Chadwick Steve: Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Chadwick Steve: Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:638;Page:8866] 
STEVE CHADWICK (Labour—Rotorua) 
: 
 This is a symbolic day in this Chamber. It is the first time I have ever seen consensus politics and it takes me back to congratulate Plunket which facilitated the establishment of the Littlies Lobby where this discussion first began in an attempt to get a consensus an all-party agreement on the fact that children matter and that every child counts. Plunket will be very thrilled today. Its president is retiring tonight so what a great present this is for Kaye Crowther. 
There are some women I want to acknowledge. First I think that the resolute position of Sue Bradford has been fantastic and admired by women across the country. She did not stand down she did not compromise her values and she saw as clear as day what had to be done in the law. I think those debating and the public have admired and respected her fighting stance in this position. 
I also acknowledge Katherine Rich who across the other side of the Chamber has very quietly and quite sweetly taken a strong position and we know the pressure she has been under for taking that position in understanding the role of advocacy for children who have no voice. We congratulate her on her position on behalf of the children of the country because we are their advocates. 
I too can congratulate John Key; I have no problem about that. I met with representatives of the Salvation Army who raised the same concerns as those I am sure Mr Key met at his meeting. That does not undermine what we also did as women in the Labour caucus to try to manoeuvre and to get some reasonableness around the need for a definition and the need to get the people of this country to understand what we were trying to achieve. 
I congratulate Helen Clark. I admire her leadership—uncompromising leadership—on this issue. I was never whipped; I was always very strong on this position and proud to take it. I think tonight that she has shown a new style of politics in being able to work with the leader of the Opposition. That is a wonderful symbol for the country that we are trying to lead and for families. 
I also acknowledge the Families Commission the Commissioner for Children and a small non-governmental organisation in Rotorua called SmackfreeNgongotaha. SmackfreeNgongotaha is a primary health organisation that said ours is an inherently violent society and that it was going to stand up long before the section 59 bill was debated in order to try to stop the level of violence against our children. As a result of that I have had fewer than 10 letters to me and fewer than 10 emails from constituents in Rotorua on my position on the repeal of section 59. [ 
Interruption 
] But I have had thousands of letters and emails from around the country. I think it is a sign that as a community—and we are proud of it as a city—we have said that violence against our children is not good enough. 
Simon Power 
: Only 10 emails! 
STEVE CHADWICK 
: That is right. So it is very sad is it not? But we are fighting the battle here and saying that violence against our children has to change. 
I also acknowledge the members of the Maori Party. I know that they have been out on the road on a round of consultation around the country and have been told overwhelmingly not to support this bill. They stood resolute too because they know that a lot of the children who suffer under the defence of reasonable force are in fact Maori children. I say kia ora to Te Ururoa Flavell over there and that it is acknowledged. 
We have mentioned Chester Borrows. I could never have supported that amendment because I do not believe that any level of violence against our children even smacking as punishment is acceptable. I think we need to continue the debate on SKIP and positive parenting in this country. 
I want to conclude on the time lapse on this bill. It has allowed fantastic community debate. There have been meetings in halls around communities about our children and the valuing of them. It is about time that as a country we no longer condone violence against children. This amendment today was required. It seems peculiar to require something that was in police guidelines anyway but it removes the doubt and brings people with us—and that is the art of politics; it is about bringing people and their perceptions with us. I congratulate John Key and Helen Clark on this amendment and I congratulate Peter Dunne on proposing it.