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

While I was in Ireland I brought a few copies of this book. Which I am
now happy to sell or ‘rent’. They cost me 19Euro each so I do need to
get something back on them. If you want one send me an email.

I think it is a pretty good book for guys who find themselves in a
difficult relationship. Of course it is always best if you read it
before you get too deep into the yoghurt but, it usually takes guys to
be in pretty deep before they get interested. (more…)

Should we be encouraging men and women to represent themselves in the familycaught?

Surely, if we trusted the values and integrity of the “judges”, then legal workers wouldn’t be required at all?

By emphasising their unpredictability and unreliability, “judges” put massive pressure on to parents, to be fleeced by their junour brethren, the legal workers (who aspire to be asset stripper “judges” themselves).

Get value for money from your legal worker on YouTube

This looks awfully like being rewarded for incompetence, to my eye?

There are some distinct advantages to self representation – for example there is no risk of your legal worker saying things that are totally against what you have asked them to say. I have heard several people make this complaint, and with considerable pain, explain how much it cost to later try to rectify the situation. (more…)

This is a Coup.  UnitedFuture’s Judy Turner managed to by-pass the normal members ballot (where it is very unlikely to ever get drawn) and got leave of the House to get her Private members Bill straight on the order paper to allow the family courts to order paternity testing on request of fathers and/or ‘fathers’.

There was concern that there would be appeals and delays from mothers who opposed if it goes to family court for the order – so it is worth noting that the Bill as it stands says that there is no right to appeal a paternity order!

Five Australian men commit suicide each day compared to just one woman, according to an academic who says the nation urgently needs a national men’s health policy.

Before the November election Health Minister Nicola Roxon announced a Labor government would develop a men’s health policy to complement the women’s policy created 20 years ago.

Professor John Macdonald from the Australasian Men’s Health Forum said it was vital men’s health was put on the national agenda.

“Five men a day kill themselves in our country, one woman,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“That’s atrocious – what’s the country doing with that now?”

Read full story

“If it were five whales a day … we’d be out there pushing them back into the sea,” he said.

“But five males a day, who knows? Who cares? There’s something strange happening.”

Prof Macdonald said the problems fathers face when they are separated from their children during family break-ups must also be addressed.

Mayor Bob Harvey is refusing to swear in the winner of the New Lynn Community Board by-election because of the candidate’s previous conviction for domestic violence.

Wayne Davis won the seat by being elected by the people.

But Bob Harvey says “This city is running a campaign that says domestic violence is not Okay. So we are not going there. He can be sworn in by Jack the Ripper for all I care. Or he can go and get a JP”.

Mr. Davies is no stranger to politics and was deputy chairman of the Henderson Board in 2003 when he appeared in court on DV charges. He was sentenced to 100 hours community service after pleading guilty to 3 charges of DV and 2 charges of breaching a protection order.

Judge Phil Gittos said none of the assaults were particularly major but warned Mr Davis that he could face imprisonment if he re offended.

Mr Davis stood down as deputy but stayed on the board till 2004 elections when he was voted out.

Mayor Bob Harvey fronts the Family Violence – It’s not OK advertising campaign. Something like this would not be good for his image or for his future political career. After all, Waitakere has the most police in it’s DV unit in the country and the worst National record. Even though it has the best feminists and male socialists working along side him.

Mr. Davis has remarried since his court appearance and says life has never been better. “This is petty politics. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter who swears me in. I have been elected by the people. They put me there and I am rapt”.

Reference: Western Leader, Thursday March 13, 2008, Front page.
Author: Stephen Forbes

I’m a 45 year old, white male, well educated and (my opinion only and reading on, I have no doubt many of you will question this claim) of above average intelligence. I run my own custom audio/visual integration business (TV’s, stereos, etc), I’m far too busy and incredibly dis-organised as a result.

My wife of 10 years and I separated in June 06 (her decision, suddenly and completely without warning), we have a son X, who’s 8 1/2.

