The Wellington Regional Schools’ Debating Championships were held at St Patrick’s College Kilbirnie on 23 and 24 March 2024, with 20 teams from around the region. It was an incredibly high quality competition and we’d like to extend a warm thanks to all the schools in attendance, and to all of the adjudicators who judged the tournament.
Thanks as well to Chris Bishop, MP for Hutt South, who came in the morning to open the Championships by speaking about the importance of debating, and his own experience as a debater, and also to Ethan Foster and Cara Homewood for their hard work as convenors.
After five rounds of preliminary debates, four teams progressed to the semi-finals, where Wellington College and Wellington Girls’ College won their respective debates to progress to the finals. Following a spirited final debate, Wellington Girls’ College were announced as the winners of the Wellington Regional Schools’ Debating Championships.
Pictured from left to right: Wellington Black; Wellington Gold; the runners-up from Wellington College; and the winners, from Wellington Girls' College.
Winners - Wellington Girls’ College
Edie Berryman
Teresa Ng
Maddi Homewood
Eva Duignan
Runners-Up - Wellington College
Theo Masseurs
Arthur Fell
Nikhil Cox
Ammar Bilal
Best Speaker: Teresa Ng (Wellington Girls’ College)
Most Promising Speaker: Michael Cash (St Patrick’s College)
Best Junior Speaker: Naomi George (Wellington Girls’ College)
Wellington Black Team 2024
Theo Masseurs (Wellington College)
Seb Heine-Sheldrake Scot’s College)
Jaskiran Rahi (Scot’s College)
Reserves: Charlotte Cinque (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School) and Thomas Beaglehole-Smith (Wellington College)
Wellington Gold Team 2024
Teresa Ng (Wellington Girls’ College)
Nikhil Cox (Wellington College)
Kayla Wilson (Kāpiti College)
Reserves: Callum Lisner (Kāpiti College) and Lydia Cammock (Scot’s College)
Previous Regional Teams
Wellington has competed in the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Championships since its inception. The regional teams since that time are listed here.
2024
Wellington Gold
Teresa Ng (Wellington Girls’ College)
Nikhil Cox (Wellington College)
Kayla Wilson (Kāpiti College)
Coaches: John Brinsley-Pirie and Peter LangWellington Black
Theo Masseurs (Wellington College)
Seb Heine-Sheldrake Scot’s College)
Jaskiran Rahi (Scot’s College)
Coaches: Sarah Mackenzie and Hollie Anderson2023
Wellington Gold
Teresa Ng
James Mason
Xandi Cooke
Coaches: John Brinsley-Pirie and Peter LangWellington Black
Chloe Sim
Isabella Cash
Hannah Sema
Coaches: Sarah Mackenzie and Emilie Horsfall2022
Wellington Black
Scarlett Greaves
Isabella Cash
Sumner Hancock
Coaches: Sarah Mackenzie, Piper Whitehead and Florence OakleyWellington Gold
Cara Homewood
Larry McMyler
Sophie Crozier
Coaches: Samuel Penno and Taran Molloy2021
Wellington Black
Julia Randerson (Wellington High School)
Ben Penno (Hutt International Boys’ School)
Tony Huang (Onslow College)
Coaches: Ailidh Leslie and Amy SpittalWellington Gold
Eva Cochrane (Kāpiti College)
Sophie Crozier (Onslow College)
Cara Homewood (Wellington Girls’ College)
Coaches: Taran Molloy and Samuel Penno2020
Wellington Black
Julia Randerson (Wellington High School)
Hugh O’Leary (Wellington College)
Tony Huang (Onslow College)
Coaches: Ailidh Leslie and Tamara JenkinWellington Gold
Eva Cochrane (Kāpiti College)
Sophie Crozier (Onslow College)
Isobel Scherf (Queen Margaret College)
Coaches: Jodie O’Neill and Samuel Penno2019
Wellington Black
Adam Muir (Wellington College)
Peter Lang (Scots College)
Isobel Scherf (Queen Margaret College)
Coaches: Shakked Noy and Sarah MackenzieWellington Gold
Amelia Mance (Wellington High School)
Florence Oakley (St Oran’s College)
Jesse Richardson (Wellington College)
Coaches: Samuel Penno and Maddy Nas2018
Shine Wu (Newlands College)
Barnaby Elder (St Patrick’s College Silverstream)
Rusheen Draper (Wellington High School)
Jessica Fromow (Queen Margaret’s College)
Peter Lang (Scots College)
Rose Wallington (Wellington High School)2017
Wellington Black
Michael O’Brien (Wellington College)
Brooke Kinajil-Moran (Wellington Girls’ College)
Manraj S. Rahi (Scots College)
Coaches: Kevin Moar and James GaveyWellington Gold
Peter Lang (Scots College)
Samuel Penno (HIBS)
Andrew Tang (Scots College)
Coaches: Jodie O’Neill and Maddy Nash (Shakked Noy assisting)2016
Wellington Black
Peter McKenzie (Scots College)
Michael O’Brien (Wellington College)
Brooke Kinajil-Moran (Wellington Girls’ College)
Coaches: Tim Bain and John Brinsley-PirieWellington Gold (Winners)
Ben Stockton (Wellington College)
