Archive

Studylink shit

Posted 6:30pm Sunday 24th March 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Students have gone weeks with no income as Studylink has failed to answer applicants’ phone calls. Criticisms have arisen that the service would struggle to organise a bun fight in a bakery. Following an “unusually” high volume of calls regarding student funds, Studylink is yet to process Read more...

Dunedin to become funnier, famous-er

Posted 6:30pm Sunday 24th March 2013 by Sam McChesney

Two of TV3’s 7 Days comedians, Ben Hurley and Steve Wrigley, are to visit Dunedin in early April as part of their World Famous In ... comedy tour. The tour, which has already taken in Palmerston North, New Plymouth and Hamilton, will be filmed and turned into a show, Ben and Steve: World Famous In Read more...

Critic Seeks New Talent

Posted 6:30pm Sunday 24th March 2013 by Dennis Larson

Critic magazine, winner of the Aotearoa Student Press Association’s “Best Publication” award in 2012, is reportedly seeking talented, attractive staff members for a number of exciting and rewarding positions. The first position advertised is that of Sub-Editor, a 12 hour per week role. Sam Read more...

Blaze against the machine

Posted 6:30pm Sunday 24th March 2013 by Claudia Herron

Student political group NORML has “big plans” to sidestep the University’s new smoke-free policy, having purchased a “fleet of vapourisers” and putting more emphasis on edibles such as brownies and cookies. As an alternative to smoking the cannabis plant, vapourisers extract the active Read more...

Critic devotes page 7 to permanent by-election coverage

Posted 6:30pm Sunday 24th March 2013 by Staff Reporter

OUSA will finally get to heal the gaping hole at the centre of the Executive, with a by-election for Ruby Sycamore-Smith’s vacated Campaigns Officer portfolio to be held on Thursday 28 March. Voting will open at 9am and close at 4pm, and the winner will receive a free stuffed toy (to be confirmed). Read more...

Couch burning no longer a healthy diversion

Posted 6:30pm Sunday 24th March 2013 by Claudia Herron

Pyromaniac students may well be losing their get-out-of-jail free cards after Police announced they would no longer offer pre-charge warnings or diversion to those caught lighting couch fires. Fire starters would now meet their match in both disciplinary action under the University’s Code of Conduct Read more...

Test Match Induces Persistent Vegetative State in Spectators

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 17th March 2013 by Gus Gawn

The first Test Match between New Zealand and England at the University Oval ended in a dour draw. Day one was rained out and while England’s batsmen made a valiant effort to set up a result by throwing their wickets away on day two, their sacrifices were to no avail. New Zealand fans could Read more...

"Fins Up and Bums in the Air"

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 17th March 2013 by Angus Grayson

As far as extreme sports go, underwater hockey, also known as “Aqua Challenge,” will not be at the X Games anytime soon. Often ridiculed for being a hobby and not a sport, Aqua Challenge is frowned upon by most mainstream athletes. However, fourth-year student Louise Daley has managed to push past Read more...

DJ Fadez Away

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 17th March 2013 by Sam McChesney

The Dunedin music fraternity is shocked and saddened to hear of the retirement of popular local musician DJ Fadez, who on Wednesday announced via Facebook that he would be hanging up his mic for good. Fadez, a.k.a. Tim Patrick, made the decision after the hard drive containing his life’s work Read more...

Critic runs fluff piece in order to show off pretty infographic

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 17th March 2013 by Sam McChesney

If Facebook likes were votes, the Greens would win the next election by a landslide. The Daily Blog published the results of a hypothetical social media election on Wednesday 13 March, putting the Greens as sole governing party with 63 seats. Ever the politics nerd, Critic re-crunched the Read more...

Belgian brings laptop to Union Hall

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 17th March 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Over 1500 students turned up at a sold-out Union Hall on Thursday 14 March to witness Belgium’s top liquid funk, drum and bass, and dubstep musician Netsky. The evening started off with opening acts Fazerface and Southern Lights, before Netsky (rhymes with “get pie,” not with “let me”), named Read more...

University sticking it to the man

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 17th March 2013 by Sam McChesney

Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) is taking all eight of New Zealand’s universities to the New Zealand Copyright Tribunal, after Universities New Zealand (UNZ) refused to increase the annual licensing fee that allows lecturers to copy course materials for students. The fee covers any use Read more...

New Alcohol Policy?

