International Men’s Day was conceived and coordinated by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, history lecturer from the University of West Indies and the first event was held at the Families in Action Headquarters in Newtown, Port of Spain on 19th November, 1999. In following years the event was jointly coordinated by Dr. Teelucksingh and Harrack Balramsingh, Chairman of Citizens for a Better Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT).

Dr. Teelucksingh chose the date partly to coincide with his father’s birthday, whom he felt was an excellent male role model, and also because it was the day in which the football team in his country created a level of unity which crossed gender, religious and ethnic divisions. He added, “I realised there was no day for men… some have said that there is Father’s Day, but what about young boys, teenagers and men who are not fathers?”

Early objectives of IMD proposed by Dr. Teelucksingh were

1. Improving gender relations between men and women,
2. Addressing problems and challenges of men,
3. Promoting gender equality,
4. Highlighting positive role models, and
5. Creating a safer, better world.

Of these he emphasised the importance of positive male role models, “not just movie stars and sports men but everyday, working class men who are living decent, honest lives”. He also suggested there had developed an unfair practice of ‘stereotyping’ and ‘unfairly branding’ males as perpetrators of violence in homes and in society, and said that this was one of the issues he hoped to start addressing.

The idea of celebrating an International Men’s Day received written support from U.N. officials in UNESCO and the event has continued to be celebrated annually in Trinidad and Tobago and other countries since it’s beginning.

We too in New Zealand need a day to recognise the gender imbalance and to propose implementation of moves towards a more equal society. Most nationally recognised domestic violence organisations view the issue of domestic violence from a feminist ideological [people who place women’s rights before victim’s rights] perspective. These organisations argue that contemporary men’s rights groups are guilty of singling out and then presenting data that supports their belief that men and women are equally guilty of domestic violence. It is time for New Zealand to follow the same path with the rest of world in recognising our laws are for equality and not for feminist domination.

But that’s just one area in need of focus for single men, fathers, married men who are not fathers, boys and teenagers. All 5 objectives proposed by Dr. Teelucksingh make this day a worthwhile event.

This event and the date has also been recognised and will be celebrated within other countries around the world such as Jamaica, Australia, India, United States, Pakistan, Haiti, Singapore, Malta, South Africa, China, and the United Kingdom.

This post will receive updates as each local area and groups of NZ give their commitment. This day is a National Day for NZ so let’s make this first one something to remember.

The current legislation is an income tax levied on certain parents and not on others. I refer to it as a child tax because that is in fact what it is. It is an illegal tax under the NZ Bill of Rights.

There is nothing in the legislation that relates to the cost of caring for a child.

The money collected under this legislation is based on income of a certain minority. There is very little provision for any other factor other than the income of this minority group. The income of the receiving party is not considered by this legislation. The main point is that it is an income tax. It is not a cost-of-caring-for-child tax.

There is no requirement, monitoring or control for money collected under this legislation to be spent on caring for a child. The money can and is spent on anything at all.

The money collected under this legislation goes either to the government consolidated fund or it goes to whomever the receiving party chooses. What I mean by this is that the person who is nominated to receive this money can elect to have the money sent directly to anyone they like for any reason. It could be directed straight to their TAB account for example. The legislation explicitly provides that the money can go to someone other than the person nominated as being a carer of the child. This is but one example in the legislation that makes it clear that it is a form of tax to be used by the recipient anyway desired.
“The NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990 can protect your rights in two ways:
– The Courts can recognise your rights. However, the Courts may need to balance your rights against the rights of others and the interest of the whole community.
– The Bill of Rights requires the Attorney General to report to Parliament if any proposed law appears inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act. The government will have to justify the need for such a law.
The Act says that any limits on your rights must be reasonable.”[1]

“3. Non-Discrimination and Minority Rights
You have the right to freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief, colour, race, ethnic or national origins, disability, age, political opinion, employment status, family status, and sexual orientation.” [1]

[1] Source Ministry of Justice: http://www.courts.govt.nz/pubs/other/pamphlets/2001/bill_rights_act.html

