The smallest coffins are always the heaviest.
The US-Israeli killing of children must be stopped.
Social issues
child abuse
The Waitangi Tribunal v Karen Chhour
The Waitangi Tribunal has released a scathing interim decision relating to the Government’s intention to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.
What really matters this election – poverty
National has shown its real priorities with proposals to cut benefits that will pay for increased tax concessions for landlords and increasing prison resources in anticipation of the crime wave the increased poverty will cause.
TWP – sorted?
A guest post from Chrissy Thomas on Te Whare Pounamu, Dunedin Women’s Refuge.
National’s plans to torment poor people leaked
National’s plans to torment poor people for political gain have been leaked.
Te Whare Pounamu – Are Children Really Safe?
How seriously do Women’s Refuge, the Ministry of Social Development and Te Whare Pounamu management take child abuse concerns? This requires greater scrutiny.
New Child Poverty statistics will provide a sound baseline for reduction targets
Child Poverty Action Goup has provided comments about new child poverty measurements.
Cardinal Pell
Cardinal Pell has been given six years in jail for his crimes against children. But the Catholic Church has a range of other allegations to resolve.
Spare a thought for our poor impoverished landlords
Spare a thought for poor landlords who are aghast at the thought that they should have to share capital gains on properties they have purchased with no intent of making a capital gain.
Roastbusters redux
One of the Roastbusters this week has talked publicly about what happened in an apparent attempt to start a music career. And John Tamihere has started his Mayoral campaign having to answer questions about his attitude to what happened.
Child poverty reduction
It’s likely that Labour’s new Child Poverty Reduction Bill will get through its third reading by the end of this year.
The Pope’s Letter to All Believers
The pope missed a great recent chance to state that accused abusers should be walked to the nearest Police station, make written statements, face trial, hopefully jailed, then defrocked, and excommunicated.
Reason #73 why charter schools are wrong: they teach creationism
Newsroom has reported on claims that Villa Education Trust, which opened up National’s conference singing Hallelujah, has taught creationism in science classes as a preferred theory of evolution.
The UN is shocked by NZ’s child poverty rates
Earlier this year the United Nations expressed shock and concern at New Zealand’s rates of child poverty, homelessness, incarceration and violence. What is this Government doing to address these issues?
My Little Eye…
Something beginning with…wtf?!
Middle east Teenagers
In the middle east a Palestinian teenager is detained for a minor assault and for protesting the occupation of her country. And three Israeli teenagers are apparently trying to sue two New Zealand residents for exercising their rights of free speech.
Race Relations Commissioner calls on UN to to support inquiry into the abuse of children in state care
Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy has called on the UN to tell the government to hold an independent inquiry into the abuse of children and people with disabilities in state care. (Some of us were wrong about Devoy!)
Nat branch chair calls for “corporal punishment”
Bill English should have spoken out to dissociate his party from Price’s archaic views. Why hasn’t he?
Future state abuse victims
What to do with the helpless anger generated by such a statement?
State care inquiry
We need one – and an apology. Bill may wonder aloud whether we’ll learn much, but I wonder if he’s more concerned we’ll learn too much…
Human Rights Commission calls for an inquiry – English says no
Tolley needs to apologise
Kim Hill had an astounding and outstanding interview with Anne Tolley this morning on RNZ. The 7.30 news was delayed 12 minutes as […]
Child abuse and poverty – still with us
As topics like Trump and the quakes take the limelight, the slow tragedies unfolding in NZ carry on in the background.
RNZ on suppressed child abuse report
RNZ this morning describes a 2011 report by the Chief Human Rights Commissioner on historical child abuse in NZ. “It was never published because, she says, the Attorney General Chris Finlayson did not like its recommendations.”
Be Like Dad, Keep Mum (in fear).
Temuera Morrison has made a powerful video for the Women’s Refuge annual appeal. He’s making a difference. You can do something the Key Government won’t do. You can make a difference. You can stop keeping mum about domestic violence and you can help fund your local refuge.
Poverty’s Beneficiaries.
While pondering this post, I was pointed to a post from last year, in which poverty and the cost of breakfast were on the agenda. Stephanie was writing in response to the ignorance of Nikki Kaye who claimed that giving affordable nutritious breakfast to children was easy. While I haven’t taken the time to read all of the comments on the subject, I thought Stephanie proved the point quite aptly that the reality is far different than the hypothetical world of poverty in which Nikki Kaye lives.
Kelvin Davis’ massive Hikoi
Over the next two weeks Kelvin Davis and supporters will be going a Hikoi through the North to publicise the curse of sexual violence and to get more men to speak out against it.
Second “Roast Busters” report released
There are many failings outlined. Police were found to have largely treated women and girls with respect and compassion but their investigations were not robust or thorough, inadequate follow-up enquiries…
Kathryn Ryan – Let the man talk!
One of my real pet peeves is interviewers who don’t let incredibly knowledgeable people speak to the topic on which they have been invited. Today Judge Peter Boshier was being interviewed by Kathryn Ryan in his capacity as a Law Commissioner.
Salvation Army – State of the Nation
This morning the Salvation Army released their state of the nation report – A Mountain All Can Climb. It is mixed news, and most coverage has focused on the impact of the housing crisis.
Number of Reported Child Abuse cases have dropped
For the first time in ten years, reported cases of child abuse have declined. Minister Tolley and I are in agreement, that the […]
Marama Davidson: candidate for Tāmaki Makaurau
Marama Davidson, is on the Green Party list & is a candidate for the Tāmaki Makaurau seat. Davidson is a really promising up-coming politician. She is committed to working for people, communities, the environment, democratic process, & strongly supports wahine, Māori & young people.
Smirks & inversions
The Salvation Army’s latest State of the Nation Report is damning on child poverty & unaffordable housing. The government is misrepresenting the conclusions, reversing the main focus on failings, and focusing on the positives: the spin is repeated in an NZ Herald editorial.
UN to NZ Human Rights – ‘can do better’
A draft UN report on human rights shows NZ has been slacking off. The government is glossing over its failings: eg on domestic violence, child protection, poverty, ethnic inequalities, discrimination, disability rights, government abuse of urgency. Collins focuses on punishment, surveillance.
Child Poverty in New Zealand
The Herald on Sunday this morning has produced a series of chilling articles showing that a computer glitch has caused the under reporting of abuse notifications, and a worrying increase in admission to hospital of children suffering form third world diseases. And the Children’s Commissioner had to secure funding from a private trust so that the data for this report could be collated. It makes you wonder if the Government wants to know the extent of child poverty in Aotearoa.
Key rewrites history for “Crazy Colin”
Answering questions on the up-coming Asset Sales referendum, John Key spoke some appalling un-truths. He is rewriting political history to suit “Crazy” Colin Craig’s possible coalition bottom lines on the “anti-smacking” law. Cunliffe finally got there in the General Debate, but the opposition was too slow in countering Key’s lies & spin.