Archive

Heavy Breathers Cross the Finish Line

Posted 12:47pm Monday 18th September 2023 by Harriette Boucher

In the race for men’s mental health, the Heavy Breathers smashed not only their personal bests but the silence that surrounds the issue that resonates deeply with the group.    The Heavy Breathers, a group of 33 third-year boys, set out on a mission to raise money for men's Read more...

Frisbee Fanatics Fantastically Finish First

Posted 12:06pm Monday 18th September 2023 by Keegan Wells

Toroa, one of the two Otago Ultimate Frisbee teams, took home first place at the national tertiary championships a couple weeks ago on the 2-3 of September. Hoiho, the secondary Otago team, moved up in the ranks from previous years, landing 7th place overall.    Critic Te Ārohi Read more...

El Duniño is Here

Posted 12:02pm Monday 18th September 2023 by Ollie McKenna

Between bouts of cone theft, bottle smashing and mould wiping, a lot of us are still riding the wave of winter blues that continued through last year’s flop of a summer. But what if Critic Te Ārohi were to tell you that in collaboration with El Niño and climate change, Big Climate Read more...

Tramping Club Gets Sick

Posted 12:38pm Monday 11th September 2023 by peter barclay

As many students ventured home over the mid-sem break, 45 members of the Otago University Tramping Club (OUTC) took a bus to the West Coast for their annual Copland Trip. Now they all (well, most of them) have Covid.    “You, about 20 others, and counting got Covid from the Read more...

Science Communication Changes Confirmed

Posted 12:37pm Monday 11th September 2023 by Nina Brown

Students at the Department of Science Communication received confirmation last week from Pro-Vice Chancellor (Sciences) Richard Barker of changes that will be made to the Department. The Department is still set to be disestablished, with just a distance-only Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma Read more...

An Inconvenient Tooth

Posted 12:06pm Monday 11th September 2023 by Fox Meyer

Labour has announced a plan to provide free dental care by - in part - training more dentists, but students in the country’s only dental school are asking: who’s going to teach them? Free dental care could return $1.60 to the economy for every dollar spent, according to last Read more...

Where Does Your $1,015 Fee Go?

Posted 12:04pm Monday 11th September 2023 by jack campbell

You probably paid about $1,015 to Otago as a Student Services Fee. Why do we do this? Where does it go?    Imagine a group of students wondering where all their money is going as they are sitting around eating instant noodles. And then, lo and behold: a $20 million student levy fund! Read more...

Privacy Commissioner Slams Landlord Website

Posted 12:00pm Monday 11th September 2023 by Zak Rudin

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) has released a media release explaining why the website What Does My Landlord Own? (WDMLO) was found in breach of the Privacy Act. The Privacy Commissioner decided to publicly comment on the website as it apparently “provides a cautionary example in Read more...

Is the New Statue Backwards?

Posted 11:57am Monday 11th September 2023 by Hugh Askerud

Flogging a dead horse to some degree, Critic Te Ārohi asked the University for any word on why the infamous white box still hasn’t been lifted outside St Dave’s. A bit like a kid in the backseat of a car repeatedly asking their parents “Are we there yet?” Once again, we Read more...

Won’t Someone Think of the Children?

Posted 9:07pm Sunday 3rd September 2023 by Elliot Weir

Throughout the election cycle, politicians get asked a lot of questions - in the debating chamber, on the tiles outside Parliament, on the TVNZ debate stage, in the RNZ studio, on the side of the road. The sum of these questions can paint a picture of the values and concerns of at least some portion Read more...

New Religion Club Goes Rogue

Posted 9:05pm Sunday 3rd September 2023 by Hugh Askerud

Wednesday, August 23 seemed an ordinary day in OUSA Clubs and Socs. Until the lights went out, mysterious figures emerged from the shadows, and a variety of sacrificial snacks were put on display. Yes, you’ve guessed correctly: the Society of Religious Studies Enthusiasts (SORSE) sat down for Read more...

“Tenant Blacklist” Database Allegedly Breaches Privacy Act

Posted 8:56pm Sunday 3rd September 2023 by Zak Rudin

The renter’s advocacy union Renters United has alleged that Illion Tenancy’s new feature may be in breach of the Privacy Act. The new feature notifies landlords when a tenant has had a background check.    Illion Tenancy, formerly known as TINZ and cheekily referred to by Read more...

Uni Whales Win Hockey Championship

Posted 8:38pm Sunday 3rd September 2023 by Hugh Askerud

The University Whales performed the impossible on Saturday, August 19, winning the premier men's hockey competition in a stunning shootout victory. Blub-blub.   After an initially slow start to the season, the team has been called the “most unlikely of champions”. Before Read more...