The current legislation clearly discriminates against a minority in the community based on marital and family status in favour of another group based on their marital and family status.
The legislation must therefore pass the test of balancing the rights of the people being taxed against the rights of others and the interest of the whole community
The current legislation does not protect the rights or interests of the child.
As stated previously the current legislation has nothing at all to do with the cost of caring for the child. There is no requirement, monitoring or control that the money must be spent in the child’s interests. In fact the legislation explicitly allows for the money to be spent on other things.
There is only a vague relationship between the care of the child and who gets the money collected. For example much of the money goes to the government. More importantly, in general the care of the child by the person being taxed is not considered.
As the current legislation has been amended over and over again, clauses that may have provided some protection to the rights of the child have been explicitly removed. There Trend of law makers with this legislation illustrates that the intent of the legislation has moved even further away from protecting the rights of the child and further towards an income tax.
This means that the current legislation does not balance the rights of the child against the fact that is discriminates against a minority of people based on marital status and family status.

It also does not protect the interests of other children involved in blended families. In fact it makes their lives more difficult.

I am not aware of any research or evidence that the community is better off with this current legislation. There are arguments based on ideology and anecdotal evidence both ways on this point. Part of the problem with assessing the net outcome for the community is that the legislation has no relation to the cost for caring for the child. Part of the problem is that the simplistic assumptions of the legislation are ideological, outdated and deeply flawed. Part of the problem is that the implementation of the legislation is a failure. A large number of people can not or will not comply with this system. An even greater number are experiencing real hardship and loss of freedom in order to try to comply.

In addition when considering the interests of the community an erroneous assumption is made that insufficient money would be made available to care for the child. This is not substantiated by the available evidence.

Further more if this legislation was determined to be illegal under the Bill of Rights it would clearly be replaced by other child focused and equitable legislation. In other words the comparison is not between this legislation and having no scheme at all. When weighing the interests of the community of this legislation one must consider that rather than no scheme, some other scheme based on the cost of raising a child would replace it.

Hence the current legislation fails the test of whether the discrimination against one minority based on family status and marital status is balanced by the rights of others and the interests of the whole community.

The current scheme is illegal under the NZ Bill of Rights 1990.
I also believe it is illegal under UN conventions of human rights.

The current scheme is NOT a child support scheme it is a minority income tax scheme.

It would be simple to replace the current scheme with a scheme based on the cost of raising a child across two households. This has been demonstrated in other jurisdictions such as in Australia.

Prof. Edward Kruk (Canada) has published a definitive paper on the merits and policy for shared parenting.

http://www.familylawwebguide.com.au

http://www.familylawwebguide.com.au

PDF copies are attached and the text of the summary is included in the box below.

The papter is entitled “Child Custody, Access, and Parental Responsibility: The Search for a Just and Equitable Standard”, and was written by professor so social work Edward Kruk, M.S.W., Ph.D., at The University of British Columbia. It is published by Fatherhood Involvement Research Alliance (FIRA), December 2008.

He proposes a four-pillar approach to child custody determination:

1. Harm Reduction: A rebuttable legal presumption of joint physical custody after divorce

2. Treatment: Parenting plans, mediation and intervention / support in high conflict cases

3. Prevention: Shared parenting education and judicial determination in cases of established abuse, along with enforcement of shared parental responsibility orders

4. Enforcement: Judicially-determined arrangements in cases where family violence is a factor

The paper provides an empirical foundation for, and a step-by-step process, for implementation of an equal parenting bill.

The paper examines the issues, surveys approaches in UK, USA, Sweden and Australia, examines Canadian Child custody legislation at a provincial level, reviews Canadian efforts to make changes, and critiques the traditional sole custody approach as a basis leading up to the universal four-pillar approach for Equal Parenting.

This paper was commissioned by the Father Involvement Research Alliance (FIRA) based at the University of Guelph. Funding support for FIRA and this paper was provided through a Community University Research Alliance grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The intent of this paper is to promote informed dialogue and debate. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of FIRA or of other researchers/collaborators associated with FIRA. Communications can be addressed to the author.

