Level Of Criminal Assaults By Children In NZ “No Surprise”

Lost among the hype of New Zealand's recently released 2010 crime figures were some shocking data about child violence. The stats make for grim reading as they come at a time when schoolyard bullying and violent  assaults are frequently in the New Zealand news.

Police crime statistics showed the number of children under 9 apprehended for assaults in 2010 was 64, almost double the 33 recorded in 2009.

Assaults in the 10-13 age group also rose, with 827 apprehensions in 2010, compared to 770 in 2009. The majority of offenders were boys. Read Crime shock: NZ’s little thugs on the NZ Herald’s site.

Family First NZ says that the level of criminal assaults being committed by primary school students is no surprise - and will worsen, especially when schools are pressured to accept and accommodate increasingly defiant and unacceptable behaviour by children.

"In 2008, Family First caught out the Ministry of Education when the ministry's student engagement report buried the primary school figures in a graph with no raw numbers and no commentary. In fact, the number of primary school children stood down and suspended had grown from 4800 in 2000 to 6595 in 2007. That year, 945 primary school students were suspended and 5650 stood down - 28 per cent of the total number of students at all levels stood down in that year," says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

"We have tried to bury our heads in the sand on this growing problem - but the problem hasn't gone away and is only worsening."
"And it's not just in schools. Ministry of Justice statistics released last year showed that from 1998-2008, the number of police apprehensions for grievous/serious assaults by 10-13 year olds increased by more than 70%. For each of the most recent two years, there had been almost 1,000 apprehensions for 10-13 year olds for all violent offences, which include aggravated robbery, sexual violation, indecent assault, and serious assaults - an increase of a third since 1998," says Mr McCoskrie.

"Alarm bells should be ringing when there has been a 70% increase in the number of children committing a serious enough act of violence to warrant police involvement, and almost 1000 children are being chucked out of primary schools for behaviour that is just so bad that schools have got to the point where they can't even work with it - even when the Ministry of Education is pressuring schools not to suspend or expel students."

"There are many factors that may be contributing to these statistics including the levels of violence in the media and games, the undermining of parental and school authority, the 'rights' culture being fed to young people, and family breakdown and fatherlessness," says Mr McCoskrie.

"But firstly, we must be honest enough to admit that there is a disturbing trend which needs urgent action and a change of policies as to how we deal with these children and their families. Forcing schools to accommodate the problem is not the solution and is harming the school community." source

Emigrating to New Zealand because you think it is a great place to raise kids? Read Rotorua Stabbing “Indicative” Of Youth Issues In City and NZ A Great Place to Raise Kids? Porirua’s Midnight Express (blog written about an alarming increase in Children committing violent crime and robberies around New Zealand)


You may also find interesting
All posts tagged Bullying
Our Education and Children's Issues - Facts and Stats page
NZ A Great Place to Raise Kids? Porirua’s Midnight Express
NZ Poverty Not A Lifestyle Choice, Poor Families Can’t Even Afford Basics,
NZ Poverty A ‘Lifestyle Choice’: Let Them Drink Coke,

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Savage Beating Left Wanganui Girls College Pupil Bleeding From Ears

Further details have emerged of the sickening attack on a 15 year old Wanganui Girl’s College student, Robin de Jong,  that we reported on on 20 March. See Another School Attack Hospitalises Student
Video of the assault shows another pupil of Wanganui Girl’s College pushing her victim to the ground, kicking her in the back and stamping on her head.

Watch an interview with Robin de Jong here in which she says that the beating was as a result of a stabbing threat that had been made against her at school and her making a complaint to the principal that got back to her attacker.

The mother and daughter are speaking out in the hope that getting this issue out and dealt with will prevent it from happening to any more children in New Zealand’s schools. No more dirty little secrets, no more keeping quiet and pretending this sort of thing doesn’t go on.

Police say the violence they saw in the video is similar to that they see in male gangs.

A parent at the school also saw the video, said he was sickened by the violence and told the Wanganui Chronicle that his family had considered taking their children out of the school, but

We’ve considered the safety of our girls but it’s pretty hard because bullying like this happens in every school.
“But this is the worst thing I’ve ever seen..

It seems that there is no end to this violence in New Zealand.

