henry Napier

Alley Cantina was trashed after closing early last Sunday sometime early in the morning. The local restaurant saw $900 worth of damage done to its outside area where chairs and plants were removed or destroyed. Mike Bamkier, the owner and operator of the long-standing restaurant, said the damage Read more...

Execrable | Issue 6

Posted 10:18am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Henry Napier

Last Monday the student executive met with members of the OUSA events team to debrief last years Craft Beer Festival and the worthiness of the festival moving forward.  The meeting began with President Laura Harris posing questions as to what the value was for OUSA running the festival, Read more...

Otago University Faces On-going Issue Of Declining Enrollment

Posted 10:14am Sunday 10th April 2016 by Joe Higham

Otago University saw a 2.2 percent decline in overall student enrollments in 2015, with 2016’s enrollment numbers set to be announced at a University Council Meeting on Tuesday afternoon.  With humanities and commerce departments feeling the brunt of the declining numbers over the Read more...

Clark V. Woodhouse

Posted 11:30am Sunday 3rd April 2016 by David Clark

David Clark Right-wing Governments always scare-monger and say that raising the minimum wage causes job losses.  History tells us otherwise.   In fact, I hazard that there will be a Nobel Prize up for grabs for the economist that can demonstrate the real-world nature of the Read more...

What The Fuck Is Going On In America?

Posted 11:16am Sunday 3rd April 2016 by Joel MacManus

The US presidential election is the longest, most confusing, infuriating experiment in the history of democracy. But at the same time, it is also far and away the most entertaining. Over the course of almost 20 months, candidates go from shaking hands in the cornfields of Iowa, to packed arenas Read more...

The Case of March Madness

Posted 11:00am Sunday 3rd April 2016 by Sean Nugent

I've heard a few people asking the same question in the last couple of weeks: “What the hell is March Madness?” In simple terms it’s a college basketball tournament in the United States played by the top 68 teams in the nation. Yet look deeper and it’s so much more than Read more...

IPL Chances Reignited For Martin Guptill?

Posted 10:57am Sunday 3rd April 2016 by Willy Chapman

With some strong performances in the latest installment of the T20 World Cup in India, Guptill is showing why he will be sorely missed in this years IPL tournament. Guptill was surprisingly snubbed by IPL bosses in February’s auction, where many thought he would cash in after an explosive Read more...

Syrian Forces Capture Vital ISIS Stronghold

Posted 10:48am Sunday 3rd April 2016 by Hugh Baird

After days of fighting, Syrian Government forces backed by Russian airstrikes, have re-taken the ancient city of Palmyra from the Islamic State.  Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director, Rami Abdulrahman confirmed that over 400 Islamic State militants where killed, with around 180 Read more...

Stop Killing People You Fucking Twats

Posted 10:45am Sunday 3rd April 2016 by Joe Higham

A Taliban splinter group, named Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, has claimed responsibility for an Easter Sunday terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan’s second most populous city, which took the lives of at least 72 people, many of whom were children.  Along with the dead, approximately 300 people were Read more...

Bunnings Warehouse U-Turns On Defibrillators

Posted 10:43am Sunday 3rd April 2016 by Joe Higham

Dunedin's branch of Bunnings Warehouse has backed down on plans to remove a potentially life-saving defibrillator, despite one of the staff members having died of a heart condition, the ODT reported.  Bunnings New Zealand manager Jacqui Coombes had been quoted by the ODT as saying that Read more...

Dunedin Resident Says Drift Trikers Are “irresponsible”

Posted 10:39am Sunday 3rd April 2016 by Henry Napier

Dunedin has once again ascended to the world stage following the surging popularity of a downhill ‘Drift Triking’ video. The 2 minute 14 second clip, filmed on George King Memorial Drive, has reached over 3.5 million views on Facebook. The video, which was originally uploaded to the Read more...

University Oval To Expand Capacity

Posted 10:36am Sunday 3rd April 2016 by Georgia Vosper

The Dunedin University Cricket Oval is currently in the process of being upgraded. This is to meet the 6000 person minimum capacity that has been set by New Zealand Cricket’s (NZC) requirements for international venues.   On completion the oval will hold more than 6000 people, with the Read more...

Otago Uni Dentistry Chomps Into World Rankings

Posted 10:30am Sunday 3rd April 2016 by Henry Napier

The University of Otago may not be Harvard or Oxford, but Dunedin-trained dentists can rest assured that their degree is among the highest quality in the world after earning 12th place in the world university rankings. Last week the sixth edition of QS World University Rankings by subject was Read more...