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 17th March 2013 by Claudia Herron

The fate of where and how licensed premises operate in Dunedin could lie in the wrinkled hands of bitter geriatrics due to current alcohol legislation allowing for local body policies to be influenced by communities. A draft local alcohol policy for the city is currently being worked on by Dunedin Read more...

Smoke banished from campus; fire to follow?

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 17th March 2013 by Claudia Herron

The demise of the durry on campus appears inevitable after the University Council affirmed that from 1 January 2014, the University will be completely smokefree. Previously smokers had been exiled from the shelter of building awnings when smoking within six metres of any building on the Dunedin Read more...

No Jobs Bro

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 17th March 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Students are struggling to find work, with recent statistics revealing that more students are looking for jobs and fewer gaining employment following the cut to the student allowance for post-graduate students. The number of students seeking part-time work during the summer period was up by Read more...

No confidence and "Glodia" defeated in OUSA by-elections

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 17th March 2013 by Sam McChesney

OUSA will get to indulge its by-election fetish one more time, after Ruby Sycamore-Smith emerged victorious in the Welfare Officer contest. Since Ruby has now resigned her current position as Campaigns Officer in order to take up the welfare position, there will be another by-election. Bliss. Read more...

Fashion Angers The Patriarchy

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 17th March 2013 by Zane Pocock

Dunedin’s iD Fashion Week was launched last Monday evening at a boozy invite-only function in the bowels of the Otago Daily Times. While introducing Susie Staley, who is the iD Committee Chairperson, Paul Dwyer of the ODT had a dig at the event’s lack of a major sponsor, suggesting that Read more...

Nuts! Out! For The Girls! (Nuts Out For The Girls)

Posted 4:23pm Sunday 10th March 2013 by Marcus Ellison

The art of streaking holds a curious place in New Zealand sporting culture. On the one hand very few people will go on record condoning the act. Broadcasters have gone as far as to pretend it doesn’t happen. They would rather cut to abstract shots of close-up grass than give a streaker the prize of Read more...

Apathetic Students Don't Show Up To Phoenix Game

Posted 4:23pm Sunday 10th March 2013 by Greg Hall

After an eventful week that featured the resignation of long-time coach Ricki Herbert and a midweek loss to the Newcastle Jets, the Wellington Phoenix rallied and came away with a 1-0 victory against Melbourne in our own backyard. Jeremy Brockie scored the only goal in the fixture, which was the Read more...

Panesar Becomes Commerce Meathead

Posted 4:23pm Sunday 10th March 2013 by Claudia Herron

England international cricketer Monty Panesar made a test appearance of a different kind by taking time out from his hectic training schedule to sit a two-hour exam at the Otago School of Business last Monday. Panesar is studying towards a Masters of Business Administration in Sport at Loughborough Read more...

Aquinas Loses Critic Privileges

Posted 4:23pm Sunday 10th March 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Following an attempt to separate themselves further from society, Aquinas College has been punished for hiding their weekly delivery of Critic magazines in a corner of the building’s foyer. The box of magazines, which was delivered on Monday 25 February, was shunned and hidden out of sight Read more...

OUSA To Spend App-roximately $30k

Posted 4:23pm Sunday 10th March 2013 by Zane Pocock

In a meeting held early last week, OUSA announced they are “looking at the possibility” of developing applications for iOS, Android and Windows smartphones at an estimated upper-end cost of $30,000. The app would likely include features such as “bumping” smartphones to exchange timetables, Read more...

Crazed Gunman Terrorises Wealthy Dunedin Suburb

Posted 4:23pm Sunday 10th March 2013 by Callum Fredric

At around 9pm on Wednesday 6 March, police and the Armed Offenders Squad were called out to a Tolcarne Avenue address in Maori Hill, where a man had apparently holed himself up in his house with his gun collection after a domestic incident. When Critic arrived at the property at 10pm after a Read more...

800 People Found Dead!

Posted 4:23pm Sunday 10th March 2013 by Claudia Herron

In what sounds like the plot of Tomb Raider III, a German archaeologist has uncovered a mass of unmarked graves revealing almost 800 long-decaying bodies. Dr Hans-Dieter Bader of Archaeology Solutions Ltd took to Central Otago with his fluxgate gradiometer and hand-held GPS unit to reveal the Read more...

Polytech Battles Uni for Fair Trade Glory

Posted 4:23pm Sunday 10th March 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Yet again, Otago Polytechnic has made a dismal attempt to compete with the University of Otago. Only a few weeks after the Uni publicised its Fair Trade Campaign to become the first fully accredited fair trade tertiary institution in New Zealand, the Polytech announced their participation. In Read more...

