Commissioner's Blog
In mid-2011 the Government released a Green Paper on Vulnerable Children. It is a document designed to get New Zealanders thinking and talking about how we can do things better for children who are failing, hurting or missing out.
This blog by Children’s Commissioner Dr Russell Wills will feature issues from the Green Paper and ask for feedback on his thoughts and ideas.
20 Feb 2012
Has the time come for a New Zealand Children’s Act?
New Zealanders love to boast that we punch above our weight. That we lead the way in business, environmental and cultural innovation. We’re proud of our record being nuclear-free, of our rugby superstars and Peter Jackson.
It’s about time we showed the world that in fact children are the country’s greatest taonga (treasure). That we value them, love them and want the ...
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09 Feb 2012
What has to change for our Pacific families?
This week’s guest blog is by Sandra Alofivae – one of the ‘Champions’ of the Green Paper for Vulnerable Children. A lawyer, Sandra has spent the last 20 years representing children, young people and their families in South Auckland. She’s also a former Families Commissioner. Sandra say that being involved in promoting the national debate around the ...
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02 Feb 2012
Putting children first?
Imagine you’re the parent of a young baby and you manage to break your leg in an accident. Think about how much harder it would be to look after your baby when you’re hobbling around on crutches.
But when you are being looked after in A&E, the doctors may not ask if you are ...
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26 Jan 2012
Second-hand drinking - changing social culture and protecting children
This guest blog has been written by Prashan Casinader, a member of the Commissioner's Young People's Reference Group (YPRG). Here he writes about the second-hand impacts of alcohol on children and young people. This year the YPRG identified problems associated with alcohol as a priority area for the group, and one they will be looking at in more depth during their term as members.
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16 Dec 2011
Early childhood education – a missed opportunity for some?
Many of us will have fond and vivid memories of attending a pre-school, kindergarten or crèche as a young child - eating the salty playdough, fighting over toys in the sandpit and painting works of art for the fridge at home.
< ...
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09 Dec 2011
Neglect: The silent destroyer of childhood
New Zealanders are very aware of the damage done by child abuse. It seems that every day we hear of another horrific case of physical harm to a child. But child abuse is just the tip of the iceberg. Neglect is another form of maltreatment that can be just as serious - and just as damaging to a child.
Neglect is a difficult thing to define. In ...
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01 Dec 2011
Poverty - "snapping at our heels"
"Poverty doesn’t exist in NZ…yeah right! It’s right here on our doorstep. In our homes. Snapping at our heels. It’s poverty and it’s HERE. IN NZ!" – Jack - from Te Puru (a youth participant in the This is how I see it
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| Read the whole post » 24 Nov 2011
A new child has just started in your child's class. She looks like a normal child but this is her third school in two years and she’s a bit behind her classmates. Moving around so much means that no teacher gets to know her and her family well, nor does any GP, or neighbours. She might be doing well and ...
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| Read the whole post » 18 Nov 2011
As a nation we have choices about the services we fund for children. They are tough choices. And they impact on us all, whether we are parents or not. One of the ways we choose is by deciding whether the service will be available to all children (‘universal’), or just some (‘targeted’). The Green Paper asks - should we invest in more targeted services ...
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| Read the whole post » 11 Nov 2011
How would you feel if your neighbour's child was taken to a GP across town to fix a broken arm (suspiciously broken) and the GP didn't know that the child had already a number of injuries (all suspicious) because different GPs and A&E had treated them? At the moment professionals working with children have strict guidelines about what information they can share about children. < ...
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| Read the whole post » 08 Nov 2011 Every day in New Zealand babies are born into families where parents are too young, poorly supported or have childhoods themselves that have left them emotionally scarred. These babies do badly. They get sick. When they reach school they are not ready to learn. And as they grow up they don't learn and leave school early. Every one of us feels the impact of this; our school and health systems strain under ...
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Watching out for vulnerable children
Universal and targeted services: A lot for some or a little for all?
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Children are our most valuable resource