Archive

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...

Execrable: Betrayal from the Inside?

Posted 10:20pm Thursday 14th 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 on Thursday, August 21st, at 1pm in the Main Common Room.    An SGM is an invitation for the Read more...

The Diagnosis of Med Revue

Posted 10:19pm Sunday 10th August 2025 by Harry Almey

Despite being cancelled for a certain student-theatre review earlier in the year, Critic Te Ārohi is back on its feet for Med Revue. Ever gluttons for punishment, here’s what three hours of enduring med-student humour is like (in the name of charity, of course).  Med Revue’s Read more...

Potato Milk Review: Sold Nowhere Else in NZ

Posted 9:41pm Sunday 10th August 2025 by Harry Almey

Society loves potatoes for their versatility: Deep-fried, mashed or made into vodka. But one brave Polytechnic tauira, Emily Gilbert, has invented ‘Spud Milk’ – a NZ first.  "Another icky health food!" you blurt out loud while reading this review. "Quality Read more...

Law Students Swap Firms for Fundraisers

Posted 9:38pm Sunday 10th August 2025 by Gryffin Blockley

A group of Law tauira have put together a roster of fundraising events for Ōtepoti Whānau Refuge. The first of a stacked five-piece line up is a designer clothes sale on the 16th of August, featuring brand new clothes from many iconic labels at up to half price.  Critic Te Read more...

BDS Binned: OUSA Executive Fronts Up to Widespread Criticism

Posted 9:29pm Sunday 10th August 2025 by Gryffin Blockley, Hanna Varrs & Nina Brown

News of the OUSA Exec abandoning their Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) posture has triggered an outpouring of criticism from the student community and beyond. The decision went against the 53% of 1,766 students (8.83% of 20,000 students) who voted “yes” to maintaining the policy Read more...

The Goon Show has Landed in Dunedin

Posted 9:24pm Sunday 10th August 2025 by Molly Smith-Soppet

A cult-classic British radio comedy from the 1950s is getting a revival at the most unlikely of places, Allen Hall Lunchtime Theatre. If you're feeling emotionally burnt out by unfair grades or the political drama flooding your TikTok feed, then this might just be your reprieve. The Goon Show is Read more...

BDS Binned: OUSA Executive Fronts Up to Widespread Criticism

Posted 12:35pm Friday 8th August 2025 by Nina Brown, Hanna Varrs & Gryffin Blockley

News of the OUSA Exec abandoning their Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) posture has triggered an outpouring of criticism from the student community and beyond. The decision went against the 53% of 1,766 students (8.83% of 20,000 students) who voted “yes” to maintaining the policy Read more...

Are Vapes Exploding In Our Mouths? Coalition Says “Nuh Uh”

Posted 8:29pm Sunday 3rd August 2025 by Zoe Eckhoff

In a massive win for the nicotine-addicted, vaping restrictions introduced by the previous Labour government have been rolled back by the current coalition government, just over a month since they kicked in. Mason Corporation, who own the vape shop Shosha, challenged the court to lift the ban on Read more...

Nurses Strike Against “Detrimental To Patient” Working Conditions

Posted 8:27pm Sunday 3rd August 2025 by Via Hooks

Last Wednesday, Dunedin nurses joined a national 24-hour strike to protest dangerously low staffing in hospitals across the motu. Marching from the Octagon, a large crowd had gathered on the Museum Reserve by noon, expressing their dissatisfaction with the current Government and Te Whatu Ora’s Read more...

Chaos on the Commute

Posted 8:25pm Sunday 3rd August 2025 by Liberty Murray

In case actually showing up to your morning lectures was bad enough, a recent streak of icy mornings have left Otago tauira shaken and embarrassed. Students were falling like dominoes and cars were slipping and sliding around the roads, much to the enjoyment of wise students who didn’t leave Read more...