Sam Penno (HIBS)
Ursula Crawford (Wellington East Girls’ College)
Coaches: Maddy Nash and Aric Shakur2015
Wellington Black
Peter McKenzie (Scots College)
Sarah Mackenzie (Kapiti College)
Shakked Noy (Wellington High School)Wellington Gold
Jack Comer-Hudson (Wellington High School)
Grace Belworthy (Wellington Girls College)
Adam Sangster (Scots College)2014
Conor English
Liam Denis
Siobhan Davis
Islay Aitchison
Georgia Bloor-Wilson
Sandy McLachlan
George Barton
Ned Grenfell
Amarind Hun
Peter McKenzie2013
Wellington Black
Liam Dennis (Hutt International Boys’ School)
Ailidh Leslie (Wellington High School)
Maddy Nash (Sacred Heart College)
Coaches: Stephen Whittington & Hugh McCaffreyWellington Gold
Tamara Jenkin (Queen Margaret College)
Jessica Palairet (Queen Margaret College)
Jack Garden (Wellington College)
Coaches: Daniel Wilson & Duncan McLachlan
2012
Wellington Black
Oscar Shaw (Wellington College)
Edward Foley (Wellington College)
Jemima Lomax-Sawyers (St Mary’s College)
Coaches: Stephen Whittington & Duncan McLachlanWellington Gold
Ashna Basu (Queen Margaret College)
Jack Garden (Wellington College)
Thomas Leggat (Wellington College)
Coaches: Seb Templeton & Jodie O’Neill2011
Wellington Black
Thomas Leggat (Wellington College)
Nick Fenton (Wellington College)
Wendy Zhu (Sacred Heart College)
Coaches: Udayan Mukherjee and Seb TempletonWellington Gold
Rayhan Langdana (Wellington College)
Edward Foley (Wellington College)
Grace Jansen (St Catherine’s College)
Coaches: Richard D’Ath and Paul Smith2010
Wellington Black
Duncan McLachlan (Wellington College)
Thomas Mitchell (Wellington College)
James Gavey (Scots College)
Coaches: Clodagh O’Connor-McKenna and Stephen WhittingtonWellington Gold
Katja Hesterman (Queen Margaret College)
Marcus Playle (Wellington College)
Laura Kelly (Sacred Heart College)
Coaches: Seb Templeton and Richard D’Ath2009
Wellington Black
Carlos Carbanatto-Bowkett (Wellington College)
Maria English (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School) [Best Speaker, Captain]
Jodie O’Neill (Chilton St James School)
Coaches: Polly Higbee and Clodagh O’Connor-McKennaWellington Gold
Nick Cross (Scots College)
Julia Wells (Wellington East Girls’ College)
Jasmin Moran (Chilton St James School)
Coaches: Kathy Scott-Dowell and Seb Templeton2008
Wellington Gold
Holly Jenkins (Sacred Heart College)
Julia Wells (Wellington East Girls’ College)
Johanna McDavitt (St Mary’s College)
Coaches: Clodagh O’Connor-McKenna and Kathy Scott-DowellWellington Black
Nick Cross (Scots College)
Maria English (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School) [Best Speaker, Captain]
Frances Ratner (Queen Margaret College)
Coaches: Gareth Richards and Polly Higbee2007
Wellington Black
Jaz Morris (Wellington College)
Paul Smith (Scots College)
Maria English (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School) [Best Speaker]
Coaches: Polly Higbee and Clodagh O’Connor-McKennaWellington Gold
Udayan Mukherjee (Scots College)
Holly Jenkins (Sacred Heart College)
Ella Edginton (Sacred Heart College)
Coaches: Gareth Richards and Yogesh Patel2006
Wellington Black
Emily Bruce (Wellington Girls’ College)
Nick Gavey (Scots College)
Kathryn Scott-Dowell (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School)
Coach: Christopher BishopWellington Gold
Sam Ward (Hutt Valley High School)
Sophie Hamer (Queen Margaret College)
Richard D’Ath (Scots College)
Coach: Stephen Whittington2005
Wellington Black
Sam Ward (Hutt Valley High School)
Conrad Reyners (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Kathryn Scott-Dowell (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School)
Coach: Christopher BishopWellington Blue
Tim Duignan (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Heath Hutton (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Ioana Gordon-Smith (St Mary’s College)
Coach: Ranald Clouston2004
Wellington Black
Lewis Bollard (Wellington College)
Clodagh O’Connor-McKenna (Wellington East Girls’ College)
Stephen Whittington (Wellington College)
Coach: Sayeqa IslamWellington Gold
Oliver Huston (Paraparaumu College)
Lucy Stewart (Wellington East Girls’ College)
Jonathan Willis (Wellington College)
Coach: Noeline Hannan2003
Wellington Black
Joe Dewar (Hutt International Boys’ School)
Mark Huggins (Tawa College)
Stephen Whittington (Wellington College)
Coach: Sayeqa IslamWellington Gold
Eleanor Bishop (Wellington Girls’ College) [Captain]
Zoe Wallis (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School)
Blair Granville (Paraparaumu College)
Coach: Anna Livesey2002
Wellington Black