Every Vote Counts! (Except Abstain)

Posted 4:23pm Sunday 10th March 2013 by Staff Reporter

OUSA loves by-elections, and holds them all the time. This week they’re treating us to a delicious double-header, with both the Welfare and Postgraduate positions up for grabs. The candidates are Golda Matthias, Keir Russell and Ruby Sycamore-Smith. Golda and Ruby are duking it out for Welfare Read more...

More Details on Hyde Street Emerge

Posted 4:23pm Sunday 10th March 2013 by Sam McChesney

OUSA has provided more details on the format of this year’s Hyde Street party, with numbers likely to be capped at 3500 and ticket allocations given to residents. The decisions come after a public meeting on Monday and a stakeholders’ meeting on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Otago Daily Times’s coverage Read more...

Ricki Herbert Can Fuck Off

Posted 5:18pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 by Greg Hall

Ricki Herbert quit his job last week. Herbert had been in charge of the Wellington Phoenix since 2007. In that time he had a meagre 53 wins out of 154 games, a win percentage of around 34%. The Phoenix are woeful, and have been since their inception. Now, this may seem to be bordering on slander Read more...

Ruben Wiki Rims Rowdy Fan

Posted 5:18pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 by John Burton

If you weren’t aware, history was made on 23 February. This may not help you narrow down the timeframe due to the haze of O-Week. It was the Saturday night. The Warriors came to town, their first ever visit to this delightful metropolis called Dunedin, and offered up our first taste of rugby league Read more...

Test Cricket in Dunedin

Posted 5:18pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 by Callum Fredric

A three-test series in New Zealand is rarer than a five-day test against South Africa. The England series is the Black Caps’ last chance to win some glory after a whitewash of a season, with just the one (admittedly epic) victory against Sri Lanka. The first test starts in Dunedin on Wednesday, at Read more...

High School Implements Tuxedo Dress Code

Posted 5:18pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 by Dennis Larson

Dunedin’s own King’s High School has set up a class to teach Year 9 boys how to become gentlemen, based on a Texas course called The Gentlemen’s Society. According to the Otago Daily Times, the course will teach the boys “how to act like a sophisticated man,” including dining etiquette, how Read more...

Roots Still Not Forgotten

Posted 5:18pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 by Sam McChesney

Dunedin’s most famous roots band, Six60, haven’t forgotten their roots. In fact, these roots have been remembered so well, locked so tightly in Six60’s collective temporal lobes, that they have announced a show in the little old town from whence they spawned. Six60 will rise up onto the stage at Read more...

Psycho Nerd Goes on One-Man Killstreak

Posted 5:18pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 by Claudia Herron

An online gamer has tragically turned his fantasy “Guild Wars” game into a real-life “killed wars” game after losing a fantasy battle and allegedly killing his cyber rival. Police believe the attack was most likely motivated by the game the pair were playing prior to the incident. A dispute is said Read more...

ODT Invents 19 People

Posted 5:18pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 by Zane Pocock

The Otago Daily Times are at it again, this week falsely reporting on a meeting they didn’t attend. The gathering in question was hosted last Tuesday afternoon at OUSA’s Recreation Centre by the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA). It was a workshop designed to involve students in Read more...

O-Week Induces O-Faces

Posted 5:18pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 by Claudia Herron

Orientation ’13 has been hailed as one of the best yet, with this year’s batch of fizzed-up freshers much better behaved than the previous year. The week was jam-packed with successful events, including the never-tiresome Toga Party, perennial favourite Guy Cater, headlining act Macklemore & Ryan Read more...

Hyde Street's Future in Jeopardy

Posted 5:18pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 by Sam McChesney

Yesterday a rip opened in the space-time continuum, and Critic peered through a wormhole into the future. In this future, the 2013 Hyde Street Keg Party had been overtaken by meataxes. An influx of Christchurch bogans and the nihilism of the street’s inhabitants had wreaked havoc: people swung from Read more...

College Sports Day Occurs

Posted 9:40pm Sunday 24th February 2013 by Hayden McGregor

College Sports Day 2013 was held on the Tuesday of O-Week. The new batch of freshers arrived to enjoy some friendly competition against their hall rivals, as well as impress their new friends with some deft skills in touch rugby, netball, volleyball and football. Dunedin’s unusually good summer form Read more...

Sport stops you getting fat, look it up.

