Archive

Dunedin Channel 39 Survives Online

Posted 11:05am Sunday 24th September 2017 by Critic

A Critic article entitled ‘Local TV station Channel 39 is “Essentially Dead” – NZ on Air CEO’  was based on outdated information. While the statements quoted were correct, they did not reflect the changes Channel 39 had made to transform from a TV broadcaster to an Read more...

Otago Student Wins Brain Research Award

Posted 11:04am Sunday 24th September 2017 by Lucy Hunter

PhD student Ashwini Hariharan was awarded the Best Student Poster Presentation at the 35th Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research held in Queenstown between 1-6 September 2017. Hariharan’s research is in brain vascular dysfunction; problems in brain blood flow and Read more...

Pharmacy Students Launch Awareness Campaign

Posted 10:59am Sunday 24th September 2017 by Joel MacManus

University of Otago Pharmacy students want people to know that pharmacists are more than just pill-counters at the corner store. New Zealand Association of Pharmacy Students Otago (NZAPS-O) President Alice Weil says that their profession is often misunderstood and underestimated. “NZAPS-O has Read more...

Survey Shows 74% of Landlords Would Increase Rent if Labour Win Election

Posted 10:52am Sunday 24th September 2017 by Joe Higham

Results of a survey released by the New Zealand Property Investors Federation (NZPIF) showed that as many as 74 percent of the 800 landlords surveyed would increase rents if Labour wins the election and implements its housing policies. With Critic’s publication and distribution dates Read more...

Cutlers Appear to Have Been Tricking Tenants with Fixed-Term Contracts for Boarding Houses

Posted 10:45am Sunday 24th September 2017 by Joel MacManus

Cutlers Ltd, one of the largest property management firms in North Dunedin, appear to have, in at least one case, required tenants to sign fixed-term contracts, when the law allows tenants to terminate their tenancies after giving only 48 hours’ notice. Tenants at 63/A Queen Street signed Read more...

Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 24

Posted 10:37am Sunday 24th September 2017 by Joe Higham

The executive, who were joined by several of the successful candidates from the recent election, began with their ‘Executive Quick Round Up’. OUSA President Hugh Baird mentioned he has attended several important meetings recently, including with the Proctor and Dunedin City Council, the Read more...

Critic Interviews: Chlöe Swarbrick

Posted 5:04pm Friday 22nd September 2017 by Joe Higham

Last week, Critic's co-editor Joe Higham sat down with Green Party candidate for the Maungakiekie electorate (and 7th on the party list) Chlöe Swarbrick to discuss the election campaign, the treatment of former co-leader Metiria Turei, and the fact that she sees a real need for a Read more...

Farah Palmer Cup Kicks Off With Canterbury Winning 20-7

Posted 11:36am Sunday 17th September 2017 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi

The provincial women’s rugby competition, the Farah Palmer Cup, kicked off last week. The Otago Spirit team took on Canterbury at Linfield Park in Christchurch at noon on Sunday the 3rd. Fortunately the morning rain had cleared by the time the game started. Supporters packed the sideline, Read more...

Clean Sweep of Executive Ten Hour Position by Unity Ticket

Posted 11:17am Sunday 17th September 2017 by Joe Higham

The ‘Unity’ ticket managed a clean sweep of the entirety of the OUSA Executive’s ten hour positions, with a conclusive margin of at least 20 percent in each. Kirio Birks ran unopposed to a 67 percent margin win over the pink-spotted ‘no confidence’ apple. He said he Read more...

Opinion – Election Endorsement: We Need the Green Party

Posted 11:07am Sunday 17th September 2017 by George Elliott

I had been contemplating a trip into Jacindamania, but have come to my senses. A partnership with the Greens would make a change of government more meaningful. The Green Party needs to be a part of a progressive Labour-led government and if Labour doesn’t win, this country needs a Green voice Read more...

