New Zealand Schools’ Debating

All schools in New Zealand will soon be sent the 2012 NZ Schools Debating Brochure which contains information on the nine Russell McVeagh regional tournaments that will be held around New Zealand in April and May.

You can download a copy of the brochure here.

The dates of the regional tournaments are as follows (note that the brochure downloadable above lists Hawke’s Bay as taking place on 19/20 May; the correct date is as below – 12/13 May).

Northland
28 and 29 April at Kerikeri High School.
Contact: Corrine Marti

Kahurangi / Marlborough
28/29 April at Nayland College
Contact: Max Harris and Kimberley Savill

Wellington
5/6 May at a venue TBA
Contact: Stephen Whittington and Duncan McLachlan

Otago / Southland
4/5 May at Otago Boys’ High School
Contact: Kurt Purdon

Auckland
12/13 May at St Kentigern College
Contact: Stephanie Thompson

Hawke’s Bay
12/13 May at Karamu High School
Contact: Jodie O’Neill and Cameron Price

Canterbury
19/20 May at a venue TBA
Contact: Sean Maskill

Central North Island
26/27 May at Palmerston North Boys’ High School
Contact: Aric Shakur

Waikato
27 May at Waikato University
Contact: Joshua Baxter

The Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools’ Debating Team has left New Zealand for the 2012 World Schools’ Debating Champs in Cape Town, South Africa.

The team comprises Nick Orr (Captain), Thomas Simpson, Rayhan Langdana, Edward Foley and James Penn.

They are coached by Udayan Mukherjee and Clodagh O’Connor-McKenna.

NZSDC President and Vice-President Christopher Bishop and Desley Horton are also attending the tournament as adjudicators.

The draw for the team is below. Results will be posted on here as soon as they are to hand. You can also follow the NZSDC twitter account for up to date news: @nzsdc

Round One: Thursday 19 January
Negating against Botswana (impromptu motion)

Round Two: Thursday 19 January
Affirming against Israel
Motion: This house believes that newly democratised Arab nations should not allow religious parties to participate in elections

Round Three: Friday 20 January
Affirming against Slovenia (Impromptu motion)

Round Four: Friday 20 January
Negating against Thailand
Motion: This house believes that developing nations should place limits on internal rural-urban migration

Round Five: Sunday 22 January
Negating against Wales (impromptu motion)

Round Six: Sunday 22 January
Affirming against Sweden
Motion: This house believes that the feminist movement should seek a ban on pornography

Round Seven: Monday 23 January
Affirming against Swaziland (impromptu motion)

Round Eight: Monday 23 January
Negating against Greece
Motion: This house believes that states should enshrine legally actionable socio-economic rights

The octo-finals are on Tuesday 24 January, the quarter and semi-finals on Wednesday 25 January and the Grand Final is on Thursday 26 January.

At the Annual General Meeting of the NZ Schools’ Debating Council in May, a new executive was elected. The new executive took office on October 1 and comprises:

President: Christopher Bishop
Vice-President: Desley Horton
Treasurer: Stephen Whittington
Executive Officers: Clodagh O’Connor-McKenna and Udayan Mukherjee

Yogesh Patel has stepped down after two years in the important role of Treasurer. Yogesh has also convened and coached the Central North Island region for a number of years. The Council thanks Yogesh for his hard work over the past few years and looks forward to his continued involvement in 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.

The New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council now has a twitter account. Twitter users should follow @nzsdc or non-twitter users can see the updates at www.twitter.com/nzsdc. We’ll be posting round by round results of the National Champs which start tomorrow!

Below is the Nationals 2011 timetable.

CHAMPIONSHIPS TIMETABLE
 
Friday 27 May
12:30-4:30 pm Registration at the Ibis Hotel, 153 Featherston Street, Wellington.
5:30 pm Assemble at Russell McVeagh, Level 24, Mobil on the Park, 157 Lambton Quay.
              Light Meal available from 5:30 to 6:00pm.
6:00 pm Opening of the New Zealand Finals. Briefing for all teams.
6:30 pm Mix and Match debate. Speakers will be put into teams with speakers from other regions for a limited preparation debate.
8:30 pm Return to Ibis Hotel.
 
Saturday 28 May
7.30 am Breakfast at Ibis Hotel
8:30 am Assemble at Rutherford House, Victoria University of Wellington, corner of Lambton Quay and Bunny Street.
             Topic for Round 1 announced (one hour preparation)
9:30 am Round 1
11:00 am Morning tea
11:30 am Topic for Round 2 announced (one hour preparation)
12:30 pm Round 2
1:45 pm Lunch
2:30 pm Topic for Round 3 announced (one hour preparation)
3:30 pm Round 3
5:00 pm Return to Ibis Hotel
7:00 pm Quiz and pizza night for competitors at Rutherford House
9:30 pm Competitors return to Ibis Hotel.
 
Sunday 29 May
8:00 am Breakfast at Ibis Hotel
9:00 am Assemble at Rutherford House
             Topic for Round 4 announced (one hour preparation)
10:00 am Round 4
11:30 am Lunch
12:30 pm Topic for Round 5 announced (one hour preparation)
1:30 pm Round 5
3:00 pm Semi-finalists announced, topic for semi-finals announced (one hour preparation)
4:00 pm Semi-finals
5:30 pm Briefing for all teams. Sides for the Grand Final announced.
              Return to Ibis Hotel
7:15 pm Formal Dinner at Zibibbo Restaurant, Old Police Station Building, Taranaki Street
 
Monday 30 May
8.45am Official photographs of all teams on the front steps of Parliament
10:00 am GRAND FINAL at Legislative Council Chamber, Parliament Buildings
11:30 am Presentation of prizes
12:00 pm Refreshments at Grand Hall, Parliament Buildings

Clodagh O’Connor-McKenna has been appointed as the Chief Adjudicator for this year’s National Champs.

Clodagh is a very experienced schools debating adjudicator and coach. Regional teams she has coached have won the National Champs on three occasions, and she coached the New Zealand team to the quarter-finals of the World Champs in 2010. She has also adjudicated at numerous regional tournaments over the last few years.

Stephen Whittington and Will Chisholm will join Clodagh as member’s of the Motions Committee for the tournament.

Stephen is the President of the Wellington Speaking Union, which organises five schools debating grades in Wellington each year. 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.

Will has coached the Otago / Southland team on a number of occasions, and is a highly experienced adjudicator at both school and university level. He has adjudicated the Grand Final of the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships, as well as a number of New Zealand university competitions.

• Chief Adjudicator of the National Finals (1)
• Adjudicators of the National Finals (no set number)
• Motions Committee for the National Finals (3)

We have also opened applications for the positions of official New Zealand adjudicators at the 2011 World Schools’ Debating Champs in Dundee, Scotland.

Wellington College has defeated St Catherine’s College to win the Wellington Regional Debating Champs. Rather incredibly, it is the first time Wellington College has won the tournament, after years of sustained success. Nick Fenton was the best speaker.

Click here for the report and photos.