MENZ Issues: news and discussion about New Zealand men, fathers, family law, divorce, courts, protests, gender politics, and male health.

Press Release: United Future NZ Party
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
Turner dismayed at schools teaching bad dad book

United Future deputy leader Judy Turner, says that primary schools need to work far harder to send positive messages to boys in school about men and fathers, citing a book given to children showing a useless dad as a prime example of what should not be happening.

“Boys are lacking positive male role models, lacking male teachers, and lacking fathers. Why on earth are young boys being told to read books like ‘The Bad Dad List’ as homework?” asks Mrs Turner, a former primary school teacher.
The Bad Dad List is about a father who has just lost his job, and is now a stay-at-home dad. His daughter thinks he’s doing a bad job and makes a list of his continual mistakes. The list includes: Forgetting to give her any lunch (twice), watching TV instead of getting her breakfast – while flooding the laundry because he put the wrong powder in, and getting a speeding ticket.

‘Dad’ finally does something useful by helping another child who suffers a broken leg, regaining a small part of his daughter’s respect, which is articulated by his daughter saying:

‘By the end of the year, dad had turned into quite a good mum.’

“The fact that when dad finally stopped being useless, he is referred to as a mum, just reinforces the negative stereo-type of men to our kids,” says Mrs Turner.

“The ‘girls can do anything’ message has been marvellous for our girls, but we are constantly sending a ‘boys and men are silly or useless’ message to boys. We have a problem with a Government that undervalues fathers and men, but our primary schools should not be a part of this.

“Less than 20% of primary teachers are male, and about a quarter of all kids have no dad at home. Schools should be actively trying to encourage a positive picture of men to young males, not make them read ‘Bad Dad Lists’ for homework,” says Mrs Turner.

ENDS

Shame that Peter isn’t voicing the same as Political leader of the Party.

Kind Regards
Paul Catton

East Auckland Refuge for Men and Families
940 6236

I want to share with you my experience in the men’s movement because I think it is important to help changes.

We all know that NZ is a small place and that if we put ourselves out there we will get labelled. What label we wear to many people depends on what they think of us. We all know that the Father’s coalition has been labelled disgruntled fathers to the leaders but the public are sympathetic to the fathers and those in the community groups are also because these people can see the bias the leaders such as feminist lawyers and judges and politicians show through their words and actions. For instant, what sort of a potitician calls fathers DEADBEATS? If you just use common sense you can see that these politicians are horrible people. And lawyers that use DV orders against fathers are also horrible people plus greedy.

But what about everyone else? What about the media? Are all these men and women anti men? No, they are not. Ask them. From my learning they don’t like to interview the men’s movement because they find the men so angry. But then when you explain why the men they have interviewed in the past are angry, they sort of want to hear some more.
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Fast-food chain Burger King has withdrawn two television advertisements deemed sexually exploitative through their “cheesy” use of bikini-clad women.

The Advertising Standards Complaints Board, in decisions issued yesterday, found both commercials breached an industry code of practice forbidding the use of sex appeal simply to draw attention to a product.

If a good looking well developed male was dressed in bathing trunks and developed 10cm nipples when eating chewing gum surely that add would be banned?

Find out what the Advertising Standards Authority ruled!

Complaint: The television advertisements for Mentos Ice Gum (Key Numbers MENT 045/075 and: MENT 045/076) started with a bare-chested man putting a piece of Mentos Ice Gum into his mouth. Suddenly his nipples extend about 10cm. He then proceeds to walk around town where he is whistled and waved at. He also uses the nipples to catch a Frisbee and then hold an elevator for a female by pressing the buttons with the nipples and he offers her a piece of gum. Both advertisements end with a pack shot and voice-over that says “Stay cool and icy fresh. Mentos Ice chewing gum”.

Do I detect a double standard here in these public servants yet again?

Regards

Scrap

The Sunday Star Times carried an article on weekend entitled Crackdown on white collar family assualts.

