Archive
Nominations close for mayoralty race
Posted 10:24am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Joel MacManus
Dave Cull could be facing a tougher race than usual in this year’s DCC Mayoral election, with a total of 11 candidates standing. DCC elections are run on a Single Transferrable Vote system whereby voters rank the candidates in terms of favorability, eliminating the lowest polling Read more...
New Zealand Young Writers Festival to take place in Dunedin
Posted 10:21am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Tom Kitchin
Calling all writers of any kind! Novelists, journalists, poets, songwriters, illustrators and more—this is the festival for you. From 1 – 4 September, Dunedin will host the second annual New Zealand Young Writers Festival. It will feature 15 completely free events. If you’re stuck Read more...
New World employees vow to continue fight for pay parity
Posted 10:18am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Joel MacManus
Protests at Centre City New World over a $2 an hour pay gap between North Island and South Island stores have resulted in multiple trespasses, a breakdown in negotiations, and threats of legal action after employees and management failed to reach an agreement after months of Read more...
75 turn out to protest Animal Research Centre
Posted 10:16am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Anonymous Bird
Around 75 people attended a protest on Saturday July 13 against the $50 million animal research centre being built on the University of Otago campus. The protest took place at the facility building site on Great King street. It was reportedly peaceful, with no police attendance required and campus Read more...
Meningitis case serves as reminder
Posted 10:13am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Hugh Baird
Brittany Arthur, an Otago Polytechnic nursing student in her final year, died last Saturday after an acute case of meningococcal meningitis. Arthur had been out for dinner, celebrating her final nursing exam. She awoke the next day with a headache and decided to go back to bed. However, she Read more...
Williamson coming of age
Posted 2:47pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Sean Nugent
During the second test against Zimbabwe last week, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson became the youngest ever batsmen to score a century against every test-playing nation. Not only was he the youngest to do so by over four years, but he also did so in the quickest time —both in terms of days Read more...
International scientists reveal 2015 worst on record for global warming indicators
Posted 2:41pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Sally Wilkins
Findings in a major international report indicate that 2015 was the worst year in modern history across a range of key climatic indicators with the “toppling of several symbolic mileposts”, international scientists have said. The report noted record highs in the average global Read more...
It’s not looking good for Aunty Helen, according to leaked UN Security Coucil straw poll
Posted 2:36pm Monday 15th August 2016 by George Elliott
Despite a worldwide media campaign, a celebrated televised debate performance and a refreshing message, Helen Clark’s bid for the United Nation’s top job could be coming to an end. Clark is in seventh place, according to the results of an informal straw poll conducted by the Security Read more...
Real Change’ remains unchanged: Exec elects to say ‘bye’ to by-Elections
Posted 2:31pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Joel MacManus
2016 is shaping up to be the first year in over two decades in which no OUSA by-elections have taken place. According to records of meeting minutes and annual reports, the last Executive group to make it through an entire year without a by-election was the group from 1994. The last year in which no Read more...
Sleepy second semester students seek secure study space
Posted 2:28pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Joel MacManus
OUSA is hoping to ensure the return of the 24 Hour Study Space for second semester exam time this year. The initiative, which saw the Clubs and Socs building on Albany Street extend its opening hours pasts its usual 10:30pm closing time, was hugely popular among students, who packed out the Read more...
Gender equality takes a hit as pay gap widens
Posted 2:26pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Joe Higham
The gender pay gap widened last quarter from 12.9 percent to 13.2 percent, a seemingly small change, yet one that highlights a step away from gender equality in New Zealand’s workplaces. The Pay Equality Coalition’s spokesperson Angela McLeod spoke of how it is “time for action Read more...
Viability of computerised exams investigated
Posted 2:24pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Joe Higham
Otago University has revealed it is investigating whether widespread use of computer-based examinations (CBE) is a possibility. A Working Group set up by the University includes representatives from the Divisions of Humanities, Health Science, Science, Commerce, and also OUSA, among others. The Read more...
Funnily enough Dunedin does need students
Posted 2:20pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Hugh Baird
The annual University of Otago Economic Impact Report was released last week at the latest University Council meeting. The report, which was compiled by the office of the Vice-Chancellor reported on the economic impact that the University had on the local economy, through expenditure of the Read more...
