Press Statement for Immediate Release

Bishop Brian Tamaki
Destiny Churches New Zealand

15 June 2006

Destiny Churches Set to Oppose Anti-Smacking Bill

Bishop Brian Tamaki, the Senior Minister of Destiny Churches New Zealand, says the proposed anti-smacking law progressing through Parliament is a political diversion that fails to acknowledge the root issues of child abuse.

“The exceptionally high rates of child abuse and social dysfunction in our communities is brought about by a widespread departure from traditional family values. All this Bill will do is further undermine those values, which as a consequence, will compound and further exasperate the problem - no amount of legislation will address the root causes of social dysfunction,” he says.

Repealing the Section 59 (Crimes Act) defence of 'reasonable force' will also place parents in grave danger of being criminalized, in that law enforcement would be obliged to act on allegations of assault in the absence of the Section 59 provision, which in effect, would put the entire family and genuine loving, law-abiding parents at the mercy of the State. Moreover, the State will be inclined to separate child from parent until the judicial process has run its course, which based on the current judicial system, could take years. To contend that Section 59 provides a defence for genuine crimes of child abuse is utterly ridiculous.

“I realize that the Labour led Government has no regard whatsoever for traditional family values, but such an affront to our Christian founding faith and this blatant intrusion on parental rights and responsibilities will not go unchallenged. In fact, if this Bill becomes law, Destiny Churches will not abide by it. There is a higher law to be honoured here that was not drafted by the State,” he added.

To that end, Tamaki says Destiny Churches will closely monitor the Bill’s progress and has not ruled out a return to Parliament Grounds en mass to formally register its opposition to the Bill.

ENDS

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