Around 80 Rotarians, parents, supporters and teachers were on the edge of their seats when Napier Girls' High School (NGHS) and Napier Boys' High School (NBHS) debated whether all social media platforms should be banned or not in this year's Plate Debate held recently. NBHS took the affirmative, with NGHS arguing the pros of social media
Apart from a break last year due to lockdown, the Plate Debate has been running annually since 2015, when Greenmeadows Rotary Club incoming president Jenny Robertson proposed the idea.
"Jenny sent a couple of letters to the schools giving an idea of her proposal. The format is basically unchanged," says Greenmeadows Rotary Club publicity officer, Brian Hall.
Each year the teams play for a swamp kauri plate, with a shield recording each school's win added to the trophy each year. Club member Wal Drayton turned the plate and presented it to the club.
"He tells me that the plate is made from a kauri tree that was up to 2000 years old before it was covered and buried in a swamp near Paeroa about 20,000 years ago," Brian says.