Debatable: Should Athletes Be Allowed to Compete Openly on Performance-Enhancing Drugs?

Pro Enter the Enhanced Games. Essentially the Olympics on steroids (literally), this event is funded by three big time venture capitalists and has a huge team of doctors, professors, and lawyers involved. They will do state-of-the-art medical profiling, blood, urine, brain imaging, and genomic sequencing (what ever the fuck that means) to ensure that none of the athletes will be putting themselves in harm’s way just to swim a little...

Editorial: Get Behind the Rental Warrant of Fitness

Cars can be dangerous to your wellbeing. If they have a dodgy wheel bearing, thin tyres, a cracked windscreen or a dying battery, they don’t pass their warrant of fitness. It’s too dangerous to drive. Before you’re allowed to have your car on the road, you have to fix the sub-standard parts. These checks are done annually for the health of all. It makes a lot of sense – so why can’t we do the same for...

Moaningful Confessions: Always Have a Plan B

Have something juicy to tell us? Send your salacious stories to moaningful@critic.co.nz. Submissions remain anonymous. So I was all set to fly up to Christchurch – flights booked, outfits planned – all to see this guy I’d been chatting with. Two days before I’m meant to go, he suddenly gets cold feet. First, he asks me to shorten my stay. Fine.  I ask for confirmation if that’s actually what he wants....

Mi Goreng Graduate: Kofta Kebabs

Serves: 5 Time: 30 mins  Picture yourself sitting on a beach in Euro summer, sunkissed with an aperol spritz in hand. A mental image that can only be improved by an epicly tasty mediterranean meal… cue Kofta Kebabs! These are super easy to make and quite frankly, delicious. You can alter this by using fresh vegetables and hummus to top, or have a go at the salad I have suggested here. Make this healthy meal for the flat and...

Booze Review: Franky’s Lemon Crush & Cola Lime

At this point in the year I’m struggling to think of booze I haven’t yet reviewed, so I’ve taken to perusing the aisles of Leith Liquor and squinting at the shelves to see if anything’s unfamiliar. And well well well, what do we have here? New-to-the-scene Franky’s, yet another fizzy-drink RTD – this time coming in Lemon Crush (boozy lemonade) and Cola Lime (boozy coke). To start with the good, the Cola Lime...

Local Produce: Subpar Analogue Music

Subpar Analogue Music is the latest brainchild of Mario Girardet (of Caribou) and Jeremy Kinley (of The Audio Visual Drop Kicks). The music collective encompasses music recording, events managing, and flat gigs – tied together by a shared ethos of community. Mario and Jeremy outlined a new vision for the Dunedin music scene – one built on collaboration and good old Kiwi DIY ingenuity (and humility in being a little subpar) to...

Horoscopes Issue 25 2025

Pisces Your daydreams have been full of love, art, and a future where you don't live in your shithole flat. It is awesome to have hopes and dreams, but remember that the bed you dream in needs its sheets changed at least every month. And lately that has...

OUSA Exec: President-Elect’s Piece

Kia ora peeps,  It’s your 2026 President here. Thanks to everyone who voted in the OUSA elections. We had our best voter turnout in five years, so a huge thank you to all that turned...

RSS Feed SubscribeRECENT COLUMNS

For full archives click here ...