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Weekly Media Roundup

November 30, 2017 at 4:26 PM

White Ribbon unapologetic for refusal to support Destiny Church rally

Anti-domestic violence group White Ribbon is unapologetic about refusing to support an event organised by Destiny Church yesterday, saying it is "not on message" and a distraction to its cause.

Yesterday about 100 motorcyclists cruised up Queen St in central Auckland to Myers Park for a rally run by Man Up.

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Destiny Church leader 'hijacked' White Ribbon day

Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has been accused of "hijacking" the annual White Ribbon day, which aims to highlight family violence.

The anti-violence charity, White Ribbon, wrote to the church with concerns about their 'We Stand Because We Care' event held in Auckland on Saturday, specifically that Mr Tamaki's views on homesexuality did not fit their kaupapa.

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Fighting for an end to domestic violence

A ground-breaking documentary which aims to address New Zealand's tragically high rates of domestic and sexual violence has become a key part of this year's White Ribbon campaign.

"Raise our Men" features interviews with nine New Zealand men about their experience growing up and conforming to male stereotypes.

For former martial arts champion Richie Hardcore the format was a way of raising tough issues in a way that would 'open doors' to those who needed it most.

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Harm suffered by children in care revealed

A report released today by the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki, shows 12 percent of children in state care have suffered harm.

The safety of children in care report  looked at case notes of almost 700 children during 2015 and 2016. 

Chief executive Grainne Moss said the figure was higher than previously reported and could be higher still as it focuses mainly on children aged five and over.

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More children harmed in state care than previously thought, research reveals

About 12 per cent of Kiwi children experience harm in state care – more than previously thought – new research shows. 

Past approaches to measuring the safety of children and young people relied on findings of maltreatment, but new research that the Ministry for Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki and the Office of the Chief Social Worker produced jointly took what the ministry called a  "zero-tolerance" approach to apply a broader definition of harm.

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New data on state care harm is cause for an inquiry, Children's Commissioner says

The Children's Commissioner says new data on harm experienced by children and young people in state care reinforces the need for an inquiry.

The new research that the Ministry for Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki and the Office of the Chief Social Worker produced jointly took what the ministry called a  "zero-tolerance" approach to apply a broader definition of harm.

Published on Tuesday, it found 85 out of a representative sample of 698 children/young people in state care between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016 experienced harm. Given a total of 7360 entered the system over that time, it's likely 929 of them experienced harm.

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Ngā Wāhine Mōrehu: putting women back in the state abuse conversation

The forthcoming inquiry into state care abuse must remember that women were victims, too, writes Paora Moyle, herself a former ward of the state. 

Last week on The Spinoff, Aaron Smale shared personal stories of state abuse of indigenous people in New Zealand, Australia and Canada, and asked what we can learn as New Zealand prepares to launch an inquiry. Read the series here and Elizabeth Stanley’s recommendations for an independent inquiry here


I spent 14 years in state care – you can read my story here. I also have 27 years of social work experience behind me. I speak out a lot on the gaps within New Zealand child protection, particularly in relation to mokopuna Māori over-representation.

This kōrero is for Ngā Wāhine Mōrehu and also for those who have passed on from this life with no acknowledgment of the abuse they endured. It is also for the many of our disabled whānau who are often left out of the conversation.

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What the new Government means for women

The Government has created two new positions that zero in on problems facing women in New Zealand.

Julie Anne Genter is Associate Health Minister with a focus on women's health, while Jan Logie is Parliamentary Under Secretary to the Minister of Justice focussing on domestic violence and sexual violence.

There are promises to make progress on closing the gender pay gap, to remove a sanction that disproportionately punishes mothers, and to boost the minimum wage.

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Kaitaia police and iwi team up to reduce domestic violence

Kaitaia police have teamed up with iwi and local agencies in a bid to prevent and reduce domestic violence in Te Hiku.

Whiria te Muka - Weaving the Strands - is a unique, Kaitaia-based solution focused on curbing family harm experienced by Te Hiku whānau, hapu, iwi and communities.

