St Cuthbert’s win Auckland Regionals
The 2010 Russell McVeagh Auckland Regional Schools Debating Championships were held this year over the weekend of 1st – 2nd May at St Kentigern College. Twenty teams entered the competition and had a fantastic time, learning a lot from the feedback they received from adjudicators over the weekend. Teams debated a variety of topics, ranging from banning smoking and making voting compulsory to paying teachers based on their performance or favouring free trade over development aid.
The break was, as ever, closely contested, with ten teams eligible for the eight available quarter-final spots. Four teams – King’s College, Kristin School, St Cuthbert’s College and Auckland Grammar – emerged victorious from the quarter-finals, progressing through to the semi-finals where they battled over whether celebrities should be able to adopt children. After three preliminary rounds, a quarter-final and a semi-final, the teams from St Cuthbert’s and King’s emerged as the finalists for 2010.
The final, with King’s affirming and St Cuthbert’s negating, was on whether all states had the right to develop nuclear weapons. Audience members and judges alike agreed that the final was extremely close, at times humorous, and, of course, of an exceptionally high quality. However, the panel, chaired by Christopher Bishop, President of the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council, was unanimous in its decision, with St Cuthbert’s taking home the Claire Ryan Cup for the winners of the tournament.
The runners-up from King’s College – Frederick Thursfield, Tom Prebble, Ashish Pandey
Over the course of the weekend adjudicators had the difficult task of selecting two teams to compete at the National schools debating competition in August as well as a range of other prizes.
Auckland Schools’ Development Squad
Pita Roycroft (Westlake Boys’ High School)
Tom Prebble (King’s College)
Michael Wang (Macleans College)
Mitchell Smitheram (Kristin School)
Lucy Harrison (Mt Albert Grammar School)
Most Promising Speaker
Lucy Harrison (Mt Albert Grammar School)
Highly Commended awards
Lewis Fry (Kristin School)
Lucinda Stothers (St Cuthbert’s College)
Reserves to the Auckland Schools’ Debating Squad
Olivia Hall (St Cuthbert’s College)
Lucy Harrison (Mount Albert Grammar School)
Auckland Schools’ Debating Squad
Frederick Thursfield (King’s College)
Ashish Pandey (King’s College)
Nick Orr (Auckland Grammar School)
Conrad Grimshaw (Auckland Grammar School)
Dushi Rasanathan (Westlake Girls’ High School)
Jessica Storey (St Cuthbert’s College)
Convenor’s Cup for Best Speaker
Frederick Thursfield (King’s College)
Some members of the Auckland Schools Debating Squad and Reserves (L-R): Ashish Pandey, Nick Orr, Conrad Grimsahw, Olivia Hall, Frederick Thursfield and Jessica Storey
We are extremely grateful to Chris Hodder from St Kent’s for opening up his lovely school for us for the weekend, and also to the numerous adjudicators and Council members who made the competition possible.
Stephanie Thompson
Auckland Regionals Convenor, 2010