Execrable: BDS Abandoned, NZUSA Withdrawal & Protests Planned

Posted 8:23pm Sunday 3rd August 2025 by Nina Brown, Hanna Varrs & Gryffin Blockley

The OUSA Exec held Critic hostage for two hours at their meeting last Thursday (we outlasted Liam, even). In what could only be described as a “robust” meeting (I can’t stop) the agenda had three big ticket items: finally talking about the referendum results, NZUSA withdrawal, and Read more...

Shit Times in Studentville with Chlöe Swarbrick

Posted 8:20pm Sunday 3rd August 2025 by Nina Brown

Behind the mirage of constant socialisation and great discounts, the reality of student life is that it’s a bit shit sometimes. When Green Party Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick was in town for the launch of the Green’s Ōtepoti campaign in the upcoming local body elections, she found Read more...

Trip Report: 98 Years of OUTC’s Bush Ball

Posted 8:16pm Sunday 3rd August 2025 by Jonathan McCabe

What happens in the bush stays in the bush. The Otago University Tramping Club (OUTC) has built up an illusive reputation over its storied history of people full-sending it in the woods. Bush Ball is arguably the most famous (and feral) of their many adventures across the motu each year. Read more...

Students Caress Mountain to Win Free Stuff

Posted 5:51pm Saturday 26th July 2025 by Stella Weston

With over $10k worth of prizes to be won, Radio One’s Re:Ori’ Marathon Mountain event was a huge success, with the winner managing to hold onto a paper mache mountain for over seven hours. The mountain was reportedly the only thing in North D that students had a tighter grip on than Read more...

Uni SCRAMBLES to Find POPH192 Tutors

Posted 5:43pm Saturday 26th July 2025 by Molly Smith-Soppet

Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) students are panicking – and it's not about if they will get into Med for a change. This time, it’s because there are no tutors to help them get the grades. St Marg’s, Arana, Hayward and 192 Castle College were all without POPH192 tutors at the Read more...

Minion Rave Reviewed: Where were all the babois?

Posted 5:39pm Saturday 26th July 2025 by Hanna Varrs, Gryffin Blockley and Maddy Barnes

OUSA was reaching for the moon for the Friday of Re-O, hosting a Minion-themed boiler room at U-Bar. Critic Te Ārohi was more than happy to go bananas and review the event – only to be greeted by a desolate dance floor. There were like 20 people there.  Of the OUSA-run Re-Ori Read more...

Carrington Flood Refugees Flee to Toroa

Posted 5:36pm Saturday 26th July 2025 by Hugh Askerud

Carrington residents of Dawson House spent last week in Toroa College after a flooding incident which saw two floors of the building seeped in sewage. The University confirmed to Critic that the culprit flushed paper towels down a toilet, soiling fourteen freshers’ rooms. In other news, Toroa Read more...

Freshers Unhappy with Halls’ New Allergen Management

Posted 5:34pm Saturday 26th July 2025 by Ali G.

Following an allergen mishap at Te Rangihīroa, the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) has launched an investigation into halls’ food allergen management procedures. All colleges have now rejigged their allergen management systems, which some say are for the better, and others say for Read more...

Campus Endures 269 Days of Cheesing

Posted 5:13pm Saturday 19th July 2025 by Harry Almey

It was the 11th of October 2024. The Uni’s Te Korokoro O Te Tūī performing arts studio sat basking in the spring sunshine. But on this mundane Friday at 4:52pm, a slice of cheese was photographed on a window, just above the entrance. Almost a year later, the cheese slice that had Read more...

OUSA Exec Gives Birth to Student Charter

Posted 4:53pm Saturday 19th July 2025 by Gryffin Blockley

OUSA’s proposed Student Charter was finally approved at last week’s Exec meeting, birthing it into the wonderful world of policy and bureaucracy. The charter outlines key issues and priorities that students are facing in Dunedin – unfortunately lowering the price of butter did not Read more...

The Rise and Fall of the Green Solo

Posted 4:48pm Saturday 19th July 2025 by Zoe Eckhoff

Ah the kakariki takitahi, a force that once breathed minty nicotine into the lungs of breathas and sheathas alike. But no more, for its reign hath come to a halt. Before the eve of June 17th there was a time when you couldn’t walk down George Street on a Saturday night without seeing the Read more...

