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 awards, taking home ten golds and ten silvers.
The ASPAs are the student media equivalent of the Voyager Media Awards. The 24 awards across six categories were judged by 27 industry professionals who generously lent their expertise – from Toby Morris’ talent in illustration and design, to investigative journalist Paula Penfold’s nose for a story, and Paddy Gower’s experience in broadcast journalism and going viral.
The Aotearoa Student Press Association is composed of seven print student magazines published by university and polytechnic student associations across the motu. These include Critic Te Ārohi (Otago), Canta (Canterbury), Craccum (Auckland), Debate (AUT), Massive (Massey), Nexus (Waikato), and Salient (Victoria). New-to-the-scene this year was Stu News, a social media based platform with a national focus.
Turning a hundred-years-old prompted Critic Te Ārohi to reflect on the original purpose of the magazine. The first editor Archibald Campbell said in his debut editorial, “If the infant Critic does not belie its name and lose its birthright, it will suffer no word or deed to go unquestioned within the four walls of Otago University.” With old Archie’s words in mind, Critic practically breathed down the necks of the Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) Executive, its governing body who Critic was established to hold accountable – efforts that were recognised by judges of the News categories.
Stuff senior journalist Sinead Gill and The Spinoff political reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith awarded Critic Best News Coverage. “Critic fucking smashed it with their entries to this category, including a quirky student innovation story that helped blow up a business, and a classic examination of student election candidates,” said Sinead. She called Sam Smith-Soppet’s story on gambling influencers, which was picked up a few months later by Paddy Gower Has Issues, “quietly one of the best student media scoops of the year for me, shining a light on an issue that is quietly festering in uni-aged people.”
2026 Critic Co-Editors Hanna Varrs and Gryffin Blockley proved they’re the perfect duo to lead the mag next year. They took out Best Feature Writer and runner-up Best Reporter respectively, nipping at the heels of Stu News’ Fergus Goodall Smith. Judges Sinead and Lyric commented, “[Gryffin’s] exposé of the University of Otago’s overcharging of students for, essentially, an identical and cheaper course was excellent and led to real-world outcomes, with students getting some money back. This scoop specifically was so impressive that it made identifying one
winner all the more difficult.” Joel MacManus called Hanna a “supremely talented young writer with that rare combination of flair and constraint.”
Iris Hehir and Tilly Rumball-Smith won Best Feature for their article Big Red vs The Admin, a gonzo-style story of a Castle Street flat’s power struggle with the University of Otago over hosting during O-Week. The Spinoff’s Joel MacManus commented, “An excellent example of Gonzo journalism written in a mature, confident voice.” The Press’ Maddy Croad said, “This piece had me audibly laughing at times, and although it followed Big Red as its primary line of inquiry, it managed to delve into the deeper reasons behind the fall of student culture.” She gave a shout-out to the writers for even attending hosts in PJs in pursuit of the story (“huge dedication”).
Critic’s culture submissions were also highly praised by judges. Culture Co-Editor Lotto Ramsay came runner-up in Best Personal Essay for their piece exploring mental health recovery through an emotional bond with an injured pet snail. Iris Hehir won Best Profile for her article interviewing Critic’s oldest living editor at 94, Dr Paul Oestreicher, in honour of the centenary. Former Critic Culture Editor Annabelle Vaughan commented, “Being tasked with telling someone else's story can be daunting, especially when that person's story spans so much. But Iris, I’m sure you made Paul proud.”
The top culture award, Best Culture Writer, went to Molly Smith-Soppet, the Beauden to Sam’s Jordy. “In student media, a culture section is defined by its ability to look at the world around us – the trends that consume us, the pop culture we obsess over, and the universal experiences we’ve ALL managed to have – and reflecting it back into the smaller world that is our flats, campuses and friends,” said Annabelle. “Critic has a long line of culture writers and editors, all who have left a legacy of never fearing what makes student life so weird and wonderful. I’m proud to see that Molly Smith Soppet is carrying on this lineage and will become part of this legacy.”
Annabelle and Liam Rātana, The Spinoff’s Ātea Editor, placed Critic second to Massive in Best Māori Coverage. “[Critic] uncovered the complexities of navigating Māori identity in colonial spaces like university campuses, as well as the struggle, stress and pressure that comes with it,” said Annabelle, who was almost drawn to tears by The Break You Don’t Take Will Break You. Liam commented, “Champion One Day, Crumbling The Next was a confrontational challenge of society and the institution of western academia, offering readers an ultimatum of continuing along the same path or radical change. Brown Brilliance was a joyful profile of four wāhine Māori making waves in their own unique way.”
A hall-mark of student media publications are their distinct design, with individual styles reflecting the unique student cultures of each campus. Critic claimed Best Illustration portfolio and Best Centrefold – collages of which adorn student flat walls in North Dunedin. First-year Gemma McKinney came runner-up for Best Illustrator for illustrations described as “warm, human, and fun”. Designer Evie Noad was awarded runner-up in Best Design for her “clever design,” and Kevin Wang was runner-up Best Photographer with a portfolio including students
celebrating a try in the Highlanders stands, a cone amidst a Castle St mosh, and a skier on Otago campus.
