Archive

Uni spends $600,000,000 on infrastructure

Posted 4:44pm Sunday 2nd March 2014 by Thomas Raethel

Dunedin’s construction industry stands to benefit from more than six hundred million dollars in expenditure by the University on infrastructure, as well as the creation of hundreds of jobs. Chief Operating Officer John Patrick revealed the gargantuan figure at the University Council’s meeting Read more...

Council demands consent for movie vouchers and pizza

Posted 4:44pm Sunday 2nd March 2014 by Claudia Herron

The trend of sponsored flats in North Dunedin has come under DCC scrutiny after the branding of a radio station on a Castle St flat did not have the required resource consent. The flat, situated on the corner of Castle St and Dundas St, has the ZM logo and radio frequency plastered on one of its Read more...

Orientation After Party set to draw huge crowd

Posted 4:44pm Sunday 2nd March 2014 by Staff Reporter

A huge turnout is expected at the Forsyth Barr Stadium for OUSA’s Orientation After Party this Thursday 6 March, with all British acts Chase & Status, Tinie Tempah and Sub Focus drawing in the crowds. Kicking off the night is dance music guru Sub Focus, AKA Nick Douwma, who cemented himself Read more...

Highlanders miss conversion

Posted 4:44pm Sunday 2nd March 2014 by Claudia Herron

The University’s recent sponsorship of the Highlanders has highlighted the enduring issue that nowhere on campus sells tickets to the team’s games. While the sale of tickets by OUSA ceased about two years ago, the issue again resurfaced when tickets to O-week’s Blues v Highlanders match were the Read more...

Proctology

Posted 4:44pm Sunday 2nd March 2014 by Claudia Herron

This week in Proctology we highlight the cyclical nature of Scarfie antics as Dunedin’s returning students egg-xacted revenge on the newest influx of freshers. OUSA President Ruby Sycamore-Smith said she was “in a flap” after hearing that “freshers are being beaten by their own flock.” Read more...

Student allowance numbers plummet

Posted 4:44pm Sunday 2nd March 2014 by Thomas Raethel

The number of students receiving the student allowance in Dunedin has dropped by 23.8 per cent between 2012 and 2013. According to opponents of allowance entitlement cuts, the numbers indicate that Government policies are having a serious impact on the student populace of Dunedin in particular. Read more...

OUSA Recreation Centre refurbished

Posted 4:44pm Sunday 2nd March 2014 by Josie Cochrane

The new OUSA Recreation Centre is set to open in some capacity on Monday this week following upgrades that “will bring the centre into the 21st century.” Previously known as OUSA Clubs and Societies, the Centre was “well overdue for a bit of TLC,” says OUSA General Manager Darel Hall. The two Read more...

Uni might not flood?

Posted 4:44pm Sunday 2nd March 2014 by Josie Cochrane

On-going works to the Leith River banks and surrounds will contunue to have an impact upon pedestrian and traffic flow for most of the semester. Once the scheme is complete the benefits to the campus will be “significant,” according to the University, and a large part of the campus will receive Read more...

Smoke-free campus saga continues

Posted 4:44pm Sunday 2nd March 2014 by Claudia Herron

Opponents have further questioned the implementation of the University’s Smoke-free Campus policy after it was raised that certain areas included in the ban, as thought by some, belong to the DCC. Otago Norml spokesperson Abe Grey said the University “sound like they are bluffing,” and that they are Read more...

Interview: Ruby Sycamore-Smith, OUSA President 2014

Posted 6:57pm Sunday 23rd February 2014 by Zane Pocock

After winning by a significant margin in last year’s election, 2014 sees Ruby Sycamore-Smith going into her second year on the OUSA Executive as President. She caught up with Zane Pocock during a brief lull in a jam-packed Orientation schedule to discuss students, politics, and just a little bit of Read more...

ECP struggles

Posted 6:57pm Sunday 23rd February 2014 by Josie Cochrane

Walking into a pharmacy in need of the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) has left some young Dunedin women feeling inappropriately questioned and judged by a local pharmacy. One woman has made a complaint to the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) abut Wilkinson and Son Chemists after her Read more...