20 Hour Positions - ‘Be Bold’ Ticket Successful in Vice President and Finance Positions, Loses Welfare and Education

Posted 10:59am Sunday 17th September 2017 by Joel MacManus

Voters indicated a mood for change in the OUSA Vice-Presidential race last week, ousting current Education Officer Bryn Jenkins. Cam Meads, who headed the ‘Be Bold’ ticket, defeated Jenkins of the ‘Unity’ ticket by a margin of 38 percent to 31 percent. Guy McCallum, who Read more...

Caitlin Barlow-Groome Wins Closest OUSA Presidential Race in Years

Posted 10:52am Sunday 17th September 2017 by Joe Higham

Current OUSA Recreation Officer Caitlin Barlow-Groome has won a closely contested presidential race, with just over 2 percent separating her from Finn Shewell of ‘Unity’. The rest of the candidates, namely Monique Mulholland (‘Justice Through Solidarity’), Lync Aronson Read more...

Pro Wrestlers Go Viral With Fake ‘Young Nats’ Billboards

Posted 10:46am Sunday 17th September 2017 by Joel MacManus

A series of fake billboards claiming to be endorsed by the Young Nats took the internet by storm this week. Featuring slogans such as ‘Keeping the ‘Our’ in Aotearoa’, ‘Things are Fine’ and ‘It’s Probably Your Fault’, they stirred up Read more...

Green Party Tertiary Education Policy a Positive Step Forward – NZUSA

Posted 10:37am Sunday 17th September 2017 by Joe Higham

Green Party Leader James Shaw was on campus last week to announce their new Tertiary Education policy to a packed Union Hall. Joined by Maungakiekie candidate Chlöe Swarbrick and Dunedin North candidate Niki Bould, Shaw revealed that the policy will include a universal student allowance, Read more...

How Many Counselling Sessions Do Student Health Provide?

Posted 10:32am Sunday 17th September 2017 by Joel MacManus

Mental health was defining issue of the 2017 OUSA elections, with every presidential candidate promising better funding and support. Unity 2018’s Mission Statement included a promise to “ensure best health” by partnering with the university to establish a ‘Wellness Read more...

“Holy Crap” – Marketing Professor Wins Top Honours at OUSA Teaching Awards

Posted 10:26am Sunday 17th September 2017 by Joel MacManus

“My first thought was holy crap,” says John Guthrie, upon finding out he had won Premier Lecturer at the OUSA Teaching Awards. Guthrie is a senior lecturer who has been with the Department of Marketing for 29 years. He specialises in Retailing, Personal Selling and Sales Management, Read more...

New Zealand Rugby to Get a ‘Tewn’ Up

Posted 11:29am Sunday 10th September 2017 by Charlie Hantler

In September last year, New Zealand Rugby Chief Executive Steve Tew announced that they were undertaking a “Respect and Responsibility” review of the national game. The review cost more than $150,000 and the findings were approved by New Zealand Rugby's board last month and released Read more...

Grant Robertson Talks About Homophobic Abuse

Posted 11:04am Sunday 10th September 2017 by Joel MacManus

In a candid interview with Critic, Labour Party Finance Minister Grant Robertson revealed the extent of the personal attacks he has faced since he became an MP. Robertson, who is openly gay, said that he has experienced both “actual abuse” and “unconscious bias” over his Read more...

Critic’s Guide to the 2017 General Election

Posted 10:54am Sunday 10th September 2017 by Esme Hall

More young people have enrolled to vote than at this point in 2014. But, young people are still underrepresented in choosing New Zealand’s government. It’s not that we don’t care, it’s just that none of the parties really speak to us. Or they all do, in different ways. When Read more...

What Do the Presidential Candidates Actually Represent?

Posted 10:50am Sunday 10th September 2017 by Joel MacManus

Justice Through Solidarity: Old School Radicals Pres Candidate: both Monique Mulholland and Angus Wilson These guys are a throwback to radical student activism of the 1980s. The lovechild of a last-minute union between socialists and feminists, they are peculiarly running two presidential Read more...

