http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10610750

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3085149/Hundreds-march-over-government-inaction
By DAVID GADD – Stuff.co.nz
Hundreds of Aucklanders marched up Queen Street today to protest at repeated government inaction on citizens-initiated referendums.
Organiser Colin Craig said the March for Democracy was being held to protest Government failure to respond to three citizens-initiated referendums: reducing the number of MPs; a more victim-centred justice system and amending the anti-smacking legislation.
On the march was the Thomsen family from Te Atatu Peninsula.
“I think it is important that the government knows that we have a voice,” said dad Ken, who marched with wife Serena, mother Orpa and children Daniel, 13, Asher, 11, Samantha, 8, and Sean, 5.
“The people that voted them in do need to be listened to,” Mr Thomsen said.
The protest was principally sparked by the anti-smacking law – almost 90 percent of people who voted in a referendum asking New Zealanders whether smacking should be illegal voted no.
The referendum cost $9 million and asked: “Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?”
The Chief Electoral Office said there was a 54 percent voter turnout. A total of 1,622,150 votes were cast with 87.4 percent in favour of repealing the controversial new law.
“We would like the government to take our voting and voice into much more serious account. We would like the government to return to their roots of representative government,” march organisers said.
“The recent ignoring of the recent Citizens’ Initiated Referendum, where 87.4 percent voters asked for change, is just one example of the trend away from listening to the people of New Zealand.”
“We the citizens of New Zealand demand that the government employ the principle of democracy; enacting laws in accordance with the wishes of the majority.’
Therefore, the march was demanding the smacking law be changed so that a light smack was not a criminal offence, said Mr Craig.
However, a review of the “anti-smacking” law has found no increase in the number of parents being investigated or prosecuted for light smacking.
The review was required by law two years after the change to Section 59 of the Crimes Act, which removed the defence of reasonable force for parents or guardians who hit their children.
In the report, Ministry of Social Development head Peter Hughes said he could find no evidence that parents were being subject to “unnecessary state intervention” for occasionally lightly smacking their children.
The number of police prosecutions for smacking remains at one, while there have been 14 cases of minor physical discipline resulting in prosecution.
Hughes said in his report he was satisfied that none of the prosecutions involved “inconsequential” smacks, with the victim being punched, slapped, or hit multiple times on various parts of the body in most cases.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said she thought the review went some way to comforting parents that the law was being interpreted in the way it was intended.
“However, in light of the Citizens Initiated Referendum on this issue, a further report is still being undertaken by Police Commissioner Howard Broad, Mr Hughes and (child psychologist) Nigel Latta,” Bennett said.
It is due with the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Police and Social Development and Employment before the end of the year.
That report will review policies and procedures to identify any changes that may be necessary to ensure that good parents are treated as Parliament intended and the provisions of the law are applied to those who abuse children.
Also on the march today were the proposer of the 99 MP’s referendum Margaret Robertson and Garth McVicar from the Sensible Sentencing Trust, representing the Norm Withers Law and Order Referendum.
Also marching was singer Yulia, who became a New Zealand citizen in 2005.
“As a young girl I grew up with the concrete dust of totalitarian based poverty and the ruin of a war torn post-communist Volgograd as my playground,” she said.
“Let us not take these freedoms for granted. Let us not forget the horrific price of totalitarianism. By marching for democracy we demonstrate that despite being from many cultures and backgrounds, we can get together and be one people under New Zealand democracy.”
Some of the more unusual placards included ‘Bring Back Dancing with the Stars’ and one calling for a referendum on former TrueBliss singer Carly Binding.
The march also had a group waving Maori sovereignty flags.
And as it moved up Queen St, the march passed a protest group from the Unite Union trying to organise a petition to raise the minimum wage.
Children’s Commissioner Dr John Angus said this week that the march was not in the best interests of children and parents would be better to spend more time with their children.
He said the march was also poorly named.
It was not about democracy but about re-instating a law that allowed parents to assault their children and claim a defence of reasonable force.
“I don’t believe that finding ways to define when and how children might be hit, at what age and what with, for purposes of correction is in any way connected to the best interests of children.”
But march organiser Colin Craig said parents knew better than Dr Angus what was best for their children.
“What worries me is that this tax-paid bureaucrat is trying to dictate once again to good parents what is best for their children.”
The March for Democracy will be held
1.30pm Sat 21 November, Queen St Auckland
Official Website : www.themarch.co.nz
More details to come
The ad campaign so far….
Barnardos Labels Marchers ‘Ignorant’!
In an incredible outburst, Advocacy Manager for Barnardos Deborah Morris-Travers, who ran the Yes vote campaign at the recent election, has written to the NZ Herald and attacked the upcoming March for Democracy, saying that the march will ” mobilise the ignorant “! This is an example of the lack of respect that some government funded organisations and some politicians and ex-politicians have for the democratic process and the voice of NZ families.
