The HNHS debaters have once again showcased their dominance in a recent competition with impressive results. Over the weekend of March 1st and 2nd, nine teams from HNHS travelled to Napier Boys' High School for the Hawke’s Bay Regional Debating Competition. After four rounds of debates covering topics from New Zealand politics to sports, two HNHS teams, Cosmic Latte ( Ella Soltau, Isabella McKeefry, and Yuval Sela) and Dead Salmon ( Xanthe Maugham, Tendai Muruzi, and Nina Weiss) advanced to the semi-finals. Both teams won their respective debates and moved on to the grand finals, where HNHS Cosmic Latte was declared the tournament victor.

The success of the HNHS debate club continued during the prize-giving ceremony, where they claimed every individual award. For the second consecutive year, four out of five speakers from HNHS were selected for the Hawke’s Bay representative team for 2025. Isabella McKeefry and Yuval Sela were chosen for the team, while Ella Soltau and Max Atkins will serve as reserves. They are set to travel to Wellington this May to compete in the national competition.

A huge congratulations to both teams for their remarkable performances.

HB Regional Winners: Ella Soltau, Isabella McKeefry and Yuval Sela

Runners Up: Nina Weiss, Tendai Muruzi and Xanthe Maugham

HB Regional Team: Isabella McKeefry and Yuval Sela

HB Regional Team Reserves: Max Atkins and Ella Soltau

Best Speaker: Isabella McKeefry

Highly Commended Speaker: Xanthe Maugham

Most Promising Senior: Max Atkins

Most Promising Junior: Dario Rotondo

Article added: Tuesday 04 March 2025