School bullying report
A new report on the nature and extent of bullying in schools, including text messaging, reflected the seriousness of the issue for New Zealand schools and communities, Education Minister Steve Maharey said this week. The Education Ministry Report was also a reminder there is already a strong awareness of the issue and willingness to address it. Mr Maharey said establishing clear boundaries for behaviour, with consistent policies across all schools, would be a key priority over the next three years. The policies would need to be well supported by teachers, parents and the community. Schools can expect to receive more help and see a greater focus on the roles of the Ministry and the Education Review Office (ERO) in dealing with the issue. From April the ERO will report on anti-bullying strategies in each school review. Mr Maharey is also looking at options through this year's budget to strengthen and enhance existing work and programmes.

Recognising volunteers
New Zealanders were asked to thank and support volunteers working in the community, as part of Volunteer Awareness Week. Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Luamanuvao Winnie Laban asked Kiwis to acknowledge those who already worked as volunteers, and to put their own hands up to help their communities. She said volunteering was an essential element of civil society and communities relied on volunteers. Through volunteer efforts, they contributed to the nation's sense of wellbeing and national identity, Ms Laban said. More than one million New Zealanders are actively involved in regular volunteer work in many areas including sports, recreation, arts, culture, heritage, emergency and social services, health, education, conservation and the environment. The government was firmly behind the voluntary sector, having adopted a formal policy on volunteering in 2002.

Pandemic ad campaign begins
A major public awareness campaign, to help prepare New Zealand for a possible flu pandemic, kicked off this week. The campaign started with a series of television and radio ads across the country. Health Minister Pete Hodgson said Māori and Pacific radio and television advertising would start next week and coincide with a mail out to 1.4 million households. Despite nearly two thirds of New Zealanders having already seen information on pandemic preparedness, Mr Hodgson said less than one third had actually taken steps to prepare. That next step was much harder, and Kiwis needed to be convinced to take simple steps to be ready for a possible flu pandemic, he said. The four basic health messages are that people need to have a plan for the care of friends and family, to build an emergency kit, to have proper coughing and sneezing techniques and understand the importance of thorough hand washing and drying. The public awareness campaign runs through March and April and costs just over $1 million.

Protecting legal consumers
A new law, designed to give the public greater confidence in the legal services industry, became law this week. Justice Minister Mark Burton said the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act, which replaces the Law Practitioners Act 1982, was aimed at maintaining confidence in legal services, and recognising the status of the two professions - lawyers and conveyancers. The law ends the exclusive right of lawyers to carry out conveyancing work with the creation of licensed conveyancers. Mr Burton said conveyancing did not need to be restricted to the legal profession and licensing conveyancers would enhance competition. Consumer protections such as fidelity funds, professional indemnity insurance and controls over who may describe themselves as lawyers or law practitioners are prescribed, as are the fundamental obligations of lawyers and conveyancers and a process to form their professional rules. The Act provides a more accessible complaints process and creates an independent Legal Complaints Review Officer, and the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal for hearing serious misconduct cases. The Act will be implemented progressively over the next 18 months.

More on 1 April
Benefits and student allowances will increase from 1 April 2006 and income thresholds for the Community Services Card will rise, Social Development and Employment Minister David Benson-Pope announced this week. The increase of 3.16 per cent in the rates of benefits, allowances and Community Services Card thresholds equates to the increase in the cost of living for 2005. The income thresholds for Community Services Card holders will also increase, taking into account the change in income levels due to the Working for Families scheme that also takes effect on 1 April. The thresholds now range from $20,916 a year for a single person sharing accommodation to $65,743 per year for a family of six people. Mr Benson-Pope said cardholders would not lose their card entitlement because of the increase or the Working for Families package. The increase in the thresholds will also mean some people will be newly eligible for a card. Childcare rates are also due to increase.

Legal Parenthood report
Justice Minister Mark Burton this week released the government's response to the Law Commission report, New Issues in Legal Parenthood. Child welfare and the significance of being a parent are the primary considerations for any discussions of law change in this area, Mr Burton said. Although no final decisions have been made, the government will consider more work to implement some recommendations, including: Extending the presumption of paternity, a minimum framework formalizing consent requirements for DNA parentage testing, enforceable court orders to undergo parentage testing, and transferring parentage to implement surrogacy arrangements.