OUSA Execrable | Issue 19
Posted 2:16pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Joe Higham
Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Division of Humanities, Tony Ballantyne, attended this week’s executive meeting in order to provide answers to the student representatives in relation to the ‘Management of Change’ process taking place in the division, in which redundancies are certain Read more...
Harawira is back, and a Maori-Mana alliance over Te Tai Tokerau is on the cards
Posted 11:26am Sunday 7th August 2016 by George Elliott
Harawira lost his seat in the Maori electorate of Te Tai Tokerau to Labour’s Kelvin Davis by nearly seven percent of the vote in the 2014 election. It was a devastating loss for Mana, which had held the seat since it split with the Maori Party in 2011. Pundits chalked the de-crowning moment up Read more...
Have you heard of a feminist foreign policy? Sweden has
Posted 11:20am Sunday 7th August 2016 by George Elliott
In the aftermath of the Cold War, a feminist approach to international relations became popular among some academic circles. Two of the movements founding scholars, Cynthia Enloe and Carol Cohn , proposed using a critical "feminist consciousness" when examining how countries do business Read more...
All Blacks name squad for upcoming Rugby Championship
Posted 11:09am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Hugh Baird
Chiefs fullback Damien McKenzie and midfielder Seta Tamanivalu are the notable omissions from an All Blacks squad named last week to play in the upcoming Rugby Championship. Instead the All Blacks coaching staff have opted for Blues midfielder George Moala, who impressed in the test series Read more...
Opinion: Three Olympic events you need to watch
Posted 11:06am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Sean Nugent
The 2016 Rio Olympics are underway! It may be the most controversial games in history. But let’s forget that for a moment and focus on the actual events and the athletes taking part. Of course, there are some events that are must-watch television. However, instead of rattling off some obvious Read more...
Man jumps from plane without parachute, world shits itself
Posted 11:00am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Charlotte Haselden
A 42-year-old skydiver has plummeted back to earth, becoming the first person to jump from a plane with no parachute, landing in a net instead. Luke Aikins jumped from 25,000 feet above the desert landscape of California's Simi Valley, landing in a 39-by-39-metre two-tiered net which was set Read more...
American man kills home intruder by tying him to a tree
Posted 10:55am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Tom Kitchin
Tying a burglar to a tree with layers of tape and a clothesline, leading to death; some things can only happen in the US. Nathaniel Johnson, a 68-year-old resident of the town Leroy, Alabama, had become annoyed at the increasing number of burglaries at his property and decided something Read more...
Octagon Sleep-Out a resounding success
Posted 10:53am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Joe Higham
If you were drinking in town on the 29th July, you may have been wondering why there was suddenly a huge group of people sleeping in the Octagon. No they weren’t drunk students or the homeless community, but if you’d said the latter, you would’ve been close. In fact, 150 Read more...
Hope for AIDS eradication in Africa disappearing, experts say
Posted 10:51am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Georgia Vosper
Hope for the end of AIDS in Africa is disappearing, with recent warnings by health experts suggesting that ‘the end of AIDS by 2030’ is not actually a very achievable goal. The number of infections is rising and the input of funding internationally is declining, possibly due to the Read more...
Uncertain times for humanities staff as five departments facing redundancies
Posted 10:49am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Joe Higham
A media briefing held by Otago University on Wednesday 3 August, provided few assurances to the future of staff members in the Division of Humanities. Otago University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor, Tony Ballantyne, addressed the media, stating that five departments within the division will Read more...
OUSA on a mission to get students voting
Posted 10:46am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Joel MacManus
OUSA has launched what Administrative Vice-President Jarred Griffiths describes as “the largest student voter enrolment drive we’ve ever done”. Over the past two weeks, Exec members have been visiting halls and encouraging enrolments with the promise of pizza for the floors who Read more...
Yet another proposal could chip away at already diminishing student freedoms
Posted 10:44am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Joe Higham
A registration scheme for students planning flat parties is being considered by OUSA following its successful implementation in the Riccarton West suburb of Christchurch. The scheme allows people who are planning to throw a party to register it in order to seek advice on issues such as Read more...