Uni governance and wānanga changes

Posted 6:57pm Sunday 23rd February 2014 by Claudia Herron

University Councils throughout the country will undergo major reforms following the Government’s announcement that it plans to reduce their size and remove mandatory staff, student and community membership. Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce made the announcement last week, which has since Read more...

Uni bank-rolls thugby

Posted 6:57pm Sunday 23rd February 2014 by Thomas Raethel

OUSA has expressed its support for the University’s sponsorship of the Highlanders rugby union team, despite the University facing backlash from the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) who branded the sponsorship as a “gimmick.” TEU deputy secretary Nanette Cormack elaborated on the Union’s Read more...

Vaporisers and edibles only on campus

Posted 6:57pm Sunday 23rd February 2014 by Thomas Raethel

The introduction of a campus-wide smoking ban on 1 January 2014 has harmonised the University with others throughout the country, but many appear to be side-stepping the ban and gutters outside campus have been clogged with cigarette butts. The policy does not outline any smoking-friendly Read more...

Metro’s fucked, if you haven’t noticed

Posted 6:57pm Sunday 23rd February 2014 by Josie Cochrane

The owner of a number of Dunedin bars, including student favourites Monkey, Metro and Rumours, has fled the country, leaving a number of outstanding debts. Critic could not get in contact with the owner, Ben Hanssen, but it is understood that he has left behind creditors and employees with no sign Read more...

Ori t-shits disappoint

Posted 6:57pm Sunday 23rd February 2014 by Claudia Herron

Two thousand uninspiring “limited edition” t-shirts included with O-Week’s Super Pass have been received unenthusiastically by students, despite being designed by talented local design company Moodie Tuesday. The t-shirts, which come in either blue or grey, comprise a collection of basic and Read more...

Orientation happened

Posted 6:57pm Sunday 23rd February 2014 by Claudia Herron

With a couch fire on the Saturday evening preceding O-Week, the stage was set for a roaring Orientation; a “return to true Scarfiedom,” even, as some observers speculated. The incident saw four people arrested for setting the fire outside 15 Hyde Street at approximately 10:45pm on Saturday 15 Read more...

OUSA Constitution breached in NZUSA scandal

Posted 3:00pm Thursday 21st November 2013 by Zane Pocock

The OUSA Executive yesterday confronted a breach of the OUSA Constitution by three of the four delegates sent to Wellington to cast OUSA’s votes in the 2014 NZUSA (New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations) election. The offending delegates voted contrary to a motion carried during Read more...

Hernandez Loses His Shit

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Zane Pocock

Outgoing OUSA President Francisco Hernandez has expressed outrage at the Government’s decision to reduce the maximum size of university and wananga governing councils from 20 members to 12. Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce announced the decision in his Review of the Legislative Settings for Read more...

Cool Research Bro. Here, Have 800k

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Claudia Herron

Minister of Education Steven Joyce last week announced the 10 recipients of this year’s Rutherford Discovery Fellowship. Two Otago University researchers were among those acknowledged. The Fellowship rewards New Zealand’s top early- to mid-career researchers with a funding package worth Read more...

Fran and Ruby in Most Pre-Determined Election Ever

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Claudia Herron

Hot on the heels of the usual fanfare created by the OUSA election comes the University Council elections, giving students one more chance to select who will represent them in the ever-exciting realm of student politics. The University Council is the governing body of the University and, among other Read more...

NZUSA Given Yet Another Reprieve

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Thomas Raethel

The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations’ (NZUSA) future is secure, after both OUSA and the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) decided to remain members of the ailing national body. The two organisations, which each pay an annual NZUSA membership levy of Read more...

Critic “Borrows” Story From Salient. Thanks, Suckers.

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Chris MacIntyre

Concerns from key groups were ignored as the Government introduced their border arrest scheme for student loan defaulters earlier this year, the details of which remain unknown. Documents obtained by Salient under the Official Information Act show that there was limited consultation with Read more...

