Debating

2016 Debating

Row 1: Josh Rademeyer, Gray Gibson, James Young, Hamish Duncan

Row 2: Caleb Inger, Mr Gordon, Mikey Cooper

The Seniors, ably led by Hamish Duncan, who was awarded a Debating Blue for his debating prowess and commitment, participated in the Dunedin schools’ competitions. Other team members, Sam van der Weerden, Gray Gibson and Mikey Cooper, although new to the limited preparation debating style, quickly figured it out, drew on their wide general knowledge to develop strong arguments, and acquitted themselves admirably against opposition that was often much more experienced. We were less successful in the inter-school fixtures than in the past, going down to both Otago Boys’ and Waitaki Boys’ in close encounters.

2021 Debating

DEBATING

1ST ROW: Adam Salisbury, Samuel Mitchell, Hasan Sheikh, Alex Van Der Vliet

2ND ROW: Dr. Damien Gibson (Teacher), Ben Hawke, Juandre Rademeyer

This year continued the upward trend of Debating at King’s and built on last year’s progress. 4 teams were entered across
the senior and junior divisions of the Dunedin Schools Debating competition, running periodically over the year. Held on
Wednesdays, the competition forces participants to work under pressure, formulating and delivering arguments on either side
of given motions. This competition provides participants with the opportunity to expand both their critical thinking and public
speaking skills. Along with this, our senior team participated in the Otago Regional Competition and the inaugural Mid Year
Championships. In both of these competitions, King’s 1 faced some stiff opposition, managing to place within the top teams out
of 25 and 20 respectively. Similarly, the 1st junior and senior teams competed in three interschools this year. The senior team
managed to win against Waitaki Boys, while the junior team beat Southland Boys. The Otago Boys interschool was held during
the usual junior competition, resulting in a win for the junior 1st team.
Throughout these competitions, we debated a wide range of topics from bodily autonomy to resurrecting the dinosaurs to drug
policy reform. For the first time ever (or at least in a long time) King’s has a debating club, which met throughout the year. This
was an opportunity both for the seniors and the juniors, allowing both groups to develop their skills. This year’s juniors are the
largest group in some time, and it is hoped that they will continue to develop over the next few years.
Special mention goes to Cam Fraser, who was selected for the Otago/Southland School’s Debating Junior Development squad
at the regional competition as well as receiving a highly commended award for his performance at the Mid Year Championships.