Archive

The 2015 Rugby World Cup Kicks Off

Posted 1:00pm Sunday 20th September 2015 by Daniel Lormans

It seems like only yesterday that Richie McCaw was proudly holding up the William Webb Ellis Cup in the middle of Eden Park and John Key was performing his infamously awkward triple handshake after the All Blacks won the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Pool A has been labelled as the “group of Read more...

Thousands Run in the Dunedin Marathon

Posted 12:55pm Sunday 20th September 2015 by Daniel Lormans

Nearly 2000 people took part in the 37th annual Cadbury Dunedin Marathon on Sunday 12th September.  A group of 21 Otago students used the event to raise $4,800 for the Do It In a Dress campaign, raising money for One Child - an education initiative for young girls in Africa.  The first Read more...

News in Briefs | Issue 24

Posted 12:50pm Sunday 20th September 2015 by Magnus Whyte

World Watch Tokyo, Japan An endangered lemur is being sent from Japan to the Channel Islands in the hope that she will find a mate. Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo is sending Ala, a female aye-aye lemur, on an “extended romantic vacation” to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. Zoologists Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 24

Posted 12:32pm Sunday 20th September 2015 by Henry Napier

Jacinda Ardern is young, popular and a woman. Those qualities have been entirely absent from the Labour Party leadership since Helen left. It’s about time they were brought back. The last four leaders of the Labour Party have been relatively interchangeable, at least on the surface. Phil Read more...

UK Labour Party Heads Left

Posted 12:29pm Sunday 20th September 2015 by Henry Napier

After Ed Miliband’s departure last week, Jeremy Corbyn has been elected as the new leader of the UK Labour Party. Although an unlikely candidate, Corbyn won by a landslide majority with 60 percent of the vote. Corbyn received 251,000 of the 422,000 votes cast. Party members, registered Read more...

Veteran Politician is Australia’s New PM

Posted 12:26pm Sunday 20th September 2015 by Henry Napier

Liberal Party MP Malcolm Turnbull has become Australia’s fourth prime minister in 27 months. Turnbull, who requested a leadership ballot after months of openly criticising now former prime minister, Tony Abbott, won the vote 54–44. In a press conference before the ballot, Turnbull Read more...

Californian Wildfires Consume Over 130,000 acres

Posted 12:21pm Sunday 20th September 2015 by George Elliott

California has declared a state of emergency as wildfires consume more than 130,000 acres of land. State authorities have said the two wildfires, dubbed the “Valley fire” and the “Butte fire”, have destroyed more than 700 homes and displaced over 23,000 people. Flames Read more...

11 Refugee Children Killed as Boat Capsizes

Posted 12:18pm Sunday 20th September 2015 by Emily Duncan

A boat carrying refugees between Turkey and Greece has capsized, killing 34 people. Of these, 11 were children and four were babies. The boat, which was said to be overcrowded with Syrian refugees, capsized off the coast of the Greek island, Famakonski. The cause is believed to be high Read more...

Germany Imposes Border Controls for Refugees

Posted 12:16pm Sunday 20th September 2015 by Sana Basharati

Germany has imposed a temporary control on its border with Austria in an attempt to deal with the unprecedented influx of refugees into the country. More than 13,000 refugees arrived in Munich on Saturday 12 September. A day later, Thomas de Maizière, Germany’s interior minister, Read more...

2016 Executive Nominations

Posted 11:10am Sunday 20th September 2015 by Staff Reporter

The nominations for the 2016 OUSA Executive have closed, and an array of good-looking candidates have put their names forward to represent you next year. Voting is open via the OUSA website from 21 to 30 September, with the winners announced that evening. There are 10 voting positions on the Read more...

Auckland Trumps Otago for the Second Year

Posted 10:51am Sunday 20th September 2015 by Laura Munro

The University of Otago has been named as the only university in New Zealand whose worldwide ranking has dropped since 2014 in the QS world university rankings. In the recently released QS world university rankings, Otago was ranked at 173; this dropped from the 2014 ranking of 159. Otago has Read more...