Hyde street residents fearing for safety after spate of attacks
Posted 10:41am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Joel MacManus
A number of residents on Hyde street have raised concerns over student safety after a series of attacks in the area. Police were called to the area last Saturday after a male student walking with his girlfriend was assaulted by two males believed to be non-students. No arrests were made. Another Read more...
OUSA Execrable | Issue 18
Posted 10:37am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Joel MacManus
Following the results of the 2016 OUSA Referendum, there will no longer be regulations against offensive costumes at the annual Hyde Street party. The controversial measure, which was introduced this year, was defeated by a 28 percent margin, with a total of 3205 votes cast. In a more Read more...
The greatest ever Olympic moment?
Posted 11:34am Sunday 31st July 2016 by Hugh Baird
After a four year wait since London, this week will see the commencement finally of the Rio Olympics. In honour of that, we here at Critic decided to take a look back at likely the finest moment in Olympic history: Eric Moussambani—“Eric the Eel” Eric Moussambani produced quite Read more...
Opinion: IOC just another dodgy sports organisation
Posted 11:26am Sunday 31st July 2016 by Sean Nugent
In the early hours of Monday morning, the leaders of the International Olympic Committee convened to discuss the banning of the Russian Olympic team from the upcoming games. Over the course of three hours, they had the chance to come to a conclusion that could change the future of sport forever. Read more...
Plea for Policy: Why the government should devolve social services to iwi
Posted 11:13am Sunday 31st July 2016 by Henry Napier
The 21st century so far has offered some significant ebbs in New Zealand race relations. If one were to ask a New Zealand politics student what the major blows for bi-culturalism were in the last 16 years you would likely receive a list of the following; the passing of the Foreshore and Seabed Act Read more...
John Key plans to eradicate all NZ predators by 2050
Posted 11:04am Sunday 31st July 2016 by Joel MacManus
The Government has announced what John Key calls “the most ambitious conservation project attempted anywhere in the world”, with a lofty goal of making New Zealand predator-free by 2050. The plan would establish a new Crown Entity, Predator Free New Zealand, which will work alongside Read more...
Labour and Greens already arguing, despite ‘Memorandum of Understanding’
Posted 10:58am Sunday 31st July 2016 by Joel MacManus
Trouble in Paradise? The Labour-Greens agreement has had its first public spat, a disagreement over housing policy. Greens Co-Leader Meteria Turei said she wanted to see a 50 percent drop in house prices over the next 10 to 15 years, and outlines a plan to get there by introducing a Capital Gains Read more...
Hospital to change focus from specialised to general provider
Posted 10:55am Sunday 31st July 2016 by Joe Higham
The Dunedin Hospital may look like a carpark, but now, plans are being developed to completely rebuild the hospital, at a cost of approximately $300 million. On top of that, or despite it depending on how you look at it, the Southern District Health Board are also in the process of changing the Read more...
Cull served with defamation papers ahead of election
Posted 10:44am Sunday 31st July 2016 by Joel MacManus
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull is facing a $500,000 defamation action after being served with legal papers while walking down Bath St last Thursday. The claim was filed by fellow Dunedin City Councillor Lee Vandervis. At a council meeting in December, Cr Vandervis had stated a belief that there were Read more...
Political conventions are stupid, dumb, pointless, fun
Posted 11:04am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Joel MacManus
We are right now in the middle of the most meaningless, overhyped, expensive exercise in political cheerleading in the Western World —The Republican and Democratic National Conventions. National Conventions are to the US what the Monarch is to New Zealand – Formerly powerful Read more...
Tiger Woods out for season, set to play off course instead
Posted 10:57am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Hugh Baird
Tiger Woods has announced he will pull the pin on the rest of the season, citing on-going rehab from a spate of back surgeries late last year. The PGA released a statement last week in which they announced that Woods had withdrawn from their upcoming tournament. Woods’ agent, Read more...
Opinion: Just how stupid is the Super Rugby format?
Posted 10:53am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Sean Nugent
Answer: Extremely. In fact, it could be argued that it is the worst in the world, across all sports and all competitions. It’s so bad I don’t even know where to begin. First of all, what’s the deal with the conferences? Are there two or are there four? Surely it would be a Read more...
President Erdogan yet to rule out death penalty following coup
Posted 10:46am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Hugh Baird
More than 50,000 people in Turkey have been rounded up, sacked or suspended from their jobs in the wake of an attempted coup, including teachers, university deans and those in the media. Additionally, 103 generals and admirals have also been formally charged, making up over a third of the general Read more...
