Children’s Day is happening on Sunday 6 March with a great new theme of ‘love and affection’. Communities throughout New Zealand will be celebrating the day with a range of events and now is a great time to start planning for your event.

Check out the Children's Day website, for great tips and to request free resources to give out on the day including activity booklets, balloons, tattoos, tohu stickers, flyers, posters and scrapbooks. You can sign up for the e-newsletter too.

Canadian man, Jean Béliveau, has been walking around the world since August 18, 2000. He has walked through 62 countries over 5 continents and by the time he arrived in New Zealand, he had walked 68,300km.

Jean is dedicating his walk to the UNESCO Decade, 2001-2010 INTERNATIONAL DECADE FOR A CULTURE OF PEACE AND NON-VIOLENCE FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD.

He is now walking the length of New Zealand and has kindly chosen to support Barnardos New Zealand as his charity of choice. You can show your support for Jean by donating here. If you would like to walk with Jean and his support crew, click here to see when he will be in your region.

You can read more about Jean's journey here.

When Jean Beliveau arrived in New Zealand in October to begin his walk up the length of the country, news media dubbed him “the real Forrest Gump”. He had, after all, been walking around the world for ten years, and New Zealand is his 63rd and last country before he returns to Canada in 2011.

But there is a significant different between this amazing man and Forrest Gump. Jean Beliveau is walking for a purpose: to promote the UNESCO international decade (2001-2010) for peace and non-violence for children. Jean’s dream is to increase child rights and secure the ideal of children and youth living free from violence.

Jean has now walked from Bluff to Christchurch. When he arrived in Christchurch on 4 November he was greeted by Barnardos staff who walked into the city with him, to the wonderful sound of bagpipes.

When you talk to Jean it is clear that without that purpose, and his dedication to peace, he would not have been able to keep walking for so long. “Without the cause, I couldn’t walk very far at all. It’s a crazy desire, and I still wonder why, but I know it comes back to wanting to encourage change for children. This is a big opportunity to spread an important message,” he says.

Jean said there was great excitement as they walked. Along the way, he made an impromptu visit to Christchurch City Council and met Mayor Bob Parker. He has an uncanny ability to be able to walk anywhere – including into Council meetings!

It is clear that Jean is loving his time in New Zealand so far. He says “I feel comfortable with the culture here. The people make me feel at home.”

Jean has had amazing support from Barnardos and when people tell him they want to do everything they can to support him, he reminds them that the feeling is mutual. Jean is collecting donations for Barnardos as he walks and he has had some generous donations from the likes of Dunedin Lions Club and Papanui Rotary Club in Christchurch. Donations in support of his walk can be made at www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/wwwalk.org

So, keep an eye out for Jean in a town near you. And if you would like to offer accommodation or other support for Jean, please just let us know!

If you want to get involved, please email Deborah Morris-Travers, Advocacy Manager at Barnardos NZ: Deborah.travers@barnardos.org.nz

Check out more information about Jean Beliveau’s walk around the world.

This morning, there was an article published in the New York Times online featuring Roots of Empathy in a discussion about bullying in the United States. It is a great recognition of the work we do building a more caring and civil society.

The author is David Bornstein, who has also featured Roots of Empathy and Mary Gordon in books that he has published. You can find out more about David at the bottom of the article. There will also be a follow up article from David in the Saturday edition.
 

Have you just found out you're going to be a dad, or perhaps you're already a brand new dad? Being a Great Dad is a comprehensive and practical guide to For Dummies dadhood, with advice on topics ranging from conception to looking after your baby, connecting with your little one and helping your child develop and grow.

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Barnardos New Zealand welcomes the Government’s budget decision to honour their commitment in 2009 to retain Pathway to Partnership funding provided by the previous Government and use it to improve support for children and families throughout the country, says Murray Edridge, Chief Executive of Barnardos New Zealand.

“Given the current fiscal constraints on the Government, this is very good news. As a provider of child and family services throughout New Zealand, we can attest to the increasing demand for social services, and the difficulty to keeping pace with this demand. It is therefore important that the Government continues to work alongside community organisations and encourage innovation so children, young people and families continue to receive the support and help they need,” concludes Mr Edridge.