Is this because parents simply withdraw their children from problem schools because they believe the school is powerless to deal with it? The result being that the bullies are never challenged for their behaviour and the cycle of violence is never broken.

It seems the only solution is to shut up and leave.


Education minister Anne Tolley told the NZ Herald that parents need to take more responsibility for the actions of their children

“Behaviour issues shouldn’t be left to schools to deal with on their own. Parents should also take responsibility.
“Any kind of bullying is unacceptable, and this is an issue which the whole school community has to address.”
“Schools aren’t immune to the rise in violent behaviour which has taken place in society, and the vast majority of schools have robust plans in place to deal with it.”

But how can they take responsibility when victims remain silent, are quietly withdrawn from school or are consigned to solitary confinement in school offices.

It’s not just the students that bully either, only this week a teacher of 6-7 year olds was found guilty of assaulting the children in his care. What are children learning in classes like his about respect and tolerance for other people.

Why are we hearing of more and more incidents of bullying, why are assaults like these escalating. Will it take the death of a child to get New Zealand to take this problem seriously.

The injured girl’s mother says

“[Schools] can only punish [students who bully] with expelling them and to me that’s not enough.
“These kids know they won’t get arrested because they’re too young. That’s why they do it.“
The woman said parents also had some responsibility for their children’s behaviour.
She described the attitude of the parents of the alleged attacker as “very disappointing”.
“If my daughter was the one doing the bullying, I’d put a stop to it. I’d see it as my responsibility too.”

Looks like no-one is accepting responsibility and things can only get worse.
Are you outside of NZ and want to know more? Read some of the reactions to the assault on a NZ forum here and here

For further reading about New Zealand’s culture of bullying and violence click here, or click on some of those stories below. For our Stats and Facts page relating to Children’s issues  and Education in New Zealand click here:

Have you experienced bullying in New Zealand, how was it dealt with and what was the outcome? Leave your comments on any of our bullying threads.

You may also be interested in our other blog posts

Social issues in the wider community
Post on a NZ forum, 24 March 2011:

My partner has been bullied at her work work for the last 2 yrs and all complaints seem to fall on deaf ears. Complaints have been made by several of the staff (also victims of this bully) to managment but nothing is ever done about the complaints.On several occasions the bully has been caught ( and I mean red handed)stealing from the work place and again nothing is done.. At one stage the union was notified and bought in but again nothing is done…My partner is so stressing out over all of this and has no one to turn to. The bully in this case is also a good freind of the manager in the work place…What can we do??? I have had enough of my partner coming home complaining and I cant do anything to make it any better for her… Please help!!!
Reply: One thing you need to understand is that management/authorities don’t give a toss about work place bullies. What is said is simply lip service to make the vicims feel safe. Lay a complaint and you become the instigator, Bosses simply do not wish to deal with it and know that the victim will eventually leave and the problem is solved. Find another job and leave It is the only satisfactory remedy. Save your sanity, Another typical New Zealand I don’t give a shit buisness.

Bullying Rife In NZ Hospitals
Bullying claim leads to new management – “Allegations of abuse, bullying and “unusual employment practices” at a Palmerston North rest home have prompted the MidCentral District Health Board to force a change of ownership”
Quarter Of Kiwis, Fifth Of NZ Police Officers Bullied At Work
NZ A Great Place to Raise Kids? Porirua’s Midnight Express
Kids in New Zealand – The Village Lets Them Down
Rotorua stabbing “indicative” of youth issues in the city
Silent Death Toll In World’s Eighth Happiest Country
.
Bullying and violence in schools affecting adults and children
Another School Attack Hospitalises Student
NZ Scores Second Worst in the World For Bullying in Schools“School Bullying Reflects `Culture Of Brutality’” - “New Zealand’s poor ranking in relation to primary school bullying in an international league table is a reflection of a “culture of brutality”, United Future leader Peter Dunne says.”
Howick College – Bullying Allegations Continue – updated
Morrinsville College Girl Brain Damaged By Bullies
Belfast Teacher Encounters Troubles In NZ
New Zealand’s Next Top Model Bullied At School, But At Least She’s Not Pregnant / In Prison - “I used to get punched a lot by the other Maori kids. It was constant name-calling, like `you’re ugly, you’re never going to do anything in your entire life’.”
Parents Furious At Dean’s “Slut” Comment – Updated
Howick College – Bullying Allegations Continue – updated
Howick Schoolgirl Returns To South Africa To Escape Bullies
Fairfield College Parents Angry At School Bullying – parents removed children from school
Ryotaro Wright Attacked At Forest View High School
Knife Incident At Hamilton Girl’s High School Linked To Bullying
Migrant Tales – A Better Life For The Kids - “our kids have been traumatised by the abuse they suffered at a local school: our eldest daughter was being regularly bullied at school…”
NZ Teachers Need More Power to Protect Themselves
Bullying In NZ Schools – “A Harsh Lesson”
Two More Teachers Assaulted In Tauranga
Bullying to Blame For Te Puke Teacher Stabbing
“Poor” NZ Among Lowest In OECD For Education Spending


