The New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Hind to coach the Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools’ Debating Team 2010.
Steve was the captain of the Australian Schools’ Debating Team which won the 2005 World Schools’ Debating Championships. Since then he has gone on to be one of the world’s best university debaters. Earlier this year he won the 2010 World Universities’ Debating Championships for Sydney University and ranked as the 2nd best speaker in the world. He has won the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Champs (2008), along with a range of other university tournaments.
Steve was the coach of the New South Wales Schools Team in 2010, and for the last four years has coached the NSW Combined GPS Team which were champions in 2007 and 2008. He has been the Sydney Grammar School Senior A Coach since 2007. The team won the GPS competition in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Clodagh O’Connor-McKenna and Stephen Whittington have been appointed to coach the NZ Development Team.
Wellington Regional teams coached by Clodagh won the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Champs in 2010, 2009 and 2007; with another team being runner-up in 2008. She coached the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Team at the 2010 World Champs where the team made the quarter-finals. Clodagh is a former winner of Nationals herself (2004), and a very succesful university debater.
Stephen Whittington co-coached the winning Wellington team at Nationals in 2010; and a Wellington team coached by him were runners-up in 2006. Stephen is one of New Zealand’s best ever university debaters, having won the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Champs (and twice been a runner-up), reached the semi-finals of the World Universities Champs, and won a range of New Zealand tournaments.
The Council is delighted with these high-quality appointments and wish both teams every success on the International Tour.
