SPCS

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY STANDARDS INC.

BSA Slams TVNZ’s Close Up Porn Promotion

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Media Release by Family First NZ, a registered charity with the NZ Charities Commission.

“The trend by the networks to sexualise news and current events is disturbing” – Family First NZ

Family First NZ is welcoming a ruling from the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) demanding that TVNZ publicly acknowledge their breach of broadcasting standards for a programme in August 2010 which offended many families with its gratuitous display of the porn industry. TVNZ has also been ordered to pay a paltry $3,000 fine.

“As a result of a campaign by Family First supporters, TVNZ received an ‘unprecedented’ number of complaints regarding this programme. The Close Up story was based around the promotion of the porn industry – all under the guise of so-called ‘daily news and current events’. The trend by the television networks to sexualise news and current events and use sexual innuendo is disturbing,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. [Read more…]

Bernard Whimp – banned company director targets shareholders again

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A banned company director who has gained notoriety for his dishonesty, multiple legal threats and whimpish behaviour has again come under the spotlight today.

Bernard Terence Whimp, a convicted burgler and former bankrupt, was banned for five years from managing, promoting or directing any company: the ban commenced on 19 April 2007 and ends on 19 April 2012 according to the Companies Office website. And yet despite this disqualification (the maximum ban that can be imposed under the Companies Act 1993), he has seen fit, as a controller in a number of limited partnerships, including Energy Securities LP and NZ Investment Secirities LP, to target thousands of shareholders in at least six NZX-listed companies; sending them unsolicted letters offering to buy their secutities: letters that contain “misleading” and/or defective documentation.

The Secuties Commission has issued an order against Mr Whimp, as serious questions hang over the level of honesty and transparency involved in these communications with shareholders. [Read more…]

Renewed call for supermarket alcohol sales ban – Otago Daily Times

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The head of the University of Otago’s National Addiction Centre (NAC) is welcoming a fresh call for supermarkets to be banned from selling alcohol, saying they are using cheap booze as “bait”. The call came in a Hospitality Association of New Zealand (Hanz) submission on the Alcohol Reform Bill to Parliament’s justice and electoral select committee yesterday.

Hanz argued the negative impacts of past alcohol reform was sourced to the availability of cheap alcohol from supermarkets, increasing the availability of alcohol to youths. Supermarkets were also driving binge-drinking by using alcohol as a “loss leader”, sold below cost to attract shoppers. There was a “strong case” for removing alcohol from supermarkets and grocery stores, or risk the worst features of alcohol consumption continuing “unabated”, the Hanz submission argued.

See Full Story by Chris Morris: Otago Daily Times, Tues 8 Mar 2011 http://www.odt.co.nz/campus/university-otago/150763/renewed-call-supermarket-alcohol-sales-ban

Adoptee spurred battle for law reform to enable access to birth information

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On 12 January 2011 Rev. Keith Clifton Griffith MBE sadly passed away after a short period of illness and will be sorely missed by his wife Helen, three sons and their respective young families. Our Society executive, one of whom had known Keith for almost 40 years and was able to attend Keith’s funeral held in Porirua, are so grateful for his valuable contribution to our Society’s direction as set out in our revised Constitution (see Objectives tab on our website homepage or go to www.societies.govt.nz and search under Inc. Soc. No. 217833).

Keith, who was guest speaker at our Society’s AGM held on 30 June 2010, and who in 1988 was awarded an MBE for services to adoption research, publications and formation of adoption support networks; emphasised in his address the importance of adopting three guiding principles in all charitable work: truth, openness (or transparency) and integrity. The Society executive has sought to follow his advice and we found his AGM talk involving his account of his own charitable work, most inspirational. [Read more…]

How to Make Donations to the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal

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To the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal: ANZ (account no. 01-1839-0188939-00) or National bank (account no. 06-0869-0548507-00).

To the Red Cross: redcross.org.nz/donate or via grabone.co.nz/christchurch as the Red Cross site has been crashing.

To the Westpac Canterbury Care Fund in partnership with the Salvation Army: either at branches nationwide or to the account no. 03-0207-0617331-00

To the Salvation Army Earthquake appeal: salvationarmy.org.nz or 0800 5300 00.  For more go below: [Read more…]