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Bullying Rife in NZ Hospitals

The NZDoctor.co.nz website reported today on last night’s Wellington medical forum on the subject of burnout in the medical profession.

Experts said that doctors in New Zealand aren’t good at giving each other the support and affirmation needed to avoid burnout. Furthermore, hospitals are rife with bullying

Hospitals rife with bullying
“A bullying culture exists at hospitals, said forum chair John Carter, clinical leader of haematology at the Wellington Blood and Cancer Centre…
Attendees at the forum, part of the Inaugural International Cancer Symposium organised by Otago University, Wellington, heard psychiatrist and academic John Adams emphasise the medical profession’s poor record of giving mutual support and feedback.
This is an important factor in burnout, says Dr Adams, chair of the Medical Council.
By the time doctors come to the council’s attention, when their behaviour is affecting other staff and patient care, stress and burnout have led to physical health problems.
Depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep disorders and/or substance abuse will have developed, and a stigma is attached to seeking help, Dr Adams says.
The earlier the problem is identified, the more likely its impact on the individual will be ameliorated…”  read the full report here

Which is ironic considering that New Zealand’s laid back lifestyle is used as a major selling point to attract overseas doctors into the country.

New Zealand has been suffering a severe shortage of medical specialists for some time.

Coincidentally The NZ Herald published an article today headed Doctor shortage reaches ‘crisis’ level, saying that a spiraling shortage of doctors “has sparked a warning of future “severe safety issues” in New Zealand hospitals.”

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists director Ian Powell told the paper that the flow of New Zealand doctors overseas and difficulty of replacing them had put many hospitals in crisis.

Patients could suffer from increasing medical mistakes and treatment delays without urgent action, he said.
“The situation is already unsustainable. We’ll have severe safety issues if this continues.
“New Zealand is losing too many of the younger doctors we train so well overseas, losing too many of our current public hospital senior doctors overseas and struggling to recruit in a very tight and internationally competitive market.
“Eventually these chinks are going to get so big that the system breaks down.” … read the full report here

Some things you may like to know about the health service in New Zealand:


Understaffing

• There is a workforce crisis in New Zealand’s hospitals. Specialist senior doctors are being lost and there is a shortage of cancer specialists. Staff are lost to Australia (where the salaries are 35% higher) and to private practice. The causes are low pay by international standards, overwork and lack of resources to do the job.

• New Zealand has an estimated shortage of around 600 specialists and that’s set to get worse, according to the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. Growth has not kept pace with increasing need in an aging population.

• The senior doctor’s union estimates there is a shortage of 638 medical and surgical specialists and that having to treat too many patients is driving doctors away from NZ. The country “needs at least 1100 more specialists if it were to match the number per head of population in Australia, the union says in a discussion paper based on data from 2007 and 2008.” Source NZ Herald.

• New Zealand’s has a high dependence on overseas-trained doctors, the highest in the OECD , who comprise 40% of specialists. In some areas, such as psychiatry, the figure is closer to 60%.

• So many NZ trained registrars go overseas when they’re qualified that it’s hardly worth training them at all. Medical registrars can earn around $70,000 more in Australia and  difference in salaries is one of the major drivers for the exodus. “The situation is a crisis and a crisis generally comes before a collapse” -says Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Ian Powell.  See the bullet point above for the other drivers.

But its not just the medical profession that are suffering in New Zealand, patients are doing it hard too:

Adverse Effects on Patient Health

• A shortage of Oncologists in the central part of the North Island means that some cancer patients are being refused chemotherapy. Instead of being placed back on waiting lists patients are being referred back to their own doctors (as of Jan 2011) Affected patients include those suffering relapses of some cancers, including cervical, oesophagus and melanoma.

