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2950 days ago

Disgraceful behaviour of organisations supposed to be protecting children

Debbie from Pukekohe

I received a phone call this afternoon in which I was told that Judge Southwick in the Manukau Family Court had attacked a mother because she has been vocal in criticising the family court. (Freedom of speech is still allowed in this country last time I looked) It was told me that she was very prejudiced in her dealing with a schooling matter and despite eight years of evidence proving that the father of the child had constantly resiled agreements for the child, lied to her personally and been addressed for committing perjury , that he, his wife and parents had bad mouthed the mother to the child, and he had held the child at a school for two years at a school where she had been bullied Judge Southwick ruled in his favour to move the child to a school where these same children would be attending intermediate. The mother had laid a complaint (as have several other parents and teachers) regarding issues of bullying at the school and in response the school Principal had told parents she was crazy (she said told her by the father) and that the child was damaged because of family court proceedings. The lawyer for child David Rice had been told all of this repeatedly and the child had also told him that she did not want to go to the fathers house during the week because of the issues her father was creating this. David Rice never put this in a court report. The mother after being abused by Judge Southwick left the court proceedings who damned a doctor who had stated that the child was experiencing anxiety and would be better home schooled because of the issues. Whirinaki have advised that the coparenting relationship does not work also. Southwick failed to consider this. After the mother left the court proceedings the Judge, the mothers ex partner and his wife (a lawyer) sat in court attacking her character and suggesting she was a slut. The child is refusing to go to the fathers and the courts behaviour is alienating the child from him. The family court is silent. People that speak up often have their children taken off them and if they dare to use the word abuse the are labelled as alienators. Franklin Family Support suggested this man is narcissistic, emotionally abusive and possibly has aspergers. This is Lawyers and judges gaming the system to make money whilst throwing children (and often fathers relationships with their children) under the bus. CYFS are making money out of it too. CYFS have supported the father in this matter throughout because the father dared to tell them that Franklin Family Support suggested he was emotionally abusive. Family court proceedings can go on for over a decade and cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars if a parent is intent on getting custody of their child. It financially and emotionally cripples (oftentimes) the good parent. I have read so many court reports from affected parties I now turn them upside down and normally get it right as to what is going on. It is legalised abuse our national disgrace and it must stop.

More messages from your neighbours
2 days ago

Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑

Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.

We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?

Want to read more? The Press has you covered!

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🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
  • 52.1% Human-centred experience and communication
    52.1% Complete
  • 15.2% Critical thinking
    15.2% Complete
  • 30.1% Resilience and adaptability
    30.1% Complete
  • 2.6% Other - I will share below!
    2.6% Complete
382 votes
2 hours ago

Boundaries of Adaptation - An exhibition by Nina Bulgakova

Franklin Arts Centre from Franklin Arts Centre

Boundaries of Adaptation
An exhibition by Nina Bulgakova
28 February - 18 March
Community Gallery Space - Franklin Arts Centre

Opening Event: Saturday 28 February, 10am

Adaptation is often understood as the ability to adjust to an environment, to accept its conditions and become less visible within it. In this body of work, the focus shifts to a different moment, the point at which adaptation reaches its limit and begins to form a boundary.

This boundary is not a gesture of refusal or isolation. It appears as a need to define how interaction with the outside world takes place. Not to shut it out, but to stay in contact while maintaining a sense of stability. Here, the boundary is not an opposition, but a way of reaching agreement.

The works take the form of wall-mounted sculptural objects, where the boundary becomes material and physically present. Within these objects, it is expressed through weight, density, surface, and tension of form, shifting from an abstract idea into a direct experience.

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17 days ago

Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.

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