Burger Plant Changes Ownership

Posted 1:21pm Sunday 31st July 2022

Burger Plant, the vegan burger joint on Fatty Lane, has just changed owners. Critic Te Arohi spoke with Tom, the previous owner and a culinary arts Polytech student, to get to the meat of the issue. What is now Burger Plant began with a little setup at the Farmers Market in 2019: “$600 Read more...

New Covid Wave Raises Mask Questions

Posted 1:10pm Sunday 31st July 2022

With another semester comes another wave of Covid, and students and staff are once again in the firing line. Despite years of grim Zoom calls making many staff and students desperate for in-person learning, for some, the risk of getting Covid still outweighs the benefits of being on campus. This Read more...

Local Produce | Swooping Tūī

Posted 6:27pm Monday 25th July 2022

Swooping Tūī is a brand new initiative designed to provide menstrual cups to people of lower socio-economic backgrounds in and outside of Aotearoa, through selling natural moisturising creams. Critic Te Arohi sat down with Mahina Walle, the second-year ecology student who started the Read more...

Students Make a Stand for Reproductive Rights

Posted 2:50pm Monday 25th July 2022

Last Saturday, almost 200 Otago Uni students organised a peaceful sit-in at the lower Octagon to protest the overturning of Roe v Wade. The hour-long protest included speeches, music and (of course) TikToks. On June 25, the United States Supreme Court announced the overturning of Roe v Wade, a Read more...

Swappa Cup App On The Rise

Posted 3:55pm Sunday 17th July 2022

Chatime has finally given single-use takeaway cups a hard pass, instead stamping its seal of approval on the Swappa Cup “cup-borrowing” app. Outlets across campus are expected to roll it out soon.  Every day, an estimated 800,000 disposable cups are (you guessed it) disposed of. Read more...

Aotearoa Continues Imports of “Blood Phosphate”

Posted 3:32pm Sunday 17th July 2022

A group of around 15 activists gathered outside Ravensdown’s fertiliser factory at Ravensbourne last Tuesday, for a “morning of mourning” over a “shipload of shame”. On a cold, dark and wet morning, the black-clad protesters were opposing the “unwelcome” Read more...

Uni’s Emissions Boss Responds To Govt’s Emissions Reduction Plan

Posted 4:58pm Sunday 29th May 2022

Last week, the Government released their first Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) since passing the Zero Carbon Act in 2019. Critic Te Arohi spoke with Craig Cliff, the Uni’s Net Carbon Zero Programme Manager, on the impact of the plan and whether it goes far enough to address the existential Read more...

Kind Company Rebrands To “Kindred”

Posted 4:55pm Sunday 29th May 2022

Around two weeks ago, Kind Company, a vegan cafe on George Street, became Kindred. They’re now a “mostly” vegan cafe that serves some meat and dairy. Critic Te Arohi spoke to Penelope, the owner of Kindred, about the change. Penelope, told Critic Te Arohi the rebranding was an Read more...

Ōtepoti hosts Festival of Anarchy

Posted 4:34pm Sunday 29th May 2022

On Saturday 21 May, from midday to sundown, people congregated at 111 Moray Place for the Ōtepoti Festival of Anarchy (or A-Day, as the cool kids call it). Despite the cold, the festival delivered on providing food, music, workshops and free stuff. What more could you ask for? Critic Te Arohi Read more...

Mandatory Masks Removed, Mask Usage Declines

Posted 4:56pm Saturday 21st May 2022

Even though it doesn’t feel like it, Covid-19 is still spreading amongst the student community – now joined by an old friend of ours, the flu. In-person lectures have resumed and the Government’s mask mandate has now been dropped. Meanwhile, the official advice from the University, Read more...