1. Sales Pitch on Smacking Law Fooling No-one
PM SAYS IT’S OK – POLICE SAY IT’S NOT
FAMILY FIRST MEDIA RELEASE 5 March 2010
Family First NZ says that the latest Police report on the anti-smacking law will fool no-one because it fails to address the widely held concerns over the law change and the real issues surrounding the explosion in child abuse deaths as revealed this week. It also confirms that parents are receiving official police warnings for smacking and minor acts of physical discipline despite the Prime Minister saying that it’s ok. READ MORE 
SEE the numbers
LISTEN Bob McCoskrie interviewed by Newstalk ZB's Larry Williams about the latest Police report
Child-assault reporting 'on rise'
The Press 06/03/2010 (note the terminology "child-assault" used by the media for what actually covers smacks and minor acts of physical discipline!)
Police are dealing with more cases of child assaults, with an improved culture of reporting attributed to the rise... Green MP Sue Bradford, said "We aren't seeing thousands of parents being prosecuted for trivial acts of physical discipline," Bradford said. (no Sue - just hundreds through the police and potentially thousands through CYF). However, Family First national director Bob McCoskrie said police were still wasting time on smacking and minor acts of physical discipline. "Where are the urgently needed reports on why our child-abuse death rate sky-rocketed in the past 12 months?" McCoskrie said. READ MORE
READ our Issues page on the 'Anti-Smacking' Law
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

2. CYF steps up anti-smack information
Dominion Post 6 March 10
Social workers will hand out advice to at least 20,000 parents visited "because someone has told us they are concerned about your child". New advice booklets are being distributed to social workers next week as part of a campaign on the so-called anti-smacking law. It will include a new advice phone line, 0508 ASK CYF, and follows the recommendations of a review into the law's application last year. READ MORE
Marketing of Smacking Law Better Spent on Targeting Abuse
FAMILY FIRST Media Release 6 March 2010
Family First NZ says that Child Youth and Family (CYF) should save the cost of the 20,000 booklets ‘marketing’ the anti-smacking law and re-direct those resources to better targeting and monitoring at-risk families. “The real issue is that both the police and CYF, with nine reports to date, are trying to market a law which has been misrepresented by its promoters as to its effect, is confusing to most parents, and fails to address the real causes of child abuse,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. READ MORE
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

3. Judge turns tables on driver's schoolboy accuser
NZ Herald 6 March 2010
A schoolbus driver was taken to court for grabbing the arm of a rowdy boy who would not stop pulling a girl's hair. But the judge threw out the charge - and had a policeman take the 12-year-old boy to the police cells as a warning. READ MORE
School bus driver charge dropped The Southland Times 05 March 2010 READ MORE
Flood of support for driver in bus incident NZ Herald 9 March 2010 READ MORE
Family First Comment: This is a disturbing example of 'police discretion' which the Prime Minister and Nigel Latta said we should 'relax' about!! In this example, an adult attempts to control a child who is assaulting another child - and is prosecuted for it. The Judge deserves a promotion. But it highlights three concerns about the flow-through effect of the anti-smacking law
1. Police discretion depends on the individual police officer and the directions of the current government - which could change with a change of government. There is a fundamental principle that the law should allow us all to know in advance what is lawful and what is not.
2. Adults (including teachers) will become too afraid to administer any physical control or restraint of children (see next item)
3. Children have received the message that adults can not touch them or even tell them what to do. This seriously undermines the authority of parents, teachers, police etc
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

4. Teachers attacked by the hundreds
The Dominion Post 08/03/2010
Hundreds of teachers have received ACC-funded treatment after being assaulted at school. 442 teachers needed ACC-funded treatment after assaults at school during 2008 and 2009, costing about $413,000. PLUS.. there were a further 335 pupil assaults on teachers in 2008 that did not require ACC-funded treatment. READ MORE
Family First Comment: This comes as no surprise. Just last year, we highlighted that violent assaults on both children and teachers in primary schools has dramatically increased since 2000. READ the Media Release
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

5. What women really want most
Herald Sun March 5 2010
A new survey of almost 2300 women reveals many mums are opting for a healthy family life instead of a career. Women are shifting from a "perfectionist" attitude and rate their family, spending time with friends and exercising as more important than their career, a survey suggests. READ MORE
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

6. Abuse baby's birth secret
Waikato Times 04 March 2010
Child Youth and Family did not know a Hamilton toddler born into a family with a "horrendous history" of child abuse existed until her death last year. ..This morning CYF chief executive Ray Smith confirmed to the Waikato Times this was because the agency had not known her parents – who they'd already removed two children from – went on to have another baby, Hail-Saige. READ MORE
Family First Comment: It seems incredible that a simple policy of monitoring parents guilty of child abuse does not automatically happen. Sterilisation may not be the answer but surely supervision and monitoring is.
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

7. Sex ed too mechanical - teenagers
NZ Herald Mar 4, 2010
Sex education is too much about the mechanics of sex and not enough about relationships, the Families Commission says. READ MORE 
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

8. Call to shelve vaccine over adverse reactions
The Press 09/03/2010
Girls given the Gardasil HPV vaccine are at least 16 times more likely to have a serious adverse reaction to it than to develop terminal cervical cancer, which critics say raise doubts about the increasingly controversial vaccine. READ MORE
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

Apologies for a 2nd edition of this week's Midweek Update, but there were a number of issues overnight that we wanted to make you aware of!