Otago’s Already Shit Ranking Artificially Propped Up by Foreigners

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Josie Cochrane

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings have placed the University of Otago 226-250th worldwide, the same ranking as 2012 but below the 2011 ranking of 201-250th. Auckland University placed 164th which, despite being down three places on 2012, still made it the mostly highly Read more...

Sycamore-Smith Coasts to Victory Despite Video Gaffe | Opinion

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Sam McChesney

With the Zac Gawn ticket victorious in two out of three contested positions, the outcome of the OUSA Presidential election can largely be seen as a personal endorsement of Ruby Sycamore-Smith. The election also saw the rise of iPredict and the resurgence of feminism, and cemented the importance of Read more...

Fran Makes $300 on iPredict

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Zane Pocock

Ruby Sycamore-Smith has won the election for OUSA President in 2014 with 49.86 per cent of the vote. Her closest rival, Zac Gawn, won 34.35 per cent, with Jordan Watts a distant third on 10.42 per cent. The election saw OUSA’s largest voter turnout “in a generation.” 5,193 votes were cast, Read more...

Interview: Francisco Hernandez

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Sam McChesney

OUSA President Francisco Hernandez will soon leave the association after three years on the Executive. In that time he has revolutionised student politics, producing groundbreaking campaign videos (“Frangnam Style”), conducting “ironically terrible” interviews on national television (TV3’s Read more...

Too Much Pussy in North Dunedin

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Pussy swapping is the next big thing to hit North Dunedin. An initiative is underway to deal with the rising number of stray cats in the student quarters. SPCA Executive Officer Sophie McSkimming said the Society “hopes to have a Facebook page for Cat Swapping by the end of the week.” Read more...

Tall, White Male Selected as 2014 Critic Editor in Shocking Upset

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Irrelevant Irvine

It’s third time lucky for Critic’s resident ladder-climber Zane Pocock, who has been named Critic editor for 2014. “Fuck that took a while,” Pocock sighed when told the news. He has since been spotted standing at the OUSA balcony for hours on end, staring longingly and with just a hint of Read more...

Masters by Coursework on the Rise

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Brittany Mann

The University of Otago has seen an increase in the number of coursework Masters programmes on offer, and recent changes to admissions criteria have made some postgraduate qualifications more accessible than ever before. There are now five coursework Masters programmes on offer in the Read more...

The Third Quarterly Executive Reports

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Staff Reporter

The end of the third quarter has rolled around, and the OUSA Executive all have to submit reports on what they’ve been up to or else they don’t get paid. With the OUSA elections now happening, and several of the current Exec standing again, this is a good opportunity to assess who’s been doing their Read more...

Dorian Joins Larry in Animal Heaven

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Jamie Breen

Two weeks ago, Dunedin was once again the scene of brutal animal violence. This time the victim was Dorian the rabbit. CCTV footage showed a man dressed all in black and wearing a beanie and gloves walking back and forth past the rabbit’s residence, a student flat on Arthur Street. Finally the Read more...

OUSA Election Forums

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Last week saw the OUSA 2014 Executive Candidate Forums take place in the Main Common Room. With more candidates standing than usual, Bella Macdonald went along to suss out who prioritises what. Presidential CandidatesRuby Sycamore-Smith Ruby’s confidence in her achievements as Welfare Read more...

Government Picks on Old People For Once

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Josie Cochrane

Student Allowances are being restricted once again, with mature students now being targeted by cuts to the scheme. As of next year, the Allowance’s 200-week limit will be reduced to 120 weeks (approximately three full years of study) for students aged 40 years or over on the date their studies Read more...

Hayne Joins the One Per Cent

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Thomas Raethel

The Tertiary Education Union (TEU) has condemned the recent trend of pay rises among Vice-Chancellors in universities nationwide. An annual report by the State Services Commission has revealed that at least six Vice-Chancellors across New Zealand received pay rises between 2012 and 2013. The Read more...

SOULS Buys Penance for Their Sins

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Sam McChesney

The Society of Otago University Law Students (SOULS) has made a donation to Women’s Refuge, and in future will run Law Revue scripts past Dean of Law Professor Mark Henaghan, after this year’s Revue was slammed as offensive to women and minorities. Prof Henaghan told Critic that “there were Read more...

