The COVID conundrum
“Should sports teams and athletes compete overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic?”
Rotary North Harbour’s Great Debate between Carmel College and Westlake Girls High School thrashed this out with counter arguments and rebuttals interspersed with humour.
The teams, in order of speaking, included Members of Parliament:
Affirmative (Carmel College) - Madison Lockyer, Annabel Rhodes, MP David Seymour (Epsom), Ella Copley
Negative (Westlake Girls High School) - Aneta Du, Grace Chen, Lily Qi, MP Chlöe Swarbrick (Auckland Central)
A coin toss to delegate affirmative or negative roles half an hour before the start left limited time to prepare arguments. However both teams are very experienced debaters, the MPs perhaps less so with the strict rules of debate 😆, but they certainly brought a different approach.
The venue was packed and the adjudicators from the Auckland Debating Society congratulated both teams on their level of debating skills before awarding the moot to the negative.
An entertaining event that provided the students with a wonderful opportunity for personal development and interaction with sitting MPs whilst raising funds for Rotary projects.
Thanks to Partners Life Insurance for their sponsorship
Look out for next year’s debate.
Auckland Seniors & Travel Expo
Neighbourhood locals are invited to the Auckland Seniors & Travel Expo, a relaxed and welcoming event bringing lifestyle, leisure, and travel together under one roof. Meet 50+ exhibitors showcasing travel ideas, retirement living, mobility solutions, health services, finance, and local clubs. Enjoy live music from Kulios, café seating, door prizes, and be in to win a Luxury Beachfront Escape for Two to Rarotonga.
North Harbour Stadium
28 February & 1 March
10:00am – 3:00pm
$10 entry
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52.1% Human-centred experience and communication
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15.1% Critical thinking
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30% Resilience and adaptability
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2.9% Other - I will share below!
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