Archive

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Fails to Deliver

Posted 12:21pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Daniel Lormans

One of the richest and most talked about sports events ever failed to live up to the hype as Floyd Mayweather bobbed and weaved his way to a points decision victory over Manny Pacquiao in his home turf of Las Vegas. “Money” Mayweather played the swagged-up villain while the Read more...

Battle for the Black Jersey Begins

Posted 12:10pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Daniel Lormans

Round 12 of Super Rugby provided two important games, with the Highlanders running in seven tries against the Sharks and the Hurricanes winning a close game against the Crusaders that wasn’t settled until deep into extra time. What stood out in both these games were the performances of the Read more...

News in Briefs | Issue 11

Posted 11:57am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Magnus Whyte

World Watch United Kingdom An anonymous artist, “Wanksy”, has been spray-painting phallic shapes around his town’s potholes in an effort to draw attention to them to be fixed. He said the situation has “got really bad recently” and he has cyclist friends who have Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 11

Posted 11:41am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Henry Napier

National’s treatment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will eventually hurt the party. The TPPA is a multilateral investment agreement between twelve states. In short, this means a bunch of countries get together and make up some rules that they’ll all abide by and, in Read more...

James Shaw Interview

Posted 11:38am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Henry Napier

Greens MP James Shaw is currently travelling New Zealand in his bid for the Green Party co-leadership following the resignation of Russel Norman earlier this year. He has a different perspective on politics than would be expected of a typical Greens MP. Last week, Critic sat down with Shaw to see Read more...

10 Years of Student Shenanigans

Posted 11:20am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Joe Higham

Each year the University of Otago conducts an Annual Discipline Report, which outlines student behaviour and its consequences over the past academic year. In 2014 numbers were significantly lower than they have been in past years. Critic compares the reports dating back to 2006, the year when the Read more...

Transport Upgrades Won’t Change Prices

Posted 11:13am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Amber Allott

The Otago Regional Council has met to discuss a transport plan for Otago and Southland, detailing the transport priorities from 2015 to 2021. For Dunedin, the plans include the building of a new central bus hub and protected cycling lanes along State Highway 1. The areas of focus for Dunedin, Read more...

Six Years of Dunedin Fair Trade

Posted 11:10am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Bridie Boyd

This year Dunedin is celebrating its sixth year of being a fair trade city. In celebration, the annual Fair Trade Fortnight is running from 8–22 May.  Sze-En Lau, Coordinator of the University Volunteer Centre said the Fair Trade Fortnight is “a great way to highlight all the Read more...

Hermitude to Headline Re-Ori

Posted 11:06am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

OUSA has announced Hermitude as the headliners for this year’s Re-Orientation week. The Australian duo, who played at Orientation Week 2014, will be supported by New Zealand hip-hop/R&B artist, Young Tapz. The pair will play on Thursday 9 July at the Union Hall. Hermitude member Luke Read more...

Execrable | Issue 11

Posted 11:01am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Laura Munro

The majority of the executive meeting was spent in strict committee — meaning Critic was not allowed to be in the room — to discuss two matters of personal sensitivity. No motion was moved related to the time in strict committee. The executive accepted the letter it will send to the Read more...

McDonalds McCrease McHours

Posted 10:54am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Damian George

Unite National Director Mike Treen says the decision to end zero-hour contracts at McDonald’s restaurants in New Zealand is the culmination of a decade’s hard work. The union announced on Friday that it had reached a deal with McDonald’s to put an end to the controversial contracts Read more...

New Campaigns and Education Officers

Posted 10:50am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Laura Munro

The OUSA By-Election for the position of Campaigns Officer and Education Officer has officially closed.  With a total of 298 votes, Nick Findlay won the position of Campaigns Officer. Also running for the position was Sean Gamble, who received a total of 295 votes. Henry Napier received 201 Read more...

What’s Wrong with the Crusaders?