Ten Plus Two Equals Twelve, Says Fran

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Zane Pocock

OUSA has announced plans for a one-month trial of a $12 airport shuttle service for students. Although exact dates are yet to be confirmed, the trial period will coincide with the upcoming exam period. As such, it will only be an outgoing service at this stage, but may operate both ways next year Read more...

Uni to Open Responsible, Supervised Bar on Campus

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Claudia Herron

More details have emerged regarding the University’s plans to build a bar on campus, possibly with the involvement of OUSA. Critic reported on 16 September that the University was “looking into” the possibility of owning or co-owning a bar on campus. On 23 September, the news made its way to Read more...

Te Roopu Maori 2014 Executive Nominations

Posted 8:54pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Staff Reporter

Tumuaki (President)Arleen McLaren Kia ora whānau Ko Arleen McLaren ahau, he uri tēnei no Ngāti Maniapoto me Ngāti Maru. I am currently a 4th Year Phedder finalist. I am also current tumuaki of PEMA (Physical Education Māori Association). Tumuaki Read more...

Catholic Centre for Life to Provide “Non-Judgemental” Service

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Josie Cochrane

Family Life International has opened the doors to a new John Paul II Catholic Centre for Life on Filleul Street, Dunedin. This is the third Centre for Life to be opened in New Zealand, following those already running in Auckland and Wellington. Dame Colleen Bayer, National Director of Family Read more...

2014 Election Nominations

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Staff Reporter

The nominations for the 2014 OUSA Executive have closed, and an array of good-looking candidates have put their names forward to represent you next year. Voting will take place on the OUSA website from 9am Monday 30 September to 4pm Thursday 3 October, with the winners announced that evening. Read more...

Minor Change Called “Attack On Democracy”

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Claudia Herron

The University of Otago is looking to abandon a 120-year-old tradition in which Otago Graduates are able to vote fellow alumni onto the University Council. Established in 1891, the Court of Convocation has the sole purpose of electing three of its members from among the ranks of its Read more...

Governance Review Shockingly Fails to Deliver

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Zane Pocock

OUSA’s Governance and Representation Review is now “not necessarily” expected to be complete by the end of the year, says OUSA President Francisco Hernandez. Hernandez told Critic that since recommendations made by the Governance and Representation Review Working Party (the Fun Party) “would Read more...

NZUSA Finally Runs a Campagin

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Thomas Raethel

The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) has joined a Coalition for Fair Internet Pricing in an attempt to stop a nationwide tax on copper-based ADSL broadband services. The move comes after Telecom spinoff Chorus successfully lobbied for taxes on copper-based services to Read more...

“Herod” Chapman Culls the Innocents at EXMSS

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Bella Macdonald

A group of Massey University extramural students have submitted a request for a Student General Meeting, at which they could move a motion of no confidence in Extramural Students’ Society (EXMSS) President Jeannette “JV” Chapman. Last month, MASSIVE magazine revealed that Chapman was Read more...

Constitution in Tatters

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Sam McChesney

Both of OUSA President Francisco Hernandez’s referendum questions may prove invalid, after one was ambiguous and the other improperly presented. Hernandez’s question “Should the Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) adopt a Single Transferrable Voting (STV) system for its elections?” Read more...

Interview: Stevie Jepson

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Elsie Jacobson

Now, we all know about Texan abortion laws after Wendy Davis’s famous filibuster, but what’s the situation here in NZ? Well it’s definitely not as bad as states like Texas or Ohio, but the laws are still pretty backwards and [are] hurting women in a different way to the American laws. We have Read more...

TEU Fears Minister’s Uni Council Changes

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Jack Montgomerie

A lecturers’ union says it is afraid that Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce might shrink University Councils and stack them with ministerial appointees. The Tertiary Education Union’s (TEU) National Secretary Sharn Riggs says any changes replacing staff and student representatives with Read more...