1. Our latest Billboard Campaign

...as seen on the Southern Motorway in Auckland - as of this morning!

2. Judge's ruling on public nudity 'morally bankrupt'
Family First Media Release 2 March 2010
Family First NZ says that a High Court judge’s ruling that riding a bike naked is legal is morally bankrupt, offensive, and sets a dangerous precedent. “Justice Clifford obviously has a completely different understanding of offensive behaviour to the majority of NZ’ers who do not want to be confronted by the full nudity of a male or female biker, and who believe that public nudity is inappropriate especially in places where children and families are present,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. READ MORE
Nude cyclist's conviction quashed
Dom Post 3 March 2010 READ MORE
WATCH Family First's Bob McCoskrie on TV3's Sunrise this morning 

3. Violent video games make kids more aggressive, care less
Herald Sun March 03, 2010 Researchers say they have proved this conclusively after analysing analysed 130 reports involving more than 130,000 gamers. READ MORE 

4. Police call for tough action on disrespect
NZ Herald Mar 3, 2010
The courts have to start convicting people for insulting police to help counter a culture of disrespect for the law that leads to assaults on officers, the Police Association says. Mr O'Connor said a lack of guilty verdicts in the District Court over the years showed society and criminals that insulting police was acceptable. READ MORE
Family First Comment: Note the common theme between the concerns of the police and our concerns over the public nudity decisions. Liberal judges are failing to uphold both the law and the community standard and as a result, respect for authority and decency are taking a dive.

5. Abusive mums may be tracked through life
NZ Herald Mar 3, 2010
A panel of experts has recommended an alert system for all abusive mothers so officials know when they have more children. READ MORE
Family First Comment: This should have happened years ago and could have prevented a number of child abuse deaths.

6. TV makes for poorer relationships - NZ study
NZPA 2 March 2010
The more young people watch TV, the poorer their relationships with both their friends and parents, a new study by Otago University study suggests. READ MORE

In this issue (2 March 2010)..
1. Govt Must Tackle Issue of Child Sexualisation
2. Family needs to attend Nia's inquest, group says
3. Men's stroke of luck
4. Wake-up call for teen pot smokers
5. Chinese students lured to become prostitutes
6. Obesity less of a problem for kids of mums who work part-time

In this issue (24 February 2010)..
1. Violence will Increase as Fatherlessness Increases
2. Kahui twins: Will a reward catch a killer?
3. Marriage key to parents staying together
4. Aussie parents get strict and back smacking
5. Parents drop discipline to avoid upsetting kids (UK)
6. What women want: A husband who'll be the main breadwinner
7. Throw out the homework and let kids read comics, says city principal
8. Baby born healthy after hospital advised abortion

1. Violence will Increase as Fatherlessness Increases
MEDIA RELEASE 22 February 2010
Family First NZ says that violence in our community and towards people of authority such as the police will increase as long as we downplay the significance and benefits of strong marriages and committed fathers. “The response of governments, even today, has been more money and more laws. Yet this fails to deal with the root causes of what is happening. Fatherlessness is a major contributor to increasing rates of juvenile violence,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. READ MORE
SEE ALSO: Boys missing a life lesson from male teachers (Aust) 
Herald Sun February 15, 2010
A decline in the number of male teachers is being blamed for rising youth violence. Just 28 per cent of state schoolteachers are men, down from 32 per cent 10 years ago. Youth crime has soared in that time. READ MORE
The Dangers of Fatherlessness
CultureWatch 16 Feb 10 (Bill Muehlenberg)
http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2010/02/16/the-dangers-of-fatherlessness/
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

2. Kahui twins: Will a reward catch a killer?
Sunday Star Times 14/02/2010
A $25,000 reward is being offered for fresh evidence to catch the Kahui twins' killer. Today, lobby group Family First is posting the reward in a bid to kick-start the stalled investigation into one of New Zealand's highest-profile child abuse cases. READ MORE
TIMARU HERALD EDITORIAL: "Justice and family rights advocates have taken a small but significant chip out of the wall of silence that blocked the investigation into the murders of Chris and Cru Kahui. It has to be hoped that the chip will be enough to make that wall come tumbling down." READ MORE
WATCH TV3 Sunrise programme - Family First's Bev Adair (right) discusses the reward
WATCH Bob McCoskrie talks about the Kahui reward - Channel 89 Sky Digital (Stratos) or Freeview channel 21 - this Thursday night 7:30pm.
Family First Comment: We have been asked where the reward money is coming from. The reward money has been offered by an anonymous donor conditional on a successful conviction. We are not using general gifts made to Family First as part of the reward bounty.
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

