The Critic Book: Support 100 Years of Critic Te Ārohi
Help us publish a coffee table book celebrating 100 years of Critic Te Ārohi, Otago University's iconic student magazine.
Dunedin, Otago
Since 1925, Critic Te Ārohi has earned its cult following as the voice of Otago students.
Generations of stories have played out in its pages — from sneaking into a Beatles interview in 1964, to publishing protest dress codes during the Springbok tour, to surviving pulled issues and exposing campus controversies. We've always told the stories no one else could (or would).
Now, as we celebrate our centenary, we’re launching our most ambitious project yet: The Critic Book, a coffee table anthology capturing 100 years of the student experience through the eyes of Critic. Inside, you’ll find protest movements, party culture, war, student politics, celebrity interviews, iconic covers, breaking news, scandals, behind-the-scenes tales from famous past editors, and more.
But we need your help to make it happen.
We need a total of $31,500 to fully bring it to life. This project is proudly student-led, and all proceeds will go towards the cost of production, including licensing, material, legal costs and author and designer's salary.
Everyone who donates will be personally thanked in the book. Please include your first and last name if you’d like to be mentioned.
All donations are tax-deductible, as OUSA is a registered charity.
Any amount, large or small, makes a difference. A centenary only comes around once — and you are the reason this project can become a reality.
Critic Te Ārohi's involvement (page creator)
OUSA is the Otago University Students Association and is a registered not for profit charity. It owns Critic Te Ārohi - Otago Uni's student magazine - which turns 100 this year. This page is to raise money for a centenary book. Based in New Zealand.
Latest update
Update on the Critic 100 book - October 2025 21 October 2025
We’ve been working hard to fundraise for the Critic Te Ārohi centenary book. As many will know, it’s a tough fundraising environment right now, and despite our best efforts and the support of many generous donors, we haven’t reached the $70,000 needed to move the project into publication. To date, we’ve raised just under 35% of that goal, which has covered the work completed so far.
Given this, Critic and OUSA have made the decision to postpone the book’s publication. While this isn’t the outcome we hoped for, we remain committed to seeing the project through. A centenary only comes once, and we want to do it justice, creating something that truly celebrates 100 years of student journalism from Aotearoa’s longest-running student magazine.
We’re disappointed not to release the book in the coming year, but we’d rather take the time to produce something exceptional than rush something that doesn’t reflect Critic’s legacy.
In the meantime, fundraising continues through our Givealittle page and via poster and tote bag sales on our Shopify site. If you’d like to support the project in other ways, please get in touch. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed so far, your support means the world.
https://crittersmerchshop.myshopify.com/
https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/the-critic-book-support-100-years-of-critic-te
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