April 2014 E-Newsletter
Word from the Chair
The past month has seen some very interesting facts and figures come to light AGAIN in regards to child abuse and neglect in New Zealand across various media mediums. I am trying to get my head around just how many times we have to hear that New Zealand has a problem with child abuse and neglect. The Trust for the past 8 years has not stopped raising the awareness to our supporters, to our political and community leaders and to the media about this underbelly epidemic in this country. that there is a problem. Only last month we sent out our Declaration to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect and specifically providing a snapshot of at least 50 children who have died in the past 24 years as a result of child abuse.
My question is – what will it take for the more New Zealanders to speak up, for politicians to make this matter a priority with its party policies? Causes such as Poverty, Alcohol & Drugs and Poor Parenting have been identified (refer to Nigel Latta piece) but we at the Trust go further and say it also includes the breakdown of families, the demise of marriage in our society and we’ll even say it has also a lot to do with New Zealand losing all understanding of the values and principals this Nation was built on – Christian values to include love, care, hope and faith.
My good friend Henare O’Keefe spoke on the Nigel Latta programme and he said it starts in the home, ‘fix the home you’ll fix the community’. Home is where the heart is – but we only have to look at the status of the home makeup and it comes as no surprise why there is such a huge increase in family violence in New Zealand.
Right now, I am being asked to review a number of documents/papers concerning poverty, its meaning, its relevance, its impact on our children. Poverty of the spirit (wairoa) – the absence of faith, love, hope and care are just the tip of the iceberg to why people hurt other people. If this is absent in a parent(s) it then is absent in the home to which a child is supposed to call its safe haven.
Aroha nui
John Sax
Chairman
Alleviating Child Poverty, by Dr Muriel Newman
The Trust thought our supporters would be interested in this very informative article by Dr Muriel Newman, who is a Trustee. Please feel free to provide any feedback to us.
Child poverty is likely to be one of the big issues in the 2014 general election.
On the political left are a line-up of parties that are trying to make the case that child poverty in New Zealand is going from bad to worse – the so-called gap between rich and poor is growing wider, the working poor are losing out to others, and more than a third of all children are living in poverty. Read More
Amokura House
The past month has seen some very interesting facts and figures come to light AGAIN in regards to child abuse and neglect in New Zealand across various media mediums. I am trying to get my head around just how many times we have to hear that New Zealand has a problem with child abuse and neglect. The Trust for the past 8 years has not stopped raising the awareness to our supporters, to our political and community leaders and to the media about this underbelly epidemic in this country. that there is a problem. Only last month we sent out our Declaration to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect and specifically providing a snapshot of at least 50 children who have died in the past 24 years as a result of child abuse.
My question is – what will it take for the more New Zealanders to speak up, for politicians to make this matter a priority with its party policies? Causes such as Poverty, Alcohol & Drugs and Poor Parenting have been identified (refer to Nigel Latta piece) but we at the Trust go further and say it also includes the breakdown of families, the demise of marriage in our society and we’ll even say it has also a lot to do with New Zealand losing all understanding of the values and principals this Nation was built on – Christian values to include love, care, hope and faith.
My good friend Henare O’Keefe spoke on the Nigel Latta programme and he said it starts in the home, ‘fix the home you’ll fix the community’. Home is where the heart is – but we only have to look at the status of the home makeup and it comes as no surprise why there is such a huge increase in family violence in New Zealand.
Right now, I am being asked to review a number of documents/papers concerning poverty, its meaning, its relevance, its impact on our children. Poverty of the spirit (wairoa) – the absence of faith, love, hope and care are just the tip of the iceberg to why people hurt other people. If this is absent in a parent(s) it then is absent in the home to which a child is supposed to call its safe haven.
Aroha nui
John Sax
Chairman
Alleviating Child Poverty, by Dr Muriel Newman
The Trust thought our supporters would be interested in this very informative article by Dr Muriel Newman, who is a Trustee. Please feel free to provide any feedback to us.
Child poverty is likely to be one of the big issues in the 2014 general election.
On the political left are a line-up of parties that are trying to make the case that child poverty in New Zealand is going from bad to worse – the so-called gap between rich and poor is growing wider, the working poor are losing out to others, and more than a third of all children are living in poverty. Read More
Amokura House
For the Sake of Our Children Trust were pleased to attend the fundraising event for the Amokura House- a safe home for teen mothers to develop their education, parenting and life skills, Friday 4 April 2014 at Florence Court, Auckland.
Amokura House will provide a vital service for young mothers in the Manurewa community and with strong support of the local community itself.
The evening was a big success with friends and supporters across the business and social sectors in attendance who heard from Te Wakaora Tangata Trust's Chairman Mr Greg Fleming (pictured above) and two young women who have found themselves in the position of being Teen Mums and have utilised the services of the teen home itself. The Founder Indranee Reddy spoke also and highlighted the need for such a home as being vital to the community particularly to the young mothers - stating that if there is a way to prevent children from being killed as a result of child abuse or neglect this set up of a safe haven for young mothers is definitely one of many effective solutions.
For the Sake of Our Children Trust will keep our supporters updated on the progress of Amokura House
Update: Collective Declaration for our Children 
For the Sake of Our Children Trust has completed its first draft of its Declaration for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, NZ. This is currently under review with the Trustees and then will be sent to key stakeholders April 21st who have indicated an interest to view and contribute.
The Trust would like to call all organisations to include child advocates, business and community leaders and health workers in Auckland who have specifically set up to mitigate child abuse and neglect to engage and discuss 'AS ONE' how we can agree and finalise a Declaration for Our Children to mitigate key factors highly correlated to child abuse and neglect and to be a public Voice to impacting further political and social change in policy and legislation.
Update: Research Development 2014 
The Trust wishes to apologise for the delay in releasing its research in the number of children who have been killed as a result of child and abuse and neglect over the past 20 years. This is research is expected to be completed in May due to information required on our end to best fit the criteria for the research. As indicated the Trust has focused on 3 areas of interest: family structure, welfare dependency and the perpetrators relationship to the child.
The research will be made available to our supporters and the wider public.
Aspiring Leaders Forum - 8-11 May 2014
The Aspiring Leaders' Forum is an annual four day event that brings together the brightest, most committed and courageous young leaders from across all sectors and towns in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is run largely by a community of volunteers, which continues to grow after each successful event. Read More
Alice in Wonderland Pantomime - 3 May 2014
For the Sake of Our Children Trust wishes to thank The Shamrock Group Ltd for supporting and donating tickets to the Alice in Wonderland in aid of Radio Lollipop New Zealand Ltd to be held in Auckland, Saturday 3 May at the Logan Campbell Centre, Greenlane.
The Trust is fortunate to have sent the tickets out to 40 young Pacific Island children with their parent to see the show during the school holidays. We hope they all have a great time.
Upcoming Events
April 18-21 Easter Weekend, NZ
May 3 Alice in Wonderland Pantomime, Auckland
May 8-11 Aspiring Leaders Forum, Wellington
May 9 Completion of FSOCT Research on Child Abuse, NZ
May 11 Mother's Day, NZ
June 2 Queen's Birthday, NZ
June 10 FSOCT Trust Board Meeting, Auckland