UK and Dutch members of Fathers 4 Justice overpowered police and stormed a conference on family law last Friday, forcing the evacuation of the building.

The fathers’ rights group was hoping to get the chance to remonstrate with the UK children and families minister, Lord Filkin, outside the conference venue, which is next to the Regent’s canal in north London.

The group’s spokesman, Matt O’Connor, told SocietyGuardian.co.uk that the minister could have found himself “in at the deep end”.

Acting on a tip-off, the police stationed three divers and a dinghy in the canal as a precaution, and more than 30 policemen were brought in to guard the conference centre.

The Union of Fathers believes a new Family Court pilot scheme will be a huge success, if it is well resourced.

A non judge-led mediation service is being trialled to resolve custody and access issues on Auckland’s North Shore.

Union of Fathers spokesman Jim Bagnall says it is critical highly skilled mediators are used, so parents understand what is best for their children.

Mr Bagnall says interest in the pilot is huge because New Zealanders want change in the Family Court.

There are hopes a pilot scheme for resolving child custody issues will be more successful than the current system.

Early next year families on Auckland’s North Shore will be given the option of accepting mediation not led by a judge.

Courts Minister Rick Barker says currently families referred to mediation can wait weeks or even months to be appointed a Family Court judge.

He says this way, properly trained mediators can speed up the process and help families find their own solutions.

Concerns for the safety of a woman and her children were raised last night after a Christchurch judge allowed a convicted wife-beater to apply for home detention.

Brian Gardner, the national manager of the National Network of Stopping Violence Services, said the man should never have been allowed to apply for home detention.

“If he gets home detention his partner will effectively be his jailer,” he said.

“Courts are abdicating their responsibility for care and protection by sending an abusive man back to the house with his victims.”

Home detention orders are only served with the consent of the woman involved, but Sheryl Hann, the policy research adviser of the National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges, said victims might agree because they were fearful of retaliation.

“Judges need to realise that domestic violence is a life and death situation and that home detention should never be allowed under any circumstances.”

A Rotorua woman lied to police about being raped and kidnapped by her partner to get revenge on him for seriously assaulting her, the Rotorua District Court was told.

The 55-year-old, who has interim name suppression, pleaded guilty to a charge of fabricating evidence and will be sentenced in December.

The woman alleged her partner held her captive at a Rotorua house this year before taking her to a beach where she was assaulted, raped and violated.

The man was committed to trial after a depositions hearing but the woman later signed an affidavit saying the rape and kidnapping allegations were false.

A Westport man who threatened to shoot people unless his tax debt was wiped was jailed for two years when he appeared in the Westport District Court.

Wayne William Anderson, 45, was sentenced to two years in jail for drink-driving, possessing a rifle and ammunition and holding a firearm without a licence.

On July 22, Anderson was phoning Inland Revenue when he threatened to go out and start shooting people within 30 minutes if his debts were not cleared.

Police found Anderson 50 minutes later with a loaded rifle, 72 rounds of ammunition and bottles of spirits in his car.

His lawyer, Doug Taffs, said Anderson’s offending followed the tragic death of his son. His stress was exacerbated by the tax department trying to recover child support debt.

A 20-year-old man who allegedly snatched his two-year-old son from his former partner in the Far North yesterday will appear in the Kaikohe District Court today.

Up to 50 police, including the armed offenders squad, were involved in the operation from about 7.30am.

The boy and his mother were the subject of a protection order.

A hunting rifle was in the vehicle but Mr Swann said his understanding was that the firearm was not carried during the alleged abduction.

After the kidnap, the man eventually made his way to Teal Bay where he parked his dark green 1997 Ford Falcon station wagon under a pohutukawa tree at a reserve at the end of the beach, near an estuary.

First it was Wayne Pruden who kidnapped his son, now another father has taken the law into his own hands abducting his son, so is the Family Court giving fathers a fair go, or are some Dads out of control?

Streaming video of Holmes interviewing Jim Bagnal from Union of Fathers

Mothers who kill their children may not be able to argue post-natal depression to avoid a murder conviction after a Government-ordered review of infanticide laws.