The article announced that the the Government is planning a multi million dollar crackdown on Family violence. “..Including trying to combat the largely hidden problem of white collar domestic violence”

It goes on to talk about how Statistic New Zealand figures show arrests for reported domestic violence assaults by males on femaleshave increased dramatically in the last decade with abuse worsening in every ethic group.

Of course they include a neat little table in the article showing “The Numbers” .

Based on the numbers for the total of the charts Total domestic violence arrests by all enithicty categories is :

1997=5891
2006=7547

Thats a difference (in total) of 1656 arrests.

No effort is made to explain this increase, rather “Inspector Ged Byers , the police national family violence co-ordinator says there where 63000 domestic violence incidents last year, but experts believe the true figures are five times higher…..”
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I know it is short notice but ‘Campbell Live’ tonight is asking for the public to put forward questions to John Keys for next years election promises through emails right now.
Now would be an opportunity to ask John Keys about men’s issues in fromt of the public.

Campbell Live

Republic of NZ Party Education spokesperson and Rotorua candidate Mr. Paul Haynes says Trevor Mallard, the former education minister, has left us a lame duck legacy in education.

Full Release:

Male teachers have been sexually harassed out of the education system. Where are the male role models at a time when many families are fatherless? This is a double whammy socially and a national shame.

I have only just noticed that there is a column called ‘Male Call’ in the local newspaper on the page for ‘family matters’. I am not sure how long this has been happening but it is new to me. Here is the latest.

Give me the simple life
by Bernard Francis

I went to my daughter’s camp as a helper for four days and was amazed at how the approach to discipline has changed in the past 40 or so years – and not for the best, in my opinion. I’ll give a few examples of then and now, none of which, I might add, happened at the recent school camp I attended.

Example one: Little Boris disrupts other pupils in class. In the past he’d have been sent to the principal’s office for a smack on the bottom and sent back to class to sit still. Now, he’s sent to counselling for anger management and told he’s got ADHD and can do what he wants.

Example two: Little Boris gets hold of leftover fireworks and blows up an ant’s nest. In the past, ants die and Dad gives Boris a pat on the head for getting rid of ants. Now, the police arrive and arrest Boris for a terrorist attack, CYFS investigate and remove Boris from house and Dad goes on the terror watch-list.

Example three: Little Boris falls and scrapes his knee. Male teacher finds him crying and puts his arm around his shoulders for comfort. In the past, Boris feels better and carries on playing. Now, teacher is accused of paedophilia, loses his job and faces jail.

The good old days weren’t good, but at least they were uncomplicated.

Read male call online at www.theaucklander.co.nz

Link to Stuff

A New Zealand access battle hampered by delays has resulted in the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) adopting Views requiring New Zealand, within 90 days of the adoption of those views, to provide the UNHRC with information about the measures it has taken to provide a remedy to the father whose rights to an expeditious trial have been violated.

In Communication 1368/2005, adopted on 16 March 2007, the UNHRC found New Zealand had violated article 14, paragraph 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the Covenant) in respect of EB’s right to an expeditious trial in access proceedings concerning his daughters, S and C, and continued to violate article 14, paragraph 1 of the Covenant in respect of the unresolved access proceedings concerning his son, E.

Republicans Law and Order Spokesman Bevan Berg said he was struggling to understand the attitude coming from the NZ First Youth Spokesman Ron Mark toward New Zealand’s youth.

Full Release.

Waving the big stick of criminal jurisdiction is a great way to divert public attention from the real issues facing ordinary New Zealanders, like whether our schools actually still cater for the needs of boys and, whether our youth will have jobs when they leave school.

Hi To all,
This is the second notice that we will be holding protests outside the Napier and Hastings Family courts in July. I am hoping to have as many people as possible there and will be inviting as many of the media as I can think of. I am also keen to get as many stories as possible about VD and put them on this site, to encourage the power of the people!!!
In order to be effective we must remain within the law, the protests and comments here must be legal, and not even able to be misconstrued as inciting violence.
The family court must change and be brought to account. Lets do this together.
Health, strength, and strong families, are my wishes for all.