New Zealand’s Dis-organ-isation

Posted 7:07pm Sunday 1st April 2012

Need a kidney? How about a new heart? Better settle in for a long spell on the waiting list – New Zealand has one of the lowest organ donation rates in the Western world. Critic’s Callum Fredric investigates the reasons behind the organ shortage, the potential solutions, and the ethical dilemmas Read more...

Money Buys Happiness, But Not Elections

Posted 7:07pm Sunday 1st April 2012

It’s a common myth that money buys elections – in New Zealand at least, this is simply not the case. Evidence from several NZ elections has shown no real link between party spending and votes received. In the 2011 election campaign, the six biggest spenders were (in order): National, $2.3m; Read more...

It’s Voluntary Jim, but not as we know it

Posted 7:07pm Sunday 1st April 2012

Did you know OUSA considers you a member of their organisation? Well they do. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t sign up, OUSA President Logan Edgar reckons there’s no law preventing OUSA from signing up every single student as a member, so long as they’re not being directly charged any fees. Read more...

Studyspace.co.nz Profits Reach Single-Figures

Posted 7:07pm Sunday 1st April 2012

A new website has taken the student mantra “USBs get degrees” to a new level, with students now able to buy and sell notes for their courses online. University of Otago students Hayden Kerrisk (CEO), Mike Arthur (Programmer), and Paul Kibblewhite (Stylist) have created Studyspace, which is basically Read more...

New Zealand First

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 25th March 2012

The New Zealand First Party is the Salmond College of political parties – far enough away from the mainstream to be forgotten by most, but not quite far out enough to gain notoriety like the Mana Party (Aquinas). For the average Kiwi, only one thing springs to mind when they think of NZ First ... Read more...

Sex, blackmail and head injuries

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 25th March 2012

National MP Nick Smith has resigned from his ministerial roles after the first major Parliamentary scandal of the year. On July 7 last year, Dr. Smith wrote a letter to ACC in support of his “friend” Bronwyn Pullar, who was fighting a long-running battle with ACC after suffering a head injury in a Read more...

Ding Ding Valiantly Resists Dream Team Whitewash

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 25th March 2012

Not since The Beatles visited our sunny shores has Critic been so excited. The OUSA by-election results were announced at 4:30pm on Wednesday March 21, to the joy of the “Dream Team” and the dismay of No Confidence’s loyal fans. Jono Rowe strolled into the Administrative Vice President role Read more...

The Six Breeds of Anti Alcohol Activist

Posted 4:27pm Sunday 18th March 2012

01 | Health NazisYeah that’s right, Critic breached Godwin’s law. Deal with it. The health nazis want to ban alcohol (and the KFC Double Down) to protect you from yourself. According to these finger-wagging wowsers, if a guy drinks six standards, he’s officially binge-drinking. That would explain Read more...

Execrable | Issue 4

Posted 4:27pm Sunday 18th March 2012

The OUSA Exec meeting got off to a constitutionally dodgy beginning by starting 13-minutes after the strict 5:30pm deadline. This was dealt with by some good old fashioned whitewashing, with the official minutes recording the time as 5:29pm. Students are advised to follow a similar procedure when Read more...

Parliament Hears Mojo Mathers

Posted 4:27pm Sunday 18th March 2012

The yelling match is over. Green Party MP Mojo Mathers, who is profoundly deaf, will receive Parliamentary funding for a note-taking assistant and any extra support that she needs in order to carry out her duties as an MP. Speaker of the House Lockwood Smith issued a direction to Read more...