3. Marriage key to parents staying together
Daily Mail (Aust) February 22, 2010
Married parents are 10 times more likely to stay together than cohabiting couples with children, according to research. The study also showed cohabiting has become a less stable form of relationship compared with 18 years ago, with couples more likely to separate. READ MORE
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

4. Oz parents get strict and back smacking
The Daily Telegraph February 20, 2010
Parents should smack their children, veto their teenagers' dating arrangements and enforce a legal drinking age of 21, a new survey suggests. The wide-ranging study of more than 1000 mums and dads in Australia concluded that although the majority of young parents were seen as over-protective, most working mothers would prefer more time with their offspring, citing "financial constraints" as the reason they were not at home on a full-time basis. READ MORE

5. Parents drop discipline to avoid upsetting kids (UK)
dailymail.co.uk, 17 February 2010
One in four parents avoid disciplining their children because they want an “easy life” and fear upsetting them, according to a new survey. The survey, commissioned by the Cadet Forces, portrays a dire picture of parental discipline in the UK. It reveals that parents are often reluctant to discipline their children because they fear being seen as too strict or unfair, and that 30 per cent of parents describe themselves as being a “pushover”. READ MORE
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

6. What women want: A breadwinner husband
Mail Online (UK) 18th February 2010
Young mothers are turning their backs on high-powered careers to raise their children, a study has found. Their mothers, or even grandmothers, lived through a time when women fought for full-time work and better pay. But today's generation is returning to the traditional values of home and family - and looking to men to be the breadwinners. The analysis comes against a background of growing political pressure on mothers to go out to work. READ MORE
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

7. Throw out the homework and let kids read comics
The Dominion Post 15/02/2010
Wellington schools are scrapping traditional homework methods, instead telling pupils to read comics and the backs of cereal packets to improve reading skills. They also suggest pupils improve their spelling by doing crosswords and playing board games but warn that parents should not rely solely on school lessons to improve the children's achievement in maths. READ MORE
Family First Comment: Gee - where were these 'experts' when I was going through school - and doing stacks of homework?!?
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

In this issue (9 February)...
1. Kahui case: When will twins get justice?
2. Abstinence education works - study
3. Time to auction off prostitution law
4. Govt must clarify school 'fees' or 'donations'
5. Counseling helps mums-to-be with abusive partner
6. Family dinners, sleep and less tv reduces obesity - study
7. To Raise Happy Kids, Put Marriage First - New Book
8. Teen girls sucked into crime by older men
9. TAKE ACTION: Wellington March This Friday Opposing Family Planning Abortion License

Follow Bob McCoskrie on 'Twitter' and 'Facebook'
Family First National Director Bob McCoskrie has joined the ‘twitterverse’ and also has a page on Facebook. Be the first to know about issues affecting families, how you can respond, and see the media coverage of what Family First is saying in the public domain. Become part of the growing family activist movement for strong families and marriages, and safe communities.
Follow Bob McCoskrie on Twitter today at http://twitter.com/familyfirstnz and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=name&id=1193302986 

1. Kahui case: When will twins get justice?
Sunday Star Times 07 February 2010
The inquest into the deaths of one of New Zealand's most high-profile child killings has been postponed indefinitely. Three-month-old South Auckland twins Chris and Cru Kahui were killed in June 2006, and their father Chris Kahui was acquitted of their murders in 2008. Since then the case has stalled, and the murders remain unsolved. Last October the chief coroner set an inquest date of February 22 in the Auckland District Court, but according to the court that date has now been "vacated". No new date has been set. READ MORE
WATCH Bob McCoskrie from Family First speaks to TVNZ's Breakfast.
Minister of Justice Simon Power responds
Minister of Justice Should Demand Kahui Inquest
MEDIA RELEASE 8 February 2010
Family First NZ is calling on the Minister of Justice to demand that the chief coroner ensure that the Kahui inquest happens as soon as possible. “The twins were murdered in 2006 and we are still waiting on both justice to be delivered and now the inquest to happen,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. READ MORE
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

