The Children’s Commissioner says a spike in young people behind the wheel in ram raids is being created by families living in a “total state of hopelessness”. Judge Frances Eivers says child welfare and criminality are social issues and increasing poverty cannot go ignored. Her comments come on the day of new ram raids – Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Children’s Commissioner’
Children’s Commissioner: NZ belongs on “international roll of shame”
Thursday, October 28th, 2021
Outgoing Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft has harsh words to describe children’s wellbeing in New Zealand. Aotearoa New Zealand is a great place to be a child if you are rich, white and able-bodied. The reality for at least 125,000 children, however, includes abuse, neglect, poverty and poor health and education outcomes. Over the last Read more
Children’s Commissioner urges government to widen abuse inquiry
Monday, July 12th, 2021
Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft says the government should widen its abuse inquiry to include abuse since 2000. Ministers removed the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care’s ability to investigate more recent cases in April to save cash and time. These money-saving measures will result in the government being handed an incomplete report that overlooks more Read more
Children’s Commissioner has his say on mandatory reporting of child abuse
Thursday, July 26th, 2018
Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft has changed his mind about the mandatory reporting for all abuse. But he also thinks it is inconceivable that any New Zealand community group would have its own private investigation system. Writing for Spinoff, Becroft said that when he became children’s commissioner mandatory reporting seemed a “no-brainer.” But he says all the experts he Read more
I am a library, quiet but filled with knowledge – it’s dumb
Thursday, March 22nd, 2018
Listen to the voices of children and young people. This is the challenge issued by the Commissioner for Children and the Schools Trustees Association. “I am a library, quiet but filled with knowledge – it’s dumb [that I’m not asked]”, was just one of the comments made in a survey of young people asking them about Read more
College students’ youth justice report catches Children’s Commissioner’s eye
Thursday, June 29th, 2017
Students from St Thomas of Canterbury College in Christchurch have written a report that has caught the attention of the Commissioner for Children, Judge Andrew Becroft. The report, released at the Nga Hau E Wha National marae on Wednesday, looked at how those aged between 10 and 16 are faring when they fall foul of Read more
Child welfare – history may judge us harshly
Thursday, May 4th, 2017
“I suspect history might judge us quite harshly,” Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft told Newsroom’s Shane Cowlishaw. “We judge those in the Victorian era of having a very crude approach to child welfare … well I think a lot of what we’re doing right now might be judged as almost (as bad)…,” In the past 25 Read more
Interview with Judge Andrew Becroft
Tuesday, June 21st, 2016
Kia ora, Andrew. You’re just about to step across from your role as Principal Youth Court Judge to become the Children’s Commissioner on July 1. But I wonder if you might reflect for a few moments on the state of our New Zealand youth. Internationally, in terms of sporting, academic and cultural achievement, New Zealand boxes Read more
New rental housing legislation; tenants could be exploited
Friday, February 26th, 2016
Tenants could be exploited under proposed laws requiring rentals to be insulated and have smoke alarms, Catholic advocacy and aid agency Caritas Aotearoa says. Under the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill, (RTA) ceiling and underfloor insulation will need to be retrofitted in social housing by July, and in all other rental homes by July 2019. It Read more
Faith communities address family violence.
Friday, April 4th, 2014The Children’s Commissioner’s latest edition of Children journal explores some of the issues and experiences of the faith community when seeking to address family violence. It includes some inspiring first-hand stories from those training faith leaders – and articles that examine the complex role of faiths that wish to address family violence. Look at the journal