Critic Te Arohi

This weekend, the Dunedin Women’s Thunder take on league leaders Auckland Steel in the semi-finals of the New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League (NZWIHL) season. This will be the last chance for Dunedinites to catch the team at home this year, and if Thunder players Caitlin and Manuella are to be believed, spectators can expect speed, chaos, and maybe even a punch or two.

Few objects in student culture possess the same social utility as the vape. Simultaneously a nicotine delivery device, conversation starter, social bargaining chip, flirtation mechanism, and communal ritual, the vape has quietly become one of the defining artefacts of contemporary youth interaction. While vapists run the daily risk of popcorn lung, empty bank accounts and profound parental disappointment, it cannot go without saying that vapes perform a special role in Scarfie culture.

Startup Dunedin runs a yearly Student Pitch Competition, where students with a growing start-up or side hustle can win up to $5000 for their mahi. As we look forward to this year's Student Pitch Competition, Critic Te Ārohi decided to check in on the progress of last year's co-champion, Sewlutions Studio by Sanda. Yasomali Sandaruwani moved to Dunedin in May 2024, after a 14-year fashion career in Sri Lanka, where she worked with powerhouse brands such as Patagonia, Nike, and Calvin Klein.

Labour Leader Chris Hipkins (the Chris nicknamed Chippy, not the other one), braved a Dunedin winter's day to come down to campus for Re:Ori’s Clubs Day. Critic Te Ārohi managed to snag a spot in the former Prime Minister’s packed schedule to talk about some of the key issues that are facing students. Here are some of Labour’s plans as campaigning gears up for the November 7th election.

In a world where everything feels pretty fucked – from the political climate to the actual climate– we figured it was time to return to something comforting: fish and chips. For the 25th year running, Critic Te Ārohi has undertaken the sacred duty of eating our way around Dunedin's takeaway shops so you don't have to waste your hard earnt student loan on subpar kai.

Local property managers in North Dunedin have begun rebranding black mould as a “heritage feature”, with one manager stating that “black mould is just such an ugly term for a local treasure”. The change follows an increase in complaints from students expecting rental properties to meet what landlords describe as “unrealistically modern standards”, such as not being able to see your breath inside.

The University of Otago is a strange and confusing place. Open a sciency door in Mellor Labs and somehow find yourself in a History lecture. A BCommer opens a glass door in the Business School, and a Theatre Studies class turns around. University is little more than staggering from strange doors to weird doors. Fortunately, there already exists a framework for judging moral character: the Dungeons & Dragons Alignment Chart. Christians have the Ten Commandments. D&D players have a nine-square diagram.

Are you having more or less sex than your peers? Has ket finally taken over as the scarfie drug of choice? How visible is our OUSA president? Critic Te Ārohi has the answers. Welcome to the results of the sixth annual Critic Te Ārohi Census! Census is a nosy and fairly invasive deep dive into Otago students and their habits around university, AI, drugs, drinking, sex, and social media. Everyone saying thank you to Gryffin Blockley for working his magic on the raw data set.

As winter settles over North Dunedin and the sun starts setting before dinner, a familiar anxiety begins spreading through the student population – especially in halls. It starts with an overheard conversation. A rumour that some groups have already signed their flats. A friend mentioning a viewing over on Leith Street. Someone’s cousin apparently securing a six-bed back in May.

Survivor Player Profiles The cast has been chosen. Alliances will form. The immunity idols have been hidden. Over the coming months, the first ever Critic Survivor episodes will be released twice weekly as twelve contestants battle through challenges, betrayals, and any other chaos ourgamemakers choose. But before the game begins, let's meet this season's contestants and find out what they bring to the table. This article first appeared in Issue 14, 2026 .