2. Abstinence education works - Study
MEDIA RELEASE 3 February 2010
Family First NZ is welcoming research which shows that abstinence-only education can help teens delay sex, and also explodes the myth that abstinence education reduces condom use amongst those who do become sexually active. “NZ parents have long supported their children being taught abstinence, self control and good choices rather than the flawed ‘we don’t want you to but here’s how anyway’ method currently short-selling our young people,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. The study from the University of Pennsylvania involving 600 students and published in the journal Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that half of the group taught sex education reported they had sexual intercourse over the next two years compared to one third of the group given the abstinence lessons. The researchers said ‘Abstinence-only interventions may have an important role in delaying sexual activity until a time later in life when the adolescent is more prepared to handle to consequences of sex. This can reduce undesirable consequences of sex, including pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections like HIV and Aids.’ READ MORE
Abstinence classes might work: study
NZPA 03/02/2010
Educators are being asked to take another look at sex education for 11 to 13-year-old students in light of a recent study from the United States that suggests abs10tinence programmes could persuade young people to delay sexual activity.  ...New Zealand lobby group Family First has welcomed the study and has called on the education sector to take another look at the sex education curriculum. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/3289378/Abstinence-classes-might-work-study
Children taught sex ed more likely to have intercourse younger - study
Mail Online (UK) 2 February 10 READ MORE
Abstinence-only programs might work, study says
Washington Post February 2, 2010 READ MORE
READ the study
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

3. Time to Auction Off Prostitution Law
MEDIA RELEASE 2 February 2010
Family First NZ says that a 19 year old student raising her university fees by ‘prostituting’ her virginity online is an example of the outcome of a flawed prostitution law and it should be immediately repealed. “It's every parent's worst nightmare that their daughter would prostitute herself to pay fees, or that their son would act as a pimp to raise funds to study,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. “To end up raising $45,000 shows that unfortunately there are many people who simply see women as a commodity to be purchased. When the politicians decriminalised prostitution, it still didn't make it right. There is huge stigma against prostitution and quite rightly.” READ MORE
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

4. Government Must Clarify School ‘Fees’/‘Donation’
MEDIA RELEASE 5 February 2010
Family First NZ says that the government must clarify to parents whether school fees are compulsory or not. “The mixed messages and confusion under the Labour government have continued with the National government,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. “This has confused parents and resulted in some parents paying the fees and others refusing. In the end, the whole school community is penalised by the uncertainty and the subsequent shortfall.” READ MORE
Parents Can Claim School Fees Refund
MEDIA RELEASE 5 February 2010
Family First NZ is reminding and possibly informing parents that when they complete their IRD Tax Returns for the financial year ended 31 March 2010, they are entitled to claim back 1/3’rd of their school fees. “Amidst the debate on whether school fees are compulsory or not, many parents aren’t aware that school donations qualify for the Donations Rebate,” says National Director Bob McCoskrie. “This rebate which now has no cap means that parents can get a refund of a third of the school donation. This may be welcome news to families struggling with beginning-of-year expenses.” READ MORE
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

5. Counseling helps mums-to-be with abusive partner
Reuters Health 4 Feb 10
In a large study conducted in Washington, D.C., a short intervention reduced repeat episodes of domestic violence among a group of pregnant African-American women. The intervention also made it less likely for the pregnancy to end in very premature births. The intervention involved counseling sessions during prenatal care visits. READ MORE
Family First Comment: This study confirms that proactive intervention and support of young mothers and families during pregnancy and after the child is born is an effective insurance policy against abuse and domestic violence. Read more www.stoptheabuse.org.nz
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

6. Family dinners, sleep and less tv reduces obesity
Telegraph (UK) 08 Feb 2010
Young children should live as they did a generation ago to help prevent obesity, a new study shows. Four-year-olds who ate dinner with their siblings and parents, got a lot of sleep and had their TV viewing rationed were found to have a reduced risk of becoming seriously overweight. Children who followed these routines – more in line with children 25 years ago - were almost 40 per cent less likely to be obese than those from less disciplined households. READ MORE
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

7. To Raise Happy Kids, Put Marriage First - New Book
Daily Mail Online (UK) 07th February 2010
Couples who want to raise happy and successful children should spend less time striving to be perfect parents and prioritise their own relationship instead. In a new book, U.S. family therapist David Code warns that children become demanding and dissatisfied if parents obsess over all aspects of their lives. Couples who want the best for their children should focus less on becoming the ideal parent and spend more time nurturing their own relationship. READ MORE
Got a comment on this issue? Email feedback@familyfirst.org.nz

8. Teen girls sucked into crime by older men
The Nelson Mail 06/02/2010
 More teenage girls are turning to crime and violence after becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol through their older boyfriends, a Nelson lawyer says. His observations are backed up by groundbreaking research being done by social anthropologist Donna Swift, who says the teenage girls in trouble with police for violence or anti-social behaviour she deals with, often have boyfriends four or five <

Newsletter Subscription

Enter your details below to become subscribed to our email list(s).