Chester Borrows gets it wrong
"The conviction of the Hastings mother for hitting her child with a wooden spoon does not show that the present law
works, as Chester Borrows suggests," said Murray Edridge, Chief Executive of Barnardos New Zealand. "If Mr Borrows
believes the law works, then why is he proposing an amendment to Section 59?"
"For me the court decision shows that the present debate about what constitutes reasonable or lawful hitting of children
is having a healthy impact on unacceptable parenting practices. A couple of years ago a riding crop was deemed to be
reasonable; today a wooden spoon is ruled assault with the mother facing the real prospect of a prison sentence."
"While I don't want to comment on the severity of the court judgement, I am delighted that the judge has so incisively
drawn the line."
"Far from showing that the law works, the decision highlights the fact that the law needs changing to reflect changing
parenting standards and remove contradictory court decisions such as those we are currently getting," concluded Murray
Edridge.
ENDS