Frances Hodgkins Fellowship Announced

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Zane Pocock

Auckland artist Patrick Lundberg was announced last week as the 2014 recipient of the University of Otago’s Frances Hodgkins Fellowship, one of New Zealand’s most prestigious art fellowships. Beginning on 1 February, he will receive a stipend for a year and a studio on campus to pursue his art. Read more...

Execrable | Issue 23

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Sam McChesney

No scandalous revelations this week, folks. This week, all you get is the collapse of drawn-out, politically contentious OUSA project; Budget 2014; a referendum we’ve been waiting for years to hold; a proposal to change OUSA’s voting system at elections; and a laughable attempt by Fran to Read more...

Feral Cats to Be Sent to Heaviside Layer

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Josie Cochrane

Dunedin City Councillor Kate Wilson has created a ‘‘cat committee’’ to discuss solutions to the city’s growing feral cat problem. The committee was set up in response to ongoing concerns about the “pest problem” represented by such cats. Residents argue that if there is a system in place for Read more...

Council of Smaug Hoards Treasure

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Claudia Herron

A number of major forthcoming projects have seen the University pump up its cash reserves and produce an operating surplus significantly above budget, according to monthly financial statements presented at last week’s University Council meeting. The statements revealed that as of the end of July, Read more...

Jones: Racist, Fascist Wanker?

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Jack Montgomerie

Labour leadership candidate and self-described “kingmaker” Shane Jones has suggested that migration to Christchurch from other countries be restricted, and that beneficiaries be forcibly relocated and put to work in the city’s reconstruction. The list MP and former immigration minister told Read more...

God Throws Roofs at Cars

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Bella Macdonald

In the wake of the storm that bolted through Dunedin last week, the Dunedin City Council has deemed the large amounts of damage caused to nearby cars by parts of its buildings flying off “an act of God.” One victim, reported in the Otago Daily Times, was Uil Ludemann, whose car was damaged Read more...

Otago's Stock Does a Fannie Mae

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Thomas Raethel

The University of Otago has been declared the 155th best university in the world, tailing 61 places behind the University of Auckland. The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings are published annually in the United Kingdom, and according to the official website, feature “over 800 Read more...

Hernandez: “I Am Not A Bitch”

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Sam McChesney

OUSA has firmly denied that the University of Otago attempted to strong-arm the association out of purchasing the Cook or any other North Dunedin pub, after concerns to that effect were raised in an OUSA Executive meeting on 3 September. OUSA currently receives around three-quarters of its Read more...

University Bullies OUSA Over Bar

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Sam McChesney

The revelation in last Tuesday’s Executive meeting that the University is directing how OUSA spends its reserves is significant, but unsurprising. OUSA is known to have large reserves, which it could in theory use to purchase a bar with or without the University’s approval. However, given Read more...

Captain Cook Staggering Back to Life

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Josie Cochrane

The Captain Cook Tavern will be open again within a year, according to a New Zealand architectural firm. Edwin Elliot of Elliot Architects confirmed that the company has been hired to draw up plans to convert the pub, which shut its doors in July after 153 years of operation, into a Read more...

Grinch Continues to Ruin EXMSS

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Following revelations about the Massey University Extramural Students’ Society (EXMSS) President’s salary, EXMSS is once again under scrutiny after one of its staff was suspended without explanation and a member of the Executive unexpectedly resigned on the eve of an Annual General Meeting. Read more...

Execrable | Issue 22

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Sam McChesney

The agenda for last week’s Exec meeting totalled 70 pages, with 27 different items listed. The room had been booked for five hours, but thankfully the meeting “only” lasted three. So, what happened? 1. Serious financial discussions devolved into sugar-fuelled gigglings. Fran kept losing his Read more...

Bus Trial to Cost Far Less Than Actual Bus

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Zane Pocock

The trial for tertiary student discount bus fares set up by OUSA, OPSA and the Otago Regional Council (ORC) is expected to cost the ORC up to $15,000. Ratepayers have been assured, however, that they will not be hit in the pocket. ORC Chairman Stephen Woodhead put the trial “in perspective” Read more...