• The Chief Exec of the NZ Cancer Society said

“It might not be what we want to hear, but it is honest … It is good to know they will not be hiding patients on waiting lists.”

But the list of cancers that won’t be treated had only been intended for clinicians to see, not the general public.

• Cancer treatment services are under such pressure that current treatment levels are unsustainable unless more money is spent. Rationing is likely to “become a feature.”

• An economist said that New Zealand’s cancer-treatment rates were lower than the average for developed countries.”Already we have unmet need, so I guess the message is, get used to it.”

• 261 people in Canterbury are waiting more than six months for cancer-detecting colonoscopies, raising alarm among doctors. In July 2009 the figure stood at 75 people. A private procedure costs £1,000.

• A “postcode lottery” health system is failing people as there is “inequitable” access to treatment depending on where patients live. One woman failed to have a brain tumour diagnosed for over three years. A report into her case has highlighted serious deficiencies within NZ’s public health service.

• Hospital errors causing serious harm are rising. In the year to June 2010 there were

“374 patients who were involved in a serious or sentinel event, of whom 127 died; compared with 308 events, including 92 deaths, the year before.”

Migrants Tales

Are you still considering a move to NZ to work in the medical profession? Read some of our Migrants Tales, for example this one
“The Health Care System Is Second Rate”

This story was written by a nurse with over 30 years of experience. In it she tells of prejudice and how difficult it was to find a job. She also talks about how thousands and thousands of health care dollars are being wasted because there is no incentive to change and of how people wait so long for some tests and treatments that permanent damage is done to their health. She is minded to stay and work through this but her Kiwi partner is starting to look toward Australia to make some money….read on

You may also find interesting:  “Kiwis Missing Out On Vital Medicines with Fatal Consequences”


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Te Puke Teacher Stabbing - Bullying To Blame

The family of a 13 year old youth, who stabbed his teacher multiple times with a kitchen knife on 10 May, say that the boy had suffered in a school that had a “culture of bullying” – Te Puke High School.

This comes as no surprise since most of us know that “Kiwis are worst in the world for bullying” which was confirmed by a Massey University study in April of this year.

Furthermore it is known within the country that “New Zealand’s schools lead the world in bullying”, according to a major international study in December 2008 which showed that three quarters of primary school children had been bullied during one month.

Auckland paediatrician and former Children’s Commissioner Ian Hassall said the high rates of bullying reflected a “punitive culture”(source):

“It’s not just children who are bullied; adults bully as well,” Hassall said. “We do have a punitive society that rather believes in punishing people and threatening them, so it’s not surprising that children pick up on this and go punishing one another.”

Peter Dunne, leader of the Unite Future political party, was once quoted as saying:

“anti-bullying, and “character education” programmes were needed in primary and intermediate schools.
“The culture of brutality that we have tolerated for too long has to stop,”

New Zealand’s Human Rights Commission released a report in which it identified significant human rights issues in relation to violence in New Zealand Schools.(more here)

One of the manifestations of that culture of brutality is the escalation of violence in New Zealand’s schools with attacks on both pupils and students. 777 teachers were assaulted at work during 2008-2009 .

And unfortunately it may have been a factor in the attack on Steve Hose on 10 May.
According to a Herald report:

“…A close whanau member told the Herald the family were still in shock, saying the attack was “completely out of character” for the Year 9 pupil.
The man said the boy was “little and placid” and a “quiet thinker” who, because of his size, had been a target for bullies.

He had been suspended from school this year for about three days after he apparently fought older students who he claimed had been picking on him.
The man said the school had a culture of bullying and people would write affidavits in support of his claim.

“There were a number of occasions where [the boy] was bullied. I am of the opinion this is what led him to do what he did.

“Still, this is completely out of character … we don’t condone what has happened but we need to know what could have triggered him to do something like this.”

The school principal, Alan Liddle, said the school had no formal record or allegations of the boy being bullied.

He said an internal investigation would deal with all circumstances surrounding the attack.

The boy had been in the care of his grandmother at her home in Manoeka on the outskirts of Te Puke after his parents split when he was a few months old.
He apparently had asthma, but enjoyed playing rugby league.