Posted 9:40pm Sunday 24th February 2013 by Gus Gawn

The sports pages are back for another year. One more year of denying the indie kids their ultimate goal of reserving Critic for unreadable niche comic strips, reviews of bands you never heard of and articles they plagiarised off Vice. Luckily, in 2013 we once again have an editor who loves his Read more...

OUSA Lauches Fair Trade Campaign

Posted 9:40pm Sunday 24th February 2013 by Sam McChesney

OUSA pushed its new fair trade message at Tent City on Thursday. The policy, which has been approved by the student body and the University Council, aims to bring predominantly fair trade products to the already laughably overpriced campus shelves. The smell of freshly-roasted Rwandan coffee Read more...

Politicians jump on the O-Week bandwagon

Posted 9:40pm Sunday 24th February 2013 by Sam McChesney

During O-Week, many things appear in the otherwise calm streets of Dunedin – short shorts, drunken bellows, vomit, cheery reps bearing vouchers that sound great when sensually pressed into your palm but actually promise nothing more than $1 off a kilo of tomatoes at the farmers’ market. The seasoned Read more...

"Thank you for letting me come here and dry hump your women!"

Posted 9:40pm Sunday 24th February 2013 by Claudia Herron

These were the words not of a Labrador on heat, but Macklemore as he headlined Orientation 2013 at Forsyth Barr Stadium alongside Ryan Lewis. After 20 weeks charting on the Billboard 100, with hit song “Thrift Shop” peaking at #1, Macklemore proved the ultimate crowd-puller with the 5000-strong gig Read more...

Zombie Spotted At Toga Party

Posted 9:40pm Sunday 24th February 2013 by Bella Macdonald

O-Week events were in full flight this week with 3000 freshers attending Forsyth Barr Stadium to take part in the infamous Toga Party on Tuesday night. DJs Swaren Veygal and 50Cal announced that it was, in fact, the biggest toga party in the world, to which the ear-piercing freshers shrieked Read more...

Student Culture Is Fucked

Posted 9:40pm Sunday 24th February 2013 by Zane Pocock

Castle Street has officially become lame following the completed transformation of the former Gardens Tavern (“Gardies”) into a $3.3 million University-owned and operated student study centre. The building, located at the north end of Castle Street, was a much- loved and notorious student night spot Read more...

Proctor Approves Of Arm-Breaking As Form Of Punishment

Posted 9:40pm Sunday 24th February 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Two University of Otago students had a disarming start to their O-Week after fall- ing off the roof of their flat, each breaking an arm. The incidents were subsequently leaked to the Otago Daily Times, humiliating the pair. The pair had been drinking a few beers when one of them fell off the Read more...

OUSA Cook-ing up a deal?

Posted 9:40pm Sunday 24th February 2013 by Claudia Herron

Uncertainty surrounds the future of beloved student pub The Captain Cook Tavern, with DB Breweries’ lease of the bar due to run out on 29 June. The current sub-lessees, the Cook Brothers, have indicated that they do not intend to renew while OUSA have denied any bid to pick up the lease. However, Read more...

A trip down memory lane with Josh Kronfeld

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012 by Gus Gawn

I’m a try-hard writer, so I’ll start with a quote: “It's true what they say, you should never meet your heroes, you'll only be disappointed.” (Father Dougal McGuire). Father Dougal is an idiot. Meeting your heroes is great. When I fell in love with rugby Josh Kronfeld was the best player in Read more...

Students Elect Students To The Student Seats Of Said Students’ Uni’s Council

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012 by Staff Reporter

It’s been a full week since we had a student-based election round these parts – far too long, in Critic’s opinion. So for your voting pleasure, we present the Student Elections to the University Council. The Council is the governing body of the Uni, so it’s pretty important that there are students Read more...

Goble Gobbles Pussy

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012 by Josie Adams

The year is coming to an end, and so is the career of one of the country’s foremost stars in student journalism: Howie Staples. During his illustrious career at Critic, which spanned a single year, Howie had his own column, graced the cover, recovered from a narcotics addiction, fooled some into Read more...

Otago Becomes Cheekier, Darker

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012 by Claudia Herron

The number of Maori students enrolled at the University of Otago has increased by 23% over the last five years, although research has shown that Maori from poorer socio-economic areas are still under-represented in all professional programs relating to health sciences. Otago Health Sciences Read more...

It’s a Hard Knock Life

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012 by Margot Taylor

A proposed refurbishment of the 116 year old Dunedin Prison will provide the opportunity for people to see the inside of a cell without having to be arrested. The former prison was bought by the Dunedin Charitable Trust in June for a mere $20,000. The prison was last home to criminals in Read more...

