The Victoria University of Wellington Debating Society (”Debsoc”) is New Zealand’s most successful university debating society. The Society was formed in 1899, in anticipation of the opening of the new Victoria College, part of the then University of New Zealand. Students who formed the Debating Society also went on to form the Victoria Students’ Association.

The Society currently holds every national university debating title – the Officers’ Cup for impromptu debating, the Joynt Scroll for prepared debating, and the Vice-Chancellor’s Cup for British Parliamentary debating.

The Society has a long record of participation and success on the international stage. Teams from the Society have made the Grand Final of the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships in two of the last three years. At the end of 2008, a team from the Society reached the semi-finals of the World Universities’ Debating Championships. In 2007, a team from Victoria won the Cambridge Union IV and reached the final of the Oxford IV. The Society is currently ranked as the 19th best university in the world at debating.

The Society is a non-profit incorporated society, a registered New Zealand charity, and an affiliated club within the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association. It is led by an Executive Committee of eleven members, and governed by a constitution, which you can find here. The Society is heavily involved with debating and public speaking events around Wellington, participating in a number of public debates for various organisations and taking a leading role in organising debating at a secondary school level. The Society also enters teams in the Wellington Speaking Union competitions.

The Society meets every Wednesday evening in the Student Union Building at Vic’s Kelburn Campus. Some events also occur on Tuesday and Thursday. National and international tournaments mostly occur in university holidays.

For queries or contact of any sort please email the Society by clicking here.

Joining

We are always looking for new members to join our society. Whether it be mid-way through the year or in orientation week, please get in touch with us and think about joining up. The Society offers debating and adjudicating for members of all ability levels.We run a novice grade in each trimester on Wednesday nights, where less experienced debaters are coached by fellow members. We also hold introduction nights for each major style of debating, run an internal Pro-Am tournament to coach novices, and attend the North Island Novice Debating Tournament – singled out by all debaters as the entertainment highlight of the debating year.

We also offer coaching in adjudication during the Wednesday grades, and the chance to become a qualified (”accredited”) adjudicator at two national tournaments. For more experienced debaters there is the chance to coach and help with novice teams, as well as participate in the Wellington Premier Grade many Tuesday nights. We also attend all the national debating tournaments and all the major international tournaments. Members will often be involved in at least four highly competitive tournaments in a year.

To join the society please send us an email at vicdebating@gmail.com. Registration costs $15 for all members and will at the very least provide a year of debating coaching and competitions, enjoyable social events and the odd pizza order or bar tab. Debating is a great way to make life-long friends and develop extremely useful speaking and thinking skills, while having a great time.