Scots return to winning ways at Wellington Regionals
The 2010 Russell McVeagh Wellington Regional Debating Championships were held on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 May at Wellington Girls’ College. Seventeen teams competed in the tournament from 13 schools.
Rounds 1 and 2 of the tournament on Saturday were prepared debates on whether youth minimum wage rates should be reintroduced. A limited preparation debate on whether voting should be made compulsory rounded out the day.
Teams came back the following morning to debate in round 4, a limited preparation debate on whether beauty pageants should be banned.
After four rounds, Scots College was unbeaten on four wins from four, and so went through to the semi-finals in first place. Four teams were on three wins each with one loss. Going through in second place was Chilton St James School, and in third place was Sacred Heart College. The last slot in the semi-finals went to Wellington College 2, who narrowly edged out their schoolmates Wellington College 1 – the teams were separated only by cumulative speaker points across the four rounds!
In the semi-finals, on the motion “This House believes all states should have the right to hunt whales”, Scots defeated Wellington College 2 (3-0) and Sacred Heart defeated Chilton (3-0).
The Grand Final was on the motion “That we should protect endangered languages”, in front of a good crowd at Wellington Girls’. It was a lively and close debate, with Scots emerging the victors in an unanimous decision, winning the Wellington Speaking Union Cup for the fourth time in five years.
Scots College – Winners of Wellington Regionals 2010
Prizes
Winners: Scots College (Henry Hillind, x, James Gavey)
Runners-Up: Sacred Heart College (Lorietta Baehr, Natasha Fenton, Laura Kelly)
Promising Speakers:
Gabrielle Young (Chilton St James School)
Most Promising Speaker:
Edward Foley (Wellington College)
Highly Commended Speakers:
Nick Fenton (Wellington College)
Jill Campbell (Wellington Girls’ College)
Reserves to the Wellington Regional Schools’ Debating Squad:
Mindy Hu (Chilton St James School)
Agnes Cheung (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School)
2010 Wellington Regional Schools’ Debating Squad:
James Gavey (Scots College)
Duncan McLachlan (Wellington College)
Laura Kelly (Sacred Heart College)
Marcus Playle (Wellington College)
Tom Mitchell (Wellington College)
Katja Heesterman (Queen Margaret College)
Best Speaker at the 2010 Wellington Regional Schools’ Debating Champs: Laura Kelly (Sacred Heart College)
Wellington Squad 2010 – Duncan McLachlan, Marcus Playle, Katja Hesterman, James Gavey, Thomas Mitchell, Laura Kelly
Thanks
Thank you to Wellington Girls’ for hosting the Championships, and to all of the excellent adjudicators who gave up their time: Christopher Bishop, Joe Connell, Seb Templeton, Richard D’Ath, Udayan Mukherjee, Clodagh O’Connor-McKenna, Desley Horton, Jordan Ward, Rosy Moar and Paul Smith.