His relative said he was kindhearted and would help prepare his younger cousins for school and could be seen helping his elderly neighbours with their gardens and lawns.

“You could say he has had it pretty rough but things could have been worse if he had stayed with his parents.”

The report went on to say that security guards had been brought into the school but didn’t say if they were to be a permanent feature:

“Six security guards patrolled the school grounds yesterday. They said they were there for the students’ protection and to prevent them from being harassed.

Students the Herald spoke to gave mixed reports of the incident. A Year 9 pupil said the attacker had been “annoyed” by Mr Hose immediately before stabbing him.

Another student said the attack was completely unprovoked, and the boy had stabbed Mr Hose from behind while the teacher was sitting at his desk.”

Will it take the death of a teacher, or student, to make people take this issue seriously and make the government take the lead in combating New Zealand’s culture of brutality?

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"Kiwis Worst In The World For Bullying"

Over a quarter of New Zealanders have been bullied at work according to the results of a new study Understanding Stress and Bullying in New Zealand Workplaces.

The report says that New Zealand has one of the world's worst records for workplace bullying and stress, something that may come as an unpleasant surprise to people moving to New Zealand for its supposedly  'laid back attitudes' and 'great work-life balance.'

The reality, of course, is very different.

Most of us are by now are aware that New Zealand has an appalling record for bullying, especially in schools and has "a culture of brutality that has to stop".

Auckland paediatrician and former Children’s Commissioner Ian Hassall said back in 2008 that high rates of bullying reflected a “punitive culture“ and that New Zealand schools lead the world in bullying. This new report shows its workplaces aren't far behind.

You can read from our Migrant's Tales and see for yourself some first hand accounts of bullying endured by both children and adults and we know that hundreds of teachers are assaulted in schools every year.

If bullying and brutality are so common in schools is it any wonder that it has infected every other layer of society, including the workplace?

This new study was carried out under the auspices Professor Tim Bentley, associate head of the University’s School of Management in the College of Business at Albany, Auckland, who says the findings showed stress and bullying are at high levels when compared internationally.

"1728 respondants completed the survey, approximately three quarters of whom were women with the largest representation from the health sector, the highest levels of stress and bullying were observed in the education and health sectors with with higher levels of laissez-faire leadership, lower constructive leadership, higher levels of stress, lower well-being, lower performance, higher turnover intentions, higher absenteeism, and lower levels of organisational support and commitment. Organisational strategies were perceived as more effective by non-targets of bullying than by those who felt that they had been bullied." (source)

In a press release on the Massey University website:

"“The magnitude is higher than expected,” Professor Bentley says. “Bullying is happening and it is not being addressed. It has long been accepted that this is the way of working – if you cannot stand the heat get out of the kitchen. But once the pressure, is off they will all go for a drink together and socialise after work.”
And it is not just cooks, waiters and bar staff copping it at work. Employees in three other sectors – health, education and travel – have similar rates of bullying to hospitality workers.
The researchers had already identified those sectors of the workforce as at higher risk of bullying and, funded by the Department of Labour and the Health Research Council, they surveyed 1728 workers, including doctors, nurses, teachers and academics as well as hotel and restaurant staff.
Eighteen per cent reported they had been victims of bullying at work, while 75 per cent had suffered from stress. Professor Bentley says nine times out of 10 the manager is the bully and bad leadership is the cause. “There needs to be a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying and this requires a cultural change," he says. "If we see someone driving unsafely, we would challenge that, but people do not stand up and address bullying behaviour. We need to be confident enough to challenge people if we see this happening and strategies need to be identified to prevent it in the workplace.”
In health and education, ineffective leadership was identified as one of the main factors leading to increased stress and bullying. The study found that employers in all four sectors had limited understanding of the workplace bullying problem and how to address it. Reporting structures were not effective with bullying included as part of wider harassment or violence initiatives.
Dr Bevan Catley and Dr Dianne Gardner from Massey University were part of the multidisciplinary team that conducted the research alongside Professor Michael O'Driscoll (University of Waikato), Dr Helena Cooper-Thomas (University of Auckland), and Dr Linda Trenberth (Birbeck, London)."

The full report may be found HERE

There is also a Facebook group for the Healthy Work Group, HERE's the link if you want to join or read some more.