Arrest And Relaxation

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Anna Bradley-Smith

Students heading away on their OE may soon face a nasty surprise, with new legislation poised to stop the worst loan-defaulters at the border. The Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill (No 3), which would allow for the arrest of those who have defaulted on student-loan repayments, passed its Read more...

Students Learn to Appear Good and Fuck the World Discreetly

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Zane Pocock

Disciplinary figures released to the Otago Daily Times last week under the Official Information Act show that student behaviour for the first half of 2013 has significantly improved when compared to the same period last year. Only five students were referred to Vice-Chancellor Prof Harlene Read more...

Words Superimposed Onto Ad

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Jamie Breen

This Saturday will host an event designed to bridge the gap between Dunedin’s “town and gown” student population and the general public. The Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival, to be held on 14 September, is described by the event organisers as “an evolving platform upon which craft brewers can Read more...

Interview: Steve Drain of The Westboro Baptist Church

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Tristan Keillor

Westboro Baptist Church has become infamous over the past twenty years for its stridently anti-gay messages and picketing of soldiers’ funerals. Steve Drain is a former documentarian who joined the Church in 2001. Drain featured heavily in Louis Theroux’s documentaries The Most Hated Family in Read more...

OUSA to Pad Eleven More CVs

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Staff Reporter

Nominations for positions on the 2014 OUSA Executive are now open until 4pm on 19 September, with voting to take place from 31 September to 4pm on 3 October. There are 11 positions on the Executive. In addition to the full-time position of President, there are four 20-hour positions Read more...

Switched On Museum to Bring Prostitution, Gambling

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Josie Cochrane

The Marijuana Museum of Dunedin, founded by Abe Gray of Otago Norml and Julian Crawford of the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party (ALCP), opens its doors this week to educate locals and tourists on the world of cannabis. Crawford is also a candidate for the Otago District Health Board (DHB) and the Read more...

Council to Railroad Cars Into Cycle Lanes

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Jack Montgomerie

The Dunedin City Council looks set to implement a transport strategy focusing on cycling, walking and public transport in the downtown area. However, a group representing local businesses has accused the strategy of neglecting its needs, prompting a sharp online response from the Mayor. The Read more...

Interview: Grant Robertson

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Zane Pocock

Deputy Leader of the Opposition Grant Robertson has recently declared his candidacy for the leadership of the Labour Party. Zane Pocock spoke to the former OUSA President about the leadership contest and his plans for the Party. Why should a university student Labour member vote for you? Read more...

NZUSA in the Toilet

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Sam McChesney

Student presidents around the country are calling for sweeping reforms to the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA), after the Waikato Students’ Union (WSU) notified its withdrawal from the organisation. In a press release circulated on 22 August, the Presidents of OUSA, VUWSA Read more...

Seven Visors Deemed Super

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Bella Macdonald

The OUSA 2013 Supervisor of the Year Awards were held on 26 August, with awards given to seven University of Otago supervisors. The role of the supervisor is to oversee and support postgraduate students in the writing of their theses. Finalists for the awards were selected based on student Read more...

Acklin Calls It Quits After Nine Illustrious Years

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Jack Montgomerie

Recidivist drink driver, Elvis impersonator and Dunedin City Councillor Bill Acklin has announced that he will not seek re-election when the city votes for its council in November. Cr. Acklin, whose business dealings have previously left him owing $190,000 to the Inland Revenue Department, told the Read more...

Mosgiel Chainsaw Canister

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Thomas Raethel

A six-hour standoff took place in Mosgiel between police and a man who had locked himself in his garage with a running chainsaw. Critic is astounded at how long it took for the chainsaw to run out of fuel. After being called to a domestic incident on Murray St at 8pm on 22 August, police were Read more...

Money Thrown at Peace And Conflict Centre

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Josie Cochrane

An anonymous $500,000 donation has been made to the University of Otago’s National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. Centre Director Professor Kevin Clements said that the donor, an Auckland businessman, does not want personal recognition. “He believes very strongly in the importance of Read more...

