Archive

Skilled Students Snag Blues and Golds

Posted 4:05pm Monday 13th October 2025 by Gryffin Blockley

The annual Blues and Golds awards were held last Thursday to celebrate cultural and sporting achievements of Otago tauira. The yearly ceremony is a collaboration between the University and OUSA, proving just how well some students are able to lock in. In total, 56 individuals or clubs got an award. Read more...

Job-Seeking Students Say “Bullshit” to Luxon’s Employment Claims

Posted 3:10pm Monday 13th October 2025 by Nina Brown

Prime Minister Chris Luxon and Minister for Social Development Louise Upston announced last week that the Government will be imposing further restrictions for Jobseeker applicants. The news sparked an influx of national headlines speculating whether Luxon’s “tough love” approach Read more...

OUSA Quarter 3 Wrapped: Part II

Posted 3:04pm Monday 13th October 2025 by Gryffin Blockley

At last week’s Exec meeting, the last half of the quarter three reports were approved. Here’s what those Exec members got up to to get paid for their honorarium (i.e., top-up their StudyLink). It was a drama-filled quarter for many, but here’s what the Exec were doing when Critic Read more...

A Letter from Grant Robertson

Posted 2:32pm Monday 13th October 2025 by Grant Robertson

As we head to the end of the year, I wanted to wish you all good luck with exams, and hopefully a restful summer before as many as possible of you return in 2026.  It has been a difficult year for universities in Aotearoa. The year began with us still reeling from the government’s Read more...

Promposals Sweep North D

Posted 2:26pm Monday 13th October 2025 by Liberty Murray

A group of exchange students swapped their jorts and scuffs for black tie attire on Saturday, October 4th to bring American-style proms to Ōtepoti. Complete with elaborate promposals, the classic awkward photos, and highly sought after awards, organisers Buck and Murray described the Read more...

Critical Tribune: STI Rates Plummet in North D as Castle Clears Out for Exams

Posted 2:24pm Monday 13th October 2025 by Mary Fartin Benz

Reports from frightened freshers have highlighted the concerning increase in Butter hats and Birks across Central Library’s floors. “I didn’t know they knew where campus was!” said Tim, a first-year and future breatha from Studholme, telling Critical Tribune he’s Read more...

Critical Tribune: Fresher Gets Quick Lesson In Tenancy Law After Falling Out With Friend Group They Signed With In January

Posted 10:59pm Saturday 4th October 2025 by Anna Marrs

Critical Tribune has received several news tips over the past couple of weeks complaining about the “absolute state” of tenancy law. Turns out, signing a contract with your mates halfway through first sem isn’t a committed display of the fact you’ll love each other forever, Read more...

Polytech Proposes Switch To Telehealth Student Health Services

Posted 10:20pm Saturday 4th October 2025 by Hanna Varrs

On the 26th of September, the Otago Polytech advised kaimahi, ākonga, the Otago Polytech Students Association, stakeholders, and the media (except for Critic – we found out through a student) of a proposal to move to a telehealth set up for their student health provision for the 2026 Read more...

OUSA Quarter 3 Wrapped: Part I

Posted 10:16pm Saturday 4th October 2025 by Gryffin Blockley

In the blink of an eye, quarter three wrapped up at OUSA at the end of August. With everything from scandals to elections dominating headlines, the Exec has still been hard at work serving students’ interests. While its impossible to cover everything, here’s a taster of what the Exec has Read more...

“Business As Usual” OUSA Budget Dropped

Posted 10:10pm Saturday 4th October 2025 by Nina Brown

OUSA’s budget for 2026 has dropped. You might read “budget” and feel your eyes glaze over. But just as your budget is crucial to stretching StudyLink payments across keeping a roof over your head, avoiding scurvy, and storing away a little extra for barista-made treats or a box on Read more...

