Victoria University came away with the top honour at the New Zealand Universities Prepared Debating Champs last Monday, winning the 104-year-old Joynt Scroll in the grand final against Otago University.

Twelve teams from New Zealand universities took part this year, and all of the four teams from Victoria placed in the top six. The winning team, made up of Hugh McCaffrey, Polly Higbee and Lewis Holden, affirmed the moot that the Maori Party is not good for New Zealand politics.

Holden received the Lord Bledisloe Award for Oratory, while Higbee was awarded Best Speaker of the tournament and named as Captain of the New Zealand Universities Prepared Debating Team. Michael Mabbett was also selected as a member of the team, while Stephen Whittington, another Victoria University Debating Society member, was named as 1st reserve.

Victoria University has enjoyed commendable success in debating this year, dominating the top three positions at April’s Uni Games and coming fifth in the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Champs. “Victoria undoubtedly has the best university debaters in New Zealand,” says Christopher Bishop, Vice-President of Victoria’s Debating Society.