Wellington Speaking Union | Debating in Wellington

We have been receiving a few emails expressing confusion about how results are collected.  This post will hopefully clarify any issues people have been having.

First, if you are the coach of a team in Senior Premier A or Senior Premier B, do not worry about inputting results.  Results are collected and maintained by the convenors of these grades.  You do not need to send us the results.

Second, if you are  coach of a team in any of the other grades (Senior Certificate, Junior Premier, or Junior Certificate), then you need to fill out a results form, which is accessible here (the direct link is www.wsu.co.nz/results). Both teams should fill out the form.  It is vitally important that you provide the team suffix – i.e., the “1″ in “Wellington College 1,” otherwise we will not know which team from your school actually won.

Third, I am aware of one or two people who cannot access the results form.  If this applies to you, then you should email your results to results@wsu.co.nz.  I stress that this is only for those who cannot access the results form.

Fourth, in the future, I will make a greater effort to update the website with the results after rounds.  Hopefully we will be all up to date by the end of this week, and the points table can be posted.

The Premier B Grade Grand Final for 2009 was held at the Turnbull House in downtown Wellington and saw Nga Tawa Diocesan School,  in only their second year competing in WSU competitions, win the prestigious Fred McComish Trophy.

The Premier B grade this year was the largest in recent memory, with 22 teams competing for the trophy from around Wellington and all the way up to Marton.

The Nga Tawa team of Charlotte Legge, Brooke Cox, and Megan Burney beat Samuel Marsden’s Olivia Norling, Stephanie Dawson, and Stephanie van Geete on the topic “This House believes that parents have a right to smack their children”. Marsden affirmed the motion and Nga Tawa  negated.

Nga Tawa’s Megan Burney was named the best speaker of the Grand Final. All six speakers are all to be congratulated for an exceptional debate. Congratulations and thanks also go to the two coaches – John Worthington from Nga Tawa and Marg Adeane from Marsden, both of whom have given up a huge amount of time to coach their teams through the five preliminary and four knockout rounds of debating.

The entire Nga Tawa team are in year 12, and so their presence in Prem A next year will be much anticipated.

Here are the results from the Premier B Grade semi-finals held last week. Winners in bold below. In brackets is where each team broke after the preliminary rounds.

Samuel Marsden Collegiate School (1) v Tawa College (4)
Nga Tawa Diocesan School 1 (6) v Wellington College (2)

The Grand Final for the Fred McComish Trophy will be held on Thursday 24 September at Turnbull House at 7pm.

Samuel Marsden will affirm, and Nga Tawa will negate.

The prepared topic is:  This House believes that parents should have the right to smack their children

Good luck to both teams.

Here are the results from the Premier B Grade quarter-finals held on Tuesday 28 July. Winners in bold below. In brackets is where each team broke after the preliminary rounds.

Kapiti College (8) v Samuel Marsden Collegiate School (1)
Wellington Girls’ College (7) v Wellington College (2)
Scots College (3) v Nga Tawa Diocesan School 1 (6)
Tawa College (4) v Hutt International Boys’ School (5)

The semis draw is below. Affirming teams on the left.

Samuel Marsden Collegiate School (1) v Tawa College (4)
Nga Tawa Diocesan School 1 (6) v Wellington College (2)

The debates will be held on Tuesday 25 August at the respective affirmative schools.

The prepared topic is: This House would grant amnesty to dictators in exchange for a relinquishment of their power

Good luck to all teams.

Here are the results from the last round of the Premier B Grade, held last Tuesday at Wellington College. Winners in bold below.

Paraparaumu College v Hutt Valley High School
Wellington College v St Orans College
St Mary’s College v Upper Hutt College
Nga Tawa Diocesan School 1 v Wellington East Girls’ College
St Bernard’s College v St Patrick’s College, Wellington
Chilton St James School v Onslow College
Heretaunga College v Wellington Girls’ College
Hutt International Boys’ School v Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
Nga Tawa Diocesan School 2 v Tawa College
Wellington High School v Sacred Heart College
Kapiti College v Scots College

The full points table after five rounds can be found here.

The quarter-final draw is below:

Kapiti College v Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
Wellington Girls’ College v Wellington College
Scots College v Nga Tawa Diocesan School 1
Tawa College v Hutt International Boys’ School

Here are the results from round three of the Premier B grade, held tonight at Wellington College. It was a limited preparation debate. Winners in bold below.

Nga Tawa Diocesan School 1 v Sacred Heart College
Nga Tawa Diocesan School 2 v Hutt Valley High School
Kapiti College v Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
Heretaunga College v Tawa College
Wellington College v Upper Hutt College
St Mary’s College v Wellington Girls’ College
Paraparaumu College v Onslow College
Wellington High School v Scots College
Chilton St James School v Wellington East Girls’ College
St Bernard’s College v St Oran’s College
Hutt International Boys’ School v St Patrick’s College, Wellington

Click here for the latest points table after three rounds.

Here are the results from round two of Premier B. Winners in bold.

Topic: That free markets have failed us

Scots College v Nga Tawa Diocesan School 1
Onslow College v Kapiti College
Sacred Heart College v Hutt International Boys’ School
Wellington Girls’ College v St Bernard’s College
Hutt Valley High School v Wellington College
Upper Hutt College v Heretaunga College
St Oran’s College v Chilton St James School
Wellington East Girls’ College v Paraparaumu College
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School v Nga Tawa Diocesan School 2
Tawa College v St Mary’s College
St Patrick’s College, Wellington v Wellington High School

Here are the results from round one of the Premier B grade.

Topic: This House would legalise the sale of organs

Winners in bold below.

Hutt International Boys’ School v Upper Hutt College
Kapiti College v Sacred Heart College
Nga Tawa Diocesan School 1 v Wellington Girls’ College
St Bernard’s College v Samuel Marsden Collegeiate School
Wellington College v Onslow College
Chilton St James School v Scots College
Heretaunga College v Wellington East Girls’ College
Paraparaumu College v Tawa College
Nga Tawa Diocesan School 2 v St Orans College
Wellington High School v Hutt Valley High School
St Mary’s College v St Patrick’s College, Wellington

The final intercollegiate debating grade final was tonight. Congratulations to Chilton St James School who defeated Marsden by 3-0 to win the Premier B grade and the Fred McComish Trophy.