Debating

2010 New Zealand Captain

Former Head Girl, Maria English (Y13, 2009), pictured right at Parliament, has been named again as Captain of the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Debating Team for the second year in a row. She has been a member of the team and judged Best Speaker at the Nationals for three years.  Maria's Wellington team won the NZ Schools' Debating finals in 2009 at Victoria University and she was again named "Best Speaker" for the whole competition.  The 2010 World Championships are in Doha, Qatar in February.  New Zealand will defend the title it won in Athens. (03/02/2010)

2009 World Champions Captain

Maria was the Captain of the Russell McVeagh New Zealand Secondary Schools Debating Team which won the World Championships in Athens in February. 

Maria was named there as the world's second best schools' debater. It was her second year in the New Zealand team.

2009 Wellington Champions

Our Senior A debaters are the Wellington champions.

Marsden ended Scots College’s three-year winning run at the Russell McVeagh Wellington Regional Schools’ Debating Champs in April.

The Marsden team of Agnes Cheung (Y12), Maria English (Y13) and Dipti Manchanda (Y13) defeated Wellington College B in the Grand Final to win our first title since 2005.

Maria was judged Best Speaker at the competition and a member of the Wellington squad and Dipti (pictured left with Prime Minister John Key) named as reserve.

The Grand Final was on the motion “That the media should out gay celebrities”, in front of a good crowd. Marsden prevailed in a 3-0 decision, winning the Wellington Speaking Union Cup for the first time since 2005, and the third time in the tournament’s history.