Meeting every Monday afternoon, a group of debating students have been ‘fighting’ hard to prepare for the regional competition this weekend. Student journalist Finn Kerby-Pinguet went along to watch.
The Nayland College Debate Team has been enthusiastically preparing for the Kahurangi Marlborough Regional Debate Championship under the expert guidance of Coach Ms. Bloomfield. Meeting after school on Mondays, the Nayland teams clash over carefully selected motions against each other to be ready for the event.
Monday 8 March provided two excellent debates between four teams. The motion “This house would require all students to play a team sport” was won by both affirmative teams, Nayland Silver and Nayland Gold. Negative was fought well by Nayland Blue and Nayland Black, with adjudicators impressed by the quality of rhetoric.
The highly anticipated Regional Competition will be taking place on Saturday 20 March. Teams were told beforehand that the first motion for the day will be in relation to New Zealand education policy, allowing some prior research. Separate matches are held between seniors and juniors, and each team debates four rounds. Motions in the regionals usually pertain to national or global news events, so being up to date with current affairs is crucial to being prepared for the event.
2021 brought many keen debaters enlisting in the club, ensuring balance between junior and senior teams. Spectators are welcome to the event, so let’s support our speakers who are (verbally) fighting for the eternal glory and victory of Nayland.
By Student journalist Finn Kerby-Pinguet
