The Parliamentary Shield, presented in 1909 by the Wellington Members of Parliament to be the trophy for interclub debating, is a prestigious debating competition for adult debaters in Wellington. Past winners can be found here.
 
This year’s Parliamentary Shield will be held entirely over one weekend, rather than on weeknights throughout the year.
 
Here are the key details:
 
Dates: Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October.
 
Venues: Student Union Building, Victoria University on Saturday, Turnbull House/Parliament on Sunday.
 
Timetable: Three rounds of debating on Satursday, one more preliminary round (if necessary) on Sunday morning, semis in afternoon, and Grand Final on late Sunday afternoon at Parliament.
 
Debating style: 3 on 3, with limited preparation of 30 minutes for each debate.
 
Speaking times: 8 minute speeches, with points of information.
 
Team sizes: Teams must be a minimum of three people, with a maximum of five. For a speaker to be eligible to debate in the final they must do at least two debates up to and including the semi-finals.
 
Adjudicators: It is my hope that people not debating in a particular round will volunteer to be used as judges.
 
Other information:
There will be a BYO dinner organised for Saturday night (on an opt-in basis).

Teams need not represent a particular club or society; though obviously can if they wish.

No team cap.

Chief Adjudicator/organiser: Christopher Bishop

Entry fees: $50 per team. This will cover lunch on Saturday and some drinks/nibbles after the Final.

How to enter:
 
Email Christopher Bishop by Friday 25 September with:
Your team name
Name of team captain, their email address, and contact cellphone number
Names of team members
Which team members are qualified/willing to act as adjudicators for rounds they do not debate in.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch on [email protected] or 027 683 8993.