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

This is a quoted newsletter below and if you are in the Wellington area, I hope you get to make it. For 20 years that I know of people in the community have been speaking up to deaf ears and being blackmailed by Government and Policies and the Media and the Businesses that pay out funding but are too afraid to go against the mainstream feminists ideology.

MP Judy Turner’s newsletter. (Gosh this lady is onto it)

I’ve never been much of a “blogger” which is probably due to my age and my aversion to addictive behaviour; however since UnitedFuture set up blogging capabilities on our website I confess to becoming increasingly hooked on checking to see who is making comment.

My next challenge is to embrace the art of uploading video comments. I’ve seen some really boring ones on other people’s websites and have figured that shorter is better when it comes to this approach of communication.

Communication, once an art is now a science. In politics we constantly have to check the language we use to ensure that we don’t inadvertently send the wrong message.

This weekend is UnitedFuture’s Annual Conference here in Wellington. Our theme has been carefully thought through to ensure that we clearly communicate what causes we are committed to.

“Supporting Those Who Support Others” is a conference focused on our strong belief that a healthy society depends not just on its political and economic structures but also on the community resources that care at a personal level. We believe that there needs to be a greater sense of partnership between government and the community and voluntary sector.

The current state of this relationship is not positive. Contestable funding, onerous application mechanisms, short-term contracts, audit fatigue and a lack of regional collaboration sees money wasted and the safety net that should characterise local communities compromised.

UnitedFuture at this conference wants to demonstrate both a listening ear and responsiveness to these challenges. Regardless of who is government after the next election, we want to be part of that mix to ensure that the voice of this sector is well represented in parliament.

In a Fathers Day Statement Republican Leader Kerry Bevin puts family devastation clearly at the feet of the feminist agenda, and its moderate face, NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark.

By allowing this Government to continue unchallenged in the implementation of its pink policy we leave unaddressed the underlying causes of family devastation.

“Family discipline is undermined and violence encouraged by Helen’s provocative feminist agenda, leaving fathers unable to fulfil their social obligations”, said Mr Bevin.

Link: Media Statement

I am pleased the Families Commission report into paid parental leave has
sparked a nationwide debate. Research has shown New Zealand parents have
benefited from our Labour-led government’s Paid Parental Leave scheme and
are eager to contribute ideas to improve and extend the scheme.

“Our government will look at four different areas where the scheme could
be improved - the 10 per cent of women in paid work who currently miss out
on any payment at all, the level of money that people get, the length of
time, and the fact that few fathers access the scheme at the moment.”

I hesitate to ask what the word “Father” might mean in Dykson’s Dictionary, but you can tell Labour is short of a vote when “Father” enters her vocabulary.

A report about inadequate enforcement of protection orders has been described as simplistic by the New Zealand Law Society.

The report has also come under fire from the judiciary.

Interesting to note that from this sample :

“Indeed, this research found that 87.5 per cent of the women in its case studies who applied for a protection order without notice to the other party were successful - a rate that is higher than the national average which, in 2006-2007, was 78.4 per cent.”

Its a nice way of the Law Society treating this “research” as what it really is Social Marketing for the reforms it advocates. Its a sad reflection that Waikato University Academics have to resort to undertaking social marketing programs on behalf of the Ministry of Womens Affairs.

Men simply don’t count for much

So let’s talk.

I know that some will become upset over the flyer and I have heard feedback that the front page is pretty tough and gutting. (like having your stomach ripped out)

Visiting the Universities during ‘Spring break’ was perfect timing so that we could monitor the reaction and answer questions when they arose. But if you were someone who received the flyer outside of this destination or you read it later on; we sincerely want to help you get a grip on what is going on because we understand that you as a man do not have a lot of support available and we know that some males are depressed and/or feeling disorientated in society as it is.

The flyer is a hard hit to reality. It is not easy to learn something as a cold hard fact and it IS unbelievable that half of the country (although we have more women here than men) are being left out in the cold.

