Critic (magazine)

Critic Lite*

In 2025, the Student Media Manager, the incoming 2026 Co-Editors, and OUSA made the decision to change Critic’s print schedule to a fortnightly rotation of 36-page and 16-page issues. This change was driven by the need to reduce the magazine’s significant printing costs, while also trialling a new publishing and editorial approach. The revised model aimed to provide a smaller issue each fortnight, enabling the team to dedicate more time to researching and producing high-quality feature content for the bigger issues.

The first 16-page issue was released on 2 March 2026 and was met with significant public backlash from students and former editors. Critics of the change described the page reduction as abrupt and characterised it as an unreasonable political decision by OUSA, despite the change being publicised in an October 2025 issue of Critic^[3]. In response, a public petition emotively titled “Save Critic” was launched, and open letters^[4] were addressed to the OUSA Student Executive, calling for an immediate increase in Critic’s budget to reinstate a weekly 36-page format. These responses were made despite limited direct engagement with Critic on the rationale behind the decision.

Some commentators stated that the magazine was usually 48-60 pages every week^[5]. The decision was made by the 2025 editorial team and OUSA together, to reduce the page count to 36 each week for the second semester, as 48-pages of quality content was becoming hard for the team to manage weekly^[6]. No one at OUSA or Critic can recall the magazine being 60 page per week since at least the early 2000s before it moved to a magazine style format from a newsprint publication.

Despite the public reaction, OUSA and the Student Executive had already indicated its intention to consider a return to a consistent 36-page print schedule as part of its annual budget process for 2027, to be undertaken later in 2026. In the meantime, Critic released a public statement addressing key questions about the page reduction, which was shared across its website and social media platforms. Eventually the decision was made to change the page count in semester 2 to 32 pages per week.

High-profile stories

In 2018, Critic Te Ārohi reported that University of Otago Proctor Dave Scott had illegally entered two students flats without permission and confiscated bongs/water pipes, which were estimated to be worth over $700 combined.^[7][8] Critic's reporting received national media attention, resulting in a scandal the magazine labelled "BongShell."^[9] In a subsequent press conference, Scott confirmed the bongs had been destroyed and apologised for his actions.^[10]

In 2019, Critic published a story about a landlord breaching tenancy laws. After receiving a threatening letter in response, Critic made headlines for publishing the email on the cover of the following issue.^[11]

That same year, Critic published a exposé on the culture of misogyny in Knox College that normalised sexual misconduct against female students. The article included the testimonies of several female residents who had been sexually harassed or assaulted at the residential college between 2015 and 2017, many of whom claimed that the college's leadership ignored or dismissed their claims when they were reported to them.^[12] The article received national media attention.^[13] Although the feature was lauded for its investigative merit, Critic later issued an apology for not contacting Head Master Caroline Hepburn-Doole for comment before publication. With regards to the article's claim that instances of sexual assault and rape went "undisciplined," the magazine later accepted there was evidence "all complaints were documented and reported to others as appropriate."

In 2021, Critic published a series of articles detailing the findings of a six-month undercover investigation by Critic journalist Elliot Weir into Action Zealandia, a white supremacist organisation in New Zealand.^[14]

In 2023, Critic published a series of news articles reporting on hazing activity in Dunedin's student community. Critic's coverage, including a story on the abuse of a live eel, garnered national attention and was awarded 'Best News Story' at the Aotearoa Student Press Awards, with Judge Glenn McConnell commending the reporting for being of "national significance."^[15][16] The magazine's coverage later developed into a three-part series published in The Spinoff, authored by former Editor Fox Meyer.^[17]

Design

Critic began as a newspaper in 1925, before becoming a magazine in 2001. The publication was tabloid in size until 2002, when it went quarterfold (around A4 size). The design of Critic is often significantly changed each year as new designers are employed; typically recent graduates from the Otago Polytechnic Design School. Critic has a long-standing tradition of welcoming new designers by giving them the opportunity to create a fresh logo that reflects their personal style and vision for the magazine. The publication actively supports students from Otago Polytechnic’s Design School through design internships, offering valuable real-world experience in producing a weekly print magazine, and ensure the Polytechnic is included in the student and campus-life vibe of the magazine.

The design team includes several paid and volunteer “illustrators” though they are better described as multi-disciplinary artists. These contributors produce weekly covers, centerfolds, and accompanying artwork for articles, adding depth and personality to the publication. Altogether, visual design is a defining and essential element of Critic’s identity with posters of past covers being sold, and centrefold art adorning walls across North Dunedin.

In 2011, Critic's covers (under the magazine's Art Director Andrew Jacombs) were selected in the 2012 Coverjunkie "Best Of" Publication and exhibited alongside some of the world's most leading titles, including TIME, Esquire, The New Yorker, Vogue, Sports Illustrated and lift-outs from The New York Times and The Sunday Times.^[18][19]

Controversies

The Office of Film and Literature Classification in 2005 banned an issue of the magazine, due to it containing a satirical "how-to-guide" on drug rape.^[21] The article was published in magazine's since-discontinued "offensive" themed issue, which ran from 2002—2005. Possession or distribution of this issue was deemed illegal.^[22] Editor Holly Walker stood by the decision to publish the article, stating it was "defendable" in that it highlighted "a very important issue and [would] hopefully make women more aware of what could happen to them."^[23][24] Walker later backtracked this statement in a comment to Critic in 2012, calling the article's publication a "mistake": "We were trying to be offensive for the sake of it, rather than with any greater purpose in mind [...] I wasn't a very woke feminist back then."^[25]

In 2010 The New Zealand Media Council upheld a complaint against Critic over the article 'The Bum at the Bottom of the World', which depicted three people the publication deemed homeless and vagrant.^[26][27] Editor Ben Thomson later stated the magazine "completely misjudged where the line was" and apologised for the article. The Press Council accepted Critic's apology as "sincere."^[28]

In 2013 Critic's Editor Callum Fredric received a $35,000 payout after a series of personal disputes with OUSA General Manager Darel Hall. Fredric was suspended by Hall on Friday 3 May, and was trespassed from OUSA buildings by Hall after attending a meeting on Monday 6 May to explain the situation to staff, before being asked to leave by Police. After filing legal proceedings, Fredric accepted a $35,000 settlement package from OUSA on Friday 17 May, and resigned as Editor.^[29][30][31]

In 2018, the cover of "The Menstruation Issue" featured a cartoon image of a woman menstruating. University of Otago Proctor Dave Scott took offence to the image and unilaterally decided to destroy all copies of the magazine.^[32] An open-letter signed by 17 former Editors expressed "deep concern" over the decision, with prominent New Zealand media figures accusing the university of "censorship." The removal of the magazines was further accused of stigmatising menstruation. The university later apologised, calling the decision a "mistake".^[33]

In 2020 Critic criticised Otago University's response to the Covid-19 pandemic in an opinion piece, leading the university's refusal to answer media requests from Critic and threatening to pull advertising from the magazine.^[34] Following changes in University of Otago media staff, the University has resumed accepting media requests and running advertisements.

List of Critic Te Ārohi editors

List of Critic Te Ārohi sub-editors