“Increased Vigilance” Sees Student Offences Up 20 Percent In 2015

Posted 10:24am Sunday 3rd April 2016 by Joe Higham

Although 2014 witnessed a nine percent drop in overall offending in comparison to 2013, that figure did increase by almost 20 percent during 2015 when compared to 2014, with 576 separate incidents occurring. The large majority of those were simply disorderly behaviour, which totaled 174, while other Read more...

Interview With Grant Robertson

Posted 11:35am Sunday 20th March 2016 by Joel MacManus

Labour Party Finance Spokesperson Grant Robertson bounds into the Critic office on a sunny O-Week Tuesday. While some of the staff may have been a bit dusty from the night before, Robertson is positively vibing. The source of that enthusiasm could be the natural rush of non-stop meetings Read more...

Leicester City Five Points Clear

Posted 11:32am Sunday 20th March 2016 by Sean Nugent

Leicester City have gone five points clear at the top of the Premier League after a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United. Shinji Okazaki’s superb first half strike increased the pressure on both Tottenham and Arsenal as the season nears its conclusion. With eight games to go, Leicester have Read more...

Acting Like Dopes

Posted 11:27am Sunday 20th March 2016 by Sean Nugent

In wake of Maria Sharapova’s admission to taking a banned substance before this year’s Australian Open, I thought it would be a good time to look back on similar doping scandals that shook the world. So, in no particular order, here’s my top five all-time doping scandals: East Read more...

Bomb Blast Kills 37 In Turkish Capital

Posted 11:12am Sunday 20th March 2016 by Hugh Baird

Turkish warplanes have struck Kurdish militant camps in Northern Iraq a day after a car bomb exploded in Ankara, an attack in which officials believe two fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are responsible. The bomb blasts, which killed 37 and injured a further 135 when it exploded in Read more...

OUSA Fucks Off Students Once More

Posted 11:09am Sunday 20th March 2016 by Henry Napier

Last Tuesday students expressed their frustration following the crash of the OUSA server during the Hyde Street party ticket sales which were due to start at 9 am. OUSA have reported that they received over 7000 page reload requests per second during the initial ticket offering at 9am which shut Read more...

Thank Fuck The Flag Debate Is Coming To An End

Posted 11:05am Sunday 20th March 2016 by Hugh Baird

This Thursday will see voting in the second flag referendum come to a close, with results to be revealed on March 30.  So far in the second referendum over 1.2 million votes have been returned, a substantially larger number in comparison to the first referendum when at the same stage only Read more...

Zero Hour Contracts Run Out Of Time

Posted 11:02am Sunday 20th March 2016 by Henry Napier

The Government bill has recently passed its Third Reading ending zero hour contracts and extending paid parental leave. The Employment Standards Legislation Bill received bi-partisan support in Parliament gaining the votes of both National and Labour. The original draft of the government bill Read more...

Reserve Bank Cuts OCR Amid Dairy Crisis

Posted 10:59am Sunday 20th March 2016 by Hugh Baird

The Reserve Bank has cut the Official Cash Rate to 2.25 percent, the lowest it has ever been with predictions it could drop a further 25 basis points to 2 percent later this year.  Reserve Bank Governor, Mr Graeme Wheeler justified his decision for cutting rates by explaining that threats Read more...

The Roof Collapse That Changed Hyde’s History

Posted 10:56am Sunday 20th March 2016 by Joe Higham

The annual Hyde Street Keg Party has become infamous, not just in Dunedin, but much, much further afield as well. The demand for tickets this year has been unprecedented. After the servers crashed, the first batch of 1,000 tickets were sold out in 45 seconds, and OUSA were experiencing over 11,000 Read more...

Execrable | Issue 4

Posted 10:51am Sunday 20th March 2016 by Henry Napier

The OUSA Executive are starting a sub-committee to tackle growing fears around student safety. The new working group will comprise of Executive members and will produce a report for Vice Chancellor Harlene Hayne. During last week’s OUSA Executive meeting President Laura Harris raised Read more...

New Zealand’s Contribution To Refugee Crisis Pathetic

Posted 10:46am Sunday 20th March 2016 by Joe Higham

Tuesday last week marked the fifth anniversary of the on going Syrian Civil War that has seen approximately seven million civilians displaced within Syria, just over four million emigrate from their homeland in search of relative safety abroad, involvement of the U.S.A, Britain, and Russia to Read more...

The Cricketing Summer

Posted 12:26pm Sunday 13th March 2016 by Sean Nugent

It's been a turbulent summer of cricket for the Blackcaps. A fairly promising series in Australia was followed by a strong period over the Christmas break against firstly Sri Lanka and then Pakistan. The Chappell/Hadlee trophy was successfully defended, before Brendon McCullum bid his farewell Read more...

