General Information

What we do

Northland Secondary Schools Debating (NSSD) is the premier secondary schools debating competition in the Northland region. The tournament is divided into three grades - Senior, Intermediate and Junior. The Senior grade is for Year 13 debaters, the Intermediate grade is for Year 11 and 12 debaters, and the Junior Grade is for Year 10 and younger. In the Senior and Intermediate grades, there is a strong focus on limited preparation debates. The Junior grade only involves prepared debates. In addition to organizing the tournament, NSSD also runs training workshops for coaches and debaters.

NSSD is devoted to improving the standard and access of schools debating in Northland. It has a strong focus on development of debaters and on expert coaching and advice. Through its close association with the Auckland University Debating Society, the competition is able to provide independent expert adjudicators for both Senior and Intermediate grades.  Below is a summary of the three grades as well as general information about secondary schools debating in Northland. Please also refer to the 2007 Calendar and NSSD Rules.

Senior Grade

• Year 13 (or younger).
• Four preliminary rounds, followed by semis and finals.
• Each preliminary round (except the first) will consist of one prepared debate and one limited preparation debate (one hour preparation time).
• All debates adjudicated by independent, expert adjudicators (usually from the University of Auckland Debating Society) to be arranged by NSSD.
• Entry fee: $100 per team.
• Debates are held on Sundays. Refer to the Calendar for dates and times. Venue for debates will rotate between Northland schools, but will most probably be largely in Whangarei due to difficulty in transporing adjudicators from Auckland.

Intermediate Grade

• Year 11 and 12 (or younger).
• Four preliminary rounds, followed by, semis and finals.
• Each preliminary rounds will consist of one prepared debate and one limited preparation debate (one hour preparation time).
• All debates adjudicated by independent, expert adjudicators (usually from the University of Auckland Debating Society) to be arranged by NSSD.
• Entry fee: $100 per team.
• Venue for debates will rotate between Northland schools, but will most probably be largely in Whangarei due to difficulty in transporing adjudicators from Auckland.

 Junior Grade

• Year 9 and 10 (or younger).
• Five preliminary rounds (all prepared) followed by semis and finals.
• Preliminary round debates are adjudicated by teachers/senior students of the participating schools. Semi-finals and finals are adjudicated by independent, expert adjudicators to be arranged by NSSD.
• Entry fee: $30 per team.
• Preliminary round debates are hosted by the affirming team. Semi-finals and finals are held at the Intermediate and Senior venues.

Russell McVeagh Northland Regional Schools’ Debating Championships

Complementary to the Northland Secondary Schools Debating competition is the Russell McVeagh Northland Regional Schools’ Debating Championships. This competition is used to select a Northland Regional Team. This team competes at the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Championships held in Wellington, from which a team is selected to represent New Zealand at the World Debating Championships. Both the Northland Regional and New Zealand championships are organized by the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council (NZSDC). Go to http://www.debating.org.nz/ for further information.

Further Information?

For further information on schools debating, please contact the NSSD convener, in the 'contact' section of this website.