Connectedness is Focus of Tribute Ceremony

Posted 10:48am Sunday 20th September 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

Over 400 individuals attended the recent World Suicide Prevention Day ceremony held on Thursday 10 September. The ceremony was held at St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Dunedin.  In an event organised by Life Matters, attendees paid tribute to the 569 New Zealanders who died by suicide Read more...

Reaching the Breaking Point

Posted 10:42am Sunday 20th September 2015 by Bridie Boyd

Dunedin bar The Break has been officially closed after the owners were found to be unsuitable applicants to operate licensed premises. The Dunedin District Licensing Committee made the ruling, and the bar closed its doors on Friday 11 September. Colin Weatherall, a committee member, said the Read more...

Execrable | Issue 24

Posted 10:36am Sunday 20th September 2015 by Laura Munro

In order to garner a greater student audience, the executive held its meeting in the university’s Main Common Room. One spectator attended with sushi in hand, though Critic assumes he was simply trying to watch the football playing on the projector. President Paul Hunt spoke of the upcoming Read more...

Medical Students Report Harassment and Bullying

Posted 10:31am Sunday 20th September 2015 by Joe Higham

A survey conducted by the New Zealand Medical Students’ Association (NZMSA) has revealed extensive bullying and sexual harassment of medical students in hospitals across New Zealand. The survey focused on fourth-, fifth- and sixth-year medical students on clinical placements. Of the Read more...

Premier League Transfer Spending Exceeds $2 Billion

Posted 11:58am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Daniel Lormans

The English Premier League has never been short of cash, and it has been flooded with even more money having recently negotiated a record-breaking broadcasting rights deal worth $12 billion over three seasons, far outstripping the previous $2 billion per season agreement. The deal cements the Read more...

News in Briefs | Issue 23

Posted 11:29am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Magnus Whyte

World Watch Adygea, Russia A special police unit has been set up in southern Russia to ensure security at weddings. The 40-strong detail will patrol the area making sure that wedding motorcades observe the highway code and nobody fires weapons from car windows. The people of Adygea have a Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 23

Posted 11:21am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Henry Napier

I get the distinct feeling that protesters against the TPPA are mostly gullible idealists with little idea of the reality of government or international relations. I don’t profess to be an authority, or even an expert. However, I feel justified in saying that I am intelligent enough to Read more...

Bill Concludes Five Treaty Settlements

Posted 11:18am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Henry Napier

Four Te Huki iwi have concluded Treaty of Waitangi settlements following the enactment of the Te Huki Claims Settlement Bill.  The four iwi are Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto and Te Rarawa. The bill was accompanied by another Treaty settlement, which gave effect to a Read more...

Peters says Men Should Defend Their Own Country

Posted 11:15am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Henry Napier

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has called for male refugees from Syria to return home and help their country fight ISIS.  Last week Peters threw his support behind the emergency one-off intake of an extra 600 refugees from Syria, as well as a further 150 over the next three years. Read more...

When Human Rights Prevail

Posted 11:12am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi

A Kentucky clerk who was imprisoned after refusing to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples has been released from jail. Kim Davis was originally held in contempt of court after defying repeated orders by US district court judge, David Bunning, to issue the licences. She was jailed for five Read more...

Thousands Flee Syria for Europe

Posted 11:08am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

More than 450,000 Syrians are expected to cross the Mediterranean Sea to seek refuge in Europe over the next year, UN officials announced last week. This is on top of the approximately 366,000 who have already attempted the journey this year. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has called for stronger Read more...

Marketing Students Oh So Successful

Posted 11:00am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Emily Duncan

Four marketing students from the University of Otago won the Marketing Association’s National Brand Challenge competition.  Teams from seven New Zealand universities were given a real-life case submitted by the beverage company Frucor. They were asked to market a new “Sparkling Read more...

Microsoft Recognises Innovative Students

Posted 10:56am Sunday 13th September 2015 by India Leishman

A student team from the University of Otago has won two prestigious awards for a virtual desktop project.  At the Tertiary Education ICT conference, the project was awarded the Microsoft Supreme Award and the Excellence in Technology Innovation Award. After three years of development, the Read more...