The full paper, a summary and a Powerpoint presentation, can be download from the following URLs (and are attached below):

– The full paper (101 pages with over a 100 references)

– The Executive Summary (9 pages, text in the box below)

– Paternal Responsibility and Parenting After Divorce (PPT, 93kb)

Father Involvement Research Alliance (FIRA)
http://www.fira.ca/

All FIRA downloadable resources

I understand that Belgium has now had a starting point for custody negotiations of 50% / 50%, for over 2 years. There will now be sufficient experience available, for the outcomes to be evaluated. Another helpful element, is that French / Belgium lawyers are more used to working in a inquisitorial manner and are much less greedy financially than NZ / british style legal-workers.

There is hope – if you are willing to work for it?

To be able to serve children successfully, the familycaught desperately needs your help! MurrayBacon.

The UN, inventor of a raft of fake “human rights” that actually deny us more fundamental human rights recognized since the Magna Carta, will love Helen Clark. Miss Clark has made it her life mission to wreck families in order to increase state control and to impose the fake kinds of right that the UN has promoted.

With Miss Clark off to spread her social corrosion much more widely in the world, we might now imagine that we have voted as a country to move beyond her club of women’s privilege. Surely National will be capable of sensible review of feminist initiatives and will come to recognize current widespread injustice towards men, the importance of family cohesion and the damage caused to the fabric of our society by politically correct fantasies? Well, sadly there’s not much evidence National will be any different from the last lot in these important areas. (more…)

Two boys aged 11 and 13 made a list of young girls (ages not reported) and sexual acts they wanted to carry out on those girls. The boys’ mother discovered the list and handed it to CYFS in 2006. CYFS sat on their hands and did nothing until it came to light that 28 of the girls on the list had been sexually assaulted or “targeted” (actions not reported). CYFS then leapt into action by calling a community meeting, presumably embarrassing everyone involved. The police are now investigating and the boys are being called “sexual predators”. (more…)

This story is a good example of feminist irrationality and superstition. It’s the hoary old issue of trafficking “sex slaves” to work in NZ. Despite there being almost no evidence of it, the feminist crusaders insist it must be a much bigger problem than has been shown. And our new Immigration Minister, although agreeing there is no evidence, doesn’t want to cross the feminist oligarchy so proposes an expensive taskforce involving seven government departments to identify and stop all this trafficking that might perhaps be happening or might perhaps happen in the future. Quite incredible. (more…)

This story reported that CYFS interrogated Chris Kahui’s partner while she was giving birth to their next child. According to Mr Kahui, CYFS banned him from any contact with his new daughter except in the presence of a CYFS-approved supervisor, and they threatened to remove the baby from her mother if he disobeyed their command.

Regardless of what we might think of this man or other family members, CYFS actions here are sexist and highlight their denigrating attitudes to fathers and favouritism towards women. When Chris Kahui was prosecuted for the killing the Kahui twins, the jury took “only minutes” to acquit him. The evidence did not rule out the possibility that the mother killed the twins, and regardless it raised serious concerns about the mother’s lifestyle and ability to protect and otherwise to care for her children. The jury heard all the evidence in a long and thorough trial, but CYFS now decides it is better placed to judge the case. CYFS leaves the new baby unsupervised with the mother and treats the father as the primary risk. Under NZ’s laws based on feminist ideology, CYFS has no need to respect civil rights, to treat someone as innocent unless found guilty, or to respect any right this baby has to develop normal, unencumbered bonds with her father that can secure his commitment to a long term role in her future. Instead, CYFS is allowed to operate a policy that sees the mother as being much more important than the father, and that overlooks the same risks and shortcomings in mothers that will readily be used to justify trashing children’s relationships with their fathers.

Note that in the following story there is not a single mention of fathers. They step towards it by identifying the first 5 years of life as being very important. However they fail to identify all the key factors.

You will often read about “poverty” leading to crime. However this is not so. My parents were dirt poor when they were children.  My father was malnourished they were so poor. They would never dream of doing anything criminal.  Their fathers would have dealt with them if they did.

I put “poverty” in quotes because we are talking about 1st world poverty which is not poverty in the slightest.  It just means they are poor compared to the rest of the society they live in.  Sound research studies show that these negative outcomes are not linked to “poverty” as such. It is just that these poor families are much more likely to lack involved fathers and there is more likely to be a lower value placed on education.

