Archive

Health and Safety Bill Has “Fundamental Flaws”

Posted 11:16am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Henry Napier

The Health and Safety Reform Bill was back in the spotlight last week following a 14-hour parliamentary debate. The bill will now continue to its third reading where it is likely to pass into law. Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse, the minister in charge of the bill, has Read more...

Claim for Auckland Unlikely to be Heard

Posted 11:13am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Henry Napier

The Māori King has launched a Treaty claim for the wider Auckland area. Speaking at his annual coronation two weeks ago, King Tuheitia addressed the Kīngitanga’s new claim for sovereignty over the city. The king spoke to an audience of over 1000 people, including Prime Minister Read more...

ISIS Deputy Killed in US Airstrike

Posted 11:04am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

The deputy leader of ISIS has been killed in an American airstrike on Tuesday 18 August, near Mosul, in Iraq.  Ned Price, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council, made the announcement in a statement from the White House on Friday 21 August. “Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, also Read more...

North and South Korea Attempt to Defuse Tensions

Posted 11:01am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Jessica Thompson Carr

North and South Korea have successfully met to defuse tensions between the nations after recent confrontations escalated. The talks ended on Tuesday 25 August with South Korea agreeing to halt propaganda broadcasts and North Korea expressing “regret” over the incident. Tensions Read more...

French Gunman Denies Terrorism Accusations

Posted 10:59am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Angus Shaw

Four men have been recognised for their bravery after overpowering a heavily armed gunman on a train in northern France. The three Americans and one Briton were subsequently awarded France’s highest honour, the Légion d’honneur, for their role in stopping what is suspected to be a Read more...

20 Killed in Bangkok Bombing

Posted 10:58am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

More than 20 people have been killed and over 100 injured after a bomb exploded at a Hindu shrine in central Bangkok. The bomb, which killed nine tourists, exploded on Monday 17 August at 7pm local time. National police chief, Somyot Poompanmuang said in a press conference that the attackers Read more...

Victory for Vic Students

Posted 10:51am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Laura Munro

Victoria University of Wellington has announced that they will retain two democratically-elected student seats on their University Council. Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association President Rick Zwaan said, “it took a lot of work” to retain two student seats and Read more...

Execrable | Issue 21

Posted 10:49am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Bridie Boyd

With OUSA elections just around the corner, the executive had two major issues to discuss. First was the appointment of an independent arbitrator. The executive unanimously agreed that Professor Paul Roth, from the Faculty of Law, would take on this role. The role is in case the Returning Officer Read more...

Council Admits Cycle Network a Botched Job

Posted 10:46am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Sana Basharati

After admitting the South Dunedin Cycle Network was designed poorly, the Dunedin City Council has announced changes to the network will begin shortly. The main issues with the current network are a lack of signage and problems with vehicle access and road markings. Intersections are also said to Read more...

Central Countdown in the Crap

Posted 10:39am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Joe Higham

Central Dunedin’s Countdown store has been handed a three-day ban on selling alcohol as a result of selling illegally discounted drinks on two separate occasions earlier this year. The ban will run from 7–10 September. The store, located on Cumberland Street, was caught out after Read more...

OUSA Finally Fronts Up Debt

Posted 10:37am Sunday 30th August 2015 by Bridie Boyd

After refusing to make the payment for most of the year, the OUSA Executive have paid NZUSA the $21,275 owed in membership fees. After months of claiming they will “reallocate” the funds they contractually owe, Hunt announced the decision to pay on the day the money was due. When Read more...

F1 Season Reaches Half Distance

Posted 12:17pm Sunday 16th August 2015 by Daniel Lormans

Whether it is racing around the world’s best circuits or just racing to get to Castle 1 on time, the lives of Otago students and F1 drivers are hectic and require a lot of commitment — meaning we both deserve a break. As students are eyeing up some grab-a-seat deals to get back to Read more...