Cull says Dunedin May Welcome Refugees

Posted 10:52am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Joe Higham

Dunedin could become home to Syrian refugees arriving in New Zealand, but Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says an adequate resettlement programme needs to first be established. Currently, New Zealand’s most southerly resettlement programme for refugees is in Nelson. Cull says before refugees Read more...

Attempts At Saving the Student Voice

Posted 10:49am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Bridie Boyd

Vice Chancellor Harlene Hayne has announced she intends to create new ways for students to contribute to university governance.  Hayne announced the proposal, which came after the number of student seats was halved earlier this year, in a University Council meeting on 8 Read more...

Student Throws Pot Plants, Not Charged

Posted 10:46am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Joe Higham

A student from the University of Otago has escaped charges after drunkenly attacking a Dunedin resident in her home on Saturday 29 August.  The attack, which lasted for several minutes, began after the intoxicated student followed her friend home. The student entered the victim’s Read more...

Execrable | Issue 23

Posted 10:40am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Laura Munro

President Paul Hunt kicked off the dryest meeting of this year by outlining that Vice President Isaac Yu has been finalising a review of the Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival as well as other OUSA events. Hunt said Yu will make “potential recommendations” based on “what students Read more...

The CensorShip has Sailed

Posted 10:36am Sunday 13th September 2015 by Jessica Thompson Carr

On Thursday 10 September, students, staff and members of the public gathered in the Link to silently protest the interim restriction order placed on Ted Dawe’s young adult novel, Into the River. The novel, which won the Best Young Adult Fiction and the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year awards Read more...

All Blacks Finalise Squad for Rugby World Cup

Posted 12:12pm Sunday 6th September 2015 by Daniel Lormans

The speculation from armchair critics is now over, and our 31-man All Blacks squad to defend the World Cup has been finalised. The squad balance suggests that the All Blacks will continue their open and attacking style of play — expect “spinning it wide” to try and scores in Read more...

News in Briefs | Issue 22

Posted 11:52am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Magnus Whyte

World Watch Yamalo-Nenets, Russia Residents of a remote region in Siberia are to be given rubber bullets to help them ward off polar bears. Polar bears are a common threat in the area and residents of one town have been trying to ward off one particularly obnoxious polar bear for more than a Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 22

Posted 11:45am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Henry Napier

The ideological distinction between the left and right has taken a blow, raising an interesting question: does it exist at all? 3 News recently ran a story about Labour’s associate education spokesperson Kelvin Davis attending a fundraiser for a Northland charter school, a decision that Read more...

No Plans to Accelerate Spending

Posted 11:40am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Hugh Baird

The government is confident that a slide in global markets this week does not spell recession for the country. Speaking to the media on Tuesday 1 September in the wake of “black Monday”, which saw markets around the world plummet, neither Key nor English believed that a slowing Read more...

Labour Calls for Refugee Quota Increase

Posted 11:36am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Henry Napier

The Labour Party has called on the government to increase New Zealand’s refugee quota. A recent press release urges that the 750 quota be increased by 250–500 people per year. The recent surge in refugees leaving Syria has placed pressure on countries around the region. The European Read more...

Rubbish Crisis in Lebanon Sparks Protests

Posted 11:29am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi

Thousands of Lebanese have rallied in the country’s capital, Beirut, to protest the “rubbish crisis” occurring in the city. Rubbish has been accumulating in the city since July after the closure of the city’s main landfill. More than 20,000 tonnes of garbage have piled up Read more...

European Refugee Crisis Escalates

Posted 11:25am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Bridie Boyd

The refugee crisis in the European Union has escalated, with more than 700 people attempting to enter Austria alone since 30 August. Refugees have also been trying to get into Spain via Morocco. One man was hidden underneath a car hood, with his body wrapped around the motor. He was treated Read more...

Singer’s Assault Comments Under Fire

Posted 11:19am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Staff Reporter

Rock singer Chrissie Hynde is under fire after claiming in a Sunday Times interview that provocatively dressed women should take responsibility if they are sexually assaulted. The Pretenders frontliner revealed that when she was 21 years old, she was sexually assaulted by members of a motorcycle Read more...

