Inter-house Debating competition 2020

During week six of term four each whānau house put forward a team of four Year 9 and 10 debaters to take part in the annual inter-house debating competition.

This competition gives junior students an opportunity to try out debating in a fun, competitive environment with their classmates.

In the first three rounds, students had a chance to debate about a range of issues. These included national issues, such as whether Matariki should be a public holiday, and global issues; such as the rights of police to carry firearms, and the enforcement of age restrictions on films and videogames. All teams showed an impressive range of debating skills; providing in-depth arguments and offering practical solutions to some of the issues faced by society.

Te Kanawa House (represented by Niccolo Nustrini, Felice Yang, and Mabel Zhang) competed against Kupe House (represented by Joshua Leevers, Morgan Attwood, and Genevieve Oliver) in the final. The teams debated the idea of banning school awards. Both teams performed to an impressive level and the judges (Judy Fong and Samadiana Fariz from the Premier Advanced Debating teams and Mr Reed from the English Department) had a difficult job deciding on the winner which was Te Kanawa.

Congratulations to all students who participated in the competition.