Top student debaters confront binding referenda

6 August 2009

For immediate release

NZ’s top student debaters confront binding referenda

Thirty six of New Zealand’s top secondary school debaters will gather in Wellington this weekend for the National Finals of the New Zealand Schools Debating Championships, hosted and sponsored by Russell McVeagh.

Teams from Wellington, Auckland, Canterbury, Otago-Southland, Hawke’s Bay, Northland, Central North Island, Waikato and Nelson-Marlborough will take part in five preliminary rounds of debates over the weekend at the Victoria University of Wellington’s Law School on a series of topics, which the students will find out only one hour before the debate.

The Grand Final between the top two teams at the Championships will take place in the Legislative Council Chamber at Parliament on Monday 10 August at 10am, hosted by Hon Peter Dunne, a long-time supporter of schools debating.

The topic for the Grand Final is the highly relevant “That citizens initiated referenda should be binding on government”.

Christopher Bishop, the President of the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council which organises the tournament, says that the final topic should make for a great debate in a highly appropriate setting.

“With members of the public currently voting in a non-binding referendum, it will be fascinating to see what arguments New Zealand’s brightest young minds make for and against the motion", he said.

Waikato are the defending champions, having defeated Wellington in the final last year.
The best five speakers at the tournament will be named as members of the Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools’ Debating Team, and represent New Zealand at the 2010 World Schools’ Debating Championships in Doha, Qatar.

New Zealand are the current world champions, having won the 2009 World Champs in Athens, Greece, in February this year.
 
The New Zealand Schools' Debating Championships have been held annually since 1988 and are recognised as the country's most prestigious school debating competition

Members of the public and media are invited to watch the debating action at the Victoria University Law School this weekend. A full timetable of when and where the rounds are on can be found at www.debating.org.nz.
 
For more information, please contact the President of the Council, Christopher Bishop, on 027 683 8993 or president@debating.org.nz

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