Forth St Flat Flames

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th October 2024 by Hugh Askerud

A Forth Street flat complex of six went up in flames on Sunday, October 6th. The fire began in a downstairs flat before smoke made its way through the complex. A total of 18 students were affected by the blaze. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the fire has meant six students have been relocated to Read more...

Landlords Sign Flats Under Current Tenants’ Noses

Posted 7:56am Sunday 6th October 2024 by Monica Holopainen

As flat-hunting season draws to a close, multiple reports have emerged of landlords signing their flats to new groups of students without the consent of current tenants. Continuing a sad trend of illegality, the repeated events have forced students who relied on keeping their flats for the new year Read more...

Flat Fungi: Peziza? Do you mean pizza?

Posted 8:22pm Sunday 22nd September 2024 by Imogen Harris

A second-year 6-man Dundas flat has made the alarming discovery of a large rubbery mushroom sprouting from their carpet. What is it? Is it delicious or poisonous? Friend or foe? And what does it mean for the state of their flat? Critic Te Ārohi consults a Botany student to find Read more...

Better Initiations & Flat Warmings: OUSA Exec Test Alternative Initiation Methods

Posted 8:30pm Sunday 22nd September 2024 by OUSA Exec

Initiations. The age-old tradition of the oldest university in Aotearoa – but also, not really. Students come and go, upholding the bastion of traditions in the name of the “true student experience” without realising they cycle out of the rotation faster than a cheap pair of Read more...

Editorial: Your Initiation “Tradition” Is Barely Consenting Age, Actually

Posted 10:42pm Saturday 10th August 2024 by Nina Brown

As students are beginning to turn their attention to where they’ll live next year and listings for Castle Street flats are cropping up, the subject of flat initiations is once again on people’s minds. Personally, it’s been in the back of my mind since last year, when I witnessed a Read more...

Debatable: Should You Date Your Flatmate?

Posted 11:29pm Saturday 10th August 2024 by Abby Bowmar

Debatable is a column written by the Otago University Debating Society. The Debating Society welcomes new members and meets at the Business School every Tuesday at 6pm. For: Abby Bowmar You enjoyed being single in first-year, when you were freshly eighteen and heating was free. But now Read more...

Students Not Convinced By Government’s ‘Pet-Bond’ Policy

Posted 10:28pm Friday 26th April 2024 by Gryffin Powell

In a spate of new changes to renting legislation, the National coalition Government announced a new pet bond policy which claims that it will make rentals easier to find for pet owners. The pet bond of two weeks of rent aims to make landlords more accepting of the risk of letting a pet live at their Read more...

Do it your fucking self: How to Unfuck your Vacuum

Posted 4:52pm Tuesday 5th March 2024 by Sam Smith-Soppet

Picture this: you’ve been riding the bender-coaster that is Flo and O-Week, you roll out of your bed on the wrong side of midday, and in a rare sober moment for you (or any student), you realise that your flat is a tip. A bombsite, even. Sure, you rush around and do your laundry, but the Read more...

Goops, I did it again! An idiot’s guide to stain removal

Posted 4:11pm Monday 19th February 2024 by Lotto Ramsay

Happiness is fleeting, we all die, and nothing is truly permanent. Nothing, that is, except for stains that you don’t get out in time (fuck you especially, red wine). O week is full of shenanigans that can ruin your clothes, soft furnishings, and possibly your future. Luckily, Critic is no Read more...

Google Form Flat Quizzes: How Much Heat Can You Handle?

Posted 1:28pm Sunday 5th March 2023 by Iris Hehir

When tensions are highest in a flat, everyone agrees to the bad idea of doing an anonymous Google Form quiz. It’s a fact of life. However, like with all good things in life, you can choose the spiciness level of these questions. From complimentary props to sulk-inducing burns, here’s Read more...