Archive

Foo Fighters Seeking Help

Posted 12:26pm Sunday 8th March 2026 by Dylan O'Connor

Local Ōtepoti feminist punk band, SEEK HELP!, has been announced as one of the openers for the upcoming concert of American rock band Foo Fighters. SEEK HELP! made history last year by being one of two bands representing Otago at Smokefreerockquest 2025, and they finished in third place. Now, Read more...

E-Waste Department Saves Uni $40,000 in 2025

Posted 12:24pm Sunday 8th March 2026 by Harry Almey

Te Oraka, a gem in the centre of campus, is full of student-run businesses and second-hand goods. Lesser known is that it also houses a selection of rescued e-waste. Critic Te Ārohi dusted themselves off one dreary day, and went to explore. Tucked in behind the second-hand clothes (nothing Read more...

Plug Pulled on Electric Hyde

Posted 12:22pm Sunday 8th March 2026 by Imogen Perry

Electric Hyde, a proposed event advertised in popular Castle26 Facebook group as an alternative to Elective Avenue, was quickly cancelled following discussions with the University and the Otago University Students’ Association. Critic Te Ārohi understands that Hyde Street residents were Read more...

Students, Lecturers and Tutors React to New LMS Aoroa

Posted 12:18pm Sunday 8th March 2026 by Bella Bates

In a move that has been met with both confusion and celebration, the University of Otago has officially started the roll out of Aoroa, its shiny new learning management system (LMS), powered by Brightspace. Despite being touted as a modern upgrade, Aoroa has already been critically received by Read more...

Local Produce: Cue-Go

Posted 12:08pm Sunday 8th March 2026 by Harry Almey

One day, in a rush to class, you'll pass Startup Dunedin on Leithbank. If you take a moment to really look, you'll spy a poster in the window of a student business they have proudly nurtured. Ready, set, Cue-Go.  The audio-visual event tech company, Cue-Go, is a star in the sky, Read more...

New Cheap Lunch Spot Opens Next to Campus

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 1st March 2026 by Hanna Varrs

Students may have noticed a new food truck operating out of the Museum Llawn, staffed with broad smiles and piling $5 Love Feasts onto plates. Jane Beecroft caught up with Critic Te Ārohi to discuss the mahi behind Krisha Kai, as well as the menu. “Samosas, smoothies, hot chips, apple Read more...

Otago Alumni Creates Flatchat: A Site That Lets You Read and Write Flat Reviews

Posted 4:56pm Sunday 1st March 2026 by Hanna Varrs

Ryan Cole is a 2022 University of Otago software engineering graduate, and the creator of Flatchat. He “really enjoyed” his time at Otago, and had some “fun and interesting” flatting experiences – including some more gnarly ones. “That’s where the idea for Read more...

Local Produce: The Plan Gig Guide

Posted 1:57pm Sunday 1st March 2026 by Ethan Montañer

No matter how long you’ve been in Dunedin’s music scene, it can still feel impossible to keep track of every gig that’s happening throughout the week. Luckily for you, a small team of local musos and fans have put together The Plan Gig Guide, a printed guide featuring a Read more...

Spilling The Green Tea With Chlöe and Francisco

Posted 1:43pm Sunday 1st March 2026 by Bella Bates

Before making their case for the upcoming election, Green Party Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick and Dunedin electoral candidate Francisco Hernandez joined Critic Te Ārohi for a more intimate Q&A over at Pearl Diver. Chlöe didn’t eat the crusts of her potato pizza, but we’ll Read more...

OUSA $4 Lunch SURGES to $5 Lunch

Posted 10:20am Monday 23rd February 2026 by Hanna Varrs

Cheap lunch over in OUSA’s Clubs & Socs building has been a mainstay of campus life for decades now. Brought to you by St Kilda’s Tandoree Garden, $4 Lunch has looked the same since 2022. However, four years later, 2026 brings a change in price as well as menu: a $1 price increase, Read more...

Local Produce: WarPossumTV

Posted 4:13pm Sunday 22nd February 2026 by Ethan Montañer

Ōtepoti’s music scene has a knack for producing incredible young bands, across any and all styles. Committed to preserving and capturing this talent, while adding in his own DIY flair, is Tane Cotton. “I think every local scene is special and needs to be preserved, but I think ours Read more...

Inflation Hits Rob Roy

Posted 4:05pm Sunday 22nd February 2026 by Jonathan McCabe

The price of Rob Roy’s learner cone has climbed to $3.50, a whopping thirty cent increase from last year. This is the second wave of price surges to face ice cream enjoyers since the Ma family took over the reins in July of 2024. Third year student Nico reckons that the iconic spot has gotten Read more...

Castle26 Admins Tell All about Shitposting Crackdown

Posted 4:02pm Sunday 22nd February 2026 by Gryffin Blockley

Castle26: arguably the cornerstone of the North D community. The sixteen thousand strong membership (allegedly free of freshers) have provided an important space to find a random Facebook flatmate, sell your Electric Ave ticket for exorbitant prices and laugh at your mates license being held ransom Read more...

By-Election brings Old Worms out of the Woodwork

Posted 3:58pm Sunday 22nd February 2026 by Molly Smith-Soppet

Dunedin is heading back to the ballot box… Again. A by-election is being held to fill the vacant seat left by the tragic passing of Councillor and former Mayor Jules Radich. Nominations are currently open and will close on March 2nd, with voting beginning April 10th.    This Read more...

Fundraising for Mental Health: A Marathon, not a Sprint (Literally)

Posted 3:53pm Sunday 22nd February 2026 by Molly Smith-Soppet

On March 7th at 5am, while the rest of Ōtepoti is fast asleep or stumbling home after a big Friday night, Philip Yeardley will be up running in circles. For 100 kilometres.  Having already completed a marathon, a 50km run, and the Three Peaks challenge, men's mental health advocate Read more...

Critic Te Ārohi Wins Best Publication at Aotearoa Student Press Awards

Posted 12:25pm Thursday 13th November 2025 by Critic

In its 100th year, Critic Te Ārohi won Best Publication at the Aotearoa Student Press Association Awards (ASPAs) held in Ōtepoti on November 8th. Known for its irreverence and bold approach to student life at the University of Otago, the magazine placed in all but four categories at the Read more...

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...