A Tale of Twin, Mouldy Cities

Posted 11:25pm Sunday 17th August 2025 by Gryffin Blockley

Dunedin may be the undisputed student city of Aotearoa, but Wellington is not far behind. Both cities are also known for being cold and miserable at times, and especially known for their shit flats. Critic Te Ārohi took a look at what your local council will do for you when shit hits the fan in Read more...

The Flatmate Erotica: Within Or Without You

Posted 7:55pm Sunday 3rd August 2025 by Lady Jane Grey

There’s something uniquely unholy about a student flat – a place where personal growth, emotional regression, and sexual chaos all happen in the same 10-square-metre living room. You move in thinking you're just renting a room but, really, you’re signing up for a year-long Read more...

Fresher Beware

Posted 4:38pm Saturday 19th July 2025 by Hanna Varrs

Disclaimer: Based on true stories. Identifying details have been changed. It’s that time of year. You and a few friends (or randoms from Facebook) band together to form a flat. The hunt begins: endless viewings, frantically handing in applications, long debates about whether a dishwasher is Read more...

Flatmageddon: Best ways to resolve flat conflicts

Posted 4:26pm Saturday 19th July 2025 by Hunter Jolly

Conflict is inevitable when you live in close quarters with other people, especially when you may have conflicting ideas about what cleanliness looks like and what acceptable sleeping patterns are. Whether tension manifests in passive-aggressive remarks about your innovative pot-soaking method, or Read more...

Editorial: Surviving North D With Your Crew

Posted 4:30pm Saturday 19th July 2025 by Nina Brown

Like many University of Otago students, when I moved into my first flat in second-year, I went in blind. All I knew going into flat hunting was my sister telling me to chase sunshine, my mum’s tip to test the shower pressure at viewings, and that if you don’t sign by August you’ll Read more...

Mould-Mapping North D

Posted 4:52pm Sunday 25th May 2025 by Hunter Jolly

Last week, the Tenancy Compliance and Investigation Team (TCIT) did the rounds of North-D flats. The government-run team sieged (door-knocked) flats to check that they are complying with the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. In other words, to check whether students have been slumming it in Read more...

Breaking In, Throwing Up

Posted 5:21pm Sunday 25th May 2025 by Molly Smith-Soppet

A Roslyn flat got more than they bargained for on a quiet Friday night when a drunk student broke into their home, took off his shoes, and vomited into a flatmate's hamper – all while apologising profusely. Daniel, a recent PhD grad (yes, Doctor Daniel) had been asleep in bed when he Read more...

Flat & Garden: Critic Te Ārohi’s Search for the Best of Student Living

Posted 10:26pm Sunday 18th May 2025 by Critic Staff

It’s an age-old fact: flatting in North D can be rough. But here at Otago, we students get creative. We customise, craft, and conquer — armed with Blu-Tack and blind optimism. Despite what the nation’s landlords think, students can be house-proud (especially if you bless us with Read more...

OUSA Exec: Flatting Quality Survey

Posted 3:09pm Sunday 11th May 2025 by Callum Hadlow

We all know flatting in Dunedin can be a wild ride; from absolutely abusing free hours of power to keep the place warm, to seeing more fungi on your wall than at a bush doof. It has become a right of passage to wear three layers indoors and have that one window that doesn't close. But it Read more...

Unattended Pot Teaches Lesson in Fire Safety

Posted 3:24pm Sunday 11th May 2025 by Cailin Williams

Waking up to a group of hot, sweaty men in uniform does not sound like something one might be opposed to, though the high chance of suffocation from smoke inhalation may change your mind. Second-year Dundas-dweller Zara experienced something that can only be found in a plot of a Colleen Hoover book Read more...