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...
Thursdays in Black Hosts ‘What I Was Wearing’ Exhibit
Posted 5:59pm Sunday 21st September 2025 by Hanna Varrs
Content Warning: Sexual violence, child sexual abuse, rape, intimate partner violence Following their recent success in the second annual Sex Quiz fundraiser, the Thursdays in Black exec held the What I Was Wearing exhibit in the Main Common Room last week between Wednesday and Read more...
Rail Jam: Bringing the Ski Slope and the Stoke onto Campus
Posted 5:57pm Sunday 21st September 2025 by Jonathan McCabe
The forecasts were true. It was a snowy day on Union lawn last Thursday. Yeehaw! Twenty two tonnes of snow landed on Union Lawn on Thursday the 18th of September ready for punters to carve some fresh lines in the midst of a bustling campus. There was no better chance for ski bums to prove why Read more...
Alumni Fly From Afar to Settle 20-Year-Old Boozy Bet
Posted 5:55pm Sunday 21st September 2025 by Nina Brown
Born out of a drunken argument over who was slower, Otago alumni Blake Plummer and Jolyon Swinburn agreed to race in a marathon at age 40. The boys cracked open a cold one as they told Critic Te Ārohi the story of a 20-year-old bet that brought them back to their alma mater for the Read more...
Castle Packs out for Pizza Eating Comp
Posted 5:50pm Sunday 21st September 2025 by Zoe Eckhoff
Suburbia has extended their dominance over students’ Saturday nights into the following day by hosting a Biggies Pizza (Sub’s day-time persona) eating competition on Sunday, September 13th. Hosted at the infamous Courtyard flat, roughly 21 nominees from various Castle St flats attempted Read more...
Fiery Exec Campaigns “Healthy Democracy”
Posted 9:27pm Thursday 18th September 2025 by Nina Brown
It’s election season for the OUSA Executive. With 20 candidates vying for a position in 2026, three lunch-time forums were held last week to provide the opportunity for candidates to share their policies. Knowing most students don’t have the capacity to sit through six hours of Read more...
Critical Tribune: EMERGENCY: Snow Forecast for Union Lawn Microclimate as 36 Tonnes of Snow Scheduled to Arrive this Thursday
Posted 1:34pm Monday 15th September 2025 by Petra Barfy
Panic sweeps through the University of Otago campus this week after meteorologists issued an unprecedented forecast predicting “localized blizzard conditions” for Union Lawn, where a sudden 36-tonne snowfall is expected to bury the area on September 18. The snowstorm, strangely absent Read more...
100 Dancers Storm the TCol Stage
Posted 1:16pm Monday 15th September 2025 by Molly Smith-Soppet
Otago Dance Association (ODA) are tumbling headfirst down the rabbit hole this month with the crowning jewel of the club: their annual showcase. Mark your calendars for the 26th and 27th of September when 108(ish) students will take the stage. This year, the performance is a stage-adaptation of Read more...
Otago’s Campus Celebrates 50 Years of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori
Posted 1:09pm Monday 15th September 2025 by Gryffin Blockley
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori has reached its golden jubilee, celebrating 50 years of advocating for Aotearoa’s native language. This year's byline is ‘ake ake ake’ – a forever language. It’s a huge occasion for pride and community-building for many on the University Read more...
Background Checking Wanna-be Mayors
Posted 1:02pm Monday 15th September 2025 by Nina Brown
If you’ve gone on a cruise out of town lately, you’ll have clocked the shocking array of roadside billboards begging for that sweet democratic #1 ranking. Last week, OUSA hosted the candidates for the upcoming local body elections in a series of forums, held in the Main Common Room at Read more...
Student Pen Becomes Magical Sword
Posted 12:22pm Monday 15th September 2025 by Harry Almey
Ah, Otago students, we know how it is. You're forever time poor; all those books, never enough time to actually read them. So, you can imagine Critic Te Ārohi’s surprise when we heard the cry: one of Otago's own is becoming an author! Here are the trials and tribulations it takes Read more...