Police Northland District Commander Superintendent Russell Le Prou says the initiative is about a commitment he made to a mother whose daughter died at the hands of her former partner.

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How to talk to your teen about sex

It's the talk no teen wants to have with their parents, but having open, honest conversations about sex will help teens make healthy decisions, experts say. 

The issue of underage sex has reared its head during a High Court trial that centred on the relationship between a 17-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl.

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Fonterra launches family violence support scheme

Fonterra is joining the efforts to raise awareness about family violence.

The co-op has joined with Shine and Women’s Refuge to launch to provide support services for any of its 12,000+ New Zealand employees who may need help.

A new family violence policy sets out how the cooperative will aim to create a safe and supportive environment at work, while also enabling team members impacted by family violence to take up to 10 days of additional paid leave per year to attend health appointments, legal proceedings or other activities relating to family violence.

Fonterra’s managing director people and culture Joanne Fair says businesses have a huge role to play in tackling what is one of New Zealand’s biggest social issues.

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ANZ Teams Up with Women’s Refuge

ANZ Helps Women Confronting Domestic Violence Establish Financial Independence (+video)

ANZ is working with Women’s Refuge to help women achieve financial independence and escape domestic violence.

Women fleeing domestic violence often find it hard to access money and open their own bank accounts because of the paperwork required. In some situations this is a deterrent to leaving violent relationships.

As a response, ANZ’s has worked with Women’s Refuge to make it more flexible for women to open accounts.

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Whanau Ora under Labour - what's in store?

According to the Māori Party, it's the best thing since fried bread - but New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has called Whānau Ora a "brorocracy" and a waste of taxpayers' money.

Whānau Ora Minister Peeni Henare will have to find a balance in the Labour-NZ First coalition for the initiatve that he's now in charge of.

So what can we expect to see over the next three years?

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Four red flags to CYF before the murder of mother Marie Harlick

Social worker admitted Child, Youth and Family should have removed toddler from violent home, says her caregiver. Now Vivienne is traumatised from watching her mother's murder.

The police repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of Marie Harlick's baby girl with social workers in the months before her mother's death.

The 35-year-old was beaten to death in her Opotiki home in November last year and her partner Robert Hohua will be sentenced next month for her murder.

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Mother who made her daughter, son sick sentenced to seven years in jail

A mother who drugged her daughter and fed her son a battery because she got a thrill from taking them for emergency medical check ups has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison.

The woman was sentenced by Justice Mary Peters in the High Court at Auckland this morning.

Her name is suppressed to protect the identities of her victims - her own children.

The court heard today that the woman had been diagnosed with Munchausen by proxy disorder - a mental illness that causes a person to make up or cause an illness or injury in a person under his or her care, such as a child.

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Disabled must be part of state abuse inquiry, activist Robert Martin says

Leading disability rights activist Robert Martin says an inquiry into abuse in state care must look into what happened to disabled adults, and not be limited only to foster children.

"We can't just do one part of society and not include the other parts of society," Martin told the Disability Matters conference at Otago University, in his keynote address yesterday.

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Hidden bruises: Woman's 18 years of psychological abuse

The woman seated opposite me wore her mask well. She was cheerful and confident.

I imagined passing her in the street and trading a simultaneous smile, not knowing that this woman had a story to tell.

For 18 years she had suffered domestic abuse. Yet her scars were not physical, they were mental. She carried trauma from her past and so did her four children.

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A man has been jailed for 10 months for punching his heavily pregnant partner in the face.

The incident took place on August 14 when James Henare Makoare (35) was living with the 18-year-old woman in Napier.

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Dunedin man allegedly took girl to Auckland Taylor Swift show, raped her

A Dunedin man allegedly took a girl to a Taylor Swift concert in Auckland and raped her in a hotel room.

The attack was among countless alleged sexual assaults in a four-year period, the Dunedin District Court heard yesterday.

The 53-year-old defendant, whose name is suppressed, is on trial after pleading not guilty to eight counts of rape, seven of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, four of sexual conduct with an under-16-year-old and one of supplying cannabis to a minor.