“Your Degree Is Fucking Useless” - NZ Herald

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012 by Zane Pocock

In a prime example of how The New Zealand Herald has gone tabloid, they claimed last week that an international report shows that “New Zealand university degrees are the most worthless in the developed world”. The OECD report showed that the life-long value of a New Zealand man’s tertiary Read more...

Muhammad Zariq Farhan bin Mohd Hanif Wins Gold Award

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012 by Gus Gawn

OUSA has presented the annual Otago Blues and Golds awards to the top athletes and cultural stars of the University of Otago. This is the 105th year in which the Blues have been awarded to students who have achieved to a high level in their chosen sport. The Golds Awards, which are in their Read more...

Affirmative Action Policy Leads to Selection of Right-Wing Editor

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012 by Dennis Larson

The political neutrality and general quality of Critic magazine are in jeopardy after radical right-wing activist and suspected larcenist Callum Fredric was selected as Critic Editor for 2013. Fredric’s political bias is ingrained in the very follicles of his hair, which he has partially dyed Read more...

Idea Stolen From France Hailed as “Audacious”

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012 by Claudia Herron

The Public Trust Building hosted a lavish awards ceremony for the 2012 Audacious student business plan competition, in which Ryan Everton took out the top honour with his sustainable plastic cup. Everton received $8,000 to put toward his company Globelet, which aims to reduce waste in New Zealand. Read more...

Criminals kill each other, crime rate drops

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012 by Bella Macdonald

New Zealand Police are giving themselves a big pat on the back after statistics released show that reported crime in New Zealand has reduced, despite a significant increase in the number of murders. NZ police revealed a 5.2% decrease in national reported crime in their release of the national Read more...

Maddy Phillipps highly commended at Student Press Awards

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 7th October 2012 by Bella Macdonald

Critic is once again bathing in the nectar of success after taking out Best Student Publication at the annual Aotearoa Student Press Association (APSA) awards in Wellington on September 28. Otago’s student mag raked in the top prizes of Best Student Publication, Best Editorial, Best Series Read more...

“I didn’t have any injuries except a brain injury”

Posted 5:01pm Sunday 30th September 2012 by Gus Gawn

What’s not to like about Nitro Circus? Action sports athletes who are equal parts talented and unhinged throwing and contorting themselves off enormous jumps on both conventional and improvised toys… it’s a great concept! The same sadistic curiosity that enticed people to attend events in the hope Read more...

New Apps for the Intolerant, Autistic, and Musically Illiterate

Posted 5:01pm Sunday 30th September 2012 by Bella Macdonald

Millions of dollars were thrown around in the dragon’s den of Castle 1 Lecture theatre during the APPSTAR Showdown on Wednesday September 26. The event was the final stage of a competition in which entrants came up with an idea for a smartphone app to be developed by Otago Innovation Ltd. The Read more...

Student Artists Actually Explain the Meaning of their Work

Posted 5:01pm Sunday 30th September 2012 by Callum Fredric

The 5th Annual OUSA Art Week put over $3000 into the hands of Dunedin’s student artists, with 56 out of the 200 pieces on display were sold. Students viewing the artwork were encouraged to vote for their favourite piece in the People’s Choice Awards. The winner was Chelsea Thomson’s work Read more...

Man Commits Suicide. Oops, Critic Broke the Law

Posted 5:01pm Sunday 30th September 2012 by Zane Pocock

New media reporting guidelines released last year by the Chief Coroner have been called into question by University of Otago Professor David Fergusson and Auckland's Dr. Annette Beautrais in an editorial published in the New Zealand Medical Journal. Prof. Fergusson and Dr. Beautrais say that Read more...

Mental Health Nurses Define Yelling as Assault

Posted 5:01pm Sunday 30th September 2012 by Margot Taylor

The increasing use of synthetic cannabis is being cited as a reason for the rising number of assaults on mental health workers. In the first seven months of the year there were 131 reported assaults on Otago Southern District Health Board mental health services staff, a rise of 37% on the same Read more...

City Councillor Edgar Putting the GC in DCC

Posted 5:01pm Sunday 30th September 2012 by Zane Pocock

OUSA President Logan Edgar has backed away from claims made on Radio One last Thursday that he is starting a campaign to be elected to the Dunedin City Council next October. He is, however, “really considering it”. In the meantime, Edgar is meeting this week with the Mayor and the Electoral Read more...