Marcelo Ferrere (Paraparaumu College)
Nina Hall (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School)
Sebastian Touhy (Hutt Valley High School) [Captain]
Coaches: Duncan Small, Nikki WillisWellington Gold
Tom Fitzsimons (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Amelia Evans (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School)
Phillippa Bedford (Wellington Girls’ College)
Coach: Matt Sanders
2001
Wellington Black
Christopher Bishop (Hutt International Boys’ School)
Marcelo Ferrere (Paraparaumu College)
Claire Pascoe (Onslow College)
Coach: Chelsea PayneWellington Gold
Tom Fitzsimons (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Bela Mistry (Hutt Valley High School)
David Dewar (Hutt International Boys’ School)
Coach: Bryn Gandy2000
Wellington Green
Christopher Bishop (Hutt International Boys’ School)
Ravin Wickramasinghe (St Patrick’s College, Silverstream)
David Dewar (Hutt International Boys’ School)
Coach: Noeline HannanWellington Gold
Tom Fitzsimons (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Biddy Livesey (Wellington High School)
Tim McDonald (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Coach: Sarah BarnettWellington Black
James Shaerf (Scots College)
Camilla Belich (Wellington East Girls’ College)
Nicola Leslie (Chilton St James School)
Coach: Anna Livesey1999
Wellington Blue
Ranald Clouston (Kapiti College)
Vanessa Schouten (Hutt Valley High School)
Ravin Wickramasinghe (St Patrick’s College, Silverstream)
Coaches: Graham Cameron, Jo BensemanWellington Red
James Zucollo (Onslow College)
Sayeqa Islam (Wellington Girls’ College)
Bella Cawthorn (Wellington Girls’ College)
Coach: Hamish Finlay1998
Chelsea Payne (Chilton St James School) [Best Speaker]
Matthew Sanders (Hutt Valley High School)
James Zucollo (Onslow College)
Coach: Don Stevens1997
Wellington A
Daniel Reardon
Anna Livesey
Sarah Fitzsimons
Coach: Noeline HannanWellington B
Patrick Crewdson (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Rebecca Paton (St Mary’s College)
Raffe Smith (Heretaunga College)
Coach: Don Stevens1996
Wellington Red
Anna Livesey (Wellington High School) [Best Speaker]
Katya Paquin (Wellington Girls’ College)
Anthony Holding (Wellington College)
Coaches: Noeline Hannan, Mark CrofskyWellington Blue
Antonia Reid (Wellington Girls’ College)
Angela Ballantyne (Wellington Girls’ College)
Jonathan Walbridge (Wellington College)
Coaches: Rachel Smithies, Don Stevens1995
Wellington
Anna Livesey (Wellington High School)
Matt Cuthell (Onslow College)
Jasper Morrow (Onslow College)Wellington
Sarah Barnett (Tawa College)
Angela Ballantyne (Wellington Girls’ College)
Jonathan Walbridge (Wellington College)1993
Wellington Gold
Rachel Smithies (St Mary’s College) [Best Speaker]
Chris Holland (St Patrick’s College, Silverstream)
Mauro Barsi (St Patrick’s College, Silverstream)
Coach: Noeline HannanWellington Black
Hamish Finlay (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Jane Friel (Viard College)
Rowan Simpson (Rongotai College)
Coach: Fyvie Murray1992
Wellington Gold
Jennifer Stevens (Hutt Valley High School)
Mark Crofskey (St Patrick’s College, Silverstream)
Vina Araiti (Hutt Valley High School)
Coach: Noeline HannanWellington Green
Jane Friel (Viard College)
Hunter Nottage (Wellington College)
Simon McNamee (St Patrick’s College, Silverstream)
Coach: Susan WattersonWellington Black
Danusia Wypych (Viard College)
Louise Alley (Wellington Girls’ College)
Toby Manhire (Wellington College)
Coach: Barbara Bourke1991
Wellington Gold
Alexandra Gillespie (Queen Margaret College)
Susannah Bridge (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School)
Elizabeth Hall (Wellington Girls’ College)
Coach: Barbara BourkeWellington Green
Brendan Cash (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Geoffrey Glynan (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Richard Suhr (St Patrick’s College, Wellington)
Coach: Fyvie MurrayWellington Black
Jennifer Stevens (Hutt Valley High School)
Morris Guest (Upper Hutt College)
Vina Araiti (Hutt Valley High School)
Coach: Noeline Hannan1988
Wellington Blue
Gemma Sinnott (St Mary’s College)
Emma Sanders (Onslow College)
Claire Falkner (Onslow College)Wellington Red
Tanya Thomson (Wellington Girls’ College)
Justine Munro (Wellington Girls’ College)
Katrina Groshinski (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School)
2023
The Wellington Regional Schools' Debating Championships for 2023 were hosted at Wellington College. Well done to Wellington Girls College who took out the final in a very high quality debate against Scots College.
