Auckland University to bid for Australs 2010

The University of Auckland Debating Society in association with the University of Auckland is pleased to announce our intention to bid for the right to host Australs in 2010.

2010 will mark 25 years since Australs was last held at the University of Auckland. That’s a long time (frankly, we think a little too long), and we’re excited by the opportunity to bring one of the world’s foremost debating tournaments back to New Zealand and the City of Sails.

The Auckland Australs bid team is working hard to put together a comprehensive bid for a fantastic tournament, tentatively scheduled for 1-9 July 2010. The tournament will be held primarily at the University of Auckland Business School’s recently opened Owen G Glenn building, with social events and finals rounds to be held at exciting locations around central Auckland. Additionally we’re hoping to give tournament-goers the opportunity to see more of beautiful New Zealand through organized excursions on the scheduled free day.

We are excited to announce the generous financial and principled support of the University of Auckland, which combined with the additional sponsorship we are securing will ensure we are able to put on a memorable tournament.

Further, we are pleased to announce that Christopher Bishop, formerly of Victoria University of Wellington, will be the Chief Adjudicator for an Auckland Australs in 2010. Chris brings enormous experience to the role and has a comprehensive and distinguished record both as a debater and adjudicator.

On the theme of adjudication, we will be undertaking an open process for the appointment of DCAs. This will involve an initial request for applications from interested persons, followed by a period of consultation with the broader Australs community. We expect to make a further announcement about this within the next week.

Finally, the first version of our bid website is online at www.australs2010.com, and will be significantly updated over the coming months as we lock-in further support and venues for both debating and social events - so be sure to check back often.

We look forward to seeing you all at Monash in July, or failing that at Auckland in 2010!

Glenn Riddell
Bid Convener

Brad Ward
University of Auckland Debating Society President