What I do find interesting is the reference to a higher percentage of mothers with mental health problems. I haven’t read research about this factor before. I’d love to read the full research paper.

From TV3:

A forum at Parliament designed to look at the causes of crime has heard that the high Maori crime rate can be put down to the fact that Maori are over-exposed to risk factors that lead to crime.

Factors such as childhood maltreatment and poverty.

While some may claim it is just another talkfest, many at the Drivers Of Crime forum today hope some of the ideas will help stop Maori ending up behind bars.

“I hope it is going to be a lot more than just a hui day and a talk day and see you later, we’ll get back to you after the next election,” said social worker Edge Te Whaiti.

Academic Richie Poulton says Maori are at greater risk of experiencing factors which lead to anti-social behaviour.

“I think there is enough evidence to suggest that they have exposure to a whole lot of risk factors that are higher than for Pakeha,” he said.

Those factors include poverty, childhood neglect and mothers with mental health problems.

Maori Party co-leader Dr Pita Sharples says Maori are 11 times more likely to be jailed than other ethnic groups.

“Maori are more likely to be apprehended, more likely to be placed before a court, more likely to be convicted and more likely to be incarcerated than any other people on the same charge,” he said.

The Greens are calling for a separate justice system for Maori. They say the system we have now is biased.

“A justice system could do a very good job for Maori victims and offenders in removing the bias from the system,” said Green MP Metira Turei.

National’s Justice Minister Simon Power was dismissive of the idea though.

“It’s an interesting issue, I wouldn’t subscribe to,” he said.

The Maori Party says it is already been working on alternative Maori solutions in the justice system.

“We have some restorative justice which began for Maori, now they deal with everybody and they are really brilliant. But, they are Maori solutions” said Dr Sharples.

Mr Poulton says if you really want to reduce crime in New Zealand society, early intervention, ideally in the first five years of life is key.

This Sunday on Real Life, our guest is National Director of Family First, Bob McCoskrie.

Real Life with John Cowan is a weekly nationwide chat show, featuring a different high-profile guest every week. John talks with them about their life, their upbringing, their passions and their view of the world. And when appropriate, we chat about faith, spirituality and “God-stuff”.

Real Life with John Cowan is all about the big questions of Life.

Real Life with John Cowan is an interactive programme, so please contact us with your question or comments here.

To speak with John Cowan on Real Life on NewstalkZB…

ph 0800 80 1080
fax 0800 00 3299

To find Radio Frequencies in your area click HERE

1. Families Comm’n Pushes Anti-Smacking Ideology

In an Op-Ed in the Timaru Herald (27 March 09) entitled ” Positive Parenting means not having to smack ” the new chief commissioner of the Families Commission says:

Family First responded with an Op-Ed published the next day in the same paper entitled ” We owe it to good parents to get smacking law right ” written by researcher for Family First Sue Reid. In it she says:
(more…)

Blenheim residents are being warned to be wary of women talking their way into houses under the pretence of using phones or toilets, following burglary complaints.

Constable Michelle Stagg said police in the past week had received three complaints relating to two females preying on elderly residents in the Springlands area.

The pair, in their 20s, talked their way inside, with one keeping the resident occupied while the other stole cash.

Police were not certain whether the events were related, but said it served as a reminder as to why residents should not let strangers into their homes.

Anyone who has been targeted by a pair of women, or with information about who they might be, was urged to contact police.

The woman who gave birth to a baby on an international flight from Samoa to Auckland has been charged with abandoning the baby girl and assaulting her.

The 29-year-old Samoan woman’s baby was now in the care of Child Youth and Family (CYF) and the woman due to appear in the Manukau District Court today.

Police today announced the woman had been charged, six days after cleaners found the baby in a toilet rubbish bin on a Pacific Blue flight from Samoa to Auckland.

The mother apparently was on her way to New Zealand to work as a kiwifruit picker when her daughter was born.

The infant was found after the woman had left the aircraft. The mother and baby were both taken to Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland.

There have been heated exchanges at a rape trial at the High Court in Wellington, where police recruit Mark James Tulloch, 31, is accused of raping a woman he met on an internet dating site.

