Closed courts hurt children
"MEN'S CONVOY 2004 strongly advocates that the festering sore of a closed Family Court be opened to expose the real
effect on our children of its underlying ideology," MEN'S CONVOY 2004 convenor, Jim Nicolle said today. "While this will
not cure the ills of family law in New Zealand, it will reveal where much of the problem lies".
"Family Court Decisions on child support cases are causing immense financial hardship to parents, so that they are
unable to afford to maintain their relationship with their children. It is not child support when parents can no longer
be parents."
"MEN'S CONVOY 2004 - Men on the Move for Child Support Reform will leave Queen Street Auckland at 8:00 am on 29 March
and will travel throughout the North Island to arrive in Wellington on 31 March, concluding at 2:30 pm in Parliament
grounds. It will draw attention to the injustices of the child support system and will collect signatures for a petition
calling for radical reform of the Child Support Act 1991.It also will collect 'shirts off backs' from parents to deliver
to Inland Revenue."
"We are not against paying child support; we just want the system to be fair and reasonable. Inland Revenue say it's
their job to be fair. We want to hold them to their word", concluded Nicolle.