Posted 12:45pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Damian George

As I watched the struggling Blues take on a resurgent Crusaders team last weekend, the absence of Dan Carter was obvious. Even though Carter has been wearing the number 12 jersey recently, you could be forgiven for forgetting he has even been on the park. Colin Slade kicked the goals, Mitchell Read more...

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Posted 12:42pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Daniel Lormans

With the Super Rugby season well past its halfway point, attention is starting to shift towards the end-of-season Rugby Championship and, more importantly, the World Cup in England. Since taking over the top job, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has presided over one of the most successful and dominant Read more...

News in Briefs | Issue 10

Posted 12:34pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Magnus Whyte

World Watch Switzerland Switzerland has topped the annual World Happiness index produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, an initiative of the United Nations. It was closely followed by Iceland, Denmark and Norway, with Togo, Burundi, Benin and Rwanda the least happy nations of Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 10

Posted 12:10pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Henry Napier

The opposition’s role is to criticise the government. In doing so, it usually tends to highlight the negatives and avoid the positives. Yet too often, when asked what they think of good policy, opposition MPs will turn around in disagreement, regardless of what they truly believe. They Read more...

Key Unlocks Another Trade Door with Saudi Arabia

Posted 12:08pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Henry Napier

News of a trade agreement with Saudi Arabia has come amid controversy over human rights. Prime Minister John Key recently confirmed that he is seeking a trade agreement with the nation, visiting last week to meet King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Key admitted in an interview with ONE News that Read more...

Māori Party Takes Back Seat in Water Rights

Posted 12:05pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Henry Napier

The issue of Māori water rights has had a resurgence in New Zealand politics. The government recently turned down a proposal from iwi to award Māori permanent water rights. The proposal sought to discard the existing system of water allocation, whereby water rights can be granted through Read more...

Bali Nine Executed

Posted 11:59am Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi

At 12:30am on Wednesday 29 April, two Australians, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, were executed on Nusa Kambangan Island in Central Java. Sukumaran and Chan were among eight other drug smugglers who were put to death on the same day. The men included four Nigerians — Okwuduli Oyatanze, Read more...

Nepal Quake Jolts 8 Million Lives

Posted 11:56am Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Angus Shaw

More than eight million people across three countries have been affected by the Nepal earthquake, which occurred on 25 April 2015. According to Nepalese officials, 5000 people have been confirmed dead and 6500 injured. Numbers are expected to increase as rescue teams scour remote Read more...

European Migrant Crisis: 800 Dead

Posted 11:50am Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

More than 900 migrants are feared dead after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea on 19 April. The 20-metre-long fishing boat capsized off the Libyan coast as a large merchant ship approached it. It was filled with refugees attempting to escape turmoil in Africa and the Middle East. A Read more...

Otago Dentistry Ranks 8th in the World

Posted 11:35am Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Laura Munro

The QS World University Rankings for 2015 have been released. Otago was the only New Zealand university to place in the top ten for a subject area, scoring 8th in Dentistry. The University of Otago also ranked 31st in psychology, three places behind the University of Auckland, which ranked Read more...

Hospital Uses Compass to Search for Food

Posted 11:34am Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Bridie Boyd

The Southern District Health Board is considering drastic changes to the food sourcing for local hospitals and contemplating the use of an outsourcing company, the Compass Group. Currently, hospital food is sourced and made locally, providing jobs and income to companies based in the region. It Read more...

DCC Cutting Shares in “Unethical Companies”

Posted 11:29am Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Joe Higham

On Tuesday 28 April the Dunedin City Council voted in favour of an Ethical Investments Policy, meaning shares it owns in “unethical companies” will be phased out. Eight councillors voted for the policy and seven voted against. The vote represented a final decision on the matter, and Read more...

Mayor Sympathetic to Prosecution of Clyde Landlords

Posted 11:24am Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Damian George

Mayor Dave Cull says he feels for the owners of a Clyde Street student flat, who are facing prosecution after taking on a property that had undergone illegal alterations. Alan and Kay McKay bought the 99 Clyde Street property from its former owners in December 2013. They are now seeking Read more...