Amnesty Youth Debuts Night Lecture Series
Posted 12:14pm Monday 15th September 2025 by Gryffin Blockley
In only their second year of existence, Amnesty Youth Otago (AYO) have rapidly become one of OUSA’s most on-to-it clubs. Fresh off the heels of winning Team of the Year at the recent Amnesty Dove Awards, the team is channeling their efforts into a new initiative: a lecture series. And as an Read more...
Execrable: Refusals to Resign & Letters Abound
Posted 6:44pm Sunday 7th September 2025 by Hanna Varrs
Push For Jett Groshinski’s Resignation In bombshell news, Political Representative Jett Groshinski was asked to resign by two-thirds of the OUSA Executive at their most recent meeting on Thursday, August 28th. The Exec told Critic Te Ārohi that the decision was “not made Read more...
Critical Tribune: Breather attends a lecture in person and discovers he really likes it
Posted 5:20pm Sunday 7th September 2025 by Matt Hilda
“I didn’t really know what the bros were up to during the day,” Zack admitted. “They were always off to go see David, or Burns. Even when they said they were at Castle 2, I went over to the flat on Leith and the boys just told me to fuck off. I felt a bit left Read more...
Episode II: Return of the Spud
Posted 5:12pm Sunday 7th September 2025 by Harry Almey
It's been an eventful time for the Polytech’s potato-preneur Emily Gilbert. In the span of a month, she’s reached student stardom with her stupendous spud scoop – from an experimental culinary assignment to Patti’s and Cream sales and a national TV stint. Forget Leo and Read more...
Regional Council Candidates Tempt Students with ‘A Better Deal’
Posted 5:00pm Sunday 7th September 2025 by Gryffin Blockley
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) looks after things like buses and Otago’s natural environment – and a group of candidates are announcing a ‘Better Deal for Students’. They reckon some of these ideas may be lucrative for student voters in the upcoming Local Government Read more...
Law Revue Reviewed: It Didn’t Suck
Posted 4:55pm Sunday 7th September 2025 by Harry Almey, Zoe Eckhoff & Ella Grayson
From skits to show, Law Revue 2025 did not overstay its welcome (take hints, Med Revue) in showcasing some of the boldest, talented people from the law community – wrapped in a sexy one-and-a-half-hour-long session so we could all get back to our teddy bears on time. The love child of students Read more...
OUSA President Nearly Lived in a Cage for a Week
Posted 4:49pm Sunday 7th September 2025 by Gryffin Blockley
If you ever wanted to watch the OUSA President live in a literal cage for a week, unfortunately your dreams have been locked away. From the 25th to the 29th of August, OUSA President Liam White had planned to live in a cage to raise awareness of poor student housing. Critic Te Ārohi has a scoop Read more...
Political Rep Jett Groshinski Formally Asked To Resign By Executive
Posted 4:58pm Friday 29th August 2025 by Hanna Varrs
The Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) Executive has requested the resignation of Political Representative, Jett Groshinski, following an internal review of conduct and responsibilities at this week’s Executive meeting on the 28th of August. The OUSA Executive told Critic in a Read more...
Critical Tribune: The Most Insufferable Person You Know Becomes LinkedIn Influencer
Posted 10:29pm Sunday 24th August 2025 by Anderson Coomer
The sound of students audibly sighing across Dunedin last week was recorded as a magnitude of 1.9. This disturbance comes after the most insufferable person you know is now a LinkedIn influencer. Sora Noying, a fifth-year law and politics student, who is more commonly known amongst acquaintances as Read more...
Student Health Continues to Offer Same-Day Appointments Despite Wait-Time Pressures
Posted 10:21pm Sunday 24th August 2025 by Tilly Rumball-Smith
Student Health has the massive job of providing healthcare to eighteen thousand students at Otago University. If you don’t have a GP down in Dunedin (practically all of us) you’re going to Student Health for every cough, UTI, Covid test, and sick note. For mental health matters, however, Read more...