Congratulations to the following speakers who were named onto the Wellington Regional Teams for 2023:
- Wellington Gold: Teresa Ng, James Mason, Xandi Cooke
- Wellington Black: Chloe Sim, Isabella Cash, Hannah Sema
Thanks to Florence Oakley and Ethan Foster for their hard work as convenors.
2018
The Wellington Regionals Schools Debating Championships were held on the 24th-25th of March at Scots College – many thanks to them, and to Victoria Papadopoulos in particular, for hosting. 22 teams from 15 schools around Wellington competed in a series of preliminary rounds, debating a wide range of topics, from the abolition of zoos to the taxation of automation
After five preliminary rounds, four teams broke to the semi-finals: Wellington College, Newlands College, Queen Margaret’s College, and Hutt International Boys School. After two closely fought semis, HIBS defeated Wellington College and Queen Margaret’s defeated Newlands.
The final was an entertaining and high-quality debate on the topical issue of whether political parties should be required to declare their coalition preferences prior to an election. After a very close debate, reflected by the 3-2 split on the panel, HIBS were declared the winners. Thanks to National MP Nicola Willis, a former debater, for coming along to the final and helping to give out the prizes.
Over the course of the weekend, two regional teams were also selected to represent Wellington at the New Zealand Schools Debating Championship. Congratulations to all of the following prize winners:
Winners: Hutt International Boys School
Blair McInnarney
Grayson Lawrence
Matt Tomlinson
Michael Sanders
Runners up: Queen Margaret’s College
Jessica Fromow
Millie Wilcox
Charlotte Barber
Isobel Scherf
Bethany Kaye-Blake
Members of the Wellington Regional Teams
Shine Wu (Newlands College)
Barnaby Elder (St Patrick’s College Silverstream)
Rusheen Draper (Wellington High School)
Jessica Fromow (Queen Margaret’s College)
Peter Lang (Scots College)
Rose Wallington (Wellington High School)
Reserves to the Regional Teams
Rilke Comer (Wellington High School)
Isobel Scherf (Queen Margaret’s College)
Best Speaker: Peter Lang
Best Style: Barnaby Elder
Most Promising Speaker: Isobel Scherf
Promising Speaker
Florence Oakley (St Oran’s College)
Highly Commended
Ryan Maass (Newlands College)
Samantha Samaniego (St Mary’s College)
Jesse Richardson (Wellington College)
2017
The Wellington Regional Debating Competition was held on the 25th and 26th March at St Oran’s College in Lower Hutt. Teams travelled from around the Wellington region including the Kapiti Coast to attend the tournament.
The tournament had five preliminary rounds on topics such as legalising euthanasia, the morality of eating meat and whether NZ should sign free trade agreements with undemocratic states. Four teams progressed to the semi finals: Kapiti College, Wellington Girls College, Scots College and Wellington College.
Scots College and Wellington Girls College progressed to the final which was a fantastic debate on the motion “that we should vote against the current National government”. Congratulations to Scots College who came away with the top prize.
We are very grateful to National list MP Chris Bishop who assisted with the presentation of prizes and awards to students.
Special thanks goes to all the judges, teachers and parents who gave up their day for the tournament and particularly Cindy Ford from St Oran’s College who provided the venue.
Congratulations to the following students who received awards:
Winners – Scots College
Andrew Tang
Joseph Plunket
Manraj Rahi
Runners up – Wellington Girls’ College
Maya Polaschek
Alice Riley
Brooke Kinajil-Mora
Best speaker: Brooke Kinajil-Moran
Members of the Wellington Regional Squad
Manraj S. Rahi
Sam Penno
Andrew Tang
Finn Connell
Peter Lang
Michael O’Brien
Brooke Kinajil-Moran
Best style: Sam Penno
2016
The Wellington Regional Debating Championship was held over the 19th and 20th of March at Wellington Girls’ College. This year we had entries from 16 extremely high quality teams from around the wider Wellington Region.
Five preliminary rounds were held across Saturday and Sunday. Teams debated topics ranging from whether a tax should be implemented on sugary food and drink, to whether quotas should be introduced for non-white actors at the Oscars.
The four teams that broke to the semi-finals were Wellington College, Scots College, Queen Margaret College and Wellington East Girls’ College. Hutt International Boys’ School were very close to breaking but missed out on speaker points. The teams debated whether iwi should be given funding to provide social services, such as education and welfare, directly. Wellington College and Scots College progressed through to the final from two very good debates.
