Mount Maunganui College Wins Cooney Lees Morgan Bay Of Plenty Regional Schools’ Debating Championships

Mount Maunganui College has won the Cooney Lees Morgan Bay of Plenty Regional Schools’ Debating Championships, which was hosted at Tauranga Boys’ College on Sunday 17 March.

The Mount Maunganui College team of Jenna Adlington, Luca Ririnui, and Sarah Adlam beat Tauranga Boys’ College in the Grand Final. Mount Maunganui College has now won the Josh Baxter Cup for the second consecutive year.

The teams in the Grand Final debated the motion “This House Believes that important decisions about children’s health should be made by medical professionals and not by their parents.” Both teams did a fantastic job, as evidenced by the adjudication panel being split 4-3 on the result.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Schools’ Debating Championships, held annually and sponsored by Cooney Lees Morgan, involved 34 teams this year from around the region. “We’re thrilled to have Cooney Lees Morgan’s support, which enables us to provide this opportunity for these smart and articulate students”, said Chris Ryan, President of the New Zealand Schools' Debating Council.

At the opening ceremony, students attending the Championships were greeted by Sam Uffindell, MP for Tauranga, who opened the Championships by speaking about the importance of debating and discussing opposing opinions in facilitating democracy in New Zealand.

Students debated in three preliminary rounds, on topics ranging from sporting etiquette to the best approach to achieving societal change.

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

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

A squad of three debaters was chosen to compete at the National Finals of the New Zealand Schools' Debating Championships, which will be held in Wellington in May. The Cooney Lees Morgan Bay of Plenty Schools’ Debating Team will be represented by: Luca Ririnui (Mount Maunganui College), Ollie Farquharson (Tauranga Boys’ College), James Bunyan (Tauranga Boys’ College), Gayathri Dinesh (reserve, Tauranga Girls’ College), and Jenna Adlington (Mount Maunganui College). "I am sure these students will persuade with passion and wit at the National Championships, as they have over the weekend", said 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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