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

Union of Fathers president Allan Harvey says “The system is too crude at the moment and encourages one parent to be a care parent and one to be a cash parent. That’s not best for our children.”

Child support reform advocate James Nicolle also said the system was failing both parents and children. “It’s just not fair to anyone – I have seen case after case where people have been pushed to the wall by the amount of child support they have to pay”,

“Systems like this don’t work anywhere in the world. If you go to the UK, Australia, the United States, Europe . . any system that is based on a percentage of income of the parent results in massive debt. They don’t just work – they’re unsustainable,” Nicolle said.

……….

Well done dads!!!

To read the rest of this story, click here.

I am looking for research participants for a small study. I am a distance student at the Univeristy of Otago, currently living in West Auckland. I have completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Social & Community Work (graduated 2007) and this year am completing my Master of Social & Community Work (MSCW). As part of my studies I am required to complete research in the form of a dissertation. The question (social issue) I have chosen to address is “Exploring the experiences of fathers in the Family Court in New Zealand.” I am seeking research participants for a small qualitative study of fathers who have:

used the Family Court to pursue parenting (custody) or contact (access)
have been separated from the mother of their child / children for at least six months
a final parenting order in place
attained at least 18 years of age
a desire to accurately record the experiences of fathers in the Family Court

If you meet these criteria I would be pleased to hear from you. Participation is completely voluntary. All that is required is approximately one hour of your time for an in depth personal interview. There is no payment involved and the study is solely academic.

This research has been approved by the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee. I can provide more information on this if requested.

If you would like more information, or are interested in participating please email me at socialworkermark@gmail.com. I would be pleased to send you an Information Sheet and Consent Form, along with any other information I can provide.

Many thanks, Mark.

In a case which highlights the difficulties of keeping a low profile when you have a Facebook account, a court has ordered that the social networking site be used to serve legal documents on an elusive father in a child support dispute.

Sydney Morning Herald: Court uses Facebook to serve paternity test order

Interesting!

Regards

Scrap

The NZ Green Party is a far left socialist party first, a feminist party second and only then is it a green party. This is why they are mostly vocal about socialist policies rather than environmental ones.
(more…)

Peter Dunne has acknowledged that a formula assessment based on gross income to calculate Child Support (Tax) is unfair and can  produce crippling payment levels.

He intends to replace it with a formula based on the findings his departmental researchers have concocted on the cost of raising children. (more…)

12 May 2010 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Dunne’s Platitudes on Child Support offer no relief to parents and children.

“Despite repeated promises Revenue Minister Peter Dunne has failed to bring about change to the Child Support Act 1991, which Dunne himself describes as unfair, inflexible and resulting in financially crippling payments. Nothing changes and mums and dads have had enough.” Says Jim Nicolle spokesperson for Fair and Reasonable.

“Let’s be blunt. Parents have had enough of the broken promises to fix the mess that is the Child Support Act 1991. Despite years of reasoned lobbying the fundamental issues remain and the stage is rapidly approaching where the only solution that a growing number of mums and dads can see is non violent direct action against the Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers to encourage them to bring about a fair and reasonable child support scheme. Responded Nicolle when asked how Fair and Reasonable plans to effect change.

“All struggling parents hear is rhetoric, broken promises from Peter Dunne and delaying tactics from the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The fundamental issues with the current Child Support Act are well documented and it appears that paralysis by analysis grips the Government. Fair and Reasonable encourages all Parents impacted by Child Support to write to the Prime Minister and Cabinet demanding change now. The response from John Key and his Cabinet over the next two months will decide if we need to escalate to non violent direct action.“ Responded Nicolle when asked what action Parents could take.

“It’s in the hands of those the Prime Minister and Cabinet to take action now or to face an escalating campaign of non violent direct action until they deliver a fair and reasonable child support scheme. Concluded Nicolle.

Contact Details

Jim Nicolle

fairandreasonable@gmail.com

022-6455813

Despite claiming they are improving IRD still stuffs it up.

A New Plymouth couple emerging from an expensive 18-month battle with the tax man over child support payments are wondering how many others are in the same boat.

To get to the start of Shaun and Megan Dymond’s costly story you have to go back to their wedding day on December 15, 2008 and then the birth of their son in October 2009.With Mr Dymond already paying child support for two children from a previous relationship, the couple knew they had to notify Inland Revenue of their changes in circumstance.

The couple said Mr Dymond telephoned Inland Revenue on various occasions to tell them about both of these events.However, his child support payments continued to be assessed as a single man without a child because the Inland Revenue had not received notice of the changes in writing.

But IRD seem confused as :  “They called to say they had found my family support application from December 2008 which my husband had signed and they could use that as written notification. They said it was a bit unusual but if it’s deemed to be written notification by them I don’t see why it’s unusual,” she said.

 I’m sure there are many of these cases.

Regards

Scrap

Millionaire John Key and his  highly paid cronies in Cabinet have backed off a promised review of the Child Support assessment formula – but of course are pressing ahead with lowering the top income tax rate for anyone lucky enough to be amongst the 6 per cent of income earners who qualify for it….such as Cabinet Ministers.

 Here is the text of a letter I recently received from the Chief Robber Baron aka Minister of Revenue, the  (Dis)Honourable Peter Dunne MP explaining the news to peasants and serfs such as myself.

“I can tell you that substantial work has recently been undertaken on aspects of the child support system, such as considering the income of both parents and the costs of raising children in New Zealand.  However, Cabinet for the time being has decided to defer further consideration of the issues. In light of that decision I am currenlty giving further consideration to the matter and hope to be in a position to submit  fresh proposals to the Cabinet in the next little while.”  Hon Peter Dunne

In other words this is BS for “I tried, but they didn’t give a rat’s **** as indeed do I really.”  Dunne is in a position to rock the boat but all he seems to want to do is purchase a fatter cushion for himself in the stern.

For all those of us who get paid fortnightly be aware there were 27 not 26 pay fortnight  periods in the last income tax assessed year, so this year even though there is only 26 pay fortnights you will be paying your child support tax on an income based on 27 fortnightly pays.  How is that for Irish logic and yet Cabinet sees nothing needs improving?

I encourage all on this site to write to Mr Dunne to express your outrage and disappointment.

Who said this ? When did they say it?

The further point that follows from that is that when non-custodial parents are asked to pay a substantially increased sum of money into the State’s coffers to offset the cost of benefits those non-custodial parents will find it that much more difficult to engage in voluntary support for their children in all those many different ways in which that voluntary support occurs—by means of the payment of pocket money, by buying an occasional pair of shoes, by paying for the occasional music lesson, and all those kinds of things in which, in fact, non-custodial parents in those situations frequently engage. From the evidence presented to the select committee it was quite clear that a number of such parents will find it very difficult to engage in such payments in the future. Therefore, of course, their children will be that much worse off as a consequence. The custodial parent will not receive any additional income; the non-custodial parent will lose income.

Have a read of this, its very enlightening Child Tax history

Regards

Scrap

Men have no reproductive rights. In fact they are punished and held in servitude for the reproductive choices of women. Think I am exaggerating? Think again.

Here is an American group raising awareness of this issue.

“The problems connected to unwanted pregnancies exist not because a guy has sex. Sex will always happen. The problems happen because American males simply are not aware of how dating, sex and our legal system work against them.”

This stuff should be part of the education we give boys. We could start by having volunteers give a lecture at voluntary senior classes in boys schools.