Justice Minister Phil Goff has asked the Law Commission to consider whether infanticide should be repealed, because sentencing laws now allow judges to consider mitigating factors for murder and vary sentences.

Any change to the law will spark an emotional debate about whether a mentally ill woman who kills her child should carry the stigma of being called a murderer.

There are also concerns the penalty for murder can be far greater than for infanticide, which carries a maximum penalty of three years’ jail.

Wiping away tears, Hamilton man Wayne Pruden talks about how he went to pick up his 15-month old son yesterday and came home without him.

He should have had his 15-month-old son returned to him after a four-week holiday in Vietnam.

But Mr Pruden, 42, has no idea where his son is, though it is believed he is back in Hamilton.

The toddler left a month ago with his Vietnamese mother and was to have returned to New Zealand last week.

The boy’s passport has since been surrendered to Hamilton District Court in accordance with a Family Court ruling and Mr Pruden expected to see his son yesterday as part of a shared custody agreement.

But Mr Pruden — who hid his son in a Hamilton motel in a bid to prevent him from leaving New Zealand last month — waited in vain at the usual meeting place in the city and wonders whether his son is in New Zealand at all.

Well away from pig hunting and jugs of beer, in the halls of Waikato University, psychology lecturer Dr Darrin Hodgetts says for the last couple of decades men have been told that there’s something wrong with expressing the sort of manly traits idealised by brewery and ute adverts…

A couple of decades of feminism has negatively influenced the thinking of universities and the public sector towards the traditional Kiwi male, Hodgetts says.

He has published research on women’s health, but has also studied post-feminist theory and says the academic view of masculinity has been skewed too far to the negative.

Women’s studies academics at Auckland University have sensed anti-feminist attitudes in his research topic, and challenged him to a debate. The glint in his eye indicates he’s looking forward to it.

It shouldn’t be sacrilegious to question why there isn’t more male gender research being done, he says, particularly in the field of men’s health.

Nelson police are unapologetic for arresting a man shortly after his partner gave birth to a baby girl they say is drug-dependent due to the mother’s drug addiction.

The five-day-old baby has been placed into the interim care of Child, Youth and Family after police concerns about the mother’s drug habit and the arrest of the baby’s father Warwick James for breach of bail.

James said he was approached by Detective Sergeant Tony Bernards minutes after the birth of his daughter on Sunday morning and hospital staff were in tears as he was taken to a nearby foyer and told he was to go to the Nelson police station.

“I said I did not think this was a very appropriate time and could he come back later,” he said.

“They could have waited until the next day. I wasn’t going anywhere.”

The New Zealand Law Society’s October 2004 Advanced Counsel for Child Workshop at Waipuna Lodge in Auckland was the target of a Union of Fathers protest last Monday.

Men have long complained that counsels for child often act as a second lawyer for the mother, and typically fail to protect the father/child relationship. Union of Fathers members say that the generous fees paid to lawyers who help remove fathers from families would be better utilised in mediation, conflict resolution and communication courses, and other interventions which aim to allow children continuing contact with both their parents following a relationship break-up.

One reporter from a local paper turned up to cover the protest, but as none of the superheros present were prepared to undertake dramatic or disruptive actions, television reporters were not interested. Fortunately, menz.org.nz has obtained video footage of the event for your entertainment:

Download Counsel for Child protest video here [486KB .wmv]

A small but dedicated bunch of men women and children (plus a “parrot” – centre of photo behind cake) turned up to celebrate the 10th Aniversary of Men’s Centre North Shore. Several super-heroes were in attendance. Jack Lioneagle’s protest songs were played loudly, Speights was sunk and cake was eaten.

The evening’s most enthusiastically received toast was “that in another 10 years the Men’s Centre would be redundant”.

The Ministry of Youth Development (formerly Youth Affairs) have recently produced a literature review on Young Males that I thought I would post on this site.

Launched by the Hon John Tamihere, Minister of Youth Affairs, the publication Young Males: Strengths-based and male-focused approaches is anticipated to be of great interest to all people who work with the young men of New Zealand. Young Males: Strengths-based and male-focused approaches can be downloaded here.