The public response to the report makes for interesting reading too, have a look at what people are saying in the comments section of this Stuff article: "Kiwis worst in the world for bullying"

Random

"Of course bullying in NZ is rife, most NZ businesses are smaller than 10 people and the bosses are usually the owners who expect you to work the long hard hours - from a previous article, NZ is up there with Japan as far as people who work long hours goes. As employees we are paid pitifully and I know from my overseas experience that New Zealand business is a joke as far as treating employees fairly goes. Come to the conclusion, NO ONE CARES! Best to move on (if you can)"

Hans

"To Hill dweller who said: "I prefer now to return home (to more money and better prospects I might add) and start over once more in a country where legislation protects its workers."

New Zealand has legislation to protect its workers from bullying, but hardly anyone uses it. Stress is a recognized workplace hazard which is caused by bullying (amongst other things), and failure by management to address it has serous consequences, when it's actually reported.
Part of the problem could be our "we should be able to stick up for ourselves" attitude, or fear of losing our jobs (which is bogus, because unfair dismissals are also illegal). More likely, it's because the stress of standing up, forcing management to act, and even taking them to court if necessary, is more than the bullying itself.
I think that a few high profile cases of managers being prosecuted for failing to address bullying would be the kick in the pants that some need to take it seriously."

Another Stat

"In two previous jobs I have had problems, one in an insurance company in which I mentioned it to my manager and nothing happened until the guy left and then she admitted she had had problems with him. The other being in a NZ owned company in Silverstream, Upper Hutt. Here it was a manager and when brought to the attention of another manager the situation was ignored. When this was done, I quit for my own health and was told I was following the foot steps of a few others before me with the same problem."

Emma
"It is a very unsophisticated culture to work in here (and to live in too, actually)

I have worked in the US and the UK but am a Kiwi.
If management in companies there behaved like they do here, the companies would be in court and being fined, as well as paying huge compensation to the staff bullied.
There's no point in relying on the grievance procedure: our workforce is so small that no professional would ever get another job if they did so.
References are another issue: in the EU they are almost always generic and issued by the HR department (Mrs X worked here for 5 years and her performance was satisfactory is about all you'll get) because employees can sue their former employers for giving them bad references where there is no real justification. Thus you will almost never be able to speak to a candidates actual manager.
Here I know of one person who left a well paid $100k+ job after a simple personality clash with her boss (her work was perfectly fine, they just did not get on at all) and she had to change careers because he kept giving her terrible references. She felt that she could do nothing to challenge him so she had to re-train and give up a 20 year career."

Also Work in IT
"Bullying can mean different things to different people, but let's not confuse gruff management style with real bullying. I had a manager once whose management style included standing over a (seated) staff member in a meeting room and punching the wall over the staff member's head while he yelled at him. That's not a case of "harden up", it's about professionalism and common respect for your fellow man.
That guy notwithstanding, the worst bullies I've encountered have been women. I notice that the men at work call them "control freaks" rather than bullies (tone of voice implies that's to be expected from a woman). I've seen two women (both Brits, incidentally) bully their way into management positions by undermining and sabotaging the work of their colleagues and/or claiming credit for work that wasn't theirs. In both cases, this ended with them inventing a job title and demanding a pay rise to go with it. What astounds me is that they got away with it! One of them has a fabulous resume on LinkedIn, detailing her increasingly fancy job titles (each describing the exact same role). Male managers seem to be intimidated by these women and give them what they want to keep them quiet (I assume ... or maybe they admire their ruthlessness?)."

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Migrant Tales - A Better Life For The Kids

Continuing in our series of Migrant Stories: first hand accounts of migrant life in New Zealand, taken from locations around the net.

Today’s tale arrived via a message left on our mirror site. This is Steve’s story, where he tells of a widespread and insidious problem within schools in New Zealand  – bullying.

Steve’s family is not alone in their experience of a school failing to deal effectively with bullying behaviour:  The NZ Human Rights Commission recently released a report that identified significant human rights issues in relation to violence in New Zealand Schools.

An organisation called Stop the Violence is just one of many working hard to raise awareness of the issue and to provide support. Even the police recognise bullying as a “big problem in New Zealand“. The ‘harden-up / blame the victim / culture of brutality’  is a significant factor in the country having one of the worst teen and young person suicide rates in the world, 94 youths in New Zealand committed suicide in 2007.