Jeans Too Tight for the Genes

Posted 11:11am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Bridie Boyd

A new study is hoping to identify a genetic link between obesity and diabetes in New Zealanders.  The million-dollar study will be the largest so far in the attempt to discover the genes that can predispose Kiwis towards type-2 diabetes and obesity. The study was announced at Maurice Read more...

Māori Bar “Shows No Credibility or Integrity”

Posted 11:07am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

The Māori Party has condemned former All Black Byron Kelleher’s sports bar, “The Haka Corner”, claiming it disrespects Māori culture. The Māori-themed bar is set to open in Kelleher’s residence of Toulouse, France. The bar has come under fire for creating an Read more...

Otago Academic Wins Prime Minister’s Award

Posted 11:04am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Bridie Boyd

Otago’s Associate Professor Suzanne Pitama has won the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for tertiary teaching excellence. Pitama, who is the director of the Māori/Indigenous Health Institute, was formally presented the award at the National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards on 11 Read more...

Dumb Things Still Happen in Thirties

Posted 11:00am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Emily Duncan

A recent University of Otago study has confirmed that students aren’t the only ones waking up with Sunday morning woes. The study, conducted by Otago’s Jennie Connor, shows that adverse affects from drinking alcohol still occur as New Zealanders approach middle age. The study Read more...

Medical Students Safe after SDHB Budget Cuts

Posted 10:53am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Joe Higham

The Department of Health Sciences has said budget cuts in the Southern District Health Board are not expected to affect Otago’s medical students. The SDHB has introduced a five percent budget cut for most health providers in the southern region in an attempt to solve their financial Read more...

Closure of Department of Applied Sciences

Posted 10:48am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Joe Higham

Design students say they feel their majors have been “dismissed” after the University of Otago announced the Department of Applied Sciences will be closed. Zac Newton, a Design for Technology major, says students have “worked so hard to show the value of what we do [as design Read more...

Execrable | Issue 22

Posted 10:43am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Laura Munro

The meeting kicked off with OUSA Events Manager Dan Hendra outlining what will be involved in the upcoming Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival. Hendra said the event, soon to be held for the third time, has four strategic goals. These are to “achieve a true town and gown event”, to Read more...

Paralysed After Commerce Building Accident

Posted 10:41am Sunday 6th September 2015 by Joe Higham

The University of Otago must pay $60,000 to a woman left permanently disabled after slipping on tiling in the Commerce Building. In June 2013 Katherine Casey fractured her spine and pelvis in three places after slipping on the building’s tiles. Casey later sued the university and it Read more...

Updates | Issue 21

Posted 11:59am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Daniel Lormans

Football Manchester City kicked off the English Premier League season with ominous intent by winning their opening three games without conceding a goal and beating defending champions Chelsea 3–0. Formula One Lewis Hamilton dominated the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, taking pole Read more...

ITM Cup to Help Fine-Tune All Blacks

Posted 11:47am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Daniel Lormans

The ITM has lost some of its importance recently with Super Rugby and All Blacks games taking precedence over the domestic provincial championship. This season though — instead of wrapping their players up in cotton wool before the World Cup — some of the All Blacks have been released Read more...

Warriors Need a Miracle

Posted 11:44am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Daniel Lormans

With just two games remaining in the regular season, the New Zealand Warriors sit 10th on the NRL ladder having taken 22 points from 22 games. This doesn’t sound too bad on paper, but the nature of what was their sixth successive defeat has really compounded their late season misery — Read more...

News in Briefs | Issue 21

Posted 11:27am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Amber Allott

World Watch Barnstaple, United Kingdom A high school student who committed an armed robbery after believing he had failed his GCSE A-levels has been offered a place at the University of Plymouth. The 18-year-old was sentenced to three years and eight months at a young offenders’ institute Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 21

Posted 11:19am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Henry Napier

I was talking to my mum last week about New Zealand politics, and on the topic of the Labour Party she said: “I still can’t figure Labour out, what do they stand for?” As my mother often does, she hit the nail on the head. Labour has had, and continues to have, trouble Read more...