The final was held in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd. The motion was “That the US should intervene militarily in Syria”. Scots College affirmed and Wellington College negated. After an excellent debate Wellington College were unanimously crowned the Wellington champions for 2016.
From the weekend two teams were selected to represent Wellington at Nationals. Special thanks to all the adjudicators who gave up their time to judge over the weekend. A big thank you also to Wellington Girls’ College for hosting yet again.
The results and speaker awards for the tournament are listed below:
Winners: Wellington College
Ben Stockton
Nick Webster
Tim Rutherford
Alex Sinclair
Runners Up: Scots College
Lachlan Parlane
Andrew Tang
Manraj Rahi
Peter McKenzie
Best Speaker: Peter McKenzie (Scots College)
Promising Speaker: Alvien Benitez (HIBS)
Wellington Black
Peter McKenzie (Scots College)
Michael O’Brien (Wellington College)
Brooke Kinajil-Moran (Wellington Girls’ College)
Wellington Gold
Ben Stockton (Wellington College)
Sam Penno (HIBS)
Ursula Crawford (Wellington East Girls’ College)
Reserve to the Wellington teams: Anya Bukholt-Payne (Wellington High School)
Highly Commended Speakers
Sam Porta (HIBS)
Catherina Lee (St Catherine’s College)
Finn Connell (HVHS)
2015
Wellington Regionals were held on the 28th-29th March this year at Sacred Heart College, Lower Hutt. 20 teams from 16 different schools participated, with an enormous amount of talent on show.
There were four preliminary rounds held on Saturday, with motions ranging from whether developing countries should have the right to host major sporting events to whether religious officials should be forced to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies, even if it is against their religious beliefs. Excitingly, a Cultural Diversity celebration was also being hosted at Sacred Heart by the local council, so debaters had access to an excellent range of food for lunch.
On Sunday the tournament broke to quarterfinals, where teams debated whether both parents should have to take equal amount of parental leave. Wellington High School 1 defeated St Catherine’s College; Scots College were upset by Wellington College; Kapiti College 1 defeated their younger counterparts in Kapiti College 2; and Wellington Girls College beat Hutt International Boys School 2.
The semi-finals were held on the motion, ‘This house would place new state housing developments in affluent neighbourhoods.’ Wellington Girls College beat Wellington High School, and Kapiti College 1 defeated Wellington College.
This set up a final between Wellington Girls College, the defending champions, and Kapiti College 1, a school with a growing reputation for debating around Wellington. Kapiti (Max Tweedle, Sarah McKenzie, Mila Maxan), affirmed ‘This house would teach popular fiction rather than classical literature in schools’. After an excellent debate, and in a very close decision -reflected by the 2-1 split on the panel- WGC (Katherine Dewar, Meg Bradley, Grace Belworthy) defended their school’s title.
After the tournament two further evenings of selection debates were held in order to finalise the two teams to represent Wellington at Nationals – again showing how competitive it is to gain spots on these teams. Congratulations to:
Wellington Black
Peter McKenzie (Scots College)
Sarah Mackenzie (Kapiti College)
Shakked Noy (Wellington High School)
Wellington Gold
Jack Comer-Hudson (Wellington High School)
Grace Belworthy (Wellington Girls College)
Adam Sangster (Scots College)
Reserves to the Wellington teams
Amy Campbell (St Catherine’s College)
Katherine Dewar (Wellington Girls College)
Priyanka Rajakumaran (Wellington Girls College)
Most Promising Speaker: Taylor Finderup (Kapiti College)
Highly Commended
George Barton (Wellington College)
Max Tweedie (Kapiti College)
Best Speaker: Shakked Noy (Wellington High School)
2014
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 McKenzie
Wellington Regional Squad:
Conor English
Liam Denis
Siobhan Davis
Islay Aitchison
Georgia Bloor-Wilson
Sandy McLachlan
George Barton
Ned Grenfell
Amarind Hun
Peter McKenzie
Best Speaker: Ned Grenfell
2013
Wellington Regionals took place at Wellington College over the weekend of 11-12 May. 21 teams were entered from schools as far a field as the Wairarapa and Tawa. This was a large competition with a highly talented group of debaters.
There were four rounds of debating over the weekend. Teams debated issues such as banning all forms of private donations to political parties, establishing a 50% quota for women in the police force and having doctors not parents make important medical decisions about a child. It was highly competitive. In the end, Queen Margaret’s College and Wellington High School broke into the final. There, Queen Margaret’s College affirmed the motion: “This house would force religious institutions to recognize gay marriages.”
Both teams grappled extremely well with the motion arguing over the importance of marriage for homosexuals and the rights that religious institutions have. Queen Margaret’s College were the victors with Jess Palairet, from QMC being named best speaker.
