Literary Society x Critic Te Ārohi: Writing Competition

Posted 12:02pm Sunday 17th May 2026

Somewhere Between Leaving and Arriving Phoebe Rodgers August, 2023 – Portland, Maine Mom and Dad don’t ask where she went. She observes the tide pulling out slowly, leaving everything exposed for a moment before it disappears again. Her hair remains in knots, she leaves Read more...

Letters: Issue 11 2026

Posted 10:09am Sunday 10th May 2026

Dear Critic, I’m sorry but seriously what the fuck is wrong with people in central library this year?? Why are the suicide pods absolutely filthy like  how hard is it to clean up after yourself? And all the fucking freshers talking so loudly about hubs and physics it’s a library Read more...

A New Zealand Celebrity Hit Me Up On Tinder At 19

Posted 8:14pm Friday 8th May 2026

Critic Te Ārohi can verify that this celebrity is indeed a household name in Aotearoa. We’ve seen the messages, listened to voice memos, and seen the verified account linked to everything. We just don’t want to get in legal trouble by naming this guy.  When I was 19, my Read more...

The Ultimate 4/20 Itinerary

Posted 1:14pm Sunday 19th April 2026

4/20. For an atheist stoner like myself, this could be my favorite holiday of the year (aside from Thanksgiving). It even hits close to home – the term “420” was coined by a group of high schoolers about 10 minutes from where I grew up in California. They’d meet up after Read more...

Critic Te Ārohi Presents… The Cook(ed) book!

Posted 3:47pm Saturday 11th April 2026

Welcome to The Cook(ed) Book. This is a collection of recipes built for student kitchens, questionable decision-making, and getting really baked. We have assumed you don't have the perfect equipment, that much time, or even the patience. As such, there is something for every stoner in this book, Read more...

Critic’s Vice Purity Test

Posted 3:18pm Saturday 11th April 2026

The Critic Te Ārohi Vice Purity Test serves as a segue from O-week to what a couple of Critic writers think encapsulates University life.  It's a voluntary opportunity for O-week groups to bond, and for students to track the maturation of their experiences throughout Read more...

Weed, The Gateway Drug

Posted 3:11pm Saturday 11th April 2026

Cannabis has spent decades carrying the label of a “gateway drug.” For most young people , the phrase feels outdated and inaccurate: a relic left over from Harold's discussions and stern talks with our parents that convinced us one joint would inevitably lead to heroin. But by the Read more...

Critic Lite

Posted 7:59pm Saturday 14th March 2026

Last week, Critic Lite* hit stands with a reduced page count. For 2026, the magazine is alternating between 36-page and 16-page editions every other week. This change was announced in Issue 25 of Critic Te Ārohi last year, but many people did not know about this until the first Critic Lite* was Read more...

Who Gets to Be High?

Posted 11:41am Sunday 8th March 2026

The big move South to university opened my world.  One night you’re sitting at home with your parents, half-listening to them hammer in their values and opinions at the dinner table. Next, you’re living in close quarters with a few hundred frothy eighteen year olds. People from Read more...

Critic Te Ārohi Wins Best Publication at Aotearoa Student Press Awards

Posted 12:25pm Thursday 13th November 2025

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...