There are a number of male youth behaviours within New Zealand that have been identified as a cause for concern. Often these behaviours place people, property, or the young men themselves at risk. Young men are disproportionately represented in areas such as leaving school without qualifications, unemployment, justice sector interactions and a number of high health risk behaviours including motor vehicle accidents and youth suicide.

The Ministry of Youth Development recognises that a number of agencies and organisations currently deliver programmes, initiatives and interventions to assist young males in areas of their lives where they could be doing better. The literature review explores two proposed strategies for improving programme outcomes for young men, these are: strengths-based approaches and male-focused delivery styles.

There has not been a lot of work conducted into how gender-related factors contribute to programme recruitment, retention or outcomes. The findings do, however, identify a number of areas where the experiences, feelings, behaviours and needs of young males differ from those of young females.

It should be noted that this is one of the first government publications to record young men not as “at risk” of poor outcomes, but as inherently “at promise” of healthy lives. This strengths-based approach is seen as a significant tool when working with young men. Young men are not a problem to be fixed, but rather an enthusiastic and vibrant source of energy which can be directed positively.

I trust that you will find this publication of interest and that we can work together to promote the potential benefits that the acknowledgement of gender may bring.

Experts say domestic violence is just as severe and as prevalent in same-sex relationships as in heterosexual ones, with a third of homosexual partnerships estimated to be abusive.

But a taboo exists around what the gay community calls the “second closet”, resulting in under-reporting of violence and a scarcity of support services.

Auckland’s Jo Butler, who runs one of the few programmes for lesbian victims of domestic violence, says there is an ideological reluctance from many lesbians to acknowledge women can be as abusive as men.

“I think lesbians have to get real about this,” she said.

“Nobody’s talking about it, but until we as a community face up to this, then nothing’s going to happen. It’s really hard for women coming out with this if no-one wants to hear about it.”

Her Auckland-based Breaking the Cycle programme had counselled lesbians who sustained abuse as bad as in any heterosexual relationship, including sexual violence.

Government plans to give Family Court judges the power to vet media stories is a form of censorship that journalists strongly oppose, Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) New Zealand chairman Gavin Ellis said today.

Family Court proceedings would be opened to the public and media with tight restrictions in place, the Government announced yesterday.

Changes were designed to improve transparency without compromising proceedings, ministers said.

Media and others could attend hearings with the judge’s permission, while involved parties could ask for outsiders to be excluded.

Judges could direct that draft news reports be submitted to the court to check they complied with court directions.

Any breach of those directions would mean individuals were liable of three months’ imprisonment or a $2000 fine and organisations up to $10,000 in fines.

Dr Muriel Newman – Press Releases – Social Welfare

ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader and Social Welfare Spokesman Dr Muriel Newman today predicted that New Zealand would never be able to reduce its levels of domestic violence so long as the Family Court protects perpetrators behind closed doors.

“On Radio New Zealand today, Chief Family Court Judge Peter Boshier explained that an open Family Court could impact badly on children in violent families,” Dr Newman said.

“But, by dealing with domestic violence in private, the Family Court is effectively protecting perpetrators of a particularly reprehensible act from the scrutiny of a public that has little tolerance for such a crime, and allowing false allegations to remain untested.

“The question must also be asked as to why these cases are not then referred to the District Court, so that the offenders can be brought to justice – rather than allowing domestic violence to be swept under the carpet as part of a custody and access dispute.

“The Family Court should be an open court. Those who seek to protect the court’s privacy are hindering citizens’ right to open justice,” Dr Newman said.

ENDS

Fathers in New Zealand are waiting for their own Batman to raise awareness for their cause.

A man dressed as the caped crusader has drawn world wide attention for the plight of dads estranged from their children after staging a five hour protest perched on a ledge at Buckingham Palace.

The Union of Fathers here says they are watching the activities of their British counterparts with interest and admiration.

Spokesman Darrell Carlin says his group has moved from protesting to lobbying, but he is not ruling out similar stunts being staged in New Zealand.