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Stunt woman Zoe Bell's tough message to Kiwi women

In a candid interview, Hollywood actress and stunt woman Zoe Bell has revealed an incident where she was left robbed and unable to defend herself, an experience which has led her to help other women equip themselves with simple skills that could save their life.

"I got mugged a while ago," she revealed to NZ Herald Focus. "I would have loved to have had an instinct that was 'Hi Yah!' and take them down. But instead it was a little bit more like 'Ah' and panic.

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Woman not safe from husband if returned to India, refugee panel rules

A woman trapped in a sham marriage based on her visa prospects was strangled, beaten and forced into an abortion, a refugee panel was told.

The Sikh woman from India was an 'IELTS bride', named after the English language test which can propel successful students and their partners to overseas work opportunities.

But her husband - who came from a wealthy and politically connected family - became abusive and controlling after they married in 2011, the immigration and protection tribunal heard.

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Gender inequality at the heart of Pacific violence pandemic

According to UN Women, on average, one in three women around the world will experience sexual and/or physical violence in their lifetimes. In the Pacific the number is double that.

And while each country in the region has its own cultural and societal differences there is one factor that all seem to share. High levels of gender inequality.

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Ex-partner admits dragging woman by hair

A Tauranga man has admitted strangling his former partner, repeatedly dragging her by her hair, and throwing her on to the road.

Stephen Thompson's admission comes on the heels of a recent report showing family and domestic violence had surged in Tauranga with more than 20 cases reported daily.

Figures from Family Violence Clearinghouse showed police family violence investigations in the Bay of Plenty jumped from 5777 in 2007 to 12,745 in 2016.

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Women who discovered their husbands' stash of child sex abuse images speak out

Three Australian women who discovered their husbands had stashes of images featuring sexual abuse of children say many New Zealand women could face the same situation.

They say the country needs a support group to help break the silence around a "time bomb".

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Recidivist sex offender jailed for raping young girl

A convicted rapist has been jailed for the serious sexual assault of a young girl.

Pourau Sir Charles Albert previously pleaded guilty to raping the victim on two occasions between 2009 and 2010, when she was aged between 8-10 years of age.

It was revealed during the 59-year-old's sentencing in the Hāwera District Court that he had been convicted of raping a woman in 1998 and also jailed in 2013 for indecent assault. 

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Wooden spoon, spatula and leather strap used to hit children

A woman's devotion to scripture took a literal turn when she used a leather strap inscribed with the "spare the rod, spoil the child" proverb to discipline two children.

Along with the strap, dubbed "The Rodney", Nicole Potroz used a wooden spoon and spatula to hit the two boys, aged 7 and 8,  when she thought they had stepped out of line.

The physical abuse went on between May 1, 2016 to April 4, 2017 and was only discovered when the two victims told family members what had happened.

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Fiji women waiting more than two years to report violence

Women in Fiji are waiting nearly two and a half years before reporting family violence to the police according to a new report by the Fiji Women's Rights Movement.

The agency's executive director Nalini Singh said a study into the effectiveness of legislation protecting women and families, has shown there were still significant barriers to women seeking justice in Fiji.

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Woman feared for life during hour-long attack with scissors and bat

A woman feared she would be killed during an hour-long assault by 32-year-old Tama Wiremu Mahanga.

The attack at her Christchurch home included a beating with a baseball bat and scissors being held to her throat.

While he held the scissors, Mahanga told the woman: "Tell the truth because your life depends on it."

Mahanga pleaded guilty to charges of intentionally injuring the woman on March 28 and assaulting her the day before.

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Don Burke campaigned against domestic violence despite complaints from women

When the federal government launched its "Real men don't bash or rape women" campaign in 1993, four iconic Australian men were featured as "ambassadors" for it.

But when one of them was revealed to be Don Burke, then a major television celebrity, there was an immediate backlash.

"As soon as his face appeared in ads, we were contacted by several women saying that he was not appropriate for the campaign because he himself was an abuser," said a former public servant who was involved in the campaign.

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Category: News Media