Please Stop Electing Unqualified White Guys

Posted 10:43am Sunday 10th September 2017 by Sam McChesney

In Iron Fist, Marvel’s tone-deaf TV show about mighty-whitey kung-fu billionaire Danny Rand, Rand gives a monologue about how he came to be the Iron Fist: “When I got to the monastery post-crash, I learned of a certain position. A powerful, important job and I wanted it … The Read more...

OUSA Presidential Forum Roundup: No Confidence Takes Decisive Lead in Opinion Polls

Posted 10:38am Sunday 10th September 2017 by Joe Higham

The OUSA Executive Election Forums that were held last week provided a slightly larger and more invested crowd than usual, and a surprising amount of insight and conflict. Predictably, given the lack of advocacy by this year’s executive, all of the candidates pledged to increase their level Read more...

Dunedin Craft Beer Festival Sells Out of Tickets

Posted 10:29am Sunday 10th September 2017 by Joel MacManus

In its fifth year, the Dunedin Craft Beer Festival is on track to be the biggest it’s ever been. From a small event entirely based on the concrete slab at the Otago Daily Times end of Forsyth Barr Stadium the event has expanded to encompass the entire field. The festival was originally Read more...

‘No Surprises’ Surprises and Multidimensional Scandal Strip Tease

Posted 11:06am Sunday 3rd September 2017 by George Elliott

There's been allegations made of leaking, dirty rumours on Twitter and blurring lines between the bureaucratic and political – the election is just threeish weeks away! The so-called ‘no surprises’ convention – not strictly the singular matter of Winston Peters' Read more...

Opinion: The Wave of Optimism is Huge; That Also Means There is Further to Fall

Posted 10:49am Sunday 3rd September 2017 by Joe Higham

When I asked Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern which current World leader she has the most admiration for during a brief interview while on her recent visit to Dunedin, she immediately said, “oh, if it wasn’t current, I would’ve said Obama, because what he did was extraordinary”. Read more...

Aotearotica Editor Talks Sex and Sexuality in Dunedin

Posted 10:38am Sunday 3rd September 2017 by Lucy Hunter

This week is the New Zealand Young Writers Festival, a fantastic range of talks and workshops that Dunedin is lucky to host. One of the events is Pleasure and Pain: Writing about Sex and Sexuality. The editor of NZ erotica journal Aotearotica Laura Borrowdale is speaking to Pantograph Punch’s Read more...

New Figures Show Suicide is at a Record High

Posted 10:32am Sunday 3rd September 2017 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi

According to figures released by Judge Deborah Marshall, New Zealand’s Chief Coroner, New Zealand’s suicide statistics have reached a record high. The numbers have continued to rise over the last three years, with 606 people taking their own lives during 2016-2017. New Zealand has one Read more...

When Are We Putting CCTV Cameras All Over Central Dunedin?

Posted 10:22am Sunday 3rd September 2017 by Joel MacManus

Police figures from 2016-17 have revealed the zone between Frederick Street and the Octagon to be the area of the city with the highest number of reported crimes in the Otago region. 50 percent of the 3270 crimes reported in Dunedin City occurred in the broad CBD area stretching from High Street Read more...

Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 21

Posted 10:18am Sunday 3rd September 2017 by Joe Higham

The 2017 executive have deteriorated into depths not seen since, well, last year, during the most recent two meetings, passing motions that to anyone who actually cares are outrageous, especially in light of the budget cuts the association is facing. University student Francis Bradley came along Read more...

The Jacinda Effect

Posted 2:09pm Tuesday 29th August 2017 by Sam Fraser-Baxter

The Hunter Centre hosted the Labour Party's health announcement on Friday last week. Labour has been making remarkable ground on National in the polls since Jacinda Ardern replaced Andrew Little as the party’s leader three weeks ago. The atmosphere in the centre was buoyant as two Read more...

