Smacking Archive

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  Sue’s Truth: The referendum – the aftermath

  
  
  
  The New Zealand Truth has become the Truth Weekender, so the publication both there and here of my regular article there will be a bit later in the week from now on. This week I focus on the aftermath of the child discipline referendum. Last week the result of the child discipline referendum came out. There [...] read more
  August 28, 2009 11:55 am - 158 Comments
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  Bradford’s Truth: Referendum 09

  
  
  
  My regular New Zealand Truth column this week is about the child discipline referendum and the inadequacy of the legislative provisions regarding the wording of citizens initiated referenda questions: As I am sure everyone is excruciatingly well aware, we are right now in the middle of the postal referendum on the physical discipline of children. Voting started [...] read more
  August 12, 2009 2:05 pm - 168 Comments
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  What do the kids think?

  
  
  
  Family First have made much of various opinion polls, many (like their referendum question) leading in their questions and some dodgy in their methodology, in advocating that parents have a “right” to hit their children. Little has been said about what children think about the issue, despite New Zealand having ratified the United Nations Convention on [...] read more
  June 24, 2009 3:17 pm - 337 Comments
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  Dazed and confused by referendum

  
  
  
  It seems I’m not the only one confused about the meaning of the question in the forthcoming referendum: Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand? I initially wondered if it was asking whether I should get the bash if I don’t look after the tadpoles properly. I see John [...] read more
  June 18, 2009 9:44 am - 255 Comments
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  The Yes Vote – NZ Referendum on Child Discipline 2009

  
  
  
  Here is a website, yesvote.org.nz, that spells the issue out very well, and makes a call to action that is hard to resist. I haven’t spoken to anyone in the party about it yet, and invite all frogblog readers to visit the site and express their views. The opening says it all: Aotearoa New Zealand can [...] read more
  April 18, 2009 10:09 am - 89 Comments
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  Violence against children is good business

  
  
  
  Given their normal stance I had always been kind of surprised that Act was so opposed to protecting children from violence through their opposition to the amendment to section 59 of the Crimes Act.  But now I find out why thanks to Roger Douglas’s blog: The cost of doing business in New Zealand is in many ways, [...] read more
  October 23, 2008 12:11 pm - 72 Comments
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  A week of g.blog

  
  
  
  Xavier Goldie couldn’t quite believe Brian Lochore said what he did this week: Apparently, not only did Lochore leave his babies (not children, but three week old babies) outside in the mud while he was boozing, but he actually attempts to justify the fact that he assaulted other people’s children. WTF? Meanwhile, also on s 59 related [...] read more
  August 28, 2008 6:27 am - No Comments
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  4 ways to smack

  
  
  
  John Caldwell has taken the seemingly unusual step of reading the child discipline laws in the Crimes Act before rushing to comment on the section 59 amendment petition and referendum. Thus his commentary in The Press yesterday morning [off line] is enlightening.  It seems we do not currently have an anti-smacking law but a law with [...] read more
  August 27, 2008 6:46 am - 36 Comments
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  Euphemisms

  
  
  
  It’s funny the debate was meant to be about removing a defence against the criminal assault of children.  But opponents didn’t like that language so instead we spent a lot of time talking about “smacking”.  Now we’re being subjected to a further amendment of language away from the actual legal definition of what we are [...] read more
  August 25, 2008 10:34 am - 60 Comments
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  John Key’s Investigate interview

  
  
  
  John Key gets environmental in the latest Investigate magazine interview [not on line]: First his views on Peak Oil: Yeah, I’m not sure I entirely buy the peak oil argument. I guess, if it’s real, and demand really is greater than the world’s ability to supply, then you’ll certainly see technology being invoked that will [...] read more
  May 23, 2008 2:42 pm - 115 Comments