College wins Auckland Schools Debating Grand Final

Our College Senior debating team has capped off a strong season with an excellent win in the Auckland Schools Debating Grand Final, held on 17 September before a packed audience at the College’s staffroom.

The Premier team of Edison Zhou, Alan Chen and Chris Revell-Devlin argued in favour of increased government regulation of artificial intelligence, prevailing over St Cuthbert’s College in a closely fought debate. Alan Chen was named Best Speaker on the night and also took out the title of Best Speaker overall in Premier Advanced Debating. An impressive achievement.

Alan, reflecting on what was his final school debate, said preparation had taught him valuable lessons. “Preps are best done if everyone tries to say as much as they can, using as few words as they can. It’s something you realise out of necessity,” he said.

He added that debating had broadened his outlook. “Debating makes you appreciate that there are two sides to almost any argument. Even seemingly indefensible things can still be defended.”

The Grand Final was the culmination of a successful season across all levels for Saint Kentigern. The Junior Premier team finished runners-up in their own finals series, also hosted at the College earlier in the month.

At the prizegiving, several students were recognised for their efforts throughout the season. Certificates for the top ten speakers in their categories were awarded to Dorothy Deng and Ethan Lu (Junior Open), Danya Wang and Michael Quan (Senior Open), Hannah Lucas and Liam Zhou (Premier Junior), and Alan Chen (Premier Advanced).

Head of Debating Christopher Hodder said the results were a reflection of the effort and discipline of the students. “We are immensely proud of all of our debaters this year,” he said, recognising the significant depth of debating skill present in the College in 2025.