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

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A lot of deceit has gone on over the Electoral Bill but it is from the outside made to look so that the opposition to Labour cannot use their power of money.

And yet at the same time Labour is using dirty political tactics to win votes. This post is only touching the rim. Their tactics are very well planned.

John Keys video

Also of notice is the newspaper article on this bill ….

and the street protest. This is a must to read and notice the placards.

You can check out more if you wish by searching the HeraldNZ newspaper with the words electoral bill.

When 2000 people marched down Queen Street on 17th November the Prime Minister dismissed it as, “Not indicative of a groundswell.”

What do you think about that Aucklanders?

If you care about free elections - whatever party you support - come to the Auckland Town hall Saturday 1st December from 2pm and march down Queen Street at 2.30pm.

And show Helen Clark, Winston Peters, Jeanette Fitzsimons and Peter Dunne that elections are not owned by the Government, but by the people.

I watched this South Pacific Pictures movie last night and recommend it highly to all. It’s about Dave Henderson’s real-life fight against the IRD that shafted him. Many have been shafted by government departments and Courts, but few battle as effectively as Mr Henderson did.

Notable in the story were the gender issues. The problem apparently began when a male IRD officer made inappropriate personal comments to Mr Henderson’s partner. When Mr Henderson attempted to defend her honour by threatening violence, the IRD officer mounted a vendetta.

His partner, though initially happy at his chivalry, soon became stressed at the developments. She started attributing the problem to Mr Henderson’s own shortcomings, his anger and social impropriety (even though he behaved quite well after his initial outburst). She pushed him against his better judgement to share details about what was happening but as soon as he did she sulked and complained that he was raising his voice. She became angry with him when in his stressed condition he showed impatience towards her son. She berated him for raising his voice etc even while she was shouting at him about it. In the middle of it all she left him because it was too stressful, thereby wrecking the bond he had fostered with her son and leaving Mr Henderson bereft. When he eventually succeeded she was back to “I miss you”, and his chivalry extended to forgiving her readily for her abandonment of him in his hour of need.

Many men will find the themes quite familiar from their own experiences. Of a number of morals to this story, I will highlight only the importance of keeping detailed records of all communications and experiences when involved in a dispute.

1. J.A.M has been developed by Jim Bagnall during and through his support for over 10,000 Fathers and a few Mothers going through the Family Court.
2. The word justifiable applies to the context of the anger and its source and does not glorify anger in anyway. Justifiable is a word for an acceptance of that person’s anger.
3. The Pay/Fight back scale provides a framework and a structure in which anger exists and an explanation both to the angry person and their helper of how both the energy from the anger can be used and how a person can use the scale not only for understanding their anger but for analysis and action to combat their role deletion.
4. The scale usually should be read or listened to from its base which starts out with description at the Instinctual level and then moves up through anger’s mind treadmills and obsessions to a social level and a place where a person can find outlets for his/her analysis of where he/she is at.
5. At the top of the scale there is a place where standards are reshaped through analysis and where a re formed identity is realized and a higher justification is reached based on valuing people and a just outcome giving new strength through adversity.

Contact Jim Bagnall for J.A.M
09 815 0307 or 021 170 7375

Multi-Party Group Works On Family Violence Prevention

Please answer this poll by a reply of Yes or No, if further commentary is to be included, please be as concise as possible.

Q. Would it be just and equitable as regards to a child/ren, the qualifying custodian and liable parent and otherwise proper to make a Departure Order in favour of the liable parent on the grounds  that the qualifying parent had abducted the child/ren?

This is one question being put before the High Court next Tuesday.

All responses with anonymity secured will be printed out submitted to the Judiciary for their assessment as to what the public deem to be fair, just and proper in this circumstance.

Please do take the time to reply to the poll and if you can refer this onward to people who would give voice on the matter, it would be appreciated.

Kindest Regards

Paul Catton

www.mensgroups.org.nz has been developed by David Brindley. Drawing on experience as a Trustee of MensTrust in Christchurch, his own growth through Men’s Work and as a participant and organiser of Men’s Groups, David has worked to create an informative web site to support Men currently in groups and to encourage Men to seek and join a Group.
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Sorry for the short notice but we have tickets for free parking in a city carpark and free tickets for a special area where children will not only see the Santa Parade but receive free goodies and such.

Santa Parade for single parents (mums and dads)

Also free tickets for a family show from Southern Stars Charitable Trust. Once again these tickets are $30 each to the public.

Date: 8th December 2007
Venue: ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane Rd West, Auckland
Times: 10am, 1pm and 4pm.

Christmas Adventure

Please let me know ASAP. If I can’t get the tickets out to you in time you can pick them up from my home.

julie@singleparents.org.nz

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An awareness week for Men’s Health featuring FREE Men’s Health Check-ups, FREE Men’s Gym Sessions and a FREE Men’s Health Forum.

Waitakere Men’s Health Week. Waitakere City is to have it’s inaugural Men’s Health Week from 19 - 25 November. This week, which features FREE Men’s Health Checks at participating local medical practices, FREE Men’s Fitness Sessions at participating local gyms and a FREE Men’s Health Forum, is all about raising men’s awareness about the necessity to get checked regularly. It is a forum about men, for men, women and youth. The Forum, MC’d by Peter Leitch - The Mad Butcher, opened by Pete Hodgson - The Minister of Health, and featuring top speakers on Cardio Vascular Disease, Prostate Cancer, Men’s Mental Health and The Importance of a Healthy Male Workforce, will provide the men of Waitakere with all the information they need to keep alive and well. Simple tests conducted by a GP could save the lives of many Waitakere men of all ethnicities, from all walks of life, who die from preventable diseases such as Cardio Vascular Disease and Prostate Cancer. The Forum, from 6.30 - 9.00pm on Wednesday 21 November at The Trusts Stadium in Henderson, is a joint initiative between HealthWEST PHO and The Lions Club of Te Atatu. There will be great information stalls and wonderful prize draws for circular saws, toolboxes, T-shirts and other blokes stuff. Be a man, be staunch, be there!!! For a brochure:

Contact: Kay Lindley
Tel: 837 8820 Fax: 837 8852
Email: kay@healthwest.co.nz
Website: www.healthwest.co.nz

Sunday Star Times

Callister, a senior research fellow at Victoria University, is leading a three-year, $1.7 million study into what has happened to those “missing men”.

He says the plight of New Zealand men has historically been desperately under-researched. He blames a mindset which goes like this: men still hold most of the top corporate jobs and have higher average salaries, therefore women are still disadvantaged, and therefore we needn’t worry about men.

“It’s not either-or,” says Callister. “You can have men over-represented at the bottom, and still have them over-represented at the top.” No doubt feminism’s battle is not yet over, but “it’s not like you have to win one before you start with the other”.

Sad that it is going to take 3 years for this study to finish and then the effects will take longer. It seem that Universities are starting to openly discuss the real need for research on men and the Family’s Commission also but still there is nowhere near the resources available for men’s studies/issues as there are for women’s studies/issues. And all this is going to take time.

Feminists have to share resources. There is on other way.

Eyore Eyore he ought to tell that joke to everybody.