Here's his story:

“A better life for the kids
We hear a lot of people who moved to New Zealand for this very reason. It was in fact quite high on our list too.
Sadly, if our own experience is any judgement, I would say avoid this country at all cost if you have young children.
We’ve already written pages and pages on the matter and even made a few videos about it, but to cut a long story short, our kids have been traumatised by the abuse they suffered at a local school: our eldest daughter was being regularly bullied at school (one all our kids attended) and despite the fact that Mark Thornton, the school manager, kept assuring us that he took the matter seriously, nothing ever changed.
Finally, after four months of us complaining about the bullying, him saying he took this very seriously and nothing ever changing, a meeting was set up with us, him, the college of teachers and the trustees to discuss the matter further.
We were also intending on bringing another parent to that meeting, one who was an expert in social inclusion.
However, on the day of that meeting, they cancelled it and kicked us out instead without ever explaining their reasoning.
Many parents were on our side until then, saying how happy they were that someone was finally doing something about the bullying. Now, they’ve all turned their backs on us, siding with management.
To make matters worse, the school we attended, The Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School, is private non-integrated, which means that the Ministry of Education has no power there and you’re not covered by the Education Act, something we learned when we complained to them: despite our 20 pages of complaints and all the evidence we amassed against the school, the ministry told us they were satisfied with how the matter was handled!
But don’t think that this happened only because this was a private non-integrated Steiner school. According to the links below, this particular problem is country-wide:
“School Bullying Reflects `Culture Of Brutality’”
http://www.guide2.co.nz/politics/news/school-bullying-reflects-culture-of-brutality039-dunne/11/4634
and
“NZ schools lead world in bullying”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/761221
If you want more details of our own experience, please visit:
http://www.titirangisteinermessenger.com
This page summarises the situation nicely, if I do say so myself “
http://www.titirangisteinermessenger.com/TSM/0911.html

Thanks to Steve for giving us the opportunity to highlight this important issue again. We’ll leave you with the words of  Cindy Ciro, New Zealand’s Commissioner for children:

“It appears that we do have high levels of physical and emotional bullying in New Zealand schools in comparison to other countries. This is historical. We’ve had this for quite some time in our schools.”

 
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Migrant Stories - "The Health Care System Is Second Rate" - Updated: "Horrific Workloads"

11 February 2010
Continuing in our series of Migrant Stories: first hand accounts of migrant life in New Zealand, taken from locations around the net.

This story was written by a nurse with over 30 years of experience. In it she tells of prejudice and how difficult it was to find a job. She also talks about how thousands and thousands of health care dollars are being wasted because there is no incentive to change and of how people wait so long for some tests and treatments that permanent damage is done to their health. She is minded to stay and work through this but her Kiwi partner is starting to look toward Australia to make some money.

"As a nurse in the US with over 3 decades of experience, I can tell you I had one helluva time trying to get registered to work as a nurse in this country. I have found there is prejudice here - even if you are skilled and willing to work, not coming here looking for a handout - just a JOB. (I lost track of the number of applications I filled out - to do ANYTHING - before I literally got lucky and got a job at a DHB hospital as a Health Care Assistant, which was a major stepping stone to getting the registration.)

My partner, a kiwi, was just as surprised (and disappointed) at the difficulty I had. I make a good living here, and it's because I do work hard. And, to be honest, I'm going through some not unexpected issues where I work - but in talking with other foreign (and young, less experienced) nurses, it seems to be the norm. So I am just biting my tongue and getting through it; I know enough to recognize it and I can deal with it. Some of it is because it's New Zealand, some of it is because it's nurses.

Another negative here - they are resistant to change moreso than anywhere I've ever seen. I worked in the health insurance industry for 10 years before I came here, and one of the things I looked for were areas where money was wasted. Here, I can see thousands and thousands of health care dollars wasted because there is no incentive to change things. And they do some things here the same way we did them in US hospitals when I was a student nurse. And since residents here see health care as "free", they really don't care. And they don't realize the health care system is second rate. Yep, I said it and I really believe it. I see things every day that scare the hell out of me. People have to wait days for some tests and treatments that would be done in a matter of hours in the US. By then, permanent damage has been done. But, oh well, that's just the way it is.

