Wellington Girls’ win first title since 1998
Wellington Regionals took place at Hutt Valley High School over the weekend of 15-16 March 2014. This year was the largest Wellington Regionals in recent memory, with 28 teams entering from schools throughout the Wellington region, including from the Wairarapa.
There were four rounds of debating over the weekend, prior to the break to the quarter-finals. Round one of the tournament on Saturday was a prepared debate on whether giving higher order animals (for example monkeys and dolphins) limited rights such as the right to life and freedom from physical harm was a good idea. Limited preparation debates included whether New Zealand should become a Republic, giving parents the right to monitor their child’s activity of social media, and the whether the media should blacklist entertainers convicted of sexual or violent crimes.
Eight teams broke to the quarter finals; many of whom have only recently begun attending Wellington Regionals. Their success speaks to the broadening strength of the region’s debating. After two excellent debates, Wellington Girls College and Hutt Valley High School competed against each other in the grand final into the final. There, Hutt Valley High School affirmed the motion: This house would legalise soft drugs, such as marijuana and ecstasy.
Both teams grappled extremely well with the motion arguing over the importance of choice, the necessity for protection of individuals, and the issue of crime in society. In a very close 3-2 decision, Wellington Girls’ College were the victors – the first time Wellington Girls’ College have won since 1998.
We were lucky to have a large number of highly skilled adjudicators for the weekend. Thanks to Jodie O’Neill, Kevin Moar, Tyrone Barugh, Nicholas Gavey, Elizabeth Begley, Udayan Mukherjee, Ihaia Tichbourne, Hamish Saunders, Richard D’Ath, William Chisholm, Emma Smith, Sebastian Templeton, Oscar Battell-Wallace, and Daniel Wilson.
Thanks very much to Hutt Valley High school for hosting the event, with particular thanks to Noeline Hannan for giving up her time to ensure the tournament ran smoothly.
Winners (Wellington Girls’ College):
Islay Aitchison
Georgia Bloor-Wilson
Siobhan Davis
Runners-up (Hutt Valley High School):
Ned Grenfell
Austin Sutherland
Marcus Noakes
Most Promising Speaker Award
Peter McKensie
Wellington Regional Squad:
Conor English
Liam Denis
Siobhan Davis
Islay Aitchison
Georgia Bloor-Wilson
Sandy McLachlan
George Barton
Ned Grenfell
Amarind Hun
Peter McKensie
Best Speaker:
Ned Grenfell
Stephen Whittington
Convenor 2014