Archive

Student Visa Backlog due to “Capacity Issues”

Posted 1:59pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Zak Rudin

Despite borders reopening and Aotearoa once again officially ‘open’ to international students, eager student travellers have hit one critical snag: Immigration New Zealand (INZ). Processing struggles have left many overseas students in limbo as a result.  Since April 12, Aotearoa Read more...

Ditch the Indomie and Cook Like A Granny

Posted 1:55pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Denzel Chung

A South Dunedin charity is aiming to teach life skills using the most potent source of wisdom known to humankind: grannies.They’re hoping their cooking workshops, focusing on cheap, sustainable recipes, will be a hit with eco-conscious, cash-strapped students.  The adorably-named Read more...

Toilet Prices Behind Hyde Ticket Price Increase

Posted 1:53pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Keegan Wells

Last week Critic Te Arohi reported that Hyde Street ticket prices have jumped this year by 10% ($5) for students and a whopping 35% ($7) for street residents. To get to the bottom of this, we spoke to Jason Schroeder, Events and Venues Operations Manager for OUSA. Just like any good conspiracy, Read more...

Local Councillor Apparently Editing his Own Wikipedia Page

Posted 1:43pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Fox Meyer

A Wikipedia user by the name of “Leevandervis” has been making edits to the Wikipedia page of Lee Vandervis, a Dunedin city councillor with a history of making controversial headlines.  Critic received a tip about edits made to Vandervis’ Wikipedia page on April 26, listed Read more...

Study Hopes to Pave Way for Blood Donation Equity

Posted 1:41pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Denzel Chung

A new study involving the University of Otago is hoping to collect data on HIV prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM). A key aim of this study is to change policies which have, until now, prevented many MSM from donating blood.  The Sex and Prevention of Treatment Study (SPOTS) is Read more...

Vape Juice has More Nicotine than You Think

Posted 1:38pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Fox Meyer

If you’ve always wondered why vapes are such a tough habit to kick, here’s a possible reason why: it contains a fuckton of nicotine. To be precise, you’d get as much nicotine from a bottle of 30mg vape juice as you would smoking almost ten pouches of rolling tobacco, or over 700 Read more...

Ukraine War Casts Spectre Over OUSA ANZAC Service

Posted 1:34pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Denzel Chung

Around 200 people of all ages, from students, to staff, to elderly servicepeople, attended OUSA’s 2022 annual ANZAC Day service. Held by the Memorial Walk outside the Staff Club building, this service was the first to be held outdoors since 2019. The weather was mostly sunny, although the Read more...

Drink Spiking Incident Correction

Posted 1:31pm Sunday 1st May 2022 by Fox Meyer

Last issue, Critic published a story about an OUSA club-organised BYO in which two people suspected their drinks had been spiked. The girl who suffered the worst of the two experiences got in touch with Critic to correct some major details of the story. Jamie* did not make it home ok, as Read more...

Ayo New Hyde St Just Dropped

Posted 2:21pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Keegan Wells

OUSA has confirmed that the Hyde St party is back for another year. After some uncertainty over dates, it’s finally been locked in to happen just a week before semester one exams.  OUSA confirmed on April 12 that the Hyde St Party will go ahead this year. After previously postponing Read more...

Uni Spent Almost $750k On Dairy in 2021

Posted 2:19pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Denzel Chung

Figures obtained by Critic Te Arohi show the Uni spent almost $750k on milk and dairy products in 2021.  Peer into almost any fridge in Uni and you’ll see it: bottle after bottle of Meadow Fresh milk. From hall breakfasts and morning coffees to office tearooms, the white stuff seems to Read more...

Food Sci 4th Years Fight Food Waste

Posted 2:16pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Fox Meyer

A group of Food Science 4th year students have designed a food box - like Hello Fresh - based entirely around NZ’s most commonly-tossed consumables. They plan to use local foodie social media accounts to promote their sustainable selection of goodies. “One of our main messages is that Read more...

New “Pop-Up” Youth Space Pops Up

Posted 2:14pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Zak Rudin

An after-school creative space, the Ōtepoti Youth Space, is being launched in Dunedin. Focused on high-school aged rangatahi, the aim is to make this a supportive and constructive space to engage with rangatahi and “celebrate… their creative talents”.  Hailey Xavier, Read more...

Ship Carrying ‘Blood Phosphate’ Arrives in Port Chalmers

Posted 2:12pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Zak Rudin

The ship Stony Stream has just landed in Port Chalmers, carrying 25,000 tonnes of phosphate from Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. This phosphate, which critics call “blood phosphate,” has been linked for decades to serious human rights abuses. Aotearoa is one of the last countries in Read more...

Suspected Drink-Spiking at BYO Leaves Club Baffled

Posted 2:10pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Fox Meyer

Two people suspect that their drinks were spiked at a BYO at the start of the year. According to Dunedin Hospital, rates of alcohol-related admissions spike around student party weekends like O-Week and St Paddy’s. The Otago University Snow Sports Club (OUSSC) hosted a public BYO at the Read more...

Stag Totals Students’ Car on West Coast

Posted 2:08pm Sunday 24th April 2022 by Keegan Wells

A group of students survived a harrowing car crash with a stag on the West Coast over the mid-sem break. The crash claimed most of their car’s front end, but amazingly left it intact enough to drive a further 50km to the nearest town. On April 14, Ali was heading up the West Coast with her Read more...

Student Reports “Outrageous” Abortion Experience

Posted 12:49am Saturday 23rd April 2022 by Keegan Wells and Fox Meyer

A student trying to get an abortion has criticised Dunedin Hospital for a “disgusting” and “disrespectful” experience. She is currently undergoing her third procedure for the same pregnancy, which she believed could’ve been avoided if information was presented Read more...

University Emissions Report: Behind the Pretty Numbers

Posted 12:47am Saturday 23rd April 2022 by Zak Rudin

In our last issue, Critic Te Arohi reported that the Uni’s carbon emissions dropped 40% in 2020 compared to 2019. We spoke with Craig Cliff, the Uni’s Net Carbon Zero Programme Manager, to help us understand what is going on. The report showed that most of the 40% actually came from a Read more...

Woof! has “Busiest Week of Year” after Hit with Anti-Vax Negativity

Posted 12:37am Saturday 23rd April 2022 by Annabelle Vaughan

Local Dunedin bar Woof has faced some backlash for continuing to use vaccine passes, despite the government dropping vaccine mandates on April 4. Owner Dudley Benson spoke to Critic Te Arohi about what it’s been like, and how vital the community’s support has been in this Read more...

Greens, Student Assocs Launch Student Wellbeing Inquiry

Posted 12:35am Saturday 23rd April 2022 by Fox Meyer

A group of 33 student unions have rallied together to launch a People's Inquiry into student wellbeing, alongside the Green Party. They said that students have been “betrayed” by a government that promised to provide support, that incremental increases in student loans were Read more...

Castle Residents Pitch In To Clean Up Their Street

Posted 12:32am Saturday 23rd April 2022 by Ruby Werry

At noon on a Friday, most breathas would have still been sprawled in bed, wincing at the sunlight streaming through their ratty curtains. But on April 8, several hundred students instead had brushes and rubbish bags in hand, cleaning up the streets of North D.  The group of students, mostly Read more...