BBC News report and photos of Batman protest.

Audio Report: Newstalk ZB UK correspondent Gavin Grey talks to Paul Holmes about the high profile protest by a Fathers’ Rights campaigner who scaled Buckingham Palace dressed as Batman.

John Tamihere has again defended boys’ rights to be boys.

The Youth Affairs minister has attacked the media’s portrayal of boys as “problems” and society’s failure to recognise their differences.

He told the New Zealand Family Daycare Association conference in Rotorua last night: “We are told their behaviour needs to be controlled, managed or handled. It’s as if boys are ticking time bombs – it won’t be long before their latent criminal behaviour is unleashed on the unsuspecting public, or the testosterone surging through their bodies renders them incapable of any rational thought.”

Tamihere – whose “red-blooded Kiwi men” speech was seen as a ploy to win back the bloke vote – said that not recognising boys’ differences from girls’ came at a cost when boys were under-performing in educational areas.

“I want to make one thing clear – boys are not the problem. It’s time to stop blaming them.” He said most boys and young men could “deal with their hormones”.

“As a society, it’s time to show our boys we are proud of them and who they are. Let’s drop the blame mentality of the past. Let’s focus on their potential.

“For so long we have been blaming our young men – yet it is our behaviour they are reproducing.”

Following on from his red-blooded bloke speech when he attacked political correctness, saying heterosexual men needed to re-assert themselves, Tamihere reiterated the need for positive male role models.

“In a boy’s life, their father is often the most significant figure. Yet for many boys today, finding a male to look up to and seek guidance from is not an easy task.”

Tamihere said one in three boys lived apart from their fathers. A mere 18 per cent of primary teachers were men. The minister has long been a defender of men’s rights to be men. Last September he told the Sunday Star-Times that blokes shouldn’t be afraid to leave the toilet seat up or have a beer with mates at the pub.

He said too much suspicion was cast over men in matters such as marriage break-ups, child custody rights and allegations of impropriety.

“Basically, I’m sick of men having to apologise for having a penis,” he said last year. “Look at what goes on in the family court, that is a system that always presumes the man is guilty.”

The Broadcasting Standards Authority today released a decision upholding a complaint from Peter Ellis about an interview conducted on National Radio’s Nine to Noon programme in August 2003.

The BSA ordered Radio New Zealand to pay $5,300 legal costs to the complainant, to broadcast an apology on Nine to Noon, to publish a summary of the decision in the four major metropolitan daily newspapers, and to pay the maximum level of costs to the Crown of $5,000.

During the broadcast an anonymous mother and son were interviewed. They made new, unspecified allegations concerning Mr Ellis and the Christchurch Civic Creche in 1985, which had not been part of the court proceedings concerning the Creche.

The BSA ruled that the broadcast seriously breached standards of fairness and balance. It noted that Mr Ellis was being anonymously accused of criminal but unspecified offending of a very serious kind. Mr Ellis had previously declined an invitation to participate in a ‘sympathetic’ interview. He had not been made aware of the new allegations before they were broadcast. Even so the allegations were so vague they would have been impossible to defend.

With regard to balance, the BSA noted that the allegations made by the interviewees were neither substantiated nor critically examined by the broadcaster. In any case the nature and type of allegations would have made balance very difficult to achieve.

In its decision, the BSA said: “Mr Ellis has been convicted of and has served a prison sentence for sexual offences…. He is nonetheless a citizen of this country and, like all other citizens, is entitled to be treated justly and fairly. The Authority notes its deep concern at what amounted to a serious disregard for Mr Ellis’s rights.”

Other possible penalties able to be imposed by the BSA include requiring the broadcaster to cease broadcasting for a period. The BSA did not invoke this option as it did not see an overriding merit in disadvantaging the programme’s usual audience. As Radio New Zealand is a non-commercial broadcaster the BSA could not impose the other major penalty (previously imposed on other broadcasters), that of requiring the broadcaster to cease broadcasting advertising for a period.

A copy of the decision is available here. In line with its usual policy, the BSA will not be making any further comment.