News in Briefs | Issue 20

Posted 12:02pm Sunday 16th August 2015 by Magnus Whyte

World Watch Reykjavik, Iceland One of the central streets in Iceland’s capital city has been painted in rainbow colours as part of the city’s annual Gay Pride festival. Dozens of people arrived to help transform the road, including the city’s mayor, Dagur Eggertsson. Reykjavik Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 20

Posted 11:48am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Henry Napier

In 2004, the Helen Clark-led Labour government passed the Foreshore and Seabed Act. Despite being greeted with outrage, the act set in train a series of events that ultimately preserved the Māori seats. That sounds contradictory, and it is. It’s a political paradox. In 2003, the Read more...

Craig Won’t Rule Out Auckland

Posted 11:44am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Hugh Baird

Former Conservative leader Colin Craig has not yet ruled out putting his hand up as a candidate in the race for the Auckland mayoralty next year. Craig has said he has been approached on many occasions to enter his candidacy for the position and admitted it is something he has not yet ruled out. Read more...

MP: the Bloggers are Harming the MPs

Posted 11:40am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Henry Napier

NZ First MP Tracey Martin has claimed Curwen Rolinson is in breach of the Harmful Digital Communications Act, passed in July. In a blog post, Rolinson, former leader of the NZ First youth wing, accused Martin of undermining party MP Andrew Williams. Speaking at the University of Otago last week, Read more...

UAE Puts a Ban on “Offending God”

Posted 11:34am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Emily Duncan

At the end of July 2015, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) passed a law that prohibits discrimination against religion.  Under the new law, it is an offence to commit an act that insults God, Islam, Christianity, Judaism or houses of worship, among other things. A breach of the law, which would Read more...

Aussies Desperate for Alcohol

Posted 11:31am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

Vegemite is reportedly being used to make homemade alcohol in dry Indigenous communities across Queensland and the Northern Territory in Australia. In some areas, there have been reported instances of people buying up to 20 jars of the yeast-based spread at a time. However, Queensland police have Read more...

South Carolina Officer Shoots Unarmed Teen

Posted 11:27am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Jessica Thompson

Caucasian teenager Zachary Hammond was shot and killed by a police officer while eating icecream on a date in South Carolina. Hammond, 19, was shot twice in his shoulder and torso. He was unarmed. The incident occurred in the parking lot of a Hardee’s fast-food restaurant in Seneca. An Read more...

Ceremony Marks 70 Years Since Hiroshima

Posted 11:24am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

A remembrance ceremony has been held at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park to mark the 70th anniversary of the US bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Political leaders, survivors of the attacks and Hiroshima locals attended the ceremony. At the ceremony, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Read more...

Students Getting the Dollars on Time

Posted 11:18am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Angus Shaw

StudyLink, working with the New Zealand Union of Students’ Association (NZUSA), has made efforts to improve its services for students. NZUSA said students were “deeply unhappy” with StudyLink’s service in 2013 and made improving StudyLink a top priority. In 2013, the Read more...

Lucky Day for Local

Posted 11:14am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Joe Higham

A University of Otago commerce student, Neihana Kahukura, from Invercargill, has won an annual nationwide Night ’n’ Day competition, claiming the jackpot prize of $10,000. The competition was called “Get Lucky 24/7” and took place over a 24-hour period on 24 July Read more...

Huge Hostel on Logan Park

Posted 11:11am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Joe Higham

The Otago Polytechnic has revealed plans to build a new 235-room hostel on land in Logan Park, subject to a sale of the land by the council. The building will cost “approximately $20 million”, although funding for this project is “still under discussion” according to Otago Read more...

OUSSC Organising Snowy Snow Week

Posted 11:06am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Emily Duncan

The Otago University Snow Sports Club (OUSSC) is taking a group of 45 students to Wanaka from 23–28 August for Uni Snow Week, a week-long event organised and run by the OUSSC executive.  The week is comprised of organised competitive and social events. The competitive events run for Read more...

Execrable | Issue 20

Posted 11:02am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Laura Munro

The team began with the disaffiliation of the Volleyball Scorpions. The club has had minimal contact with OUSA in the last two years and President Paul Hunt said “the club itself is happy to be disaffiliated”. OUSA’s Student Support Manager, Philippa Keaney, is writing a book Read more...