BDS is Back: Students Overwhelmingly Endorse Posture at SGM
Posted 10:18pm Sunday 24th August 2025 by Nina Brown
It was standing room only in the Main Common Room (MCR) last Thursday as a large group of students met to vote on a motion on whether OUSA should re-adopt their Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) posture. The student general meeting (SGM) was called by Political Representative Jett Groshinski and Read more...
Ending Bad Care for Endometriosis
Posted 10:12pm Sunday 24th August 2025 by Stella Weston
A petition has been launched to review and re-write the Government’s national endometriosis guidelines. The brains behind the petition, Endo Warriors Aotearoa, are a grassroots charity working to support those affected by endometriosis. Second-year Law and Politics student Jomana Moharram, who Read more...
First Came the Floods, Then Came the Asbestos
Posted 10:08pm Sunday 24th August 2025 by Zoe Eckhoff
Things have gone from bad to worse for residents of Carrington College’s Dawson House. In July, flooding forced them to relocate to Toroa. Asbestos discovered under soggy tiles made them stay there. Adorning a metaphoric hazmat suit, Critic stepped in to assess the situation. A few Read more...
BDS is Back: Students Overwhelmingly Endorse Posture at SGM
Posted 7:03pm Thursday 21st August 2025 by Nina Brown
It was standing room only in the Main Common Room (MCR) last Thursday as a large group of students met to vote on a motion on whether OUSA should re-adopt their Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) posture. The student general meeting (SGM) was called by Political Representative Jett Groshinski and Read more...
Sustainability Students’ Stellar Semester
Posted 11:33pm Sunday 17th August 2025 by Gryffin Blockley
Bikes, bagels, and bargains. The team behind Toitū te Taiao Sustainability Office is continuing a stellar line up of events this year. Toitū te Taiao are the team that runs sustainability initiatives around campus such as Te Oraka, the sustainability neighborhood, and diversion days. Read more...
Execrable: Betrayal from the Inside?
Posted 11:30pm Sunday 17th August 2025 by Gryffin Blockley
A special general meeting (SGM) has been called with a motion for OUSA to re-adopt BDS. The culprit? One of OUSA’s own: Political Representative Jett Groshinski. The SGM will take place this Thursday, August 21st, at 1pm in the Main Common Room. An SGM is an invitation for the student Read more...
Students Chalk Up Change to Lecture Recordings
Posted 11:27pm Sunday 17th August 2025 by Harry Almey
To fight for their proposed lecture recording policy, the OUSA Exec team, chalk in hand, marched outside to do a deadly battle. Despite the bitter cold and rainclouds forming, concrete outside the OUSA offices was transformed into a sea of chalked messages – before immediately getting washed Read more...
A Tale of Twin, Mouldy Cities
Posted 11:25pm Sunday 17th August 2025 by Gryffin Blockley
Dunedin may be the undisputed student city of Aotearoa, but Wellington is not far behind. Both cities are also known for being cold and miserable at times, and especially known for their shit flats. Critic Te Ārohi took a look at what your local council will do for you when shit hits the fan in Read more...
Freshers Plagued by Even More Diseases than Usual
Posted 11:20pm Sunday 17th August 2025 by Imogen Perry
With Semester 2 well underway, the residential colleges have allegedly been transformed into a cesspit of unknown bacteria, threatening the social lives of freshers left, right, and centre. Yet the unspoken question lies unanswered – are you gonna get Covid, strep or the flu by accidentally Read more...
Student Activists Help Shutter ANZ
Posted 11:18pm Sunday 17th August 2025 by Tilly Rumball-Smith
Heads up, there’s plans to demolish Nelson! Ridiculous, right? Well, it’s not far from the truth – and 31 protestors blockaded ANZ across the motu on the 8th of August to demonstrate their disapproval. Bathurst Resources Ltd, Aotearoa’s biggest mining company, has a Fast Read more...
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