NZ's top student debaters off to World Champs

NZ's top student debaters off to World Champs

Five of New Zealand's top secondary schools debaters are about to represent New Zealand in the prestigious World Schools Debating Championships, in Stuttgart, Germany.

The Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools' Debating Team was selected at the New Zealand tournament earlier in the year and consists of Peter McKenzie (Scots College) (Captain), Piper Whitehead (Auckland Diocesan School for Girls), Samuel Penno (Hutt International Boys’ School), Amy Spittal (Waikato Diocesan School for Girls) and Matthew Moore (Christ’s College).

"The New Zealand team will take part in eight preliminary debates, against England, Greece, Nepal, Croatia, Thailand, Slovakia, Zimbabwe, and Hungary", says Josh Baxter, co-coach of the team and President of the NZ Schools Debating Council.

"Four of the debates are on motions released already, which the team has spent weeks researching. Motions include whether Obama's foreign policy has done more harm than good, whether free trade agreements should be ratified by national referenda, and whether large technology companies should get patent protection.

In four of the preliminary debates, the team will have only one hour to prepare their speeches, after hearing the topic and their side of the moot."

Nearly 60 countries are taking part in this year's competition, which has been held every year since 1988. New Zealand has won the tournament four times, most recently in 2009.

After the eight preliminary rounds, the top sixteen countries move into the knock-out rounds.

The NZ team is coached by Josh Baxter (a solicitor at Russell McVeagh) and Richard D'Ath (a Principal Advisor at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet), both champion debaters.

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