John Key crushes dreams by refusing to decriminalise cannabis

Posted 10:28am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Joe Higham

John Key has revealed that there is no chance of a law change in relation to cannabis following a review into the possibility of personal and or medicinal cannabis usage in New Zealand, believing that it sends the wrong message to the nation’s youth.  An article in the ODT noted John Read more...

Opinion: New Zealand’s Olympic performance satisfactory, but not ground-breaking

Posted 10:59am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Sean Nugent

Whether it was the overhyping of the media, or failure to perform on the biggest stage, I think it’s fair to say that New Zealand’s performance at the Olympics so far has been a bit underwhelming. At the time of writing, New Zealand has eight medals, consisting of two gold and six Read more...

UNICEF report shows bleak picture of child poverty in New Zealand

Posted 10:30am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Joe Higham

A UNICEF report has revealed that as many as 305,000 New Zealand children, or 28 percent, currently live below the poverty line. Alone this is problematic, but alongside this is the cost it has on society. The report detailed it costs $10 billion year on year, as well as a $2 billion burden on Read more...

Grocery Prices

Posted 10:36am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Critic

With the price of groceries requiring a small mortgage these days, we at Critic decided it’d be a good idea to compare prices of the big three supermarkets and see where you can get the best bang for your buck. Countdown= $89.80 New World= $84.53 Pak N Save= $77.63  Few top Read more...

Meningitis case serves as reminder

Posted 10:13am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Hugh Baird

Brittany Arthur, an Otago Polytechnic nursing student in her final year, died last Saturday after an acute case of meningococcal meningitis.  Arthur had been out for dinner, celebrating her final nursing exam. She awoke the next day with a headache and decided to go back to bed. However, she Read more...

National’s Lost Luggage Bill ­— a worthless, cynical attempt to waste everyone’s time

Posted 10:47am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Joel MacManus

National MP Nuk Korako has proposed an entirely ineffective and meaningless Bill in parliament that will do absolutely nothing, is not necessary, and appears to be a deliberate attempt by the government to stall the democratic process. It has resulted in criticism across the board, government Read more...

75 turn out to protest Animal Research Centre

Posted 10:16am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Anonymous Bird

Around 75 people attended a protest on Saturday July 13 against the $50 million animal research centre being built on the University of Otago campus. The protest took place at the facility building site on Great King street. It was reportedly peaceful, with no police attendance required and campus Read more...

Island of horror: abuse at Australia’s Nauru detention centre exposed

Posted 10:48am Sunday 21st August 2016 by George Elliott

A cache of 2000 reports pertaining to Australia’s infamous asylum seeker detention centre on the island-nation of Nauru has found its way into the hands of UK newspaper, The Guardian. The leaked documents are sickening, shocking and shameful, which illustrates the scale and severity of the Read more...

Gender equality takes a hit as pay gap widens

Posted 2:26pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Joe Higham

The gender pay gap widened last quarter from 12.9 percent to 13.2 percent, a seemingly small change, yet one that highlights a step away from gender equality in New Zealand’s workplaces. The Pay Equality Coalition’s spokesperson Angela McLeod spoke of how it is “time for action Read more...

Sleepy second semester students seek secure study space

Posted 2:28pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Joel MacManus

OUSA is hoping to ensure the return of the 24 Hour Study Space for second semester exam time this year. The initiative, which saw the Clubs and Socs building on Albany Street extend its opening hours pasts its usual 10:30pm closing time, was hugely popular among students, who packed out the Read more...