It is ironic that Morris-Travers was a Minister of the Crown complements of a change in the voting system from FPP to MMP that less people voted for than voted in the anti-smacking Referendum.
If you want a reason to march , stand up against being labelled IGNORANT simply because you want a democratic country that listens to the voice of NZ’ers, and you want to tackle real abuse – not real parents.
March to call for action on smacking referendum
NZ Herald Oct 27, 2009
A march to protest the Government’s lack of action following the so-called anti-smacking referendum has been announced today. Colin Craig, an Auckland businessman said the march is about democracy and the government has so far ignored the majority of referendum respondents who voted against the repeal of Section 59 of the Crimes Act. …Family First director Bob McCroskie said his group wanted to tackle “rotten parents” but the repeal of Section 59 was not the answer. “A bad law is still a bad law even if law abiding citizens follow it,” Mr McCroskie said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10605638
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10605777
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz
29 October 2009
Commission of Inquiry into Child Abuse Essential
‘How many more children have to die before we do something?’
Family First NZ is repeating its call for a Commission of Enquiry into the unacceptable levels of child abuse and deaths in NZ.
The call comes following the suspected child abuse death of Wanganui toddler Karl Perigo-Check Junior which is the 18th case since the passing of the anti-smacking law.
“We must take pro-active action and tackle head-on the difficult issues of family breakdown, drug and alcohol abuse, violence in our media, mental illness, low maternal age, and other key factors identified by UNICEF, CYF and Children’s Commissioner reports,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First.
“Over the past 30 years we have allowed a succession of policies to diminish the importance of family structure and marriage. We have watched as politicians have given adults the right to silence, bail and parole while the rights of children to be safe have been ignored. We have allowed children to be raised in homes with an unacceptable level of drug abuse, family dysfunction and physical and emotional harm. And we’ve allowed the media to fill our minds with increasing levels of sexual and violent images in the name of entertainment and freedom of speech.”
“The 88% of voters who oppose the anti-smacking law are not people who are demanding the right to ‘assault’ and ‘beat’ children. They are simply kiwis who are exasperated with the fact that politicians and supposed family welfare groups are more interested in targeting good parents than tackling these much tougher issues.”
“Since the passing of the anti-smacking law, there has been a continual stream of child abuse cases and the rate of child abuse deaths has continued at the same rate as before the new law with at least 18 deaths since the law was passed,” says Mr McCoskrie. “Sue Bradford was right when she said that her law was never intended to deal with the problem of child abuse.”
“These latest cases are yet another wake-up call that children will never be safe until we are honest enough as a country to identify and tackle the real causes of child abuse.”
“An independent Inquiry free of political correctness and agendas would be an important first step,” says Mr McCoskrie. www.stoptheabuse.org.nz
HALL OF SHAME
Since Anti-smacking law was passed
1. 16 month old Sachin Dhani June 2007
2. 28-year-old woman charged with murdering a newborn baby found dead in the backyard of a Te Mome Road property in Alicetown – June 2007
3. 22-month-old Tyla-Maree Darryl Flynn June 2007
4. 3 year old Nia Glassie July 2007
5. Ten-month-old Jyniah Mary Te Awa September 2007 Manurewa
6. Two-month-old Tahani Mahomed December 2007 Otahuhu
7. 3 year old Dylan Hohepa Tonga Rimoni April 2008 Drury
8. A 27-year-old Dunedin mother of five admitted infanticide. On May 26 she lost control, banged the baby’s head repeatedly against the couch, choked her, then threw her on the bed and covered her with a blanket. May 2008
9. 7-year-old Duwayne Toetu Taote Pailegutu. July 2008
10. 16-month old Riley Justin Osborne (Kerikeri) boy Dec 2008
11. Three-year-old Cherish Tahuri-Wright (Marton) Feb 2009
12. Five-week-old Jayrhis Ian Te Koha Lock-Tata (Taupo) Mar 2009
13. One-year-old Trent James Matthews – aka Michael Matthews Jun 2009
14. Two-year-old Jacqui Peterson-Davis Kaitaia Aug 09
15. Three-year-old Kash McKinnon Palmerston North Aug 09
16. Baby death arrest Green Bay 26 Aug 2009
17. 22 month old Hail-Sage McClutchie Morrinsville 27 Sep 2009
18. Karl Perigo-Check Junior Wanganui 25 Oct 2009
ENDS
For More Information and Media Interviews, contact Family First:
Sign up now to received FREE email updates of issues affecting families – be informed! http://www.familyfirst.org.nz/index.cfm/Sign_Up