Twitter Thinks The '#motherofallscandals' is About to Drop

Posted 4:37pm Monday 28th August 2017 by Joel MacManus

New Zealand’s political twittersphere has been buzzing with rumours of a big political scandal, known now as the #motherofallscandals, which is expected to come to light at some stage today. Newsroom.co.nz has apparently got their hands on something juicy, and a number of top journalists Read more...

Critic Interviews: Metiria Turei

Posted 11:55am Friday 25th August 2017 by Joe Higham

Critic co-editor Joe Higham met up with former Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei to discuss the revelations that led to her political downfall, her chances in the Te Tai Tonga Maori electorate, and how she is “absolutely certain” that the National Party will lose this year’s Read more...

Critic Previews the English Premier League

Posted 11:10am Sunday 20th August 2017 by Charlie Hantler

As John Terry embraced Antonio Conte and hoisted the trophy high in May this year, many thought this was the beginning of a legacy. Chelsea had all-but walked the league after the charismatic Italian, Conte, altered their formation to 3-5-2, a month into what was starting to be a worrying campaign. Read more...

Big shout out to student voters!

Posted 11:07am Sunday 20th August 2017 by Professor Janine Hayward

The election campaign just got a whole lot more exciting. The promotion of Jacinda Ardern to leader of the Labour Party has breathed life into an otherwise very lifeless campaign. More importantly, it’s got students on campus talking about politics. Ardern is being described as ‘the Read more...

The Opportunities Party Fills Dunedin Auditorium on National Roadshow

Posted 10:45am Sunday 20th August 2017 by Joe Higham

Care. Think. Vote. That was the message displayed on the projector of Dunedin’s Glenroy Auditorium where the Opportunities Party's (TOP) Leader Gareth Morgan spoke last week. A crowd of well over one hundred people gathered to hear what the millionaire businessman and economist had to Read more...

National Party to Spend $60 Million on Bootcamps for Young Offenders if Re-elected

Posted 10:40am Sunday 20th August 2017 by Emma Gordon

In a controversial move to assert themselves as the ‘law and order’ party, National has announced a $60 million package targeting recidivist young offenders, to be rolled out if re-elected into government. $30 million of the $60 million has been allocated to establishing a defence-led Read more...

Equal Pay Week: “It’s Time to Pay the Sisters the Same as the Misters”

Posted 10:36am Sunday 20th August 2017 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi

This last week, from Saturday 12 August until Saturday 19 August, has been Equal Pay Week. Its purpose is to draw attention to the need for fairness in the workplace, for everyone to have the same opportunities to advance their careers, and for pay equality regardless of one’s Read more...

Developer and DCC Go Back and Forth on Five-Star Hotel Plans

Posted 10:32am Sunday 20th August 2017 by Joel MacManus

The plans for a 17-storey five-star hotel planned for Dunedin’s Moray Place have been amended by its developer in the hope that it will be accepted by the Dunedin City Council. Phil Page, Partner at Gallaway Cook Allen Lawyers and lawyer acting for Tekapo businessman and the hotel developer Read more...

The ‘Jacinda Effect’ Causes Spike in Campaign Volunteers – and Not Just for Labour

Posted 10:30am Sunday 20th August 2017 by Joel MacManus

The Dunedin North Labour Party say they have signed up an extra 52 campaign volunteers since Jacinda Ardern was made leader, as both major parties report an increased interest in this election campaign. Labour Party Campaign Manager for Dunedin North Jarred Griffiths says that during the 2017 Read more...

Super Liquor Plan to Open Store at Former McDuffs Brewery Site

Posted 10:26am Sunday 20th August 2017 by Joel MacManus

A plan to open a new liquor store in the student quarter is facing criticism from the Police, the university, and the Dunedin City Council ahead of a District Licensing Committee hearing. The proposal is to have a new Super Liquor store built on Great King Street at the former McDuffs Brewery Read more...

