New Zealand Schools’ Debating

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Kerikeri continue domination of Northland Regionals

On Sunday the 25th of April six teams from four schools gathered at Kerikeri High School to contest the 2010 Russell McVeagh Northland Regional Debating Championships. The day consisted of three preliminary rounds of debating, followed by a final in the evening. Teams competed in both prepared and limited preparation rounds, as well as, for the first time, an ‘advised topic area’. All teams debated commendably, and the break to the final was close. Ultimately, though, Kerikeri High School 1 and Whangarei Boys’ High School 2 made it through. Negating the motion ‘This House Would Make Voting Compulsory’, Kerikeri were able to maintain their title for another year.

The tournament was also the vehicle for selecting a team to represent Northland at the National Schools’ Debating Championships in Wellington later in the year. These students will receieve rigorous coaching from up-and-coming coaching duo Nupur Upadhyay and James Ruddell, both law students at the University of Auckland.

The team this year is made up of Michael Prendergast (Kerikeri High School), Michael McCabe (Whangarei Boys’ High School) and Kate Wilson (Whangarei Girls’ High School). The team will be assisted in their training by the Northland Development Squad. These students were selected for their potential to contribute to the region in the future and are ones to watch for the team next year. They are Max Irvine (Kerikeri High School), Amber Pemberton (Whangarei Girls’ High School), Tiantian Zheng (Whangarei Girls’ High School) and Lutz Hamm (Whangarei Boys’ High School).

The organisers would like to congratulate the team members, as well as all the students who competed in the tournament and their coaches. They would also like to thank Kerikeri High School for hosting another enjoyable Northland Regionals.

Photos from the tournament

Speaker in the Grand Final