There are two lessons that can be taken from the weekend. The first is that debating tournaments become great debating tournaments by having an incredible bunch of adjudicators. I would like to thank all the judges who helped out and gave up their time over the weekend: Hugh McCaffrey, Daniel Wilson, Cam Price, Udayan Mukherjee, Clodagh O’Connor McKenna, Desley Horton, Chris Bishop, Jenna Raeburn, Nick Cross, Chuan-Zheng Lee, Polly Higbee and Jodie O’Neill. Thank you.
Secondly that Wellington Regional Debating is as strong as ever. It was fantastic to see a final debated by schools which have not been the ‘top’ schools for the last few years. It elucidates that Wellington has a strong debating culture that does not rely on individual great speakers to succeed.
Thanks again to Wellington College for hosting the event. To Ms Hazledine and Ms Dustin in particular for giving up their time to make sure the tournament ran smoothly.
2012
The 2012 Wellington Regional Debating Championships were held on Saturday 31 March and Sunday 1 April at Wellington College. Twenty teams participated from 17 schools.
Round 1 of the tournament on Saturday was a prepared debate on whether internet activism should be deplored. Limited preparation debates on introducing a maximum wage, legalising marjuana, and the social merit of beauty pagaents were the other topics on day one.
Teams came back the following morning to debate in round 5, a limited preparation debate on whether individuals should choose to be vegetarian on ethical grounds.
After five rounds, Wellington College 1 was unbeaten on five wins from five, and so went through to the semi-finals in first place. Two teams were on four wins each with one loss – Queen Margaret College and Hutt Valley High School, separated on speaker points. Eight teams were tied on 3 wins each. Ultimately, Wellington High School went through to the semi-finals in fourth place.
In the semi-finals, on the motion “This House would make voting compulsory”, Wellington College 1 defeated Wellington High School, and Queen Margaret defeated Hutt Valley High.
The Grand Final was on the motion “This House supports the use death penalty as a punishment for the most horrific crimes” in front of a very good crowd. On home soil, Wellington College were declared the victors in an unanimous decision, retaining the title it won for the first time in 2011.
Winners (Wellington College)
Oscar Shaw
Thomas Leggat
Edward Foley
Runners-Up (Queen Margaret College)
Jessica Pailaret
Ashna Basu
Allanah Avalon
Promising Speaker: Carrick Nisbet (Rongotai College)
Most Promising Speaker: Jack Garden (Wellington College)
Best Speaker at Wellington Regionals 2012: Ashna Basu (Queen Margaret College)
Highly Commended Speakers
Grace Jansen (St Catherine’s College)
Oliver Pooke (Hutt International Boys’ School)
Maddy Nash (Sacred Heart College)
Merinda Jackson (Wellington High School)
Wellington Regional Squad 2012 (six to compete at National Champs in two teams)
Thomas Leggat (Wellington College)
Ashna Basu (Queen Margaret College)
Edward Foley (Wellington College)
Michael Moore-Jones (Scots College)
Jack Garden (Wellington College)
Jemima Lomax-Sawyers (St Mary’s College)
Oscar Shaw (Wellington College)
Lauren Thompson (Wellington High School)
2011
The 2011 Wellington Regional Debating Championships were held on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 May at Hutt Valley High School. Twenty teams participated from 15 schools.
Rounds 1 and 2 of the tournament on Saturday were prepared debates on whether voting should be compulsory. Limited preparation debates on whether university should be reserved for the best and the brightest and whether the death penalty should be reintroduced as a punishment for the most horrific crimes, rounded out the day.
Teams came back the following morning to debate in round 5, a limited preparation debate on whether free trade should be used as a means of economic development.
After five rounds, Scots College was unbeaten on five wins from five, and so went through to the semi-finals in first place. Two teams were on four wins each with one loss – Wellington College 1 and Wellington College 2. Seven teams were tied on 3 wins each, including two on 3 wins and the same number of win points (measuring strength of draw). Ultimately, St Catherine’s College took the final spot in the semi-finals, based on their cumulative speaker points over the rounds.
In the semi-finals, on the motion “This House believes individuals should be able to sell their organs”, St Catherine’s defeated Scots in an unanimous decision, and Wellington College 1 beat their schoolmates Wellington College 2.
The Grand Final was on the motion “That we should legalise performance enhancing drugs in sport” in front of a very good crowd at Hutt Valley High. After a lively debate, Wellington College, negating the motion, were declared the victors in an unanimous decision. It is the first time that Wellington College has won the Wellington Speaking Union Cup for Intercollegiate Debating, after many years of sustained success at the tournament.