OUSA Disaffiliate Religious “Cult” After “Bringing OUSA Into Disrepute”

Posted 10:21am Sunday 20th August 2017 by Joe Higham

OUSA have formally disaffiliated a controversial religious group, labelled by many as a cult, after “bringing OUSA into disrepute, ignoring OUSA directives and breaching the [association’s] constitution”. Elohim Bible Academy are a subgroup of the World Mission Society Church of Read more...

Keeping tabs on the Exec | Issue 20

Posted 10:18am Sunday 20th August 2017 by Joe Higham

One of the first things the OUSA Executive do at each meeting is to go around the group briefly detailing what they have been working on since the previous week’s meeting. President Hugh Baird, after mentioning time spent on the budget and Art Week, noted that he met with three members of Read more...

Much More Respect Needed For Women's Rugby

Posted 5:40pm Sunday 13th August 2017 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi

When someone says New Zealand, what do you think of? Kiwis, probably; perhaps pavlova – well depending on which side of the fierce which-country-did-pavlova-come-from battle between New Zealand and Australia you fall on; Jandals? Pineapple lumps? At the end of the day, New Zealand is known for Read more...

Metiria Turei Resigns: From the Media’s Hard Questions to Labour’s Nakedly Evil Disownment

Posted 11:13am Sunday 13th August 2017 by George Elliott

It’s an utter shame that Metiria Turei has gone. It reflects something dark (i.e. politics as usual) in both the left and the news media in this country. The media going hard on Turei is part of the package deal. These past couple of weeks, what struck me has not been RNZ’s Susie Read more...

Pirates Women 27 – 10 Varsity Women

Posted 10:55am Sunday 13th August 2017 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi

Last Saturday the two top women’s rugby teams, University and Pirates, battled it out for the championship trophy at St Clair’s Kettle Park. The conditions were very blustery and the wind added a considerable chill factor as well as an extra challenge for the players. Both teams lined up Read more...

Mitre 10 Cup Preview: Otago Rugby

Posted 10:51am Sunday 13th August 2017 by Charlie Hantler

Last Season: Lost in Championship final to North Harbour (14-17).   Players to Watch: Vilimoni Koroi: The fleet-footed outside back has already made a name for himself fresh out of Fielding High School for the New Zealand Sevens team and is a real scoop for Otago. Expect to see him Read more...

Oppose Cuts, Defend Our Staff

Posted 10:47am Sunday 13th August 2017 by Save Our Services, Save Our Staff

This article was written by the Tertiary Education Union and Public Service Association’s “Save Our Services, Save Our Staff” Action Committee and represents their opinion on the Student Services Review.   Vice-Chancellor Harlene Hayne recently announced plans Read more...

Re:Fuel Accused of Not Protecting Customer After Assault Complaint to Bouncer

Posted 10:40am Sunday 13th August 2017 by Joel MacManus

Re:Fuel has been accused of not doing enough to protect the safety of its patrons, after one student was assaulted even after requesting help from bouncers several times. Jack Brazil says he was out at pint night two weeks ago with some friends. “It basically started in the line to Re:Fuel. Read more...

Labour Finds New Life for Old Election Signs

Posted 10:36am Sunday 13th August 2017 by Joel MacManus

After the shock resignation of former Labour Leader Andrew Little and the promotion of the newly crowned saviour of left wing politics, Jacinda Ardern, Labour had one small problem. They had already put their billboards up. Across the country, fenceposts and walls had been plastered with the big Read more...

First naked person in Lumsden since 1934

Posted 10:34am Sunday 13th August 2017 by Charlie O’Mannin

Satire An already riveting debate over the extension of a council bylaw on freedom camping in the Stewart Island town of Lumsden suddenly became breaking news last Tuesday as His Worship the Mayor of Southland Gary Tong revealed that he had, in fact seen a naked person in the town, something that Read more...