Colleges Officer Organises College Sports for Colleges

Posted 4:25pm Sunday 23rd September 2012 by Juana Diesing

Aquinas scored a late goal to snatch the overall trophy from Arana last Wednesday, marking the end of the inaugural inter-College Soccer Trophy. Eight Colleges contested the first-ever competition, with all matches played under lights on Wednesday evenings at Logan Park. Aquinas was an early Read more...

I’m Gunna Break Your Face

Posted 4:25pm Sunday 23rd September 2012 by Greg Hall

After the last incident regarding a certain Gus Gawn (Sports Editor and world renowned yonker) and the NZ Breakers, the powers that be at Critic decided to send their most popular reporter to the preseason game against the Wollongong Hawks. The Critic security team signed off on this straight away, Read more...

Fraudster Gambles On Freedom, Loses

Posted 4:25pm Sunday 23rd September 2012 by Claudia Herron

Name suppression has been lifted for the former University of Otago accounts manager who admitted to stealing almost $240,000 from the University over seven years. Graeme “Petty Cash” Pettitt has pleaded guilty to eight charges of accessing the university’s electronic accounting system between March Read more...

House Prices in Freefall, Sell! Sell! Sell!

Posted 4:25pm Sunday 23rd September 2012 by Margot Taylor

Figures released by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand show that over the last year Dunedin house prices have seen the largest fall of all major cities in the country. In August 2011 the median house price in Dunedin was $260,000. As of August 2012, a significant $20,000 has been Read more...

Physics Penalises Kickers’ Conversion Rates

Posted 4:25pm Sunday 23rd September 2012 by Bella Macdonald

Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr stadium is transforming into the House of Pain for rugby goal-kickers, after a series of feeble goal-kicking attempts from world-class athletes have left players embarrassed and pointing fingers in all directions. During the test match between the Springboks and All Read more...

Councillor Apologises for Calling Herself Old, Blames Senility

Posted 4:25pm Sunday 23rd September 2012 by Claudia Herron

Age Concern Otago has condemned two Dunedin City Councillors for their self-deprecatingly calling themselves “old farts” and “old fellas”. The comments, which were made by Councillors Fliss Butcher and Richard Thomson during a full council meeting on Monday, were interpreted as offensive to the Read more...

Alligator Attacks Terrorise Dunedin

Posted 4:25pm Sunday 23rd September 2012 by Josie Adams

There is a strange and terrifying underbelly to Edinburgh’s progeny that we are only just discovering. This week, in news from Dunedin FL, we reveal the insider’s scoop on the alligator attacks that have been terrorising the city. Like its Celtic namesake, the alleys of the city have become a Read more...

Emerson's: Pride of the South since 1992

Posted 4:25pm Sunday 23rd September 2012 by Callum Fredric

Emerson’s has reaffirmed its status as Dunedin’s premier brewery after ten of its finest brews were honoured at the Sutton Group Brewers’ Guild of NZ Awards 2012. The Regional Best Bitter won the trophy and a gold medal in the British Ale Styles category, with silver medals going to Emerson’s Read more...

PLEDGEIT

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012 by Staff Reporter

God, if there is a God, can be a bit or a dick. He blesses creative people with all the talent in the world, but no sales skills; no sense of self-promotion. And so they create, and suffer, and die sad lonely deaths in cold houses without ever being recognised in their lifetimes. As all creative Read more...

Student Politician Loves Spandex

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012 by Gus Gawn

We have reached Issue 24 of Critic for the year. That means only three more to go, and it’s fair to say that the well of relevant local sports stories has run a little dry. With that in mind, I made the short trip across the hall from the Critic office to ask OUSA Exec board member Angus McDonald Read more...

Fantasy Sports: The Anti-sex

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012 by Gus Gawn

Lurking just out of the sight of the casual sports fan is an ominous subculture: a pointless pursuit that robs sports fans of not only a high percentage of their waking hours, but also a good deal of their dignity, not to mention their allure to the opposite sex. I’m talking about fantasy sports: a Read more...

Otago Succeeds

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012 by Margot Taylor

A series of tertiary league tables released by the Tertiary Education Commission place the University of Otago first in two out of four performance areas. The study was conducted to reveal how taxpayer-subsidised students in New Zealand are performing in tertiary study. The four performance Read more...

OUSA Is So Gay

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012 by Zane Pocock

Candidate nominations are open for the election of OUSA’s 2013 Executive, from 9am this Monday 17 September until 4pm this Thursday 20 September. Voting is set to occur over the same time period in the week after nominations close. During the election period there will also be a referendum on Read more...

