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"Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?"

If your answer is "no", then you are probably concerned at the removal of parental authority and liberty.

On May 17th 2007 the House of Representatives voted 113 to eight in favour of the legislation that repeals section 59 of the Crimes act and effectively turns you, a loving and responsible parent, into a criminal. Thus, this law seriously erodes and undermines your parental authority, while at the same time empowers the bureaucracy of the State to intrude in the life of your family. Neutralizing the authority of the parent and reducing their governance role to providers of shelter, clothes and food (only if it is healthy!), by default, leaves the Civil Government as the dominant authority in our land; this is the path toward Socialism and away from liberty and democracy.

If your answer is "no" then you were among the approximately 83 percent of New Zealanders who were opposed to this bill.

You recognised it as another attempt at social engineering by a Government that arrogantly ignores the voice of ordinary New Zealanders. You understood that this law, while having minimal or no impact on child abuse, will have a devastating effect on the ability of caring and responsible parents to correct and discipline their children. according to Dr Robert E. Larzelere you have good cause to be concerned about this law:

“Even more worrisome, the imminent New Zealand smacking ban is more extreme than Sweden's ban in three ways. Using force to correct children will be subject to full criminal penalties, although the government's politically clever but inconsequential concession gives police the discretion not to prosecute mild offences. Sweden's ban had no criminal penalty. In addition, New Zealand's bill bans the mildest use of force to correct children, not just smacking. This removes most disciplinary enforcements parents have used for generations, especially for the most defiant youngsters. Finally, the required change in disciplinary enforcements will be the biggest change ever imposed on parents.” - Extract from a letter - NZ's anti-Smacking Law Most Extreme in the World.

If your answer is "no", then this invitation to be involved in our campaigns will be of interest to you.

If your answer is "no", and you haven't already signed the petitions of Larry Baldock and Sheryl Savill, then sign the petitions here.