NZ in quarter-finals of World Debating Champs

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NZ in quarter-finals of World Debating Champs
 
The Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools' Debating Team has made the quarter-finals of the World Schools' Debating Championships being held in Athens, Greece, after beating Wales last night.
 
The victory was unanimous, with all three judges voting for New Zealand.
 
New Zealand proposed the motion "That people should be required to work in return for welfare payments".
 
New Zealand now faces Canada in the quarter-finals, with a possible debate against last year's champions England awaiting them in the semi-finals.
 
New Zealand was narrow runners-up to England at the 2008 Championships, losing in a 5-4 split decision in the Grand Final. New Zealand had the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ranked speakers at the 2008 tournament.
 
Christopher Bishop of the NZ Schools Debating Council said that Canada were always tough opponents but the NZ team would take a lot of confidence from their perfect record so far at the tournament. New Zealand beat Canada in the preliminary rounds.
 
The five person Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools' Debating Team was selected at the national finals of the Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools' Debating Championships held in May 2008. The team comprises Maria English (Captain, Samuel Marsden Collegiate), Holly Jenkins (Sacred Heart College), Jennifer Savage (Wanganui Collegiate), Tom Chen (Hillcrest High School) and Ben Kornfeld (King's College).

The team is being coached by Julia Fetherston (an Australian law student and champion student debater) and Kevin Moar (a policy analyst at the Ministry of Health).

The World Schools' Debating Championships, a global competition for high school debaters, has been held each year since 1988. This year's tournament involves 39 teams, including England, Wales, Scotland, India, Pakistan, the USA, South Africa, South Korea, and Japan. New Zealand has won the tournament three times since 1988 (in 1991, 1992, and 1995), were runners-up in 2008, and hosted the competition in 1994.

Topics debated at this year's Championships include "That public services should be run by private companies", and "That we should encourage the expansion of civilian nuclear energy."

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