Financial Stress Causing Depression and Anxiety

Posted 10:54am Sunday 16th August 2015 by Laura Munro

The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) has released its 2014 Income and Expenditure Survey, which shows that students are in a worse position financially than when the last survey was done in 2010. The survey found that housing costs across New Zealand have increased Read more...

Updates

Posted 11:59am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Daniel Lormans

Football Arsenal’s 1–0 victory over Chelsea in the FA Community Shield was Arsene Wenger’s first win over José Mourinho in 14 attempts. Mourinho subsequently tossed his runners-up medal into the crowd. Motorsport Hayden Paddon crashed his Hyundai i20 out of Read more...

Back to Beijing: Part II

Posted 11:53am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Daniel Lormans

Beijing will become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics after the Chinese capital was awarded the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. The final result of the two-year candidacy process was confirmed at the 128th International Olympic Committee session in Kuala Lumpur, Read more...

News in Briefs | Issue 19

Posted 11:29am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Magnus Whyte

World Watch Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The authorities in Vietnam’s largest city have banned pets from its first pedestrian street. Nguyen Hue, a broad pedestrianised zone in central Ho Chi Minh City, opened to much fanfare at the end of April. But the local government has now issued a list Read more...

Republican Primary Kicks Off

Posted 11:17am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Henry Napier

The Republican primary is now in full swing, with the first debate taking place on Monday last week. The debate, which is being called the “Voters First” forum, featured 14 Republican candidates who each spoke for seven minutes.  The primaries are held before the presidential Read more...

Rumours Sparked Over Peters’ Successor

Posted 11:12am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Henry Napier

Speculation over who may succeed NZ First leader Winston Peters was stirred during the party’s conference last weekend. The annual conference took place in Rotorua, where a number of policies were announced in keynote speeches from Peters and fellow NZ First MPs. The party leadership became Read more...

Bin Laden’s Family Die in Suspicious Plane Crash

Posted 11:09am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi

Three members of Osama bin Laden’s family died in a plane crash in the English county of Hampshire on 31 July. The passengers were his stepmother Raja Bashir Hashem, 75, her daughter Sana bin Laden, 53, and his brother-in-law Zouheir Anuar Hashem, 56.  The family passed away, along Read more...

MH370 Plane Wreckage Found

Posted 11:06am Sunday 9th August 2015 by India Leishman

The remnants of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 have been found.  The plane is believed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean. This follows wreckage of the plane being washed up onto the French island of La Reunion. Residents on the island spotted suitcases and what they Read more...

TPPA Negotiations Break Down

Posted 11:03am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has suffered a major blow. Negotiations with Australia and other nations have broken down at the latest talks about the agreement.  The latest TPP talks, held in Hawaii at the end of July, were held back by a lack of consensus among the Pacific nations. Read more...

Vital Vaccine Victorious Against Virus

Posted 11:00am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Angus Shaw

A new vaccine could bring an end to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. A vaccine trial against the deadly virus has proven enormously effective, with initial findings showing 100 percent efficacy in individuals.  WHO (the World Health Organization) called the findings a Read more...

OUSA Refuses to Pay Debt

Posted 10:56am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Laura Munro

OUSA has been sent an invoice for $21,275 by the New Zealand Union of Students Associations (NZUSA) for the second half of its membership fee. Late last year, the executive withdrew its membership of the association. The NZUSA constitution, however, requires a one-year withdrawal period in which Read more...

Tasers Set to Shock the South

Posted 10:53am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Jessica Thompson Carr

On Friday 31 July, the decision was made to equip police in the southern districts of New Zealand with tasers. The decision was made to provide extra protection and control for police. Police Commissioner Mike Bush announced that “frontline police response staff will move to routine Read more...

New Zealander Refused Amnesty Pardon

Posted 10:45am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Bridie Boyd

The Last week, Wellington man Phil Blackwood was denied pardon in Myanmar, despite 7000 other prisoners being released for a holiday amnesty.  Early this year, Blackwood was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after using an image of Buddha wearing headphones to promote drinks at his Read more...