Otago Sciences Less Valuable Than Waikato’s, says MBIE

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Zane Pocock

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce last Wednesday announced the 51 research projects from around New Zealand that will be funded in this year’s $278 million Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) science investment round. The University of Otago is “disappointed” to Read more...

Rather Nice Automobile Discovered

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Josie Cochrane

A 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost has been discovered inside a container at Port Otago’s Dunedin container yard. The Rolls-Royce, found earlier this month, has never been registered in New Zealand, and it is yet to be confirmed whether the original body remains in place. Even in its current state, the Read more...

Alt Pub Just A Bit Too Breezy Ankles

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Jamie Breen

Last week was difficult for the bar Mou Very. The local watering hole for sweaty hipsters faced a public hearing last Wednesday after failing to meet the liquor licensing requirements. Mou Very was originally granted a temporary licence in February in order to allow the bar to operate while Read more...

Forsyth Barr Stadium May Be Sinking

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Irrelevant Irvine

Critic has been informed by “people in the know” that Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium is sinking on its foundations. Built on reclaimed land, which requires buildings to have floating foundations, it is believed that when steel was added to the monstrous construction it immediately began to Read more...

Late Crate Debate Suffocates After Eight Great Speight’s-Fuelled Dates With Mates

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Claudia Herron

Acknowledging the “harmful drinking culture in New Zealand,” the Otago University Debating Society (OUDS) will “no longer sanction” the infamous Crate Debate. The decision, which has been kept under wraps, first came to Critic’s attention after moderators deleted a comment attacking the decision on Read more...

Shit System to Be Made Less Shit

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Thomas Raethel

The Performance-Based Research Fund is set to undergo changes in an effort to save time and reduce compliance costs for researchers. In a 26 August press release, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Steven Joyce, confirmed that a review is underway. The Government plans to Read more...

DCC Shafts Students Despite Withdrawing Poll

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Sam McChesney

The Dunedin City Council has scrapped plans to introduce a polling booth on campus during the upcoming local body elections. The returning officer, Pam Jordan, made the decision after concerns were raised that the booth could give the appearance of favouritism toward OUSA President Francisco Read more...

NZUSA to Face Do-Or-Die Reforms

Posted 7:41pm Friday 23rd August 2013 by Sam McChesney

Student presidents around the country are calling for sweeping reforms to the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA), after the Waikato Students’ Union (WSU) notified its withdrawal from the organisation. In a press release circulated on 22 August, the Presidents of OUSA, VUWSA Read more...

Christchurch Rebuild a Safety Shocker, Says Worker

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Jack Montgomerie

A temporary worker in the Christchurch rebuild has alleged shocking health and safety lapses during his time there earlier this year. Ferdinand Schuster, a 20-year-old German student on his gap year, told Critic that he had been put at risk and injured due to unsafe practices on a number of Read more...

New School to Research How to Research

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Josie Cochrane

The University of Otago now has a Graduate Research School, which aims to provide more academic support, more services to graduate research candidates and a focus on leading research on how to research. The School replaces the research services department and now welcomes a Dean, Professor Rachel Read more...

University Council Meeting

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Jack Montgomerie

The University Council unanimously endorsed a strategic document as well as a flatting standards bill, and engaged in light-hearted banter at its meeting last Tuesday. Council Member Michael Sidey clapped when Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne told the meeting that her two-year Read more...

SOGOS Go Sci-Fi

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Lindsey Horne

It turns out SoGoS fund more than just keg parties. The International Centre for Society, Governance & Science (SoGoS) funded a roundtable discussion on Genomics in Queenstown earlier this month. The Director of SoGoS (and no doubt the mastermind behind the title) is none other than University of Read more...

Fran Keeping Bus-y

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Zane Pocock

OUSA, in partnership with the Dunedin City Council (DCC) and Otago Regional Council (ORC), has announced they are working towards an improved Dunedin bus service for students. This will involve simplifying routes and timetables, and addressing student pricing. The ORC has committed to a Read more...