Winners (Wellington College 1): Ed Foley, Rayhan Langdana, Nick Fenton
Runners up (St Catherine’s College): Julie Vidal, Lauren Holloway, Grace Jansen and Sophia Nisbet
Promising Speakers
Callum Brazier (Paraparaumu College)
Sophia Nisbet (St Catherine’s College)
Emma Leahy (Sacred Heart College)
Most Promising Speaker: Jemima Lomax (St Mary’s College)
Best Speaker at Wellington Regionals 2011: Nick Fenton (Wellington College)
Highly Commended Speakers:
Robbie Fordyce (Hutt International Boys School)
Aaron Rama (Scots College)
Callum McPetrie (Tawa College)
Rowena Woodhams (Wellington East Girls’ College)
Reserves to the Wellington Regional Squad 2011:
Jemima Lomax (St Mary’s College)
Michael Moore-Jones (Scots College)
Wellington Regional Schools Debating Squad:
Thomas Leggat (Wellington College)
Edward Foley (Wellington College)
Grace Jansen (St Catherine’s College)
Rayhan Langdana (Wellington College)
Nick Fenton (Wellington College)
Wendy Zhu (Sacred Heart College)
2010
The 2010 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
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)
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)
Best Speaker at the 2010 Wellington Regional Schools’ Debating Champs: Laura Kelly (Sacred Heart College)
2009
The 2009 Wellington Regional Debating Championships were held on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 April at Samuel Marsden Collegiate School. Twenty two teams from eighteen schools competed in the tournament, the largest number of teams for many years.
Rounds 1 and 2 of the tournament were were on “advised topic areas”, where the general theme of the topic was known in advance, but not the wording of the topic. In round 1, teams debated whether or not a programme of school vouchers should be introduced in NZ. In round 2, teams debated whether or not bail-outs for failing industries should be supported. A limited preparation debate on whether models below a healthy weight should be banned from the fashion industry finished the day.
Teams came back the following morning to debate in round 4, a limited preparation debate on whether diplomatic engagement was preferable to military action.
After four rounds, two schools were unbeaten: Samuel Marsden and Scots College. The other semi-finalists, on 3 wins, were Wellington College 2, and St Mary’s College. Two schools who also had three wins missed out on win points – commiserations to Wellington East Girls’ College and Wellington College.
In the semi-finals, on the motion “This House supports quotas for women on company boards”, Marsden defeated St Mary’s (3-0) and Wellington College 2 defeated Scots (2-1).
The Grand Final was on the motion “That the media should out gay celebrities”, in front of a good crowd. Marsden prevailed in a 3-0 decision, winning the Wellington Speaking Union Cup for the first time since 2005, and the third time in the tournament’s history.
Winners - Samuel Marsden Collegiate School: Agnes Cheung, Dipti Manchanda, Maria English.
Runners-Up - Wellington College 2: Nick Fenten, Michael Saywell, Marcus Playle
Promising Speakers: Vikesh Gupta (Scots College 2), Jenna Bone (Wellington East Girls’ College), Marcus Playle (Wellington College 2)
Most Promising Speaker: Henry Hillind (Scots College 1)
Highly Commended Speakers: Michael Saywell (Wellington College 2), Jonathan Watt (Rathkeale College)
Reserves to the Wellington Regional Schools’ Debating Squad: Dipti Manchanda (Marsden), Nicola Wood (St Mary’s)
2009 Wellington Regional Schools’ Debating Squad:
Maria English (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School)
Julia Wells (Wellington East Girls’ College)
Nick Cross (Scot’s College)
Jasmin Moran (Chilton St James School)
Jodie O’Neil (Chilton St James School)
Carlos Carbanatto-Bowkett (Wellington College 1)
2008
The 2008 Wellington Regional Debating Championships were held on Tuesday 11 March and Saturday 15 March at Samuel Marsden Collegiate School. The Championships were fortunate this year to be supported by the Drug Foundation, who provided the schools with dinner on Tuesday, lunch on Saturday, and prizes for the winners and best speaker. Eighteen teams from fourteen schools competed in the tournament.
In Rounds 1 and 2 of the tournament the teams debated both sides of the motion “This House would legalise the opium trade.” In Round 3, a limited preparation debate, teams considered whether it was in the interests of environmental groups to engage in civil disobedience. In Round 4, teams debated whether all government funding of the arts should be abolished.
Four schools made it through to the semi-finals: Scots College, Samuel Marsden, Wellington College, and Wellington East Girls’ College. Commiserations to St Mary’s College, who missed out on the semi-finals on win points. In the semi-finals, on the motion “This House would sign a free trade agreement with China”, Scots defeated Wellington College (2-1) and Marsden defeated Wellington East (3-0).
The Grand Final was on the motion “This House would allow individuals to sell their organs”, reflecting the Bioethics Council’s continued support of the Championships as the Council’s Regional Partner. In a close and tightly fought debate, Scots (affirming) defeated Marsden in a 2-1 decision.
A number of awards were given out after the tournament. Highly Commended awards were given to Lauren Brazier (Paraparaumu College) and Charlotte Davis (Queen Margaret College). The Most Promising Speaker of the Championships was Julia Wells (Wellington East Girls’ College). The two reserves to the Wellington Schools’ Debating squad are Hunter Douglas (Wellington College) and Elisha Watson (Samuel Marsden).
