FAMILY FIRST NZ Inc. - MEDIA RELEASE - 16 February 2016 Brothel Fundraiser for Charity Labelled ‘Tacky’ Family First NZ, [a registered charity] says that an attempt<http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/76929624/south-taranaki-brothel-hosts-open-day-to-fund-school-lunch-programme> by a South Taranaki brothel to promote its business and normalise prostitution under the guise of a charitable fundraiser should be rejected by the charity concerned. “This is simply a cynical attempt by the sex industry to try and normalise a business by having an ‘Open Home’ which many in the community will object to. To then associate prostitution with children and promote the brothel via a charity feeding children is just tacky,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. “How can we be serious about reducing sexual violence against women when brothels legitimise the sexual abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people? There is a healthy stigma against prostitution – and for good reason.” Family First is calling on the Kai Kitchen charity to reject any association with the brothel and its self-promotion attempts. “Even the architect of the bill to decriminalise prostitution has admitted<https://www.familyfirst.org.nz/2013/04/beyer-we-were-naive-liberalising -prostitution/> that the politicians were naïve regarding the harms to workers, and the Prime Minister John Key believes<https://www.familyfirst.org.nz/2012/11/legalisation-of-prostitution-fai ling-john-key/> the legalisation of prostitution has failed to safeguard sex workers and bring a halt to underage prostitution.” “Families don’t want brothels – no matter how large or small – in communities and located near schools, churches, maraes or family shopping precincts and restaurants. We are being regularly contacted by families around the country who are opposed to brothels opening in their community.” “The association of prostitution with gang and criminal behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse, underage prostitution, and sexual abuse and violence means that more and more women and young people are being sentenced to an unacceptable situation,” says Mr McCoskrie. ENDS
Changes to the Companies Act 1993: NZ Director Essential
New laws applying to ALL New Zealand registered companies and their director(s), contained in the Companies Amendment Act 2014, took effect on 28 October 2015. Non-compliant companies and their director(s) are currently under scrutiny by the Registry Integrity Team of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and its enforcement/compliance senior investigators. Prosecutions can be expected if company directors fail to comply with the law and their companies removed from the Register of Companies.
The Companies Office website sets out the new requirements:
Key date: no later than 28 October 2015
Applies to: All companies on the register of companies.
Action required:
Make sure you have a director who:
- lives in New Zealand or
- lives in Australia and is also a director of an Australian incorporated company. You’ll be asked for the name of the director, and the name, address and Australian Company Number (ACN) of the Australian company.
Provide the following additional information to the Companies Office:
- date and place of birth of every director
- details of ultimate holding company, if applicable.
Source: http://www.business.govt.nz/news/companies-amendment-act-what-to-do-and-when-to-do-it
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As part of its investigation into a number of companies and their director(s), where there appears to be a level of non-compliance with the law, SPCS has sought information from the Hon. Paul Goldsmith, the Registrar of Companies, and other agencies.
The following correspondence sheds some light on the above new law changes, but raises serious concerns about the lack of clarity in the changes.
- Official Information Request from SPCS to Registrar of Companies re Amendments to Companies Act 1993. See: OIR to Registrar of Companies dated 11 Jan 2016
- Response to SPCS Official Information Request from MBIE. See: OIR response from MBIE to SPCS dated 15 Feb 2016
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“Of the 550,000 companies on the register of companies, approximately 5,000 have overseas directors only and will need to appoint a director who lives in New Zealand or in Australia (and if Australia, is a director of an Australian company) to stay compliant.”
See: http://www.business.govt.nz/news/companies-amendment-act-what-to-do-and-when-to-do-it
Sexting like ‘drug addiction’ for Kiwi teens, with kids as young as 11 taking part
Sexting is being labelled a drug-like addiction for some Kiwi teens, with increasing numbers of young people sending naked photos of themselves.
Sexting, the sending of explicit phone messages, often with naked photos, is now so common that New Zealand parents would struggle to find a teenager who has not been asked to send one, NetSafe has warned. [Netsafe Inc. is a New Zealand registered charity – Reg. No. CC24058].
The head of NetSafe is aware of children as young as 11 sexting, and said suicide was among the most-extreme outcomes.
And the problem comes with a stark warning – images can last online forever, and appear each time the sender’s name is typed into a search engine.
“For some teens, [sexting] has become quite a normal part of dating,” said NetSafe chief technology officer Sean Lyons.
“You’d be hard pressed to find a teen that hasn’t been asked to send a naked or semi-naked photo of themselves in New Zealand.”
See full article: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/76672892/sexting-like-drug-addiction-for-kiwi-teens-with-kids-as-young-as-11-taking-part
The town where boys are ‘groomed to become pimps’
By Bradley Myles, Special to CNN
Updated 1538 GMT (2338 HKT) December 2, 2015 | Video Source: CNN
Dismantling the trafficking networks
The shocking stories of sex trafficking …. should greatly impact us, but it’s important to remember that we all can play a role in keeping this from happening to more people.
These women and girls are trapped in modern slavery, enslaved by criminal networks that have perfected human trafficking and exploitation into a sophisticated science over decades.
The depth and breadth of the modern slavery that is intricately woven throughout our global society is both shocking and daunting. In fact, the International Labor Organization estimates that 4.5 million people are victims of sex trafficking around the world in an industry that generates tens of billions of dollars in criminal profits each year.
See video: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/01/opinions/sex-trafficking-tenancingo-polaris/index.html
Studies Link Porn to Sexual Violence – Family First NZ Media Release
Family First NZ says that a new study<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcom.12201/abstract> out of Indiana University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa has warned that porn consumption is significantly linked to increases in sexual aggression.
“The latest research is a meta-analysis assessing 22 different studies from seven different countries around the world. This research found that internationally the consumption of pornography was associated significantly with both verbal and physical aggression, among males and females alike. This study should be taken seriously in New Zealand as we tackle unacceptable rates of sexual violence and the ‘roastbusters’ mentality,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.
The study “A Meta-Analysis of Pornography Consumption and Actual Acts of Sexual Aggression in General Population Studies” published in the Journal of Communication found that “….the association for physical sexual aggression, although smaller than the association for verbal sexual aggression, was still positive and significant. Pornography consumption was associated with an increased probability of the use or threat of force to obtain sex.” [Read more…]