“Stay Petty”: The Subs and Cats Saga

Posted 2:48pm Sunday 3rd May 2026

The drama is bubbling over between two of Dunedin’s biggest players in student nightlife in a TikTok-based standoff. Suburbia (lovingly known to the fresher population as ‘Subs’) took to TikTok with a not-so-subtle jab at rival Catacombs (‘Cats’). Feathers were Read more...

Strait Talk: What’s Actually Going On in Hormuz?

Posted 1:24pm Sunday 26th April 2026

With TikTok explainers flying around and group chats spiralling, Critic Te Ārohi went straight to Professor Robert Patman to make sense of the escalating situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Patman, a Professor in the University of Otago’s Politics Department, specialises in international Read more...

Thursdays in Black: More Than Just a Black T-Shirt

Posted 4:05pm Saturday 11th April 2026

The concept behind Thursdays in Black (TiB) couldn’t be simpler: wear black on Thursdays. Through symbolically wearing black each week on campus, TiB Otago creates weekly visibility and raises awareness of those who have experienced or are experiencing sexual violence.  Despite winning Read more...

What’s Going On With Eduroam?

Posted 12:32pm Sunday 29th March 2026

This year, Critic Te Ārohi has noticed a spike in online grumbling about the University Wi-Fi, eduroam. Students have taken to forums (such as Castle26 and UoO Confessions – our favourite unofficial channels) in droves to air their grievances, which mostly boil down to this: the internet Read more...

Students, Lecturers and Tutors React to New LMS Aoroa

Posted 12:18pm Sunday 8th March 2026

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...

Spilling The Green Tea With Chlöe and Francisco

Posted 1:43pm Sunday 1st March 2026

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...