20 Apr 2006
Maxim Institute - real issues - No 201
20 April 2006
www.maxim.org.nz
- WHO OWNS PLUNKETLINE?
- FAMILY FIRST LOBBY CLAIM SOCIAL WORKERS "BULLIED"
- BOYS' EDUCATION A CHALLENGE
- REHABILITATION VITAL
- IN THE NEWS: NZQA ENABLES NCEA COMPARISON BETWEEN SCHOOLS
- WHO OWNS PLUNKETLINE?
It was announced this week that the government is to cut funding for the Plunket Society's telephone hotline,
PlunketLine, which provides professional child health advice on everything from crying babies to breast feeding. In the
best and most honourable traditions of the Plunket Society, it also provides important reassurance, care, support and
advice for parents, 24 hours a day. This service is in high demand, and costs at present, according to Plunket, $913,000
a year to run.
Plunket has a long history of, to use their own words, "community owned, and community driven" care, which has relieved
the minds and the ailments of thousands of Kiwi families. Plunket is a New Zealand icon, a triumph of civil society, of
people reaching out to other people. It has long tradition of community involvement and investment in our children. It
would be a tragedy if Plunket, like some others in the charity sector, were to become politicised, dependent upon
government handouts and government funding, instead of functioning on community support and community goodwill.
But sadly, this seems to be increasingly the case. According to Kaye Crouther, New Zealand President of Plunket, there
is extra demand for the service. She said: "we should not be expected to employ the additional staff required to answer
these calls out of our donated funds - this is a responsibility of Government to fund".
When the founder of Plunket Dr. Truby King, saw a need, he asked the community for help to fix it, believing that our
children are our responsibility - and our future. Plunket is petitioning the government for more money, and it has the
support of several politicians and many in the public. Signing a petition is easy. Recognising and respecting our
responsibilities to others is perhaps a little harder, but it is important. The government is not capable of replacing
community, and it is not the government's job to prop up the charities sector when there is need. It is our job, as a
community, to invest in our children.
We often use the services of organisations like Plunket with little thought to what they cost. But if we value them,
perhaps it is time for us to put our money where our mouth is, and open our wallets to organisations like Plunket. In
fact, there are many charities which thrive without receiving government fund, such as the Life Education Trust and
Parents Inc. Perhaps it is also time to look at how tax rebates can better serve private charitable giving, so that the
props of our community like Plunket, truly are "community owned".
FAMILY FIRST LOBBY CLAIM SOCIAL WORKERS "BULLIED"
This week the Family First Lobby accused Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro of "bullying", charging that the Commission
overstepped the mark at a social workers conference on s59 of the Crimes Act 1961.
At a conference to gather feedback on the proposal to ban physical discipline of children, the lobby group said that
social workers were asked to indicate whether they supported a repeal of s59. When three of the 60 attendees said they
supported amending, rather than abolishing s59, the lobby group reported that these workers were called to the front and
informed by a Commission employee that they "condoned violence against children". Several were also told by colleagues
their jobs were at risk. The Family First Lobby quotes one participant saying that she felt "humiliated and
intimidated", and was subject to questioning by the Commissioner.
These accusations are serious, and warrant full and open investigation. If true, they are cause for profound concern. A
conference to gather feedback on s59 should, in fact, be a conference to gather feedback on s59, and not an exercise in
thought control. The allegation that these social workers were subjected to "bullying" raises concerns about both
freedom of speech and the right and duty of professionals to give their honest opinion and judgement, without fear of
intimidation.
To read the Family First Lobby's press release on this incident, visit:
BOYS' EDUCATION A CHALLENGE
Everyone from researchers, to teachers, to parents, is sure there is a gap between boys' and girls' achievement in the
classroom, and that it is growing. This week, the Challenging Boys conference at Massey University sought to encourage
awareness of the challenges facing boys' education, bringing together educators from New Zealand and Australia to
discuss how the problem might be tackled.
Speakers at the conference described how boys learn differently, because they tend to respond especially well to
structure, order and purpose. The point was made that sometimes a different approach is needed with boys, especially
with those who fall behind and are at risk of dropping out.
As part of the solution, Maori Party co-leader Dr Pita Sharples, a key-note speaker, suggested that much could be
learned from Maori Kura Kaupapa schools, which seek to involve a child's family in their education, saying: "if a man is
taught at home, he will stand with confidence on the marae".
The Rector of Waitaki Boys' High School, Paul Baker also discussed his independent investigation into the growing gender
gap in New Zealand. Baker partly attributes this to the introduction of a highly prescriptive national curriculum in
state schools in the 1990s, which has led to teaching that emphasises planning and self-reflection in the way some
subjects are taught, such as English and Physical Education. This has turned many boys off learning, allowing girls to
forge ahead.
Because the government makes virtually all decisions about the provision of schooling in New Zealand, it is very
difficult for schools to use methods different to the status quo when attempting to improve boys' achievement. If
principals were given more discretion to make decisions about what is taught in their schools, how schools spend the
funds they receive and what works for the needs of particular pupils, more diverse approaches to schooling could emerge
that might play a vital part in bridging the gap between boys and girls.
REHABILITATION VITAL
New Zealand needs to take a long hard look at how to reduce re-offending rates among prisoners through improving
rehabilitation. Answers to a series of Parliamentary questions given this week have shown that prisoners are working
less behind bars than they used to. Yet equipping prisoners remains vital if they are to be successfully re-integrated
into society when they complete their sentence.
Statistics released by the Department of Corrections this week, show that in recent years, prisoner employment hours
have dropped dramatically. In 2001, prisoners worked in prison market gardens for 263,000 hours, but in 2005 this figure
had dropped to only 67,000.
A report by the Salvation Army released in February, showed that between 1995 and 2005, New Zealand's prison population
increased by 66 percent. This is a significantly higher rise than that of the USA, Germany, France, Sweden, Australia or
Finland. The report, Beyond the Holding Tank, also provides an analysis of some of the trends within prison. The report
suggests that: "Corrections does aim to provide useful employment and vocational development for those in
prison...However employment and training opportunities are not consistent and are available to only a small number of
inmates." It points out that providing work is expensive, mainly due to the extra supervision costs.
While New Zealand has soaring prison population rates, simply building more prisons is neither a long-term, nor a
sustainable solution. More investment is needed in work programmes and other measures that will help to bring down
re-offending rates and help reintegrate prisoners back into society.
IN THE NEWS: NZQA ENABLES NCEA COMPARISON BETWEEN SCHOOLS
NZQA have recently added a facility on their website to enable the public to compare individual schools NCEA results
with other schools. School results have previously been available so comparisons were possible, but the new feature
helps parents access this information more easily. It is pleasing to see NZQA acknowledge the need for parents to have
easy access to important information.
To view schools' results, visit: http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications/ssq/statistics/index.do?statsYear=2004#t
TALKING POINT
Who should profit from military service?
Captain Charles Upham, Victoria Cross and bar, was one of New Zealand's greatest war heroes, the only combat soldier to
receive the VC twice. His insignia, presently on display in an Army Museum, is currently the focus of controversy. His
daughters are rumoured to have offered it to the nation for $3.3 million. The government has refused this, saying that
traditionally insignia are donated and not profited from. The family considers that the VC's represent financial
security, and point out that the insignia were left to them by their father. They are reportedly threatening to sell
them overseas.
Captain Upham once turned down an offer from his home province, Canterbury, to help buy a farm, explaining: "The
military honours bestowed on me are the property of the men of my unit as well as myself and were obtained at
considerable cost of the blood of this country. Under no circumstances could I consent to any material gain for myself
for my services."
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