New Zealand Schools’ Debating

The New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Clodagh O’Connor-McKenna and Udayan Mukherjee as Co-Coaches of the 2011 Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools’ Debating Team for the World Schools’ Debating Championships in Cape Town, South Africa, in January 2012.

Clodagh coached the 2009 New Zealand Schools Debating Team which reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Schools’ Debating Champs in Qatar. She also has an outstanding record as a coach on a national level. Regional teams she has coached have won the National Championships on three occasions (2007, 2009 and 2010) and in 2008 a team were runners-up. Clodagh is a former winner of the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Championships herself (in 2004).

Udayan has most recently been the assistant coach of the 2011 NZ Team which competed in Dundee in August this year. He has coached regional teams at the National Champs for the last three years (Hawke’s Bay in 2009 and 2010, and Wellington in 2011), and was an adjudicator for New Zealand on the Russell McVeagh International Tour earlier this year. He won the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships in both 2010 and 2011.

The Council wishes Clodagh and Udayan and the NZ Team all the best for the World Champs in Cape Town.

The NZ Schools’ Debating Council has opened applications for the position of coach of the Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools’ Debating Team for the 2012 World Schools’ Debating Championships in Cape Town, South Africa, to be held from 17 – 27 January, 2012.

The incumbent coach, Steve Hind, who was originally appointed for the tournament, has unfortunately had to pull out.

The 2011 NZ Team recently attended the 2011 World Champs in Dundee, Scotland, winning all eight preliminary debates before losing 3-2 to the eventual champions Singapore in the octo-finals.

Applications close on Friday September 23 at 5pm.

NZ TEAM COACH

Role of the Coach

The role of the NZ Team Coach is to prepare the NZ team team thoroughly for the upcoming World Champs. The coach is expected to attend the tournament in his/her capacity as coach.

The coach will be expected to organise (in conjunction with the Council) training sessions for the team in advance of the tournament, and to run those sessions.

The NZ team manager will assist with organising travel etc, liaising with the teams, and other non-debating matters that arise. The team manager will also act as the key contact point between the Council and the coach.

Time Commitment

The coach will be expected to travel to Worlds with the NZ Team. In the time between the date of appointment and the tournament, the coach will be expected to make themselves available to coach the team on mutually acceptable dates for the team members and the coach.

Costs

The Council will meet the reasonable travel and accommodation costs for the coaches to attend training sessions, if they are not held where the coaches live.

The coaches will be expected to pay a contribution towards the travel costs of sending him or her to Worlds. This contribution has not yet been set by Council, but will be no more than $1000 NZD.

If applications are made by a pair of coaches on a co-coach basis, the Council will re-evaluate the contribution of each coach.

Appointment Process

The appointment process will be as follows:

1. Applicants need to send:

• a coaching/debating CV;
• a letter which explains why they would like the job, why they would be a good coach for the NZ team, and which comments on their strengths as a coach (applicants should feel free to provide as much info as they would like);
• the name of one person who would be happy to be contacted as an oral referee to the NZ team manager, Christopher Bishop, by Friday September 23 at 5pm. Emails should be sent to cjsbishop@gmail.com

2. Team manager to consider applications and meet with Council to create a shortlist of applicants.

3. Oral referees of shortlisted applicants to be contacted.

4. Council may authorise a sub-committee to conduct an interview with short-listed applicants if deemed necessary.

5. Council to advise applicants of outcomes by Friday September 30.