Register 2026
Welcome to the registration page for ASD for 2026. This page contains the links to the relevant registrations forms as well as some important information to assist you with registering teams in 2026.
Key Dates
Registration Deadlines
- EOI / TIC Form Deadline — Wednesday 25 February 2026
- Entry Deadline (All Grades, now including Seasonals) — Monday 2 March 2026
Tournament Dates
- Counties Manukau Regionals — Sunday 1st March
- Seasonals — Saturday 7th March
- Auckland Regionals — Saturday 28th March and Sunday 29th March
Teacher in Charge Confirmation Form
This Teacher in Charge (TIC/key contact person) form is to confirm who will be your school’s TIC debating as well as to gauge interest in competitions and tournaments in 2026. This form will only take 2-3 minutes to complete and should be completed by Wednesday 25th February.
ASD 2026 Registration Forms
The registration forms for Auckland Schools Debating 2026 are linked below. These forms should be filled out by the Teacher in Charge of debating at each school by Monday 2nd March for Premier and Open Grades. If you have any questions please contact info@asd.org.nz.
The forms will take approximately 10–15 minutes to complete. You will require the following information:
- Number of teams you wish to enter in each grade
- Details of the teacher/coach of each team (name, email and mobile number)
You do not need to know the names of the students you are entering yet. Any entries received after the deadline will not guarantee your school the full allocation of teams you wish to enter. If you are not sure of some details (i.e. which teachers will be coaching a grade), please submit the form anyway and email us with the details you need to confirm.
We have asked for cell phone numbers of coaches to assist in contacting teams when their oppositions default the afternoon of a debate. Please ensure that the cell phone numbers of coaches are given. It is essential throughout the year that we have these so that teams can be contacted when late defaults occur.
Competition Grades
ASD has 6 grades which you can enter students in. The difference between each grade is listed below.
| Grade | Team Cap | Year Levels | Rounds | Adjudicated by | Entry Fees | Day and Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Open | 6 teams per school | Year 10 and below | 5 rounds | Teachers or Approved Students | $149.5 per team ($130 ex GST) | Monday 4:30pm – 7:30pm | North: Rangitoto College Central: Epsom Girls West: Lynfield College East: Howick College South: Tangaroa College |
| Senior Open | 6 teams per school | Year 12 and below | 5 rounds | Teachers | $149.5 per team ($130 ex GST) | Tuesday 4:30pm – 7:45pm | North: Westlake Girls High School Central: Dilworth College West: Avondale College East: Sacred Heart College South: De La Salle College |
| Advanced Open | 4 teams per school | Year 13 and below | 5 rounds | ASD External Adjudicators | $287.5 per team ($250 ex GST) | Tuesday 5:00pm – 9:15pm | St Cuthberts College |
| Premier Junior | 3 teams per school | Year 11 and below | 7 rounds | ASD External Adjudicators | $379.5 per team ($330 ex GST) | Wednesday 5:00pm – 9:15pm | Marcellin College |
| Premier Advanced | 3 teams per school | Year 13 and below | 7 rounds | ASD External Adjudicators | $379.5 per team ($330 ex GST) | Wednesday 5:00pm – 9:30pm | ACG Parnell |
The following may assist with which grades your students should be entering:
- Junior Open: Year 9 and 10 students with little or no debating experience (Younger students at High Schools or Junior Colleges are welcome if the TIC feels the students are appropriately mature)
- Senior Open: Year 11 and 12 students with no or some debating experience
- Advanced Open: Year 12 students who have debated in other ASD grades, and year 13 students with some or no debating experience
- Premier Junior: Year 10 and 11 students with debating experience (if your team won 3 or more of their Junior Open debates we would encourage them entering this grade)
- Premier Advanced: Year 12 and 13 students with strong debating experience (teams that have won 3 or more of their Senior Open, Premier Junior, or Advanced Open should strongly consider entering this grade)
- Regional Schools Online: a new competition catered to high school students in any year group for schools outside of the Auckland region
Number of Students per Team
- Premier Grades should have between 4–7 members per team. 7 speakers is the maximum. Only 3 students may be in the preparation room for each debate.
- Open Grades should have between 4–7 members per team. 7 speakers is the maximum. 3–5 Students may prepare together, and 3 will deliver the speeches during the debate.
Number of Teams per Teacher/Student
- Teachers or approved students in Junior Open can manage 1 or 2 teams per coach as they need to adjudicate on behalf of the team.
- Review our Student Coach/Adjudicator policy here
- Teachers in Senior Open can manage 1 or 2 teams per teacher as they need to adjudicate on behalf of the team.
- There are no restrictions on the number of teams teachers in Premier Advanced, Premier Junior and Advanced Open can manage as these grades are adjudicated by ASD external adjudicators.
- Teachers can manage teams in multiple grades.
Entry Fees
Grade Coaching Sessions
In 2026 we will be continuing with grade coaching sessions that are run prior to round 1. All sessions will be run via Zoom. Sessions will incorporate the use of templates and videos and the motion for Round 1 will be announced at the Junior and Senior Open coaching sessions.
- Wednesday, 4 March 2026 — 5:30–7:30 pm | Premier Junior Coaching
- Tuesday, 10 March 2026 — 4:30–6:00 pm | SO Coaching
- Monday, 16 March 2026 — 4:30–6:00 pm | JO Coaching
Adjudication Seminars
Adjudication Seminars for Junior Open and Senior Open will be run online via Zoom in 2025. These sessions are compulsory in order to be an approved adjudicator if you did not attend a session in 2023, 2024, or 2025.
- Monday, 9 March 2026 — 4:30–6:00 pm | Adjudicator Training
- Monday, 9 March 2026 — 6:00–7:30 pm | Adjudicator Training
- Tuesday, 10 March 2026 — 6:00–7:30 pm | Adjudicator Training
- Monday, 16 March 2026 — 6:00–7:30 pm | Adjudicator Training
- Wednesday, 18 March 2026 — 6:00–7:30 pm | Adjudicator Training
Coaching
ASD has a range of different coaching sessions available. Visit the coaching section of our website for more information.
Catch Up Debates and Defaults
Our policy on Catch-up debates and defaults for Premier Grades remains the same as in 2026. The relevant rules are contained in the rules section of the website. The rules for premier grades are:
Premier Grades
- All request to defer a debate to a catch up debate must be made 4pm the weekday prior (for Junior Open this will usually be the prior Friday at 4pm).
- Once a catch-up request has been received, that debate will no longer take place. Catch up requests can no longer be withdrawn.
- If the catch-up request is accepted, the debate will be deferred.
- If the catch-up request is declined, the team that requested the catch-up debate will be deemed to have defaulted with notice. The team that requested the catch-up debate can not withdraw their request for a catch up.
- Any defaults received after 2pm will be considered a default without notice.
- ASD will place a team’s status in the competition under review if they:
- Default once without notice
- Default twice with notice
- Default once without notice and once with notice
- A team under review will have 72 hours to explain why the default occurred. The committee may remove a team from the competition if the explanation is deemed to be unsatisfactory.
- Any team that defaults twice without notice will be automatically be removed from the competition.