“Barnardos New Zealand would like to congratulate paediatrician Dr Ian Hassall for recently receiving an international award from the United Nations for his exceptional contribution to children, says Murray Edridge, Chief Executive of Barnardos New Zealand.”

“As New Zealand’s first Children’s Commissioner and by dedicating his life and career to supporting and improving services to children and young people in New Zealand, we are very pleased to see that his achievements have been recognised internationally.”

“Dr Hassall has done an extraordinary job in advocating for children’s rights and seeking to put the children and young people of New Zealand at the centre of government policy and planning. His successes include helping setting up helplines for parents and children, which are still operating. Dr Hassall also contributed to the development of the 1989 Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act, which is a landmark in legislation impacting on children in New Zealand and a model that is admired and followed in other countries.”

“Dr. Hassall has been and still is a force for change in respect of children’s rights and how they are perceived, not only in this country but in the world”, concludes Mr Edridge.

"Changes to New Zealand law, policies and practices are needed to ensure that children who testify in criminal court cases do so safely and with appropriate support, says Barnardos Acting Chief Executive, Niamh Lawless.

“The report titled Child Witnesses in the New Zealand Criminal Courts was released today by the Institute of Public Policy and the Law Foundation. As highlighted in the recommendations of the report, national guidelines need to be developed in relation to child witnesses, and aspects of the Evidence Act 2006 need to be amended and strengthened. We support the recommendations and urge the government to implement them,” says Ms Lawless.

“Among the issues needing to be addressed is the inconsistent implementation of the law, delays in awaiting trials, inappropriate questioning in court, and children being cross-examined in ways that are forensically unsafe.”

“The issues canvassed in the report are important and we need to ensure children who are victims or witnesses to crime must be able to testify in a safe and timely manner. Children need to be protected, with their interests and needs being a primary consideration throughout court processes.”

“We are hopeful that government ministers will accept the recommendations in the report and ensure they are implemented quickly. Doing so will help guarantee the quality of justice delivered by the courts, and that children are able to participate in the justice system fairly,” concludes Ms Lawless.

“Barnardos New Zealand welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s urgent call for local government to make Auckland’s “Supercity” a great and safe place for children”, says Murray Edridge, Chief Executive of Barnardos New Zealand.

“It is crucial that local government in Auckland ensures that the voices of children and young people are heard and represented when the discussions and decisions about the “Supercity” take place. Decision-makers need to commit to creating safe policies around the rights, interests and well-being of children and young people living in Auckland”.

“However, representing the interests of children and young people is not only an issue for the Auckland Council but for all communities and Local Boards throughout the country. We encourage all local government in New Zealand to act appropriately on behalf of children and young people and examine their priorities in the context of the three recommendations from the Children’s Commissioner”.

“Communities and local government need to play their part in protecting all children’s rights and well-being, ensuring New Zealand is a safe and great place for children to grow up and thrive”, concludes Mr Edridge.

"Children's Day is on Sunday, 7 March, and I am looking forward to an, exciting and eventful day of celebrations", says Murray Edridge, Chief Executive of Barnardos New Zealand.

"Children are celebrated, treasured and nurtured in many ways every day. Having a special Children's Day provides a particular focus for whanau and communities to celebrate our children on this particular day."

"There will be hundreds of events and activities throughout the country celebrating children. Parents, grandparents, caregivers and many others will have the opportunity to do some interesting and exciting things with their children on the day. It is also a valuable moment to focus on the positive relationships between children and their families/ whanau."

"This year we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Children's Day and the theme is 'praise and encouragement'. Praise and encouragement are very important for children and young people, as they improve behaviour and contribute positively to a child's development. Even the smallest positive actions should be praised by parents", says Mr Edridge.

"Barnardos has been supporting and promoting Children's Day since its inception in 2000, and together with many other organisations in the community sector and the government we are proud to be involved."

"Let's all take this opportunity to celebrate our children. Join me on Children's Day to raise awareness of the significant role children and young people play in New Zealand," concludes Mr Edridge.

For more information please visit www.childrensday.org.nz

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