About

The Auckland region has a proud and distinguished history of participation in oratory and debating. The Auckland Schools Debating (ASD) competition began in 2008, after the merging of the ISAY and SSDA competitions. The fusion of those competitions means that ASD is now the largest regular debating competition operating in New Zealand. Over the past three years ASD has produced some of the most successful debaters in the country. One of our students was a winning New Zealand team member of the 2010 World Schools Debating Championships held in Athens, Greece.

We cater to well over 1,000 students in the Auckland region, with teams coming from as far away as Waiuku and Warkworth to participate in debates on a fortnightly basis. We offer debates to students from Years 9 to 13 and cater to a varying range of skill level – from beginners to students capable of competing on an international level. Students are stimulated by this competition and challenged to consider a wide range of issues, ranging from New Zealand’s nuclear free policy to the assassination of foreign leaders as a tool of foreign policy.

The competition relies on a host of other willing volunteers – the eight-strong Committee which run it, adjudicators from the university and local community, schools who host debates, and teachers who coach and adjudicate teams. We are grateful for their continued support, as well as for the generous financial contribution made by our sponsor, New Zealand’s premier law firm Russell McVeagh.