2023 Auckland Spelling Bee Semi-final
Information Circular
CONGRATULATIONS on your successful spelling in the 2023 Classroom
Spelling Bee. Your result in the written test of 50 words means you have a spot
at one of the spelling bee semi-finals to compete for one of 20 places at the 2023
Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee Final sponsored by The Wright Family
Foundation in Wellington on 3-4 November.
This circular explains everything you need to know about the Auckland Spelling
Bee Semi-final. Read this circular carefully to understand where you need to go,
what you need to bring on the day and the format of the competition.
I look forward to seeing you on the day and wish you the best of luck!
Key details
Date
Saturday 9 September
Time
It will start at 12pm and finish by 2.30pm (provisional finish time)
Please arrive no later than 11.45am
Venue
Uxbridge Theatre, 35 Uxbridge Road, Howick,
Auckland
Spellers must:

arrive by 11.45am so you are ready for the Spelling Bee to start at 12pm

bring a pen, drink and a hard book to rest your answer sheet on during the
written spelling test.

bring the completed consent form (Form 2). A copy is included in this
document. This must be signed by your parent/caregiver.
1.
The Competition
The 2023 Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee sponsored by The Wright Family
Foundation is a nationwide event for Year 9 and Year 10 students.
This is the Spelling Bee’s 17th year and it has been made possible through the
support and commitment of the sponsor - The Wright Family Foundation. There
are spelling bee semi-finals held around the country (Dunedin, Christchurch,
Wellington, Hamilton. Auckland and Whangarei). The top 20 finalists will then
travel to Wellington so that they can compete in the 2023 New Zealand Spelling
Bee Final on 3-4 November.
The Prizes
The top five place getters at the Auckland Spelling Bee Semi-final will receive
return air tickets for two and accommodation overnight so they can compete in
the 2021 Spelling Bee Aotearoa New Zealand Final in Wellington on 3-4
November.
The Winner of the 2023 Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee receives $5000 and
the 2023 Spelling Bee Champion Trophy.
Format of Auckland Spelling Bee Semi-final
Please study the 2023 Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee Semi-Final
Wordlist. Each Speller will be given a bag when they register which includes a
number to wear around their neck. Spellers will then move into the Auditorium.
The competition will start after a brief introduction by the Pronouncer. The
Spelling Bee Rules are included in this information circular. It is vital that Spellers
read them prior to the competition.
The Spelling Bee comprises of two parts. They are:
Part One: for all Spellers



a written spelling test of 20 words (10 taken from the 2023 Aotearoa New
Zealand Spelling Bee Semi-Final Wordlist and ten words unseen)
one oral round on the stage with a word from the 2021 Spelling Bee
Aotearoa New Zealand Semi-Final Wordlist)
Spellers note that they must face the Judges and after hearing the
Pronouncer say their word, they should repeat it for the Judges before
starting to spell it. Whilst you will not be disqualified for not doing so, it
does ensure you have heard the word correctly.
2.
Results from Part One will be calculated and up to 35 finalists from the pool of
Spellers will advance to the second part of the spelling bee. That is, the Main
Oral Rounds.
Part Two: Main Oral Rounds
The Main Oral Rounds of the competition will be conducted in rounds - one word
per Speller.




