Points of Information VOLUME 1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Points of Information VOLUME 1 Welcome to the first edition of Points of Information, the newsletter for alumni of the New Zealand Schools Debating Champs. This is the first of HOW TO JOIN four newsletters that will be published in 2010. Membership for a year is only $50 The purpose of the newsletter is to keep alumni up to date with what is for those in paid employment and $20 for students. happening in New Zealand schools debating, as well as publish news about what schools debating alumni are up to all around the world. The easiest way to pay is using a credit card via PayMate, an online The newsletter is published by the Friends of New Zealand Schools payment system. Your credit card details are protected by industry Debating Trust, which was formed to help alumni stay connected to standard SSL encryption, and are schools debating in New Zealand, organise events, and solicit financial never passed on to us or any other support for debating. party. Simply head to The Trust was formed in 2008 when the Council celebrated twenty years www.debating.org.nz/alumni and of organising regional and national debating tournaments. follow the link! In this issue: Alternatively, you can deposit $50 or $20 into the following bank account: • About the Friends of NZ Schools • Alumni News 03-0502-0637829-00 and send an email to [email protected] to Debating Trust – how to join and let us know you’ve joined. profiles of the trustees • Editorial The Friends of NZSDC Trust is a • Qatar Worlds – • How will Friends of New Zealand Registered Charity (CC42751) so how did New Zealand do? Schools Debating Trust money be your contribution is tax-deductible in spent? New Zealand. The Treasurer of the • Regional Championships 2010 Trust will send you a receipt. About the Friends of NZ Schools Debating Trust In 2008, the NZSDC celebrated its twentieth anniversary. To mark this milestone, the NZSDC established its official alumni organisation, the Friends of Trustee Profiles NZSDC Trust. Hayden Ryan (Chair) The Friends of NZSDC Trust has two Hayden is a Life Member of the NZ Schools Debating Council and is Managing roles, both of which are designed to assist Broker, Life and Health at FMR Risk. He was in the 1994 New Zealand alumni with staying connected to schools Schools’ Team that won the 1995 World Championships. He later served in a debating: variety of capacities on the Council, including as President (2002-2004). Rosemary Dixon • To arrange and coordinate alumni activities, including networking events. In Also a Life Member of the Council, Rosemary coached the New Zealand 2010 the Trust is planning to hold official teams that won the 1991 and 1992 World Championships. She was President alumni events in Auckland, Wellington, of the Council from 1991 to 1994, convened the 1994 World Champs held Christchurch, and London. Other centres in New Zealand, and later served as Treasurer. Rosemary works as Special may be available on request. Counsel (Environment) for Contact Energy. Tim Stephens • To enlist financial support from our alumni so that the activities of the Tim is a former Officer and Vice-President of the Council who has convened NZSDC in furthering debating in New the National Champs and adjudicated at the World Champs. He is a Partner Zealand schools can be strengthened and at Simpson Grierson in Wellington. enlarged. The Trust is independent of the NZSDC, with three alumni – Rosemary Dixon, Contact: The Trustees can be contacted via [email protected] Hayden Ryan, and Tim Stephens – acting as Trustees (see sidebar). Qatar Worlds New Zealand make the quarter-finals The Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools’ Debating Team recently returned from Qatar, where they were competing at the World Schools’ Debating Championships. The New Zealand Team comprised: Maria English (Captain, Samuel Marsden Collegiate School), Jasmin Moran (Chilton St James School), Josh Baxter (Auckland Grammar School), Nick Cross (Scots College) and Aria Newfield (St Cuthbert’s College). Team member Jasmin Moran describes the tournament: Thee team was coached by Clodagh O’Connor-McKenna, a champion university The two weeks spent in Qatar by the New debaters, various coaches and support debater. Also accompanying the team were Zealand Schools Debating team was an staff and adjudicators, it was massive. We adjudicators Rosemary Dixon, Christopher amazing experience. Qatar, located in the were lucky enough to get to meet debaters Bishop, Kevin Moar, and Claire Ryan – the Gulf and with its culture and traditions, was from all over the globe, competing against largest New Zealand contingent in many an interesting country to visit. When not teams from Australia, to Israel, to Nigeria, years. preparing or debating, we soaked up local