New Zealand’s Greatest Batsman Passes Away

Posted 12:20pm Sunday 13th March 2016 by Hugh Baird

After a prolonged fight against lymphoma, Martin Crowe, New Zealand’s greatest ever batsmen passed away last week in Auckland aged just 53.  A statement from his family headed “God Speed, Rest in Peace” said he had died peacefully, surrounded by family. Crowe was Read more...

Sharapova Tests Positive For Drugs After Big New Years

Posted 12:16pm Sunday 13th March 2016 by Sean Nugent

Former world number one and global tennis icon Maria Sharapova has admitted to failing a drug test at the Australian Open in January. The five-time Grand Slam winner tested positive for meldonium, a drug used to help the flow of blood and oxygen. The drug had been banned by the International Read more...

Opinion

Posted 12:12pm Sunday 13th March 2016 by Joel MacManus

Being a Christian can be frustrating sometimes. In the least religious generation in history, it’s tough not to feel a little weird. I don’t really like telling people about my faith, because I don’t want them to think I’m one of "those Christians". I feel the need Read more...

Zero Compliance With Zero Hours

Posted 12:09pm Sunday 13th March 2016 by Tom Kitchin

Imagine it. Sitting round on the couch, waiting in anticipation for a call from your employer to see if you will get the hours you need to support you and your family.  You can’t properly hang out with mates, you can’t spend an afternoon down at the shops, it’s hard to join a Read more...

Critic’s Top 4

Posted 12:04pm Sunday 13th March 2016 by Joel MacManus

David Seymour After a strong 2015, David Seymour has almost certainly secured his personal future as MP for Epsom. 2016 posits a far greater challenge: Saving his party. After 7 years of relatively centrist government, there should be a market for a true Libertarian party among hard right-wing Read more...

To Brexit Or Not To Brexit…

Posted 11:50am Sunday 13th March 2016 by Joe Higham

Britain's in-out EU referendum has been set for June 23. Being Europe’s second largest economy by nominal gdp, a British vote to leave the eu could be catastrophic for the union’s integrity, and could spell the collapse of the union itself.  The reason for the referendum is Read more...

Bloody Knife Found In O.J Simpson Case

Posted 11:46am Sunday 13th March 2016 by Hugh Baird

The case against O.J Simpson in the murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994 has taken another strange turn.  The discovery of a bloodied knife just last week buried on Simpson’s property offers hope of new insight into the unsolved murder twenty-two Read more...

High Ranking Islamic State Commander Believed Dead

Posted 11:44am Sunday 13th March 2016 by Hugh Baird

One of Islamic States most infamous commanders may have been killed during targeted strikes by the United States in Syria.  Abu Omar al-Shishani, described by the pentagon as the groups ‘Minister of War’ was the target of a strike near the town of al-Shaddadi. The strike Read more...

North Korean Nuclear Threats Worry International Community

Posted 11:42am Sunday 13th March 2016 by Joe Higham

North Korean supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, has said his country should be ready to use nuclear weaponry at any time and has threatened to turn Washington D.C. into a sea of fire, a comment that is certainly not infrequent but remains worrying for traditional enemies South Korea and the United States Read more...

TPPA Circus Kicks Off

Posted 11:38am Sunday 13th March 2016 by Jessica Thompson

The first of the TPP Roadshows kicked off today with central Auckland being the first stop on the trail. The roadshows are the government’s sales tactic for the agreement, which has gathered criticism by many members of the public as well as several political parties.  Several Read more...

Iran Elects Reformist Majority

Posted 11:36am Sunday 13th March 2016 by Joe Higham

Iranian reformists are celebrating an unprecedented victory in last week’s election, earning 83 of the 280 Parliamentary seats as well as making significant gains in the country’s clerical body; the Assembly of Experts. The principle reformist party, the Persuasive Coalition of Read more...

South Dunedin Was “Severely Neglected”

Posted 11:29am Sunday 13th March 2016 by Joe Higham

South Dunedin residents attended The Nations Church in King Edward Street on Monday night for a meeting about the effects of a devastating flood that caused lasting damage to the community almost nine months ago.  Flooding caused damage to 1250 properties as 175mm of rainfall fell over one Read more...

If Only Steve Could Talk

Posted 11:25am Sunday 13th March 2016 by Critic

Recently the beloved mascot of a student flat was kidnapped, held to ransom and eventually recovered after a daring night-time raid which landed a rescuer in hospital. A third-year student, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he won Steve in a bet as a first-year and they had become close Read more...

Six60 Concert Resident: “We Knew It Wasn’t Safe”

Posted 11:20am Sunday 13th March 2016 by Henry Napier

The neighbouring resident to the flat where a balcony fell during last week’s Six60 concert has said they knew there was a risk hours before the party begun. Though the day ended in tragedy, precautions were taken to prevent overloading of the balcony. “While we were pre-drinking we Read more...