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Father & Child Trust Forum, Wellington 7th Sept 2001      Page one  

The opening address (text here) was by the Minister of Women's Affairs Hon Laila Harre. The last few paragraphs are very interesting. Note the swipe at Family Court protesters. 
"It doesn't escape some of our attention that the growing harassment at our family courts looks much like the gauntlet women still have to run to access legal abortions. And much of the rhetoric used demonstrates a similar analysis of women's experience."

Published papers from the forum:

Child and Family: Children in Families as reflected in Statistics, research and policy Issues Paper No. 11, edited by Stuart Birks.   Centre For Public Policy Evaluation - November 2001 (link to pdf file)

  1. Opening Address;  Laila Harr�.
  2. Keynote Address: Children and Public Policy � Putting Children at the Centre; John Angus.
  3. Family and Whanau in a Changing World; Joan Metge.
  4. Statistical Families; Frank Nolan.
  5. Why be concerned about the statistical family? Stuart Birks.
  6. Keynote Address: Evidence-Based Policy and Practice � What Works for Children? Ian Shirley.
  7. The NZSCHF definition of �family� and its implications; Stuart Birks.

 

Photo below - the afternoon session about to get underway. In the right hand side of the third row from the bottom are members of the Coalition for Safe Families and Rape Crisis, who handed out fliers  headed "Men's Rights" groups in New Zealand - What is the truth? Text here. Merepeka Ruakawa-Tait, CEO Women's Refuge is in foreground on left. To her credit, she attended despite being pressured to avoid any contact with the Father and Child Trust. 

Principal Family Court Judge Mahony talks with Father and Child Society President Phil Chapman:

Forum organisers Jim Yates, Mike Wignall and Stuart Birks:

Richard Macdonald (Union Of Fathers, Christchurch) and organiser John Brickell (Father & Child Trust, Wellington, and Advocate at the Office of the Commission for Children)

More pictures page two

 

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