Student Jewry Sentences AUSA President to Insincere Apology

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012 by Callum Fredric

Arena Williams, the President of the Auckland University Students’ Association (AUSA), has been forced to apologise after taking a 10-day trip to Israel, funded by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC). According to its website, AIJAC “endeavours to highlight and counteract Read more...

Otago University's Two Dirty Little Screts

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012 by Callum Fredric

Two University staff members cancelled their plans to speak at an OUSA Environment Week presentation on the University’s use of lignite coal, apparently after discussions with the University’s communications section. Energy Manager Hans Pietsch and Environmental Sustainability Co-ordinator Dr Read more...

Students Engaging in Hubba-Hubba with no Rubber

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012 by Josie Adams

Results are in from a 2009 University of Otago Department of Preventative and Social Medicine survey which questioned nearly 3000 17 – 26 year old university students across New Zealand about their sexual practices. With no update in national sexual health and behaviour data for over 20 Read more...

Trespassed for being NORML

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012 by Bella Macdonald

The grass is no longer greener on the University of Otago’s side after the Uni issued several Trespass orders against members of National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) – without explaining why. On Wednesday September 12, Police issued trespass orders to a handful of Read more...

College Has Inferiority Complex

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012 by Zane Pocock

Dr. John Kernohan, chairman of the Presbyterian Commission, which is currently governing Knox College, says that the fort-esque student hall may have to pull up the drawbridge for the last time if they are unable to raise the $10.8 million of funding needed to undertake earthquake strengthening, Read more...

Environmental Bandits Pollute Otago Campus

Posted 4:57pm Sunday 16th September 2012 by Bella Macdonald

Generation Zero have tested the theory that all publicity is good publicity, after defacing University buildings with promotional propaganda on the evening of Sunday September 9. Generation Zero members from the University of Otago have been punished by the Proctor after their publicity stunt Read more...

Uni Games

Posted 4:03pm Sunday 9th September 2012 by Gus Gawn

Photo Caption: This is Mikey. She did real good at Uni Snow Games. That’s why there is a photo of her. Not cause she’s blonde. Promise. For the first time in eight years Otago University did not win the Michael Forrestall Memorial Shield for the best team at the Uni Snow Games. Numbers were Read more...

Joyce to The World

Posted 4:03pm Sunday 9th September 2012 by Zane Pocock

The University of Otago is under pressure from Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce to increase international student numbers. With international student enrolments at Otago falling by 18.8% between 2007 and 2011, Mr. Joyce called for the University to look “very closely” at its efforts Read more...

A Week to Green Out with your Buds

Posted 4:03pm Sunday 9th September 2012 by Zane Pocock

OUSA will be keeping the Greenies happy with the inaugural Environment Week starting on Monday September 10, being held “in an effort to raise student awareness of critical environmental issues, and inspire them to take action.” Scitell, a new series of lectures being launched by the Read more...

Slutwalk II: The Sluts Strike Back

Posted 4:03pm Sunday 9th September 2012 by Josie Adams

On Saturday September 1 Dunedin’s second annual Slutwalk hit the streets. Beginning outside the Dental School, the marchers progressed along George Street to the Octagon, where they were addressed by speakers on the topics of slut-shaming and victim-blaming. The “Slutwalk” movement began last Read more...

Shady Sheik speaks at Islam Awareness Week

Posted 4:03pm Sunday 9th September 2012 by Callum Fredric

Last week, the decadent city of Dunedin was treated to the spiritual guidance of hard-line Islamic Sheik Shady Alsuleiman. The sheik was invited by the Muslim University Students’ Association (MUSA) to deliver guest lectures for Islam Awareness Week on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the Castle and Read more...

Beloved Bars Bullied by Bureaucracy

Posted 4:03pm Sunday 9th September 2012 by Claudia Herron

The future of many local bars remains uncertain as substantial fee increases under the new alcohol law reforms threaten their livelihood. New legislation will see bar owners fronting the full cost of licensing applications, which are currently 50% subsidised by ratepayers. Critic spoke with Read more...

Rabbi’ng Shoulders with Alternative Faiths

Posted 4:03pm Sunday 9th September 2012 by Margot Taylor

The ninth annual open Peace Lecture was held last week in the St David Lecture Theatre. Israeli Rabbi Adi Cohen, who is part of the Wellington Progressive Jewish Congregation, delivered the lecture, entitled “Words, Concepts, Deeds. Peace as a way of living”. The lecture was organised by the Read more...

