Senior Premier B Grade
The Senior Premier B grade is the middle-ranked intercollegiate debating grade for senior students. Teams must consist of only fifth, sixth, and seventh formers (Years 11, 12 and 13). It is designed for senior students with some experience of debating and with some skills, but who are not quite at the level required for the Premier A grade (the top senior grade).
Schools may enter only one team in the in the Premier B grade.
The winning school each receives the Fred McComish Trophy, first awarded in 1975. For a list of past winners, click here.
The grade receives support from the Victoria University of Wellington Debating Society, who supply the adjudicators for the grade. The Grade Convenor is Udayan Mukherjee.
Premier B Draw for 2011
Affirming teams on the left, negative on the right. Winning schools are in bold type.
Round 1: Tuesday 22 March @ Wellington College
Prepared topic: “This house supports the partial floating of State-Owned Enterprises on the NZ Stock Exchange”
HIBS v Sacred Heart College
St Bernard’s v Paraparaumu College
St Catherine’s College v Wellington College
Tawa College v Queen Margaret College
Samuel Marsden v St Mary’s College
Heretaunga v Scots College
St Oran’s College v Taita College
Wellington East Girls’ College v Onslow College
Hutt Valley High School v Wellington High School
St Patrick’s College v Chilton St James
Wellington Girls v Upper Hutt
Round 2: Tuesday 17 May @ Wellington East Girls’ College
Prepared topic: “That all states should have the right to develop nuclear weapons”
Paraparaumu College v HIBS
Sacred Heart College v St Bernard’s College
Queen Margaret College v Nga Tawa 2
Wellington College v Tawa College
Chilton St James v Samuel Marsden
Wellington High School v Heretaunga
Scots College v St Oran’s College
Upper Hutt v Wellington East Girls’ College
Onslow College v Hutt Valley High School
St Mary’s College v St Patrick’s College
Taita College v Wellington Girls
Nga Tawa 1 v St Catherine’s College
Round 3: Tuesday 31 May @ Wellington College
Limited preparation round: Crime and Punishment
Wellington Girls v Wellington College
Paraparaumu v Chilton
Samuel Marsden v Wellington East Girls’ College
Onslow College v St Mary’s College
St Catherine’s College v St Oran’s College
Tawa College v Queen Margaret College
Scots College v HIBS
St Bernard’s College v Heretaunga College
Hutt Valley High School v Wellington High School
Nga Tawa 1 v St Patrick’s College
Taita College v Nga Tawa 2
Bye: Sacred Heart College
Round 4: Tuesday 14 June @ Wellington East Girls’ College
Limited preparation round: Religion
Wellington College v Wellington East Girls’ College
Tawa College v Samuel Marsden
St Oran’s v Nga Tawa 1
Wellington Girls College v Paraparaumu
Wellington High School v St Bernard’s
Chilton v Scots
St Catherine’s v Taita
HIBS v Queen Margaret College
Nga Tawa 2 v Heretaunga
Sacred Heart College v Hutt Valley High School
St Mary’s College v Onslow College
Bye: St Patrick’s College
Round 5: Tuesday 28 June @ Wellington East Girls’ College
Limited preparation round: Censorship
Wellington College v Tawa College
Chilton v Wellington High School
Scots College v Nga Tawa 1
Wellington East Girls College v Wellington Girls College
St Patrick’s College v St Catherine’s College
Heretaunga College v HIBS
Onslow College v Hutt Valley High School
Samuel Marsden v St Bernard’s
Paraparaumu College v St Oran’s
Queen Margaret College v Nga Tawa 2
St Mary’s College v Sacred Heart College
Bye: Taita College
Quarter-finals: Tuesday 9 August @ Wellington College
Limited preparation round: Welfare Policy
Wellington College v Nga Tawa 1
Wellington Girls College v Wellington East Girls College
Wellington High School v Hutt Valley High School
Tawa College v Scots College
Semi-finals: Tuesday 23 August
Prepared Topic: “That the West should provide military support for political groups that oppose autocratic regimes”
Scots College v Nga Tawa 1
Wellington High School v Wellington Girls College
Grand Final for the McComish Trophy: Monday 12 September @ Turnbull House
Prepared topic: “That we should abolish all government restrictions and ratings on the content of entertainment media”
Wellington High School v Scots College