Greens Want Rid of Plastic Bags

Posted 11:21am Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Joe Higham

On 21 April the Otago Greens on Campus held the first of 28 nationwide meetings introducing the Green Party’s plastic bag scheme. With 40 attendees, the group introduced the campaign, which aims to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bags in New Zealand. Green Party MP Denise Read more...

Planet Media Dunedin Ltd. Insolvent

Posted 11:18am Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Laura Munro

In a meeting on Thursday 30 April, the OUSA Executive decided not to call on the $240,367.87 it is owed by Planet Media Dunedin Ltd, pending a review from the company’s board. The debt is as of the end of March 2015 and encompasses accumulated debt from the last several years. PMDL, founded Read more...

Execrable | Issue 10

Posted 11:08am Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Laura Munro

The meeting was taken up by discussions of Planet Media Dunedin Ltd (PMDL). As of the end of March 2015, PMDL owes $240,367.87 to OUSA. The issue was discussed for an hour in committee of the whole due to commercial sensitivity. The executive moved that it would not call on the debt pending the Read more...

By-Election Nominations

Posted 10:56am Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Staff Reporter

Education Officer Zachariah Roy Al-Alami Hi, my name is Zachariah. I am running for the position of Education Officer. - Let’s be honest, nobody really understands the bureaucracy that plagues the University; so, I want to keep it short and simple on what I am advocating for: - Read more...

IPL Watch: Kiwis in Action

Posted 12:02pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Damian George

While you’ve been sleeping, many of New Zealand’s Cricket World Cup stars have been plying their trade in the cash-crazy circus known as the Indian Premier League. While I’m not really one for T20 at the best of times, let alone when the product is the love child of a round Read more...

Summer Thieves vs. Highlanders basketball

Posted 12:00pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Daniel Lormans

Last Friday, Adam, Angus, Johnny and Jake from local Dunedin band, the Summer Thieves, bravely challenged the Highlanders to a best-of-three-games miniseries of three-on-three half-court basketball in the Union Hall. It is not every day you can see world-class athletes being outclassed by a Read more...

Tough Talk with Tanaka

Posted 11:59am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Daniel Lormans

Afew days before the Highlanders’ game against the Blues, I put on a “business-casual” shirt, skipped a POLS class and ventured deep into the heart of the Highlanders’ “Worldwide Headquarters” (their words, not mine) next to the stadium, where I caught up with Read more...

News in Briefs | Issue 9

Posted 11:46am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Magnus Whyte

World Watch Czech Republic A Czech man, Vit Jedlicka, has declared that a seven-square kilometre patch of land between Serbia and Croatia is now the sovereign state of Liberland. As well as having a flag, it even has a website where people can apply for citizenship. Its founder says he wants a Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 9

Posted 11:25am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Henry Napier

National’s armour is John Key’s popularity. It survives on Key’s image as a typical and down-to-earth “kiwi bloke”. As the events of the last year’s election show, Key’s image only strengthens when he is slandered. If you were watching political polls Read more...

Hague Says the Government is “Out of Touch”

Posted 11:19am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Henry Napier

Last week the Green Party claimed the National government is not intending to fulfill its 2014 election promise of providing children aged 13 and under with free GP visits. The Green Party claim they have documents which show 10 percent of children would not be covered as the budget has been set too Read more...

iD Dunedin Fashion Week Happens

Posted 11:14am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Laura Munro

Last week saw iD Dunedin kick off its annual fashion week for the 16th year in a row. The week ran from 18–26 April, with designers from all over the world attending. Over the eight days there were fashion tours around the city, fashion shows and awards, guest lectures and films relating to Read more...

Wanted: Speedy Cat Experts

Posted 11:11am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Zahra Shahtahmasebi

OUSA is calling all quiz lovers to participate in the entry tests for this year’s University Challenge. The challenge is a television show, aired on Prime, in which universities from all over New Zealand compete in an academic quiz. The entry test to be considered for the University of Read more...

Law Overlooked for Damp Rentals

Posted 11:10am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Damian George

Dunedin students living in cold and damp housing may have more rights to a healthy home than they are aware of, according to University of Otago researchers. A study published by the university in collaboration with Victoria University of Wellington has found that a law designed to protect people Read more...