Arana Renovations Undermine Enrolment Targets

Posted 11:01pm Sunday 20th August 2023 by Ollie McKenna

The closure of Arana College has been confirmed for 2024, putting the University’s plan to increase its number of full-time students in a bit of a sticky situation.   One of the priorities of the University’s Strategic Plan, Pae Tata, was to increase its number of full time Read more...

Ex-Student Stripper Brings ‘Tragic Mike’ to Dunedin

Posted 10:58pm Sunday 20th August 2023 by Nina Brown

“I’ll just drop out and become a stripper.” Yeah, right, we’ve all said that. Gianni took it seriously.   The pay is great, you keep fit, rake in that yummy attention, and never have to read another academic article again. “What’s not to love?” Read more...

OUSA Puts Down Pet Project

Posted 10:55pm Sunday 20th August 2023 by Nina Brown

It was with heavy hearts that the OUSA exec passed a motion (with one vote against) on Friday, August 11, to cancel the Starters Bar lease.    You’ll probably be thinking, “But I thought that closed ages ago?” And you’d be right - the bar has sat stagnant on Read more...

Seagull Gang Ram-Raids Night ‘n Day

Posted 10:53pm Sunday 20th August 2023 by Hugh Askerud

Thursday evening, August 10th. A gang of ten young ruffians swarmed into the Octagon Night ‘n Day, harassing staff and customers while refusing to leave.    The offenders – all in matching outfits – refused to communicate in english. Maybe because they were Read more...

OUSA Petitions For Universal Study Wage

Posted 3:45pm Sunday 13th August 2023 by Hugh Askerud

OUSA and VUWSA have put forward a petition to the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance and Education for a universal study wage for all tertiary students of $385/week.    The petition is part of a wider “No More Excuses!” campaign that the New Zealand Union of Read more...

Chocmaggedon!

Posted 3:43pm Sunday 13th August 2023 by Hugh Askerud

A block of Cadbury’s chocolate has risen to $4.99 retail price in Countdown and New World supermarkets, leaving students stunned as they announce the onslaught of Chocmaggedon.    Though the Commerce Commission’s investigation ostensibly had some impact on freezing prices Read more...

Anti-Chinese State Propaganda Given Out on Campus

Posted 3:37pm Sunday 13th August 2023 by Zak Rudin

Nico was coming out of a lecture on Wednesday, August 2, when he was intercepted by an unknown woman who handed him an envelope without so much as a word. The woman was wearing a white puffer jacket and baseball cap that obscured her face. On the face of the envelope was a barely-legible Read more...

‘Everything Room’ Activists Appear in Court

Posted 3:34pm Sunday 13th August 2023 by Zak Rudin

Three protesters arrested for damaging University of Otago property appeared at the District Court Tuesday, August 8. Around 20 supporters were there in solidarity.    Third-year student Jowan Nute and non-students Liam Scaife and Carl Naus were arrested Tuesday, August 1, for Read more...

‘Everything Room’ Activists Appear In Court

Posted 5:40pm Tuesday 8th August 2023 by Zak Rudin

Three protesters arrested for damaging University of Otago property appeared at the District Court Tuesday, August 8. Around 20 supporters were there in solidarity.  Third-year student Jowan Nute and non-students Liam Scaife and Carl Naus were arrested Tuesday, August 1, for intentional Read more...

Med Revue Reviewed

Posted 3:52pm Tuesday 8th August 2023 by Zak Rudin

Med revue, the annual showcase of med students trying to prove they have a sense of humor, was performed to students, friends and family last weekend. With nothing better to do on a Saturday night, Critic Te Ārohi went along to the finale.  Keeping with tradition, the main plot Read more...

33 Boys, 42 Kilometres, 50 Grand

Posted 2:20pm Monday 7th August 2023 by Nina Brown

A group of 33 third-year boys have raised over $50k and counting for the Spark That Chat mental health campaign while training for the Emerson’s Dunedin Marathon in September. We note that that’s enough to pay for all the stolen road cones.    Will, Josh, Jamie and Sam, Read more...

The Great Dunedin Nitro Conspiracy

Posted 2:19pm Monday 7th August 2023 by Nina Brown

In issue 15 (the one with the rad skiing rat on the cover from a few weeks ago) we published in the TL;DR section of the news that the DCC and Police were allegedly trying to phase out the sale of Nitro. This was inaccurate, and we apologise for any upset caused by this news. But we had good reason Read more...