Execrable | Issue 19

Posted 10:40am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Bridie Boyd

This week’s meeting started off with latest round of grants being agreed upon. The Table Tennis Association was affiliated. President Paul Hunt put forward an executive restructure proposal for discussion. The proposal was for extending the vice-president position, which is currently 20 Read more...

Bog Blazes, Students Spectate

Posted 10:34am Sunday 9th August 2015 by India Leishman

Dunedin’s popular Irish bar, The Bog, caught fire on Sunday 2 August 2015, capturing the attention of many residents in the area.  Imogen Braddock, a member of the public who watched the fire, described it as “quite frightening”. By the time the fire was out, “a Read more...

No Miracle to Save Design Students

Posted 10:32am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Joe Higham

Students pursuing majors in Design for Technology and Clothing and Textiles have realised their courses will be phased out, according to class representative Ben Alder. The realisation came after a meeting between the Division of Sciences Pro-Vice Chancellor Keith Hunter and design school Read more...

Police Called to OUSA Executive BYO

Posted 10:22am Sunday 9th August 2015 by Laura Munro

OUSA Education Officer Zachariah Al-Alami is not facing disciplinary action after he was forcibly removed from a Dunedin restaurant for violence towards staff. The incident occurred at an executive dinner on 23 July 2015. The manager of the restaurant said issues began when Al-Alami attempted to Read more...

Street Art Begins on Castle Lecture Theatre

Posted 11:51pm Wednesday 5th August 2015 by Joe Higham

The work on a campus mural has begun. In collaboration with the University of Otago, OUSA has commissioned Canadian artist, Fluke, to work on a street art piece located on the outside of the Castle Lecture Theatres.  The work began on Tuesday 5 August, as part of a campus Read more...

Premier League Clubs Pre-Season Tour

Posted 12:16pm Sunday 2nd August 2015 by Daniel Lormans

The English Premier League season is kicking off this weekend, and the teams have been busy in the transfer market in an effort to improve on their position from last season. In preparation for the 2015–16 season, many of the teams embarked on what has now become standard practice — an Read more...

Opinion: The Art of Sport

Posted 12:14pm Sunday 2nd August 2015 by Daniel Lormans

With the theme of this week’s issue in mind, I spent some time thinking about whether or not sports can be considered as art. Art is a very subjective concept to define properly, but I see it as an expressive form of human creativity, skill and imagination that combine to produce a work/text Read more...

News in Briefs | Issue 18

Posted 11:47am Sunday 2nd August 2015 by Magnus Whyte

World Watch Transylvania, Romania A music festival is taking inspiration from the world’s most famous vampire and offering free or discounted tickets to people who give blood. The Untold festival takes place at the end of July, and organisers are hoping their “pay with blood” Read more...

Opinion: The Comeback of Judith Collins

Posted 11:41am Sunday 2nd August 2015 by Henry Napier

Former minister Judith Collins’ journey back to political significance is one of the most interesting undercurrents of New Zealand politics right now. It would be surprising if there was a backbench MP in history who had as much influence as Collins does today. Last year, Collins was forced Read more...

Labour Poll Sees Little Change

Posted 11:38am Sunday 2nd August 2015 by Henry Napier

Last week, 3 News released a political poll showing support for the Labour Party was unchanged as a result of recent controversy surrounding Chinese house buyers. The poll showed Labour at 31.1 percent, a mere 0.7 percent increase from previous polls. The party has come under fire in recent weeks Read more...

Craig Hands Out Accusatory Pamphlets

Posted 11:35am Sunday 2nd August 2015 by Henry Napier

Former Conservative Party leader Colin Craig is back in the media after announcing intentions to sue for defamation.  Craig has made claims that John Stringer, Cameron Slater and Jordan Williams all publicly made false allegations against him. These include recent allegations of sexual Read more...

Foul Play Suspected in Sandra Bland Death

Posted 11:28am Sunday 2nd August 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

African-American woman Sandra Bland, who was arrested for assault on a public servant on 10 July, has been found dead in her Texas jail cell three days after her arrest. Authorities claim the death was a suicide, but activists suspecting foul play have led to an investigation by Texas Read more...