Trump chooses conservative, homophobic, overly religious running mate
Posted 10:43am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Georgia Vosper
Donald Trump has announced Governor of Indiana Mike Pence as his vice-presidential running mate, after he was officially sworn in as the Republican presidential candidate last week. Politically, Pence is a ‘safe’ choice for Trump, due to his vast legislative and executive Read more...
Neither rich white nominee will help quell America’s racial tensions
Posted 10:37am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Joe Higham
As America narrows its presidential hopefuls down to just two, the expectation on whoever is sitting in the Oval Office come the end of the year is intensifying. American President Barack Obama, who is now about to reach the culmination of his administration, remains largely unable to quell Read more...
Dunedin in lockdown as election excitement grips city
Posted 10:34am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Joe Higham
Dunedin’s Local Elections are underway, with nominations opening on July 15. Nominations close on August 12, with election day set for Saturday October 8 at noon. With only 10 days having passed since the nominations, it is understood that more people will decide to run for the Read more...
Reserve Bank pulls out new lending restrictions
Posted 10:29am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Hugh Baird
The Reserve Bank announced last week that new restrictions will be put in place for lending on property in an attempt to cool the already heated property market. The changes announced will see property investors throughout the country needing a minimum required deposit of 40 percent, while Read more...
South Dunedin fucked without bold decisions
Posted 10:27am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Joe Higham
A report made by the Otago Regional Council has discovered houses in South Dunedin are in danger in relation to sea-level rise without bold decisions from those in power. The report, which used seven years of data, identified that rising water levels could potentially cause permanent Read more...
Drinking in cars set to skyrocket during NY festivities.
Posted 10:25am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Hugh Baird
For those looking at making the annual pilgrimage to Rhythm and Vines, expect to be hit in the pocket. This year, the campsites organisers are planning on doing away with the BYO after concerns from local police and council. On site camping at Rhythm and Vines increased last year after the Read more...
Students sleeping in Octagon by choice this time
Posted 10:23am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Joe Higham
The Dunedin Sleep Out, an event in which participants sleep out in the Octagon to raise awareness and money for homelessness in Dunedin, will take place from 7pm on July 29. Last year, the event raised $12,000, which went toward contributing the final amounts needed for the Dunedin Night Read more...
OUSA Execrable | Issue 16
Posted 10:19am Sunday 24th July 2016 by Joe Higham
The Executive met on Friday July 15, in the first meeting since OUSA President Laura Harris left for a leadership course in Beijing. OUSA Administrative-Vice President, Jarred Griffiths, chaired the meeting in her absence. A Returning Officer's’ Report was presented at a previous Read more...
Rory McIlroy blasts inclusion of golf in Olympics
Posted 11:05am Sunday 17th July 2016 by Sean Nugent
Earlier this week top golfer Rory McIlroy dished out a scathing attack on the Olympics, maligning the inclusion of golf in the games for the first time since 1904. He spoke bluntly and honestly about his decision to not compete in the games, citing the fact that the Olympics are not, and never have Read more...
Opinion: Are the Olympics starting to lose legitimacy?
Posted 11:02am Sunday 17th July 2016 by Sean Nugent
After Rory McIlroy’s comments this week, one was reminded of the ridiculous amount of sports now included in the Olympic Games. This year’s games will have 308 events across 28 different sports, an Olympic record. To put this in context, there were only 43 events at the first modern Read more...
DCC accused of “active and wilful campaign to discourage student voters”
Posted 10:58am Sunday 17th July 2016 by Joel MacManus
The Press Council has part-upheld a complaint from Dunedin City Council against this article. The PressCouncil decision is here http://www.presscouncil.org.nz/ Negotiations have broken down between OUSA and Dunedin City Council over plans to place a special Read more...
Emails reveal DCC deception over 2013 voting booth decision
Posted 10:55am Sunday 17th July 2016 by Joel MacManus
The Press Council has part-upheld a complaint from Dunedin City Council against this article. The PressCouncil decision is here http://www.presscouncil.org.nz/ Emails have been acquired by Critic between DCC Electoral Officer Pam Jordan and a number of Read more...
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