The six members of the Wellington Schools’ Debating squad are:
- Holly Jenkins (Sacred Heart College)
- Julia Wells (Wellington East’ Girls College)
- Johanna McDavitt (St Mary’s College)
- Nick Cross (Scots College)
- Frances Ratner (Queen Margaret College)
- Maria English (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School)
The best speaker of the Championships was Maria English.
2007
The 2007 Wellington Regional Schools' Debating Championships were held on 12 and 13 May at Samuel Marsden Collegiate School. 14 schools debated in four preliminary rounds of debates, before four went through to the semi-finals. In a change from previous years, the tournament consisted only of limited preparation debates. On the Saturday the teams debated whether euthanasia should be legalised; whether the United States should withdraw from Iraq, and whether tertiary education should be free. On the Sunday the final preliminary round topic required the teams to consider whether sporting sanctions were a legitimate tool of political protest.
Four teams progressed to the semi-finals: Marsden B, Wellington College B, Sacred Heart College, and Scots College, the defending champions. In two closely-fought semi-finals, debating whether political parties should receive state funding, Wellington College B defeated Marsden B and Scots took the win over Sacred Heart College.
The final topic was on a bioethics issue, reflecting the Bioethics Council’s support as regional partner for the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council in 2007. Scots and Wellington College B debated the challenging and interesting issue of whether deaf parents should be allowed to genetically screen their embryos so that their children were deaf. In a 3-0 decision, Scots College, the negative team, won the debate and the Wellington Speaking Union Cup, retaining their title won in 2006.
A number of prizes awarded to individual speakers. Lauren Brazier from Paraparaumu College received the award for the Most Improved speaker. The Most Promising speaker award was shared by Charlotte Pope from Wellington Girls’ College and Dipti Manchanda from Samuel Marsden. Highly Commended awards were given to Tom Matthews (Scots), Kirsty Clarke (Hutt Valley High School) and Rafe Hampson (Wellington College). The reserves for the 2007 Wellington regional debating squad are Jehan Casinader (Hutt International Boys’ School) and Charlotte Pope.
The following speakers were named as members of the 2007 Russell McVeagh Wellington Regional Schools’ Debating teams:
- Paul Smith (Scots College)
- Udayan Mukherjee (Scots College)
- Jaz Morris (Wellington College)
- Holly Jenkins (Sacred Heart College)
- Ella Edginton (Sacred Heart College)
- Maria English (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School)
The Best Speaker of the tournament was Maria English, an incredible achievement given she is only in Year 11.
2005
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School hosted the 2005 Wellington Regional Schools’ Debating Championship held on the weekend of 7-8 May. The competition was well attended, with sixteen teams competing from around the Wellington region. In the first two rounds, teams debated both sides of the prepared topic: That it should be compulsory to vote in New Zealand General Elections. The first day of debating was rounded off with a one hour limited preparation debate on the topic: That the Black Caps should boycott Zimbabwe.
Teams returned on the Sunday for the fourth and final preliminary round, to debate that the government should fund the arts . With sixteen evenly matched teams, it was tricky to work out the break for the semifinals, with five teams impossible to squeeze into only four spots. Unfortunately, Queen Margaret College missed out, and Hutt Valley High School, Samuel Marsden Collegiate, St Mary’s College, and Wellington College went through to the semifinals.
The semi-final motion was, “That America is a global bully”, which produced two excellent and witty debates. Hutt Valley High defeated St Mary s (2-1) and Marsden won through over Wellington College. The topic for the final was: That we should use affirmative action to redress historical injustice. After a close debate, the hosts, Samuel Marsden Collegiate School, were declared the winners after a unanimous verdict by the judging panel.
The Russell McVeagh Wellington Regional Schools Debating teams are below:
- Wellington Black: Sam Ward (Hutt Valley High School); Conrad Reyners (St Patrick’s College, Wellington); and Kathy Scott-Dowell (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School).
- Wellington Blue: Heath Hutton (St Patrick s College, Wellington); Tim Duignan (St Patrick’s College, Wellington); and Ioana Gordon-Smith (St Mary’s College).
I should note also that Aysser Aljanabi (St Mary’s College) was originally named in one of the teams, but unfortunately had to pull out. She was replaced by Sam Ward.
The second reserve for the teams was Annabel Dewar (Chilton Saint James School).
Highly Commended awards were given to Emily Bruce (Wellington Girls College) and Lauren Simpkins (Queen Margaret College). The Most Promising speaker was Emily Bruce.
I was delighted to have such excellent judges throughout the weekend. Many thanks to Kevin Moar, Sayeqa Islam, Rosemary Dixon, Ranald Clouston, Emily Braunstein, Hamish Flanagan, Jesse Wilson, Gareth Richards and Joe Connell. Thanks also to Marsden for providing their facilities.