Numbers are Boring: Especially the ones that say you lost

Posted 2:09pm Monday 7th August 2023 by Ollie McKenna

One of the most prestigious sporting organisations in the world graced Forsyth Barr in the past few weeks: FIFA. A look on Wikipedia might suggest that Dunedin may not have been the most successful choice of venue based on the game stats. But while numbers are boring (though maybe not as boring as Read more...

In the Trenches of Barbie

Posted 2:04pm Monday 7th August 2023 by Anna Robertshawe

It was a Sunday eve. A slight drizzle sprinkled the still, cold air. Civilians strolled around the Octagon. Armed with their e-tickets and pink uniforms, Barbie militia were beginning to mark their territory. Little did it know, Rialto Cinema was about to be shell-shocked. Critic sent our slayest Read more...

Three People Arrested Protesting Uni “Mismanagement”

Posted 1:53pm Wednesday 2nd August 2023 by Zak Rudin

Three people, including one student, were arrested for intentional damage on Tuesday afternoon. The arrests came after a group of mostly students “repurposed” a disused office block on the second floor of the Business School by painting the walls to protest staff cuts and Read more...

Heartbreak for the Otago Nuggets in Semi-Final

Posted 2:04pm Monday 31st July 2023 by Hugh Askerud

Dreams were crushed in Auckland on Saturday, July 22, when the embattled Otago Nuggets found themselves at the tail end of a 114-103 loss to the Canterbury Rams. Critic Te Ārohi can’t believe it either. A team that started the season with seven straight wins in the Sals National Read more...

Otago Targets Geology Department with 30% Staff Cuts

Posted 2:03pm Monday 31st July 2023 by Fox Meyer

Otago University was founded on geology and medicine, and has recently targeted both with considerable budget cuts.   According to documents seen by Critic Te Ārohi, the Geology Department is facing a proposed reduction of about a third of their staff, despite boasting the title of Read more...

Student Locked in Eleven Bar Shares Story

Posted 2:01pm Monday 31st July 2023 by Iris Hehir

CW: This story contains descriptions of sexual harassment Eleven Bar’s liquor licence has not been renewed following the Dunedin District Licensing Committee’s decision that the nightclub is “unsuitable” to supply and sell alcohol to students and the general Read more...

Student to Get the Dogs Out for Dunedin Half-Marathon

Posted 1:59pm Monday 31st July 2023 by Hugh Askerud

In the upcoming Dunedin half-marathon on September 10, third-year Geography student Christian plans on running barefoot in the name of mental health awareness. Most of us will barely leave the house to put the bins out without chucking on a pair of slippers (there’s glass around these parts, Read more...

SOULS Resuming Relationship With Russell McVeagh

Posted 4:19pm Monday 24th July 2023 by Zak Rudin

The Society of Otago University Law Students (SOULS) have announced that they will resume their relationship with law firm Russell McVeagh. SOULS cut ties with the firm back in 2018 after multiple students - including one from Otago - raised allegations of sexual harassment.    The Read more...

Re-O-Roundup

Posted 4:15pm Monday 24th July 2023 by Hugh Askerud

What a lady, what a night. A sentiment I’m sure many found themselves uttering as they progressed further and further into the maddeningly obscene antics of the Re-O Week scene on Castle. Yes, Re-O Week came to live up to the hype we all expected, providing all sorts of thrills and spills for Read more...

Castle Roof Blaze Quelled by Campus Watch

Posted 4:10pm Monday 24th July 2023 by Hugh Askerud

Tragedy struck at Doll’s House on the Tuesday of Re-O Week when the roof of the infamous flat was set on fire, having been shot with a series of fireworks. Police were quickly on the scene as the event transpired. It proved to be Campus Watch, however, who eventually stamped the fire out after Read more...

Student Scammed Out of Life Savings

Posted 4:07pm Monday 24th July 2023 by Nina Brown

Third-year Law student Cassie* has warned others to watch out for online phishing scams after scammers scooped $17k out of her bank account - her life savings. “They’re the scum of the Earth in my eyes,” she told Critic Te Ārohi, despite her friend’s condolences that it Read more...

Countdown Central Declares They Hate Self-Expression

Posted 10:06pm Tuesday 18th July 2023 by Remy the Rat

After years of allowing them to exist on the Moray Place side of Countdown, the supermarket has finally decided to purge the wall of its posters.    Posters promoting local events and gigs, activism and art were common here. The postering spot was the largest stretch in the city, as Read more...

Year 13s Invade Castle Street, Seeking Thrills

Posted 10:03pm Tuesday 18th July 2023 by Hugh Askerud

Never before have there been so many students claiming to be first year health sci students on Castle St. Why would anyone make such an absurd claim, you ask? It’s likely because they’re not even students.    Recently, there has been a significant upturn in the amount of Read more...