The Pronouncer will call out one Speller at a time.
The Speller then stands up and goes to the front of the stage.
The Pronouncer will read the Speller’s word.
Spellers note that they face the Judges and after hearing the pronouncer
say their word, they repeat it for the Judges before starting to spell it.
Whilst you will not be disqualified for not doing so, it does ensure you have
heard the word correctly.
 The Speller may ask the Pronouncer to say the word again, define it, use
it in a sentence, provide the part of speech, and/or provide the language of
origin.
 Having started to spell a word, the Speller may stop and start over,
retracing the spelling from the beginning. In retracing, however, there can
be no change of letters or their sequence from those first pronounced. If
the letters or their sequence is changed in the respelling, the Speller will
be eliminated.
 Incorrectly spelling the word means the Speller is out of the competition.
 A bell will sound if a Speller makes a mistake and that signals the end of
the competition for that Speller.
Please note: It is important that Spellers say each letter loud and clear so the
Judges can hear it. Spellers are responsible for any misunderstanding of the
word.
A speller will be disqualified if they refuse a request to start spelling, do not
approach the microphone when it is time to receive the word, do not comply with
the eligibility requirements, in the process of retracing a word, alters the letters or
sequence of letters from those first said, or who in the process of spelling utters
unintelligible or nonsense sounds.
Spellers are not disqualified for failing to pronounce the word either before or
after spelling it, for asking a question (in the Main Oral Round only) or for noting
or failing to note the capitalisation of a word.
Appeals can be made if a speller believes they have grounds to be reinstated in
the competition. The deadline for delivering an appeal is before the Speller
affected would have received their word had they stayed in the spelling bee. To
minimise disruption to the pace of the spelling bee and the concentration of the
Spellers, the Judge(s) are under no obligation to stop the spelling bee to discuss
the spelling bee with the Speller or their parent/caregiver or teacher. The Judges’
3.
decisions are final and are subject neither to review nor to reversal by the New
Zealand Spelling Bee.
A Main Oral Round ends when all Spellers among those remaining in the
competition have spelled for the Judge one new word. If a Speller misspells a
word, the Judge will ring a bell after the misspelling is completed. The
Pronouncer will then give the correct spelling and the Speller will leave the stage.
How the Winner is decided
The Winner is the last Speller to spells their word correctly. For example, if the
last three Spellers all misspell their word in a round, they all advance to the next
round until two Spellers misspell their word and the last person spells their word
correctly.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Cell 021 709 124 or email info@spellingbee.co.nz
Final Reminders
Please turn all cell phones off before Spellers start to register and keep it turned
off for the duration of the competition.
Don’t forget to bring family and friends. Entry is free and the competition
promises just as much excitement, tension and drama for the audience as
it does for the Spellers.
Janet Lucas
Event Manager
2023 New Zealand Spelling Bee
Attachments:
Rules and Consent Form
4.
2023 Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee Consent Form
Each Spelling Bee Semi-finalist must complete the Consent Form.
Spellers must comply with the instructions of spelling bee officials.
Each speller must confirm that they are:

a Year Nine or Year Ten student

available and able to travel to Wellington to compete in the Aotearoa New Zealand
Spelling Bee Final (Airfares and accommodation overnight for the Speller and their escort
will be covered)

