Debating is a traditionally male-dominated activity. In the early days of the club, the motions members debated reflected society’s views of women at the time.
“Are the present encroachments of women justifiable?” (May, 1898)
“Should suffrage be extended to women?” (May, 1891)
Today, women are some of our most successful club members. Both of our most recent domestic title victories have been achieved by all women teams, with Aisha O’Malley, Grace Baylis, and Melissa Connolly becoming the first all women team to win Joynt Scroll in its 121 year history in 2023. We have also won the New Zealand Women and Gender Minorities Debating tournament in 2020, 2023 and 2024, and reached the semi-finals of the Australasian Women and Minorities Debating Championships in 2021 and 2023. Our women also serve as leaders nationally and internationally. Four of our last six club presidents were women, and women from our society have served as Chief Adjudicators of major domestic and international tournaments.
We are also proud to have fostered a culture where people of colour are enabled to succeed. In 2020, Umbar Sandhu, Sharuka Wikramanayake and Zachary Wong became the first team of people of colour to win Joynt Scroll. In 2022, Umbar Sandhu and Grace Baylis became the first team of women of colour to win Officer’s Cup. Looking to the generation of debaters, in 2023 at just 16 years old, Mannat Kaur became the youngest ever person to win the prestigious “most promising speaker” award at Joynt Scroll. Our people of colour also serve as leaders nationally and internationally. In 2022 Umbar Sandhu and Sharuka Wikramanayake served as Chief Adjudicators of the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships. In 2024, Grace Baylis served as the Chief Adjudicator of the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia. In doing so, Grace was the first Māori person to serve as the Chief Adjudicator of an international debating tournament.
We want to make sure that everyone who wants to participate in debate can do so in an inclusive environment. If you have any concerns/issues that you would like to raise, feel free to chat to Chloe, our Women and Minorities’ Officer in the executive. You can reach her by email at equity.debsoc@gmail.com
You can read the equity policy of the society below.
University of Auckland Debating Society 