A lot is riding on getting to the truth now a days with the push from feminists to find more men guilty of rape charges and men who are innocent and not wanting to go to prison for around 8 years on a false allegation.

This case is really juicy.

A single mother has been on dating websites writing sexual, talking sex over the phone and having text sex including pictures of herself naked to other men.

She meets up with a man, invites him back to her house for a shag, gives oral sex, drinks more with the neighbour and then accuses the man of rape after they have sex.

But this is not the only man she has accused of rape. Another man is waiting trial for an accusation from her also.

The defence lawyer has accused her of being a dangerous woman who has made false complaints in the past. But she says the rape did happen, and she has gone through a huge amount of suffering.

Read full story HERE

A Sydney woman admitted to hacking up her husband’s body before disposing of it at various locations around NSW, a court has been told.

The torso, legs and one arm of 47-year-old Revesby man Wayne Robert Chant were found dumped in three separate NSW locations more than 16 years ago.

“The crown alleges that the accused shot the deceased at their home in Revesby. She then took the body into the back yard and dismembered it,” Mr Hobart said.

“She cut off the legs and the arms and the hands and the headless, armless, legless torso was then disposed off.”

The body parts were kept in freezers in the Chant’s home before being hidden at various sites around the state, he said.

I have come to the realisation that the psychologists the Family Court employs as their s133 Report Writers are available because they would not be accepted in the reality world of psychoanalysts.

I have discovered this first hand when my partner and I were ‘advised’ by the Court that a fifth, yes 5th s133 report was going to be prepared regarding my partner’s youngest child’s cry about the treatment he was and is receiving from his mother. We fought for a new psychologist and were welcomed with the news that a Ms T from West Auckland would be constructing the report by way of interviews etc. you know the drill. (more…)

From the Los Angeles Times:

Philippine women’s groups say there’s a plot to free U.S. Marine convicted of rape

Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith was convicted in 2006. Now the alleged rape victim has recanted and moved to the U.S. Philippine women’s activists charge that authorities are conspiring to set Smith free.
By Paul Watson
March 19, 2009

Reporting from Manila — Women’s rights activists accused U.S. and Philippine authorities Wednesday of conspiring to free a U.S. Marine convicted of rape after his alleged victim recanted her assault claims and reportedly moved to the United States. (more…)

We thought you’d be interested in Famiy First’s latest Media Release. Feel free to forward it on to your local MP and others on your Contacts list.

PS… If you support the work and ‘voice’ of Family First NZ and would be willing to contribute towards the cost of this research, we would greatly appreciate it! DONATE HERESmall amounts of money are appreciated just as large amounts and donations are tax deductible … “Donations qualify for the Donation Rebate”..

Family First Media Release 18 March 2009
(more…)

Scouts Manukau is running an event in conjunction with Stuart Fleming, it’s a great opportunity because:

Stuart is very experienced in dealing with young people — he is the Scouts NZ National Commissioner, with plenty of first-hand experience in such challenging roles as Leader in Charge of the Youth Services Team (15-20 year olds) at recent Jamborees

He is a professional speaker, and highly entertaining, as well as full of great practical advice.

His techniques work just as effectively on spouses, colleagues and clients!

He is offering this evening at special Scouting rates, and the chance for Groups to use the event as a fundraiser also.

When: Thursday March 19; 7:30pm until 9:30pm

Where: Te Tuhi Arts Centre, Reeves Road, Pakuranga (behind The Plaza)

Cost: $10 per person

If this is of interest we’d welcome any parents and children who would like to attend.

MOSCOW (AFP) – A woman from Russia’s Siberian region of Irkutsk has been arrested for killing a friend and then eating part of the corpse, Interfax news agency reported, quoting local investigators.

The incident occurred on March 5 when the two women were drinking together at the suspect’s home and an argument broke out between them.

“Investigators have information to suggest the woman cooked pieces of her murdered friend and ate them,” said an official with the Russian prosecutor’s investigative committee, Vladimir Salovarov.

He added that the perpetrator killed her friend with an axe and that uneaten parts of the victim’s body had been found in a nearby waste bin.

The detained woman had confessed her guilt, Salovarov said.