and during our down time, becoming good culture in the Souq Wakif, a market selling friends with Team United Arab Emirates. all from Pashminas (which we brought It was such an honour to represent New in large amounts) to household pots and Zealand. Going into the tournament as pans. We also enjoyed an exciting desert defending champions we were determined safari where we travelled in four wheel to do our best and with our days before the drive vehicles through the sand dunes to tournament spent prepping madly and our a camp set up in the middle of the desert. holidays in New Zealand spent training, we There we experienced Qatari culture with were poised to do this. With the support camel rides, henna drawings and trying on of our dedicated coach Clodagh and our the local dress. sheep mascot Basil (Baz for short), and The tournament itself was extremely well remembering to speak extra slowly (a run and our stay at the Marriot Doha, challenge for New Zealand debaters), we where we were treated to three course gave our all in every debate. buffets and various functions and parties In the end we were narrowly beaten in was a memorable one. The majority of the quarter finals by a very good Team debates took place in local Qatari schools Canada who went on to win the World and we were amazed by their hospitality, Title. None-the-less we were thrilled to which ranged from performing a traditional finish with the second highest speaker Qatari sword dance, to keeping us points of all teams at the break and to entertained by singing Simple Plan, to have all our five speakers ranked in the presenting us with mementos. top 25 speakers in the World. The sheer size of the tournament is also worth a mention – with 57 teams of Worlds 2011 The next World Champs are in Dundee, Scotland, in August 2011 - meaning the NZ Team selected at this year’s Nationals will not attend a Worlds. The Council is looking to arrange an international tournament for the team to attend in New Zealand, Australia, or further afield. Alumni News We’re very keen to bring you news about what NZSDC alumni are up to all around the world. We’re acutely aware of the fact that NZSDC alumni are regularly winning scholarships, law and debating competitions, being promoted, and doing amazing things. Please send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll include it in the next newsletter. Don’t be shy! World Universities’ success Congrats to the NZSDC alumni who Regional participated at the recent World Championships 2010 Universities’ Debating Champs in Turkey held over the 2009/10 new year period. By the time you read this, the Two teams of all-NZSDC alumni fought first Russell McVeagh Regional their way through 388 teams and made tournament for the year (Nelson it to the octo-finals before being knocked / Marlborough) will have already out: been held. There are eight more around the country in the coming • Victoria University of Wellington A – weeks: Stephen Whittington (NZ Team 04) and Northland Polly Higbee (NZ Team 04) – broke in 29th – Sunday 25 April at place. Kerikeri High School Contact: George Minton Auckland – Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 May at St Kentigern College Contact: Stephanie Thompson Waikato – Saturday 22 May at the University of Waikato Maria speaks in last year’s Contact: Akif Malik Nationals Grand Final Central North Island – Sunday 16 Scholarship success for May at St Peter’s College Contact: Yogesh Patel NZ Team Captain Hawke’s Bay – Saturday 24 and Maria English, recently returned from Sunday 25 April at Lindisfarne Qatar where she captained the NZ Team, College has been awarded the prestigious Girdlers’ Contact: Udayan Mukherjee Scholarship. Maria will study towards a Wellington Politics, Psychology and Sociology (PPS) – Saturday 8 and degree at Cambridge University. Sunday 9 May at a venue TBA Victoria A - Polly and Stephen Contact: Stephen Whittington Administered by the New Zealand Vice- Canterbury – Saturday 15 and • University of Auckland A – Ben Milsom Chancellors’ Committee, the Girdlers’ Scholarship is funded by the Worshipful Sunday 16 May at a venue TBA (Nationals 03) and Stephanie Thompson Contact: Erin Jackson (Nationals 07) – broke in 32nd place. Company of Girdlers which traces its foundation back to medieval times as Otago / Southland – Saturday Congrats also go to the following Victoria a craftsmen’s guild. The award, worth 29 and Sunday 30 May at Otago teams who narrowly missed the break: £25,000 per annum, is offered to one New Boys’ High School • Victoria B – Seb Templeton and Ella Zealand “all-rounder� each year Contact: William Cheyne Edginton (NZ Team 07) who finished 48th; Maria consistently performed at the top Please feel free to turn up and cheer • Victoria C – Kathy Scott-Dowell (NZ of her year level across all subjects at on your former school.