Maharey defends penalty on solo mums

Media Release

10 September 2004

Jim Nicolle
NZ Child Support Reform Network

DPB recovery is not Child Support

“Given the fundamental flaws of the Child Support Act 1991, it is not surprising that mothers refuse to lodge a so call Child Support application,” commented Jim Nicolle, spokesperson for the New Zealand Child Support Reform Network.

“Let’s call a spade a spade. The Child Support Act 1991 is focused on collecting money, not on supporting our children, and is nothing more than a tax applied to ‘liable’ parents. The bulk of this child tax is extracted to the consolidated fund to ‘recover’ the DPB.

“A parent can be paying thousands of dollars a year in compulsory assessment, via this unfair and unreasonable regime, knowing that it never reaches their children.

“Labour should be honest and admit that this legislation is failing our children, depriving them of a financial future, and placing them at risk that can be avoided, ” Nicolle stated.

“Parents do not object to supporting their children, they do object to being viewed as working chequebooks by the Labour Government. Its time this dated and fundamentally flawed Child Support Regime was replaced by a fair and reasonable child support system that focused on supporting our children, not benefit recovery, ” concluded Nicolle.

Jim Nicolle Co-ordinator
NZ Child Support Reform Network
Wellington regional contact.
[email protected]
(04) 586-0880
(021) 452-628

NZCSReform is a network of groups and individuals working in their area
of interest, to bring about a fair and reasonable child support system
replacing the current unfair and unreasonable Child Support Regime.

The Government is not convinced major changes to the structure of courts are needed but has ordered officials to look into this further.

However, Justice Minister Phil Goff and Courts Minister Rick Barker said its focus was first on improving efficiency in the courts system rather than planning radical changes to its structure.

The Government yesterday released its response to a report by the Law Commission that recommended a raft of measures aimed at making the courts simpler, quicker and cheaper for those going through them.

The commission released its report in March.

Among its many recommendations was axing the district court and replacing it with a community court to deal with minor cases — the prime reason for many of the current backlogs — and specialist criminal and civil courts to deal with more serious cases.
(more…)

Labour tells us ” its on the radar” .The ACT Party responds with a call to “scrap the Ministry of Women’s Affairs” .

Let me take you back to Monday 6 September :

Over tea last night Jim, Kerry, Jack and myself discussed the Men’s Picnic on fathers day at Parliament. It was a great day full of fun and clowns,face painting, balloon’s, radio controlled cars, soccer, frisbees, lollie scrambles, sausages in sauce,music and fizzy. It was a day when some fathers where able to celebrate their fatherhood with their children. Be it balloon sword fights or or cooking the sausages together. I know my little man had a ball and will remember the picnic for a long time.

Not all dads who came had the opportunity to spend fathers day with their children. A number had been deprived of their children by the outdated, adversarial system of Family Law in our country. A system that fuels existing conflict and creates conflict where none exists. All the while tearing families apart and stripping away “liable parents” and their children’s financial future via “Child Support”. Everyone knows that New Zealand Family Law is a failed social experiment in need of real reform.

The fatherlessness of our children is a very worrying social trend. Kids need dads. Parents are demanding a system of shared parenting. Equal parents, jointly making decisions and sharing the care of our children.

It was a Fathers Day picnic on Parliament grounds , the start of a tradition that will continue for a long time. One day it will be a celebration of real reform of Family Law and the Child Support Act. The fesivity did carry a subtle message. Men have identified who has the power to bring about the radical change required to redress the balance. Political Parties have been put on notice.

Which brings us back to the current debate.

(more…)

The ACT Party has a way to deal with John Tamihere’s suggestion for a ministry of men’s affairs — even things up by scrapping the Ministry of Women’s Affairs.

ACT MP Heather Roy said Mr Tamihere was right when he said men were not treated the same as women.

“But rather than setting up a ministry of men’s affairs we should even things up by simply scrapping the Women’s Affairs Ministry,” she said in a statement.

“The ministry does nothing for women but tell them that the white, middle-class heterosexual male is to blame for everything — all the while treating women with patronising sympathy and telling them they need closer relationships with the Government.”