He’s an absolute diamond!

I have been “through the mill” as it were for the past 20 months my story I’m sure, not unlike many…evicted from the jointly owned family home, with only the clothes on my back, nights spent in the car, struggling in my case with a relatively new business and because of the way our finances were structured prior, (I paid the entire mortgage and all monthly accounts) absolutely cash poor.

At the tender age of 45, I am proud to say that I have never once struck, or even made to strike another person nor, have I ever been struck…even through school. As I like to say, I won my last fight by 60 metres. Based only…and I cannot stress enough, only text and phone communications from me – none of which was even remotely threatening – I was served with a ex parte’ protection order and so began the debarcle that is the Family Court.

My wife and I were in fact the first couple into the much vaunted “Parenting Hearings Programme”. (more…)

National MP Judith Collins is at it again sweeping up further hatred towards men by using the derogatory term “deadbeat dads”, conveniently failing to mention that liable mothers are at least as likely as fathers to default on paying child support. She based her latest male-bashing bigotry on one alleged case the details of which simply did not add up. If as she claimed this father of two earned $100,000 and had not paid child support for ten years, he would now owe around $950,000 including penalties rather than the $20,000 she cited. Of course, she also failed to mention that average children would never cost that much to run, and that the child support regime is largely intended to make men pay for the independent lifestyles of the women who started families with them, relieving those women of any further reciprocal obligation.

National through John Keys is shooting itself in the foot almost every day, and the concern is this will give Labour the opportunity to govern yet again with parties that support its feminist aims or are prepared to turn a blind eye to them. There is no reason to believe that either Labour or National will do anything to help men or to stop the ongoing process of increasing exploitation and state abuse of men in favour of women. I challenge anyone to point to one policy or initiative from either Labour or the current National party that is respectful or helpful towards men. Then I encourage voters to find out which parties show any awareness of men’s plight and have male-friendly policies aimed at true gender equality. That is why I am standing as the Tauranga candidate for the Republic of NZ party.

Hi John,
This person is doing research on step-parenting .

She needs men to take part.

Unfortunately she has nearly all women at present which is not good, as , given the Family Court, most step-parenting is done by men (where they live in the same house). Could you publicise this in some way that we get a vocal male voice and participation?

cheers Warwick Pudney.

>>> FROM: Claire Cartwright 10/03/08 7:30 p.m. >>>
Hi,

I do research in the area of divorce and repartnering/remarriage. (more…)

In December 2007 the Families commission issued a Request For Proposal titled: “Research on contact, care and financial arrangements made by separated parents for their children”.

[14th March edit by JohnP - at the request of Paul Curry from the Families Commission this info is updated below:]

Families Commission Research into Child Support Arrangements:

The Families Commission wants to better understand the needs of separated parents and the difficulties they face.

We are therefore carrying out research into how separated parents manage the care and contact of their children.

The results will be used by the Families Commission to help form a view on what works, and what doesn’t work, for separated parents in New Zealand, and whether changes to the child support system are needed. (more…)

Myth: Single-mother-headed households are not detrimental to children.

Truth: Single-mother-headed households are the most dangerous place a child can be.

Proof:

The US Office of Technology Assessment (1987): “The increase in the number of mother-headed households and the corresponding decrease in father-headed households paralleled a 158% increase in child abuse and neglect in the 8 years from 1976 to 1984. 2.3% of sexual abuse of girls was by biological fathers, and 17% by stepfathers. 37% of child maltreatment occurred in mother-headed households, versus 23% in all US families. 44,700 children were sexually abused in 1979 which was .07% of all children below the age of 18 years of age.” In 1983, a study found that 60% of perpetrators of child abuse were women with sole custody. According to the Department of Justice, 55% of child murders are by their own mothers, and 6% are by their biological fathers, making mothers 9 times more likely to murder their children than biological fathers. (more…)