The Best Publication award, the big ticket item of the night, was left to last. The result: Critic Te Ārohi. After coming second to Massive in 2024, the roles were reversed for the publications who’d been neck and neck all evening. Judge Paula Penfold, Stuff investigative journalist, said the centenary issue was standout for her: “Just utterly exceptional work.” Joel MacManus commented, “A stellar year from a supremely talented team. With the pressure of expectations around a 100th anniversary, Nina Brown and Co more than rose to the occasion, producing some of the best work in Critic’s history.”
Fox Meyer, a political reporter for the Newsroom, concurred. As a former Critic Editor, Fox acknowledged his bias as a judge, but said that “this isn’t just two dumb bitches telling each other ‘exactlyyyy’. The magazine this year was leaps and bounds better than it has been in years, and that was due to the team Nina ran and her commitment to her work [...] Nina and co knocked this out of the park, and managed the year in a way that I genuinely think should be taken note of by newsrooms in the wider media sphere.”
After two years as the full-time editor of Critic Te Ārohi, hosting the ASPAs was the final act for Nina – who won Best Editorial – before passing the torch to Hanna and Gryffin for 2026. “It was the perfect way to sign off,” she said. “I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to add to the time capsule of Critic and to have celebrated with the other mags on the night. Student media got her flowers.”
Results
General
Best Publication – Fox Meyer (Newsroom), Joel MacManus (The Spinoff) & Paula Penfold (Stuff) Winner: Critic Te Ārohi
Runner-up: Massive
Best Editorial – Toby Manhire (The Spinoff)
Winner: Critic Te Ārohi, Nina Brown
Runner-up: Debate, Liam Hansen
Best Sports Coverage – Zoë George (RNZ) & Paul Ford (ACC)
Winner: Massive
Runner-up: Critic Te Ārohi
Best Humour/Satire – Toby Manhire (The Spinoff) & Alex Casey (The Spinoff)
Winner: Critic Te Ārohi
Runner-up: Salient
Best Creative Writing – Leah Dodd (NZ author)
Winner: Debate
Runner-up: Salient
Best Science Journalism – Fox Meyer (Newsroom)
Winner: Salient
Runner-up: Critic Te Ārohi
Best Māori Coverage – Annabelle Parata-Vaughn & Liam Rātana (The Spinoff) Winner: Massive
Runner-up: Critic Te Ārohi
Best Column – Emily Writes (Independent writer) & Ben Thomas (The Spinoff)
Winner: Debate
Runner-up: Nexus
Design
Best Cover – Toby Morris (Cartoonist), Holly Tait (Freelance artist) & Callum Parsons Winner: Massive
Runner-up: Debate
Best Centrefold – Toby Morris (Cartoonist), Ant Sang (Comic book artist) & Caroline McCaw (Otago Polytech Lecturer)
Winner: Critic Te Ārohi
Runner-up: Massive
Best Design – Alice Buda (Designer), Matthew Galloway (Artist & Designer) & Holly Tait (Freelance artist)
Winner: Massive
Runner-up: Critic Te Ārohi
Best Illustrator – Toby Morris (Cartoonist), Ant Sang (Comic book artist) & Caroline McCaw (Otago Polytech Lecturer)
Winner: Massive, Olive Bartlett-Mowat
Runner-up: Critic Te Ārohi, Gemma McKinney
Best Illustration – Toby Morris (Cartoonist), Ant Sang (Comic book artist) & Caroline McCaw (Otago Polytech Lecturer)
Winner: Critic Te Ārohi
Runner-up: Debate & Massive
Best Photographer – Connor Simpson (Radlab photographer) & Callum Parsons (Photographer) Winner: Massive, Georgia Richardson
Runner-up: Critic Te Ārohi, Kevin Wang
News
Best Reporter – Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (The Spinoff) & Sinead Gill (Stuff)
Winner: Stu News, Fergus Goodall Smith
Runner-up: Critic Te Ārohi, Gryffin Blockley
Best Investigation – Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (The Spinoff) & Sinead Gill (Stuff)
Winner: Massive
Runner-up: Salient
Best News Coverage – Lyric Waiwiri-Smith (The Spinoff) & Sinead Gill (Stuff)
Winner: Critic Te Ārohi
Runner-up: Massive
Features
Best Feature – Joel MacManus (The Spinoff) & Maddy Croad (The Press)
Winner: Critic Te Ārohi, Iris Hehir & Tilly Rumball-Smith
Runner-up: Massive, Ryan Cleland
Best Feature Writer – Joel MacManus (The Spinoff) & Maddy Croad (The Press) Winner: Critic Te Ārohi, Hanna Varrs
Runner-up: Massive, Jessie Davidson
Culture