Asset Sales Delayed by Water and Wind Claims

Posted 4:03pm Sunday 9th September 2012 by Staff Reporter

In a move that is bound to have special resonance for students, the government has decided to delay the controversial partial sale of Mighty River Power (MRP). Following a Waitangi Tribunal report that was delivered to the government on August 23, but is yet to be made public, the sale is now Read more...

QUAN dethrones COMO as Most Failed Subject

Posted 4:03pm Sunday 9th September 2012 by Bella Macdonald

Full table of pass rates by subject available here: >>University of Otago Pass Rates by Subject 2009-2011 Picking papers has become even easier at the University of Otago after figures stating the average pass rate for each subject were released under the Official Information Act (OIA). Read more...

Look for your name in this club rugby finals wrap

Posted 5:17pm Sunday 2nd September 2012 by Gus Gawn

An extravaganza of club code at University Oval wrapped up the local competitions two weekends ago. Southern took on Dunedin in both the Prem 2 and Prem Colts finals, held on a sun-soaked but slippery uni oval pitch. It was a remarkable achievement that the Dunedin club’s teams qualified for the Read more...

Signs of life in Otago rugby

Posted 5:17pm Sunday 2nd September 2012 by Gus Gawn

The Otago Rugby Union has been chewed up and shat out this off season. For a while it looked like they might not even be able to afford a team, let alone win any games. But with the ITM Cup already underway and an exciting win against Northland, things are looking up. Critic asked injured student Read more...

Skiiers and Snowboarders Ski and Snowboard in Snow

Posted 5:17pm Sunday 2nd September 2012 by Bella Macdonald

With winter in full flight, around 100 students from New Zealand universities gathered to shred up Wanaka for the 2012 University Snow Games, held from August 26 — 31. The winter games have been held annually since 1945, making this the 67th year of competition. With the 2013 World Read more...

Let them smoke pot!

Posted 5:17pm Sunday 2nd September 2012 by Zane Pocock

Data from the “Dunedin Study” has shown that under-18s who regularly smoke marijuana are at risk of permanently reducing their IQ. The same dip doesn’t occur in those who become frequent users after 18, supporting previous research which has suggested that marijuana is particularly harmful for the Read more...

Homo-Haters Horrified by Humanitarian Hubris

Posted 5:17pm Sunday 2nd September 2012 by Callum Fredric

August was not a good month for Family First. The lobby group’s mensis horribilis began with the Family First-affilitated “Protect Marriage” website, which opposes gay marriage, being blocked as a “hate site” by the Dunedin City Council’s automated web filter. Family First spokesman Read more...

Alcohol gets its reform on, but not really.

Posted 5:17pm Sunday 2nd September 2012 by Staff Reporter

After months of debate, research, and whatever else it is that Members of Parliament do, they finally dealt with New Zealand’s binge drinking culture by making absolutely no changes at all. In the first effort to create change by changing nothing at all Justice Minister Judith Collins Read more...

Farmers hate the young

Posted 5:17pm Sunday 2nd September 2012 by Josie Adams

On 18 August student anti-climate change group Generation Zero was brutally suppressed by The Man in response to their latest publicity stunt, a “bus” of recycled cardboard containing some of the organisation’s members, which travelled around Dunedin calling for the Government to invest in smart Read more...

Speight’s Brewery to Increase Production of Mediocre Beer

Posted 5:17pm Sunday 2nd September 2012 by Claudia Herron

A major re-development of Speight’s Rattray Street Brewery will enable the brewing of over 24 million litres of beer per year for thirsty scarfies. Lion Breweries has been granted resource consent for the next stage of the $29 million re-development following completion of the first stage back in Read more...

Parliament gets FABULOUS!

Posted 5:17pm Sunday 2nd September 2012 by Zane Pocock

Labour MP Louisa Wall’s Marriage Amendment Bill, which aims to legalise gay marriage, passed its first reading in a landslide 80-40 conscience vote on the night of August 29. The vote drew a packed public gallery at Parliament, and with many tuned into Parliament TV social media outlets went Read more...

Boy Racers Engage in Antisocial Behaviour

Posted 5:17pm Sunday 2nd September 2012 by Margot Taylor

On Friday August 24 a large contingent of boy racers took to the roads surrounding Dunedin. There were a reported 1000 “hooligans” in 400 cars participating in Dunedin’s “Big Cruise”. While many claimed that the event would be an opportunity for young car enthusiasts to show that they are merely Read more...