Hillcrest High School win Waikato Regionals
The 2013 Russell McVeagh Waikato Regional Debating Championships was held at the University of Waikato on Sunday 14th April. Schools came to participate from throughout the Waikato region from Hamilton to Thames to Morrinsville.
This year three preliminary rounds were followed by a break to the semis, followed by a final. Teams debated a range of topics, including banning alcohol, allowing prisoners sentenced to life sentences the option of the death penalty and banning private donations to political parties.
At the end of three preliminary rounds, Hillcrest High School and St John’s College advanced to the semi-final on three wins. St Peters and John Paul College 2 advanced on two wins. Waikato Dio, Hamilton Boys’, John Paul College 1, and Otumoetai College were also on two wins, but had fewer speaker points than John Paul College 2 and St Peters.
The semi-final match-up saw Hillcrest against John Paul College 2, and St Johns against St Peters. The motion was “This house supports a quota for women in the police-force”. Hillcrest and St John’s emerged as the winners in a unanimous and a 2-1 split decision respectively, and went on to face each other in the final with the motion “This house believes that important medical decisions about children should be made by doctors and not parents”.
The final was, as always, spirited and tightly-fought but Hillcrest were ultimately declared the winners in a 6-1 split decision.
Awards were given to a number of speakers that had distinguished themselves throughout the day.
Highly Commended:
Emily Scrimageour (Hillcrest High School)
Sophie (St Peter’s)
Most Promising Speaker:
Tim (John Paul College)
Reserve to the Waikato Team:
Emily Anselmi (St Peter’s)
Waikato Team 2013:
Olivia Maxwell (Hillcrest High School)
Samuel McCabe (Hamilton Boys’ High School)
Matthew (Aquinas College)
Best Speaker:
Olivia Maxwell (Hillcrest High School)
The conveners extend a special thank-you to Susan Law from the University of the Waikato, who once again provided a wonderful venue for the day as well as a plentiful lunch of pizza.
Also thank you to the adjudicators who drove from Auckland for the competition – Desley Horton, Christopher Bishop, Glen Holm-Hansen, Mitchell Cooper, Lucy Harrison, Brierley Penn, Callum Rose, Aditya Vasudevan, and Kayla Grant. Thank-you also to the Waikato debating continent of judges and trainee adjudicators – Jesse Tizard, Rochelle Monk, and Zanian Steele.
Josh Baxter and Thomas Simpson
NZSDC Waikato Conveners