Columba College Wins The Otago Regional Schools’ Debating Championships

Columba College has won the Otago Regional Schools’ Debating Championships, which were hosted at the University of Otago’s Hunter Centre over the weekend.

The Columba College team of Jessica Mundy, Clara Ballantyne and Emily Roy beat King’s High School in the Grand Final. The team won the Otago University Debating Society Cup, with Clara Ballantyne winning the Rachel Carrell Cup for the Best Speaker of the Championships.

The teams in the Grand Final debated “This House would prefer to be a spare rather than an heir”, where the first-born child of the monarch is the “heir” to the throne and further children are the “spares”. Earlier, Columba College had defeated Taieri College in the semi-finals, while King’s High School had defeated Columba College’s second team.

The Otago Regional Schools’ Debating Championships, held annually, involved 17 teams this year from around the region. “We’re thrilled to provide this opportunity for these smart and articulate students”, said Chris Ryan, President of the New Zealand Schools' Debating Council. “We greatly appreciate RPB Law’s financial support of the competition.”

Students debated in six preliminary rounds, with topics ranging from the use of makeup to the rights of Australian citizens in New Zealand.

The Hon Rachel Brooking attended the Championships’ prizegiving, sharing some valuable insights and answering student questions about politics and New Zealand’s parliamentary system.

"It’s great to see Otago secondary school students speaking powerfully on these complex issues”, said Chris Ryan, President of the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council.

Students had half and hour to prepare their speeches after finding out what side of the topic they were arguing.

A squad of three debaters was chosen compete at the National Finals of the New Zealand Schools' Debating Championships, which will be held in Wellington in May. The Otago Schools’ Debating Team will be represented by: Samuel Mitchell, King’s High School; Clara Ballantyne, Columba College; and Che McGivern, Trinity Catholic College. "I am sure these students will persuade with passion and wit at the National Championships, as they have over the weekend", said Mr Ryan.

The New Zealand Schools’ Debating Championships have been held annually since 1988 and are recognised as the country’s most prestigious school debating competition. The Championships are convened by the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council, a charity that works to promote debating in secondary schools around the country.

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