Breaking News: You Might Be on Meth and Not Even Know It

Posted 4:47pm Saturday 19th July 2025 by Molly Smith-Soppet

If you felt like O-Week hit harder this year, it wasn't just the hangxiety talking. We felt the same, so we’ve done it again; we hit up the Police to analyse everyone’s piss, and fuck you had a good O-Week! There was a dramatic surge in MDMA consumption across Dunedin during February Read more...

Critical Tribune: University of Otago Reveals Rainbet Sponsorship

Posted 4:18pm Saturday 19th July 2025 by Anderson Coomer

A University of Otago spokesperson, operating under the Instagram handle UoOslaps, has revealed a controversial new partnership with offshore gambling platform Rainbet.  In an Instagram Reel featuring a desk littered with paperwork, a leaked law exam, and printouts of boomer complaints from Read more...

Critic Census Reveals Students’ Opinion on Uni’s Institutionally Neutral Stance

Posted 2:44pm Monday 14th July 2025 by Nina Brown

The University issued a statement on institutional neutrality on May 8th in response to mounting pressure to have a political stance on the genocide in Palestine. Shortly afterward, Critic Te Ārohi ran its fifth annual census, published on May 13th, including the question: “Do you think Read more...

Students Swarm the Beehive: Youth Parliament Debriefed

Posted 1:01pm Monday 14th July 2025 by Jonathan McCabe

Youth Parliament provides a socially acceptable setting for rangatahi to yell at a room full of important people. The biggest news story to come from Youth Parliament were the accusations of censoring the youth voice, levied against the Ministry of Youth Development (MYD). Critic Te Ārohi had a Read more...

(OUSA) Greening Out: Second Quarter Reports Summarised

Posted 12:59pm Monday 14th July 2025 by Gryffin Blockley

Two quarters (for non math majors: half) of a year in, it’s been hectic for the OUSA Executive. They’ve been no strangers to Critic Te Ārohi’s headlines, with a referendum, BDS postures and questions of Political Rep Jett’s conflict of interest making appearances – Read more...

Law Exam Leak Labelled “Crippling”

Posted 12:51pm Monday 14th July 2025 by Sam Smith-Soppet

On the morning of Friday June 6, Law students had been gearing up for one of their biggest exams of Semester One, LAWS407 Company Law. A couple of hours before the exam, however, they received an email from the University advising that following a breach of academic conduct, they’d been forced Read more...

Campus Banksy Calls Out ‘Old Boys' Club’ Exec

Posted 12:46pm Tuesday 17th June 2025 by Nina Brown

In the wake of news that Political Rep Jett Groshinski will be running for council and continuing in his role despite a conflict of interest, anti-OUSA Exec propaganda posters have popped up on notice boards around campus calling for Jett to resign. As of writing, Jett tells Critic he has no plans Read more...

Council-Gunning Political Rep’s Conflict of Interest

Posted 3:50pm Tuesday 3rd June 2025 by Nina Brown

With a cheesy ODT photoshoot and a big wide grin, on Wednesday, May 21st OUSA’s Political Representative Jett Groshinski announced his Labour-endorsed bid to stand for Local Body Elections (LBE). Over the course of two (rather tense) Exec meetings, they have collectively decided on a conflict Read more...

Online Gambling Platform Illegally Promotes Through Students

Posted 5:54pm Sunday 25th May 2025 by Sam Smith-Soppet

Online gambling monolith, Rainbet, has come into the spotlight for their advertising strategy in New Zealand, dishing out the cash for Gen Z influencers to promote gambling to their peers – some right here in Dunedin. The catch: it’s not exactly legal. Rainbet has been using student Read more...

Campus Creeps (and what to do about them)

Posted 5:52pm Sunday 25th May 2025 by Gryffin Blockley

A student has approached Critic Te Ārohi with an uncomfortable situation that took place in the Staff Club café, involving a “creepy” encounter with an older man who could not take a hint.  Anita* originally reached out to Critic with a letter to the Editor after an Read more...