Immunisation Refusal Linked to Vitamin K

Posted 11:01am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

AUniversity of Otago study has shown that parents who decline vitamin K for their newborn children are more likely to turn down childhood immunisations.  Researchers from the Department of Women and Children’s Health believe the results of the study may be useful in defining the small Read more...

Otago Ranked Top Scientific Institution in NZ

Posted 10:57am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Amber Allott

In 2014, the University of Otago was the leading publisher of scientific articles for all New Zealand universities, according to an annual report released by the Nature Publishing Group that gives it the highest international ranking of any New Zealand institution. Each year, the Nature Read more...

Proctology | Issue 9

Posted 10:55am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Laura Munro

Campus Watch attended a couch fire before the Easter break that led to one student being recommended to the university provost. It was discovered that a separate student who was dealt with at the scene had lied to Campus Watch in 2013. The student was caught throwing a bottle on Harbour Terrace but Read more...

Student Loans: Past and Present

Posted 10:50am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Joe Higham

In the wake of Germany having abolished student loans for domestic students and England having increased them to around £9,000 per annum ($18,000/year for tuition fees), New Zealand domestic students linger in a middle ground between the two. The average course fees for a bachelor’s Read more...

Drift Trike Trio Takes Baldwin Street

Posted 10:44am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Amber Allott

Three members of a Christchurch-based drift-triking community, SLIDE Christchurch, took on Baldwin Street as part of a stunt on Saturday 18 April. Harley Jolly (23), Tyson Bar (19) and Nic Roy (18) videoed the descent, which has since gained popularity on social media. “Basically, we do Read more...

Rowing Club Wins Trophy for 16th Year

Posted 10:40am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Laura Munro

During the mid-semester break, the Otago University Rowing Club took out the Ashes trophy at the New Zealand Universities Rowing Championships in Whanganui. The trophy holds the ashes of the former rowing club, which burnt down in 1999, and was won by Otago for the 16th year in a row. With a Read more...

Union Success With Zero-Hour Contracts

Posted 10:38am Sunday 26th April 2015 by Joe Higham

Restaurant chains around New Zealand have said they will put an end to zero-hour contracts after action from Unite Union New Zealand. The union has called for an end to the contracts, claiming they do not offer employees the security they need. Protests have been held nationwide. The Read more...

Dunedin Club Rugby

Posted 12:40pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Daniel Lormans

Last weekend at University Oval’s field number five, our very own OURFC University A hosted Southern RFC. Being right opposite the stadium while they were performing a sound check for that night’s Rod Stewart concert made an interesting choice of background music for a seriously Read more...

In-form Naholo Helps Highlanders Take Revenge

Posted 12:31pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Daniel Lormans

As predicted in last week’s issue, the Highlanders took the sword to the Crusaders in their own backyard, settling the score from their Ori Week defeat with a very nice 25–20 win. After two early Crusaders tries, it was not looking great for the Highlanders, but they kept the faith and Read more...

News in Briefs | Issue 8

Posted 12:07pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Magnus Whyte

World Watch Berlin, Germany A 65 year old primary school teacher, Annegret Raunigk, is reportedly due to give birth to quadruplets. It is likely she will deliver by Caesarean section. Raunigk is already a mother to 13 other children - she gave birth to her youngest daughter a decade ago. Because Read more...

Clinton Makes Second Attempt at Presidency

Posted 11:51am Sunday 19th April 2015 by Henry Napier

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has finally announced her bid to run for president in 2016. Last week she released a YouTube video entitled “Getting Started”, in which she officially announced her plans to run. In the video, filled with images of families and Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 8

Posted 11:40am Sunday 19th April 2015 by Henry Napier

John Key is a political instrumentalist; he has a vision for where he wants New Zealand to be. But rather than using his proportionately short time in government to implement radical change, he has opted to take a slow incremental approach. This has been a major factor in his popularity since he Read more...