The New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council is excited to open entries for the Free Speech Union New Zealand Schools British Parliamentary Debating Championships 2024.
The tournament will be held on 7-8 December via Zoom. This year the tournament is completely free for all attendees, thanks to sponsorship from the FSU. We hope that you, or your students, will enjoy the chance to debate against students from around the entire country.
How to enter
The link to register has been sent to all teachers on our mailing list. Please contact council@debating.org.nz if you did not receive the email, and would like to register a team.
Entries are due by Friday 15 November. However, please register as soon as you are able to so that we are able to secure enough judges. If you need more time to organise your teams, please get in touch.
Who can enter?
Any high school in New Zealand is eligible to enter the New Zealand Schools British Parliamentary Debating Championship (NZSBP). Teams consist of two students from Year 9 to 13, including Year 13 students who graduate in 2024.
Schools can enter as many teams as they would like. We may have to enforce a per-school cap, subject to judge availability. We strongly encourage schools to not only enter senior teams, but to consider sending juniors as well. We would particularly encourage new schools to consider entering a team this year. NZSBP is a great opportunity for your students to develop their debating skills and compete against other like minded students across Aotearoa.
Saturday 7th of December
- Beginning of day 1: 8:30am
- 4 rounds of debating to be held for all teams
- End of day 1: 6:00pm
Sunday 8th of December
- Beginning of day 2: 9:00am
- 1 round of debating for all teams, and knockout rounds for top 16 teams (Quarters, semis, final).
- End of prizegiving: 5:00pm
Format of debates
Speaking times are 7 minutes, with 15 minutes to prepare after the motion is announced. Points of information (POIs) are allowed between 1 and 6 minutes.
In British Parliamentary style debating, there are four teams in every debate. Two teams support the motion, and the other two oppose it. On each side of the motion, one team will be the opening team, and the other will be the closing team. After the debate, the adjudicator will rank the teams from 1-4 based on how effectively they contributed to their side of the debate. This means that although you are on the same side of the motion as another team, you are still competing against them.
The British Parliamentary format is very popular internationally, so there are many guides on how to debate in BP style (See this guide for a more in depth overview of the format). Examples of BP debates can also be found by searching 'WUDC' on YouTube. More detailed information will be given to teams closer to the tournament, and we will also be hosting an online coaching and Q&A session for participants prior to the tournament.
Free Speech Union Sponsorship
The New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council is grateful to the Free Speech Union for sponsoring the tournament. Their sponsorship allows us to run this competition free of charge for all students. Prize money will be awarded to the top teams and speakers at the tournament.
Please contact council@debating.org.nz if you have any questions or would like any further information.