will not participate in any other spelling bee programs while they are competing in the
2023 Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee.
Exclusion of Liability - I agree that it is a term of entry to this event that: The New Zealand
Spelling Bee Charitable Trust, its directors, officers, contractors and all event officials,
sponsors, suppliers or agents (collectively 'NZS') is/are absolved by me from all liability
arising in connection with my participation in this event or in any way due to any act or
omission by NZS.
Release and indemnity - In consideration of NZS allowing me to enter this event, I: release
and discharge NZS from all claims, losses and expenses arising from or in connection with
my participation in this event.
Privacy - By completing this registration form, I understand that I am providing NZS with
personal information about me. This information will be used for administering your entry into
the event, disclosing relevant information to event officials, and promoting the event including informing the media of your name and relevant details, publishing results and any
other communication relating to the event. By registering for this event, you consent to the
above use and disclosure of your personal information under the Privacy Act 1993. You have
the right to access such information and to correct it.
Name of speller:
School:
Parent/caregiver’s name:
Parent/caregiver’s signature:
Date:
5.
Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee Semi-final Rules
1.
The Competition is for Year 9 and Year 10 students who qualified through their results in the
Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee Test.
2. Regional spelling bee semi-finals will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton, Dunedin,
Christchurch and Whangarei.
3. The top 24 place getters win a place in the Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee Final in Wellington. If
a regional winner or runner-up is unable to attend the Final, the organisers may, at their discretion,
invite the next place getter to enter the Final.
4. The Competition will be conducted in rounds. Each speller remaining at the start of a round will spell
one word in the round.
5. The role of the Pronouncer is to (1) strive to correctly pronounce the word (according to the Concise
Oxford English Dictionary 12th ed.) and (2) if the speller asks, give a sentence, definition, and other
information about the word. The spelling is British-English NOT American-English unless the
Dictonary includes both spellings.
6. The role of the Judge is to uphold the rules and to determine whether the contestant has spelled the
word correctly. While the Judges are responsible for attempting to detect a speller's
misunderstanding of a word, if this is not detected, the Judges are not responsible for the speller's
misunderstanding.
7. The role of the Speller is to (1) gather as many clues about the word's likely spelling as possible (part
of speech, definition. Language of origin and sentence and (2) spell the word correctly.
8. After the Pronouncer gives the Speller a word, the speller is encouraged to pronounce the word both
before spelling it and after spelling it. However, the Judges may not disqualify a speller for failing to
pronounce the word. This is for spelling in round three and beyond.
9. The Speller may ask the Pronouncer to say the word again, to define it, to use it in a sentence, to
provide the part of speech, and/or to provide the language of origin. The Pronouncer will grant all
such requests until the Judges agree that the word has been made reasonably clear to the speller.
This is for spelling in round three and beyond. This is the only opportunity for a speller to query their
word.
10.The Judge will not answer questions about root words.
11.The Judge may disqualify any speller who ignores a request to start spelling.
12.The Speller must spell the word out loud in the oral rounds. They may not write the word on paper.
13.Having started to spell a word, a speller may stop and start again, retracing the spelling from the
beginning. In retracing, however, they may not change the letters or their sequence from those first
pronounced. If they do change the letters or their sequence in the re-spelling, the speller will be
eliminated. It is important the Speller says each letter so it can be clearly heard.
6.
14.Upon misspelling a word, a speller will immediately drop out of the competition, except as provided in
Rule 15.
15.Appeals can be made if a speller believes they have grounds to be reinstated. The deadline for
delivering an appeal is before the round following their elimination round starts. Please come and see
the Judges if you have any questions about the reasons for elimination because there is the potential
to reverse the decision during the event but not afterwards. To minimise disruption to the pace of the
spelling bee and the concentration of the spellers, the Judge(s) are under no obligation to stop the
spelling bee to discuss the spelling bee with the speller or their parent/caregiver or teacher. The
Judges’ decisions are final and are subject neither to review nor to reversal by either the New
Zealand Spelling Bee or the sponsor.
16.At the end of a spelling bee: (1) If none of the spellers remaining in the bee at the start of a round
spells a word correctly during that round, all will remain in the competition. A new round will begin,
with the spellers spelling in the original order; (2) All spellers eliminated in the same round will be tied
for the same place; (3) Where there is a tie for runner-up in a regional bee, the Judge(s) will hold
another round to determine the runner-up; (4) When only one of the spellers remaining in the bee at
the start of a round spells a word correctly during that round, that speller will be declared the
champion.
17.The Concise Oxford English Dictionary (12th Edition) will serve as the final authority for the spelling
of words. If more than one spelling is listed for a word that the pronouncer has asked the speller to
spell, any of these spellings will be accepted as correct if all of the following three criteria are met: (1)
The pronunciations of the words are identical, (2) the definitions of the words are identical, and (3)
the words are clearly identified as being standard variants of each other.
18.It is important the Speller asks for extra information about a word as this gives clues including
whether it has one or more homophones (different spellings and meanings but the same sound). If a
speller does get a word that is a homophone and correctly spells the word, but it is a different one to
that in the Spelling Bee they will be eliminated.
19 Spellers will not be disqualified for failing to note that a word starts with a capital letter.
20.The decision of the Judges will be final on all questions.
21.The event organiser, pronouncer, judge(s) and sponsors will not enter into any discussions about the
competition.
7.
8.