Referendum to be held on smacking

How do you convince a parent what is acceptable discipline versus unacceptable? When you know a parent thinks it's okay to twist a child's ear to get the child to do what the child is asked to do, as an outsider of the home how does one protect the child? How many parent's, stepparent's and live in friend's think it's okay to twist a child's ear?

i think that there are other ways of punishment. some parents loose control and others clame that they havent ever hit their children (which is total bull, well mostly) my parent always hit me and they always made me feel insecure, my parents would start smashing plates because they didn't want to do the dishers. if anyone knows whats best is that you should use other ways to punish children. there for it wouldn't matter if campaign did go through.

No amount of laws will stop the smacking and bashing of children. Those child bashers will continue to do it regardless of the law, they just do not care. The government is wasting its time and our taxpayers money bringing this law in, all it will do is fill up the prisons and courts with the people who give their children a smack for misbehaving. Thats whats wrong with the children of today, they have no discipline from the home.

I can't wait to beat the crap out of my kids again! I'm going to kick the sh*t out of those little bastards! Just for fun!

Get your act together, brute New Zealanders! You simply don't hear of or see an adult smacking a child anywhere else in the world except NZ, Oz, the UK. Ear cuffing,face slapping, leg belting, hair pulling, etc, of kids is a Brute Brit legacy of the Victorian times - the agee when every 'decent' father had a mistress and got her to spank him while he dressed in a petticoat. When the law gets passed, and NZ enters the civilised world, don't expect a policeman in your dining-room. It'll be a 'sleeping law', as in Scandinavia, Germany, Latvia, Holland, Italy, etc etc. A matter of a sensible government stating its case in the year 2008.

It is only when one sees their neice and nephew carried out of their home in body bags that one sees an "anti smacking" bill may not be such a bad idea in the end. The bill does not incriminate parents who discipline their children only those who abuse this!

I'm sick of all the left's liberal top down law changes over the last 9 years. None of this stuff has been mandated by the people and tt mostly all goes against the Bible and common sense. Examples include "anti smacking", "decriminalising prostitution", "civil unions" (aka erroding the virtue of marriage) and so on.

What's the point of democracy when whoever gets in just pushes their own little agendas anyway. Social engineering at its worst.

Congratulations New Zealand. It looks as though we'll soon have the right to commit so called 'appropriate' violence against our children without fear of prosecution or public embarrassment. Next let's bring back the right for a husband to discipline his wife. I'm sure it never did them any harm either.

Ha ha, what a bunch of losers - hitting people as part of good parenting is oxymoronic, and the legal system knows it! All you petitioners do is give yourselves a nice big circle-jerk before being soundly and rightfully ignored. Well done on wasting all your time and resources.

Why of why should the Mother of all Mothers deny 85% of us a chance to be heard, we must let our opinion out on our Voting Paper in 3 months time as a postal ballot next year would cost much more money.390,000 signatures (thanks to the tireless effort of Sheryl Savill and Larry Baldock???s petition for a referendum) means Labour???s Green, Progressive and United Future Parties should allow us a chance to answer the question this election. Radio Live interviewed Nigel Latta (clinical psychologist) who deals with the worst end of family violence and is an authority on child abuse who agrees a light smack shouldn???t result in a visit from CYFS (Feilding Mum knows about this) or Police (as the Senior Journalist in Auckland experienced and Musician ear flicker in Christchurch experienced). MPs have sold Mum???s and Dad???s a lie that a smack is violence against children, Simon Barnett and Christine Rankin have evidence Section 59 only failed 6 times in 16 YEARS.National, Act, Family, Kiwi Parties are demanding the question should be on our voting paper so 85% of Kiwis can speak sixteen weeks from today. Fortunately Family First (lobby group) reports to us the facts that some guilty good parents and even grandparents are being persecuted presently. The only right and just thing for this PM to do is allow us a chance to give our own opinion as PM in waiting John Key seriously suggested to her I wish she would listen to him, yeah right.