MEDIA RELEASE
19 February 2008

Smacking Research Confirms Huge Opposition to Anti-Smacking Law

Family First NZ is not surprised by the findings of a Research NZ poll which has found continued massive opposition to the anti-smacking law.

According to the poll, 74% believe that parents should be able to smack children – an equivalent rate to 12 months ago (73%) when a similar poll was done.

“This is consistent with all other polling which has averaged around the mid 70’s low 80’s percent opposition to this extremist law,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

“These 74% of NZ’ers are not the ‘thrashers and bashers’ of children as suggested by the Prime Minister. They are not condoning child abuse as offensively implied by supporters of the law. They are teachers, social workers, mums and dads, grandparents, police officers, school principals, early childhood educators, doctors, counsellors, and youthworkers who simply know that a smack is not child abuse, and that good parents should not be criminalised in their efforts to raise law-abiding and responsible citizens.”

“The so-called compromise has quite clearly given parents no confidence or certainty.”

“Last week the government announced $800,000 to tell parents that they are valued. 74% of parents would prefer a law change to an advertising campaign,” says Mr McCoskrie.

Family First calls on all politicians to acknowledge the voice of NZ parents and to amend the law to that proposed (and consistently supported) by MP Chester Borrows so that light smacking is not a crime in NZ.

“It is also ironic that this poll has been released the same day as a book entitled ‘Unreasonable Force’. The huge majority of NZ’ers are rejecting the reasonableness of this anti-smacking law,” says Mr McCoskrie.

ENDS

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