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=77649

Hi folks
I have noticed an increasing tendency for judges in cases in Hawkes Bay to appoint a ‘counsel to assist the court’ in FC cases where the father is self represented.
I’m just wondering if there is a trend in any other regions?
For the record they don’t seem to add much to the proceedings other than cost to the tax payer!
regards
Ken

Let’s believe in our boys and ensure they have the best opportunities to become secure and loving men.

Boys can be bold, bright, challenging and fun.

This seminar will not only share the latest research on boys, but will also give great ideas and insights to help boys thrive.

Ian Grant is brilliant! Nothing else can describe him.

He speaks on radio all the time about the breakdown of families. His workbooks have been picked up by Psychologists, foster parents and others working with children. He had, when I attended a seminar years ago, taught the police in New Zealand and Australia how to deal with youth and may still be doing this.

If you can attend this … you will not regret it.

When: Tuesday 24 March, 7.30pm — 10.00pm
Where: Dunedin Town Hall, Dunedin – Show map
Restrictions: All Ages
Ticket Information:

* Double : $35.00
* Single: $20.00
* Buy Tickets — 0800 53 56 59

Website: www.theparentingplace.com

It is really sad how programs work. This is not a perfect description but it isn’t far off.

Someone came up with a theory and this theory extended to other theories. (All students are learning these theories). Then and now research is done by hypothesis to measure these theories. Sociology does this and so does scientific study when it is combined with sociology. After all, the 2 are so different but both need to exist at the same time.

Anyhow, some one funds this theory and it’s hypothesis research and people lobby to get it released and implemented. All the way through it’s process someone is funding all actions.

When it comes to domestic violence women’s studies dominate research. Even if you have men’s research it is made around women’s studies known today as gender studies.

Anyhoo, back to the programs.
(more…)

I came across an interesting piece of information. According to the NZ Doctor magazine only two NZ GPs have had memorials built in their honour. One of them was Margaret Cruickshank, the first woman GP to be registered in New Zealand. She died in the 1918 influenza epidemic, and a marble statue was erected in her honour in 1923. A photo of the unveiling of the statue shows the many men as well as women celebrating this woman’s achievement and service; see it at http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/margaret-cruickshank-memorial.

My point in drawing attention to this is to remind people that vitriolic feminist portrayals of pre-feminist society are often dishonest in suggesting that those few men who didn’t directly exploit and abuse women still denied women’s capabilities and aimed to keep women in their traditional roles without power or status. In fact, many men respected women’s contributions both mundane and extraordinary. The vast majority of men simply wanted the best for their wives and families. It’s well past time this was acknowledged.

Many readers thought it a good idea to have non-payers of child support stopped at the border, but others see problems in any attempt to find a simple answer….

Regards

Scrap

DB says offensive signs will be taken down

Here’s some great news for Friday the 13th!

As a result of a local community protest against an offensive billboard, the company responsible has said it will be taken down. Brilliant!

YES! It is worth speaking up . Congratulations to Voice Waikato. They have our full support.

DB Breweries’ porn billboard sparks protest
NZ Herald Mar 13, 2009
A billboard asking “Would you rather watch porn with your Mum or your sister?”, has sparked calls for stricter controls on outdoor advertising. The billboard in Hamilton’s CBD advertises a pre-mixed drink made by DB Breweries. Advocacy group Voice Waikato has put up a sign in response saying “This is offensive – porn hurts women and children.” The controversial billboard sparked furious debate on talk-back radio this morning.

Family First NZ today backed Voice Waikato, saying the billboard glorified pornography and could be seen by children and families.

“It is offensive to many, and ignores the harm that pornography is doing in our community and the contribution it makes to family breakdown, addiction, aggressive sexual behaviour, sex role stereotyping, and viewing people simply as sexual objects,” national director Bob McCroskie said.

He said the billboard’s publication showed advertisers were ignoring the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), a watchdog that he said was viewed as “a toothless wonder.”

Family First has called for a committee to be established to pre-approve billboards. Mr McCroskie said the committee should include specialists to advocate for the protection of children and families from offensive billboards. “Families are sick to death of being confronted with offensive material as they drive along motorways and through city streets.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10561488

Have a great weekend

Bob McCoskrie
National Director