Shearribly Dull

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Claudia Herron

A contingent of Labour MPs consigned to forever working as the Opposition – including party leader David Shearer – held a public lecture on Monday 12 August at Knox Church Hall to tell us that “we are being ripped off.” Apparently, this problem can be solved by their NZ Power policy, which claims to Read more...

No Confidence Distraught as Tenci Wins By-Election

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Jack Montgomerie

OUSA has a new Finance Officer after Nick Tenci trounced loveable sock puppet No Confidence at the close of voting in last Thursday’s by-election. In the final count, the third-year Finance and Biochemistry student received 470 votes (81.31 per cent). “No confidence in these candidates” received 108 Read more...

“Sit Back Down,” Says Joyce

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Thomas Raethel

In response to the Otago Daily Times’ call to “Stand Up Otago,” Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce provided a rebuttal that was published by the newspaper on 10 August. In the rebuttal, entitled “Government Assisting Otago in Multiple Ways,” Joyce cited a $15 million contribution to Read more...

Xmas Present for EXMSS Pres

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Massey University’s Extramural Student Society’s (EXMSS) President is firing off scandalous allegations after MASSIVE magazine revealed how much she receives for her part-time position. In a MASSIVE article published online on Friday 9 August, it was revealed that EXMSS President Jeanette Read more...

The GCSB Bill

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Bella Macdonald

What is the GCSB?The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) is, amongst other things, New Zealand’s external spy service. The intelligence agency was set up by then-Prime Minister Robert Muldoon in 1977. It was tasked with keeping government communications and computers secure, and spying Read more...

Internet Totally Shithouse

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Zane Pocock

Students and staff alike have been frustrated at the University of Otago’s slow Internet service over the past few weeks, coming at a crucial time for most students who are facing mid-semester assignment deadlines. The University’s Information Technology Services (ITS) never responded to Read more...

“Lack of Jobs Gives Students Chance to Study More, Eat Less.” – OUSA

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Zane Pocock

Total Student Job Search (SJS) earnings in Otago have dropped by 12 per cent, equating to a loss of income of more than $450,000 over the course of the past year. Total weeks worked was also down 12 per cent, from 8,094 in the corresponding period last year to 7,145 this year. The Read more...

OUSA Tries to Keep Q-Jitsu Secret

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Jamie Breen

Last week was OUSA Diversity Week, devoted to celebrating the diversity of Otago students and raising awareness and understanding of those who are queer or questioning. Different events, each focusing on queer support, were held every day of the week. The OUSA Queer Support group ran the Read more...

Sammy's to Be Someone Else's

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Josie Cochrane

After 35 years of owning Crawford Street venue Sammy’s, the Chin family wants “younger people with new, fresh ideas” to step in. Sam Chin, the owner of Sammy’s, says he wants “new energy” and is “open to any new ideas” in terms of the venue’s Read more...

Provincials Reach For Their Pitchforks

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Thomas Raethel

A former presenter of New Zealand’s Funniest Home Videos has called for the formation of a political party devoted to the South of New Zealand. Dunedin businessman Ian Taylor formulated the idea in conjunction with the Otago Daily Times’ “Stand Up, Otago” front-page editorial of 3 August. The Read more...

Audit Ordered by Orders

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Jack Montgomerie

A pre-election report from the Dunedin City Council (DCC) has confirmed that council workers have been tasked with calculating a new, higher figure for the construction of the Forsyth Barr stadium, believed to be at least $260 million. The DCC’s CEO Paul Orders included the announcement in his Read more...

Councillor Fran to Pay the Iron Price

Posted 2:21pm Saturday 10th August 2013 by Sam McChesney

After weeks of speculation, OUSA President Francisco Hernandez has declared his candidacy for the upcoming Dunedin City Council elections. Hernandez made the decision to run after deciding the Council needed more student voices. So far, Hernandez and Co-President of Students for Read more...

The Fun Party

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by Sam McChesney

Last Monday, Critic was witness to a slightly bizarre spectacle, as the OUSA Governance and Representation Review Working Party held its second meeting. Although several members of the working party were absent, this was of little consequence; most of those present took on the role of slightly Read more...