But the flyer has a purpose and that purpose is to make change. Make change so that when you are older and when you are in a position where you are going to face the cold hard reality in real life, tools and support and fairness are in place for you.

This is not a time to quit living but can be a time to get angry. Anger is a natural reflex and here and on other sites for males is exactly where you need to dump it. It is never a good time to take it out on yourself and you can be anonymous on sites. If you are already depressed and this flyer has increased your anxiety, reach out. There are men’s centres getting ready for you and they are available to you. See the right hand side of this site for men’s groups links. Pick up the phone and speak, please. We want to stop harm, not to increase it.

If you happen to be someone who works in the community and was given a flyer, whether a social worker or a teacher or a police person, please stay, look around here and on other sites and learn about the hardships of males and the lack of support for males and the reasons why males are being treated badly. All those female studies you do as part of your training will make it difficult to actually listen but if you want to be good at your jobs then you need to know the effect your position in society has on males. Even the bad males have feelings and dreams and hormones play a very important part. Plus circumstances and of course females have a part to play.

So let’s start you journey.

men’s rights

boys and mental health

Has feminism gone to far?

For young males there is no better place to start than at Feminism For Male College Students Plus our flyers gave some other great sites to start with. And you will find they have links to other great sites.

I am men’s activist engaged in a Victoria University review of family law.

Currently I am critiquing sections 7, 9A, 13 & 18B of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976.

• Section 7 relates to assets outside New Zealand.
• Section 9A defines when separate property becomes property of the relationship.
• Section 13 allows unequal sharing if extraordinary circumstances make equal sharing repugnant to justice
• Section 18B (as extended in 2001) gives court discretion to transfer money or property to compensate for contributions a spouse has made to relationship property after the relationship ended.

Is anyone willing to share their issues about those specific section?

I know that it is vital for men to support each other in dealing with emotions around the way we have been treated by family law. But this is not an opportunity to process trauma. It’s an opportunity to try to effect change. What I am looking for is dispassionate reasoned critique of any of those section, plus any suggestions for reform.

Timo

When we think about different movements like feminism and conservatism and socialism and liberalism and all other isms we often see political and economical agendas.

But where do all these isms start? How do they come about? And what are WE in all these isms?

Lets look at their meanings.

Conservatism

Favouring free enterprise and private ownership. Also not wanting others to do what ever they please but holding back on certain actions in respect of others, wanting people to act certain ways. It is also about having traditional values.

Liberalism

Willing to respect and accept behaviour or opinions, different from one’s own. Favouring individual liberty; free trade and moderate reform. Giving freedom from being conservative.

Capitalism

An economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit. This was something that existed in Victorian Era where there were elite, middle class, low class and lower class. The elite were often the owners of most major assets.

Socialism

A theory which holds that a countries land, transport, natural resources and chief industries should be owned by the community as a whole. It would be shared socially so that all could have the same. Opportunities are for all.

This is where the movement came to state owned, state control, state run. We have social sciences studying social relationships and study of humans in society.

We have social welfare, social security and so forth under socialism.

Feminism
(more…)

Telecom have announced that they will be making a web-site available next week where you can vote for your preferred charity. They will donate $250,000 to each of the top four. (Announcement here).

If we all settle on one charity only, this is a good opportunity to profile the depth of feeling on men’s issues.

If you care to post a comment nominating a charity or affirming one that someone has already made, I’ll keep this post updated with a tally for the next week.

I’ll start the ball rolling with a nomination for Paul Catton’s Men’s Refuge.

Nominee (Votes)

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Paul Catton’s Refuge (2)

The data used to create these charts is sourced from the Family Court Website.

I have published them in order to assist in critiquing the social marketing disguised as qualitative research of Waikato University Academics.

This shows a continuing decline over-time of applications filed and final orders made since the 1998-1999 year. (more…)

Jimmy Bagnall launches the Republicans Auckland Central Campaign.

It is the “fix that which is broken principle” says Mr Bagnall. Get rid of the family court and fix the family.

- We need real evidence in court cases.
- Mediation not agrevation.
- Real support for struggling families, not lawyers.