Fitzy’s DJ Decks and a Dream

Posted 10:08pm Saturday 4th October 2025 by Stella Weston

As exam season looms, OUSA hosted their Future DJ Competition to refocus on what's really important to students: loud sounds in a club. Hosted in collaboration with George FM and Catacombs, the event boasted an impressive array of prizes intended to help kickstart DJ careers, from festival sets Read more...

‘Dental for All’ Roadshow Hits Ōtepoti

Posted 10:05pm Saturday 4th October 2025 by Molly Smith-Soppet

The Dental for All campaign has kicked off with a nationwide roadshow, stopping in towns and cities all across the motu to push for one thing: free, universal dental care. Last Rāhina, the group cruised into Ōtepoti to run a forum at the OUSA Clubs and Socs building. Guest panelists Read more...

Ammonita Have Brought the Noise

Posted 10:00pm Saturday 4th October 2025 by Gryffin Blockley

OUSA’s annual band competition, Bring the Noise, wrapped up its seventh iteration at U-Bar last week. Presented by Radio One, the competition involved two heats and a final where Ōtepoti bands battled head-to-head, playing only original songs. Last Wednesday, Ammonita took out the title Read more...

Heavy Breathers Continue to Run (Away From Critic)

Posted 12:47am Monday 29th September 2025 by Tilly Rumball-Smith

The Heavy Breathers completed the Emerson’s Dunedin Marathon on the 14th of September. A marathon is a long way. Pretty tiring stuff. So tiring that they couldn’t be fucked being interviewed about it for this article. Fair enough. The Heavy Breathers began in 2023: 33 boys who raised Read more...

POLSA Debate Team Says Scarfie Culture is Out

Posted 12:17am Monday 29th September 2025 by Nina Brown

Should Scarfie culture be officially recognised as intangible cultural heritage? Three Greens politicians, Mickey Treadwell, Francisco Hernandez and Rosie Finnie, think yes. But in a debate hosted by the Otago Politics Students Association (POLSA) at the Business School on Friday September 19, three Read more...

IVY Confused for ‘SoundCloud Rapper’

Posted 11:13pm Sunday 28th September 2025 by Gryffin Blockley

Fresh off the heels of their debut album ‘Hush’, Ōtepoti five-piece IVY encountered a bump in the road during their album promotion. Early on the 20th of September, just eight days after the album drop, a new single appeared on their Spotify profile: DIE ALONE. To the dismay of Read more...

Housing For All: Yarns with Tamatha Paul and Co.

Posted 11:10pm Sunday 28th September 2025 by Via Hooks

It’s the time of year when flatting is on the mind. Whether you’re sorting out next year's lease, continually tidying the communal spaces ahead of flat viewings, or frantically trying to assemble the perfect group to live – it’s top of the to-do list for many tauira. It Read more...

Critical Tribune: University declares state of emergency as brainrot spreads across campus

Posted 11:01pm Sunday 28th September 2025 by Gear Sloppit

The University of Ota-goon has announced an Official State of Emergency after a “catastrophic outbreak” of brainrot left hundreds of students unable to form original sentences, instead communicating exclusively through TikTok sounds and vintage Tumblr quotes. In a press conference Read more...

OUSA Made Breatha Again

Posted 3:08pm Friday 26th September 2025 by Gryffin Blockley

With the highest voter turnout in years, OUSA’s 2026 Executive Election concluded last Thursday. Just over 2300 votes were cast in a chaotic campaign period that saw a barrage of social media posts, chalking, and posters around campus. After snagging 52.45% of the votes, Daniel Leamy is your Read more...

Law’s (Objectively) Hardest 200-Level Paper Goes Open Book

Posted 6:35pm Sunday 21st September 2025 by Gabe Jonson

In second-year Law, students are put through the wringer with four full-year papers: Criminal Law, Law of Contract, Property Law, and Public Law. Usually, the exams are closed-book, but for 2025 LAWS203 (Property Law) is now set to be an open-book exam.  The Faculty of Law cites the change Read more...