Features:

Cloth Nappies

In this age of instant this and disposable that, Mark Nixon writes about the joys of cloth nappies

So Close, Yet So Far
Brendon Smith writes about Vaughan, a dedicated, hardworking and considerate workmate, mate, and father. It wasn’t until he won tickets to a concert however, that his real fathering side came out.

What Are We Doing Today?

A Very Slow Recovery

Book Review: Men After Separation

Opinion: Discrimination

In Brief:

Child Support Amendment Bill Proposed
New Revenue Minister Peter Dunne is willing to waive up to $500 million of unpaid child support debt. More than half of the record one billion dollar debt consists of penalty fees, which could be wiped under new legislation soon to be introduced to parliament.

The bill includes provision for penalty fees to be waived, provided that liable parents enter some kind of repayment arrangement for their existing debt. Expatriate liable parents accounted for the highest levels of unpaid debt; more than $312 million of the total owed.

A Christchurch father who said he was “squeaky clean”, still owed $25,000 at one point, most of which was penalties incurred because Inland Revenue thought he was paying the wrong rate. “The tax department cannot pick up a mistake for about six months and they continue to charge you penalties” he said. “If you try and work it out they will not negotiate with you until you have paid the penalties. That's why so many guys are in debt”. It is hoped the Bill will appear in parliament before Christmas.

Campaign Against Family Violence
The Families Commission is calling for a national campaign against family violence that would include asking parents to switch off violent television programmes. Chief Families Commissioner Dr. Rajen Prasad says the frequency of media violence, through television programmes, movies and computer games, is desensitising people of all ages to the effects of violence. Speaking at the biggest ever domestic violence conference held recently in Auckland, Doctor Prasad said these attitudes to violence made it easier to justify behaving violently in real life. “What is needed is a sustained campaign that denounces violent attitudes and promoted the concept of strong, supportive relationships” he said.

The Families Commission is planning a study of people's attitudes and behaviour towards family violence, with a view to changing people's attitudes. At the conference, the wider impact of television viewing was also on the agenda. British psychologist Doctor Aric Sigman proposed that parents place a total ban on children younger than three from watching television, and restrict older children to an hour a day. Leaving the television on all the time was also considered to be particularly damaging.

 'Working For Families' Package Under Fire

The Child Poverty Action group is claiming that aspects of the governments new “Working for families” package discriminates against thousands of New Zealand children. Under provision of the Human Rights Act, the lobby group has been given permission to take their case to the Human Rights Review Tribunal.

The group’s claim is that the current Child Tax Credit and the Work Payment discriminates against the 300,000 parents who are currently on benefits or who don’t work enough hours to be eligible for extra payments. The case could be a long drawn out affair, and it is likely that the government won’t be legally obliged to change the policy, even if the lobby groups wins the case. However, the case could be a groundbreaking one in terms of future policies.

Editorial:

Caring For Our Kids

Following on from the “Take the pressure down” article in the last issue, it's interesting to read media reports that pre-school child care facilities in Auckland are bursting at the seams. Long waiting lists and insatiable demand for services is evident up and down the country. Not only that, but the average length of time that parents are requesting is spiraling upwards, leading to child care centres needing to review the actual length of sessions times being offered. This inevitably leads to larger classes, less time for each child, and burnt out child care workers.

Undoubtedly, financial pressures on families is partly responsible for the explosion in demand for these services, as both parents work to try and make ends meet. The government has made it fairly clear that they want mothers to (re)enter the workforce as soon as possible after giving birth, judging by their “Working for Families” package. According to the blurb, the initiative is designed to make it easier to work and raise a family.

The less publicised factor in the huge growth of child care centres, is parents who “want the best” for their offspring, and are keen to enter their children into learning environments as soon as possible. The evidence of this is seen at school level, where parents scramble to enrol their children at the most exclusive of private schools. Half of all five year olds are turned away from the ‘best’ schools each year, and the desire to get into certain school zones is always reflected in the buoyancy of certain exclusive real estate markets.

This rat race for under fives has got to such a stage, where Clare Freeborn of “Mainly Kids” says she advises people to enrol their kids even before they are born! I can go along with the idea of singing and talking to your baby “in utero”, but the question must be asked, “how young is too young?” It would be a good question for all parents to ponder over Christmas and New Year, as we strive for a relaxing and low-stress festive season.

Hugh Joughin