Horseplay in Uni Council Meeting!

Posted 10:02pm Tuesday 18th July 2023 by Fox Meyer

At a packed Uni Council meeting last week, Otago confirmed that it would be going ahead with the million-dollar rebrand. Student protesters - dressed as pigs and horses - refused to leave the chamber after the announcement, protesting staff cuts. It was truly a dog and pony show, but in the end, Read more...

A Response from Tim Fowler, Chief Executive of the Tertiary Education Commission

Posted 1:19pm Sunday 9th July 2023 by Critic

I read Zak Rudin’s Critic Te Ārohi article with interest (‘MINOR CONFUSION! Announcement elicits fears’). As the person who apparently said several things quoted, I want to set the record straight, as a number of comments have been misinterpreted, conflated and confused in the Read more...

Okay, Now That Landlord Website is Really Shut Down

Posted 12:59pm Sunday 9th July 2023 by Nina Brown

A website detailing how many properties your landlord owns has been shut down following discourse with the Deputy Privacy Commissioner. The founders of the website believe this decision was “influenced by landlords and property developers”.   A press release from the founders Read more...

Science Communication Department Fears the Axe

Posted 12:54pm Sunday 9th July 2023 by Nina Brown

Disclaimer: The author of this article is a postgraduate science communication student.    Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple months, you’ll be well aware of the financial shitshow ($60 million deficit) that has forced Otago Uni to make some Read more...

Greenie Grandma Found Guilty

Posted 12:52pm Sunday 9th July 2023 by Nina Brown

Local greenie grandma Rosemary Penwarden was found guilty of forgery by a recent Dunedin High Court trial. Rosemary sent a fake letter in 2019 to attendees of an oil conference in Queenstown telling them it had been postponed due to the climate crisis. Though the letter was meant to be satirical, Read more...

Science Communication Department Fears the Axe

Posted 4:10pm Thursday 6th July 2023 by Nina Brown

Disclaimer: The author of this article is a postgraduate science communication student.   Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple months, you’ll be well aware of the financial shitshow ($60 million deficit) that has forced Otago Uni to make some serious Read more...

Correction from Tim Fowler

Posted 9:28am Tuesday 13th June 2023 by Fox Meyer

This letter was sent on May 31, 2023, and has been copied below exactly as it was written. Tēnā koe Fox, I read Zak Rudin’s Critic Te Ārohi article with interest (MINOR CONFUSION! Announcement elicits fears). As the person who apparently said several things quoted, I want Read more...

SHOCKING! OUSA’s General Meeting Met Quorum!

Posted 6:32pm Monday 29th May 2023 by Nina Brown

Last Monday was the OUSA Annual General Meeting and, contrary to the expectations of most, it actually went ahead. AGMs need 0.5% of the student body to show up to go ahead (called quorum) and the final head count was 106 - a whole one member over the bare minimum! Hosting the meeting during Auahi Read more...

“Scandalous”: $355 Million for Tertiary Sector Reappropriated

Posted 6:29pm Monday 29th May 2023 by Fox Meyer

Otago Uni Associate Professor Brian Roper claims that $355 million budgeted towards tertiary education is going unspent. This is enough money to bail out Otago, Vic, Canterbury, and Massey universities almost three times over. Each. And it was literally in the 2022 budget. Seriously, these documents Read more...

EXCLUSIVE: Capping Show Review

Posted 6:11pm Monday 29th May 2023 by Zak Rudin

It’s that time of year again. Critic Te Ārohi joined around 200 (that’s double last year's opening! Wow!) students, parents, and grandparents on opening night for the annual Capping Show. The night was complete with sex jokes, singing, dancing, mimes, free juice, and even more Read more...

FIGHT! New Group aims to Fight Cuts

Posted 6:07pm Monday 29th May 2023 by Zak Rudin

At 20 members strong, Protect Otago Action Group (or POAG) has formed to fight back against the Uni’s projected staff layoffs in light of their $60 million debt. POAG member Tyler told Critic Te Ārohi that they have a “three pronged campaign” to reversing the proposed staff Read more...

MINOR CONFUSION! Announcement Elicits Fears

Posted 6:01pm Monday 29th May 2023 by Zak Rudin

The Uni is possibly considering raising student fees to help with the $60 million funding shortfall. Brandon, President of the Ōtepoti Tertiary Education Union (TEU) branch, was at a TEU conference meeting where an announcement was made that seemed to indicate this. Tim Fowler, executive head Read more...