The saddest thing is, I believe New Zealand, because it IS a small country, has the potential to be a world leader in health care. Too bad it will never happen, because nothing will change unless there is a catastrophe that makes it absolutely necessary and without option.

My life here is simpler, and I do delight in the small things - like seeing the covey of quail cross the road when I'm on my way to work in the morning, or seeing gorgeous flowers in bloom, or just simply the ever changing scenery (which at the moment is pretty brown and crispy.) So, I'm staying, even though I know my partner is starting to get the itch to go back to Oz and make some money. He has been looking for a job for several months. So, yeah, even if you have experience and education, that doesn't mean smooth sailing as far as getting a job here.

Excuse me, though, as I must put on my rose-colored glasses and go sit in the sun. (First applying sunscreen so I don't develop skin cancer!)"

Doctors and Nurses Notes
There is a workforce crisis in New Zealand's hospitals. Specialist senior doctors are being lost and there is a shortage of cancer specialists. Staff are lost to Australia (where the salaries are 35% higher) and to private practice. The causes are: low pay by international standards, overwork and lack of resources to do the job.

In 2008 The College of Nurses, Aotearoa, NZ Inc. advised the incoming government of the following problems:

*"Unmanageable workloads and limited job satisfaction through inability to maintain professional standards of care deter people from remaining in the nursing profession. Most nurses graduate with high levels of debt and emigration is seen as a sensible option for many who face many years of debt repayment in New Zealand.  Currently 23% of the NZ nursing workforce is imported, often from countries which can ill afford to lose nurses.

* The many innovations and initiatives that nursing has striven for (such as establishment of the Nurse Practitioner role and increased nursing services in PHOs) are consistently slowed, impeded or blocked at health policy level.

* The magnet hospital movement is a strongly evidence based solution to patient safety and nurse workforce recruitment and retention. It remains largely ignored in NZ despite vigorous efforts by nursing to see it promoted.

* A larger Maori nursing workforce is needed to provide services to Maori"

See also an article in The Nelson Mail, 6 March 2010: "Nurses fear cutbacks put lives at risk" :

" The Nelson Marlborough District Health Board has been told by Health Minister Tony Ryall to stop spending so much money because of its worsening deficit, but nurses are saying the constraints are putting patients' lives at risk.

Nurses who expressed concerns over these risks are too scared to be named for fear of losing their jobs...


...(A) nurse said sometimes there were only two or three nurses on an afternoon shift for a full ward of 30 patients and one house surgeon for the whole hospital. "Concerns have been raised through the appropriate channels and nothing gets done about it," she said.

A third nurse, who left her job because of the stress, ended up hating nursing. "You leave there feeling like you haven't done your job."

There was a culture of bullying and a "sit down and be quiet culture" at the hospital, she said."

Updated 11 March 2010: The Nelson Mail
"Nelson nurses tell of 'horrific workloads'"

"...One nurse, who said she sought counselling after months of stressful shifts, ended up resigning. She said six other nurses had also left their jobs at the ward she worked in since September last year and most were not being replaced.

The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, said she was speaking out because she believed it was important to battle for patient and nurse safety. She believed nurses needed a lawyer to work in their defence because of a lack of action over their concerns from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and hospital managers. Letters shown to The Nelson Mail outline a detailed complaint she made to senior management, including the director of nursing, last year.  In the letter, the nurse points to a shift last winter which prompted nurses to file an incident form.

It was one of the "many horrific shifts" she had to work. There were four nurses when six should have been on with six admissions, a cardiac arrest and a death. She had no meal break and each nurse had seven to eight patients as well as a student to oversee...

SPEAKING OUT

Former Nelson Hospital nurse: "As nurses we expect the odd busy horrible shift, but this becomes an ethical dilemma when the majority of shifts are like this."

"Lives have already been put at risk, with deaths occurring."

"The environment at this hospital is already at crisis point, with staff leaving and patient deaths. How the hell are staff going to cope with cutbacks if the environment has already been so badly affected in the past few years? The winter will be a nightmare from hell."

Current nurse: "Maternity staff have been leaving in droves over the past 18 months and there has been a policy not to replace them."

See also:

Radiographers strike could threaten hospital treatment 

Residents of Queenstown are getting only about half the health services of similar sized centres in Otago and Southland

Director General of Health to 'stand down'



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