Standing up and Speaking Out
Last Wednesday was White Ribbon Day, a time when we all come together and pledge to speak out against violence towards women.
As Minister for Women's Affairs, reducing and eventually eliminating violence against women is one of the three priorities I set for the Ministry.
This year, I was invited to speak at the Men's Breakfast in Wellington, alongside the likes of Kiwis league legend and White Ribbon ambassador Ruben Wiki - whose story of witnessing his mother being beaten up by his stepfather, and then growing up determined to break the cycle is truly awe-inspiring.
Every one of us has the ability to speak out on behalf of victims and to save lives in our patch by saying ‘No' to domestic and sexual violence and reporting suspected incidents to the police.
The National-led Government has ensured that there are more police on the streets of Botany and the greater Counties-Manukau region and that these officers have the legislative backing to eradicate violence against women in our community.
Silence is the biggest barrier to eliminate domestic violence. We must speak out about suspected incidents and report these heinous crimes. Chilling statistics like 73,000 reported domestic violence cases in a year (200 a day) must not be allowed to continue.
Shelly Park gala is a success
I had the pleasure of attending the Shelly Park School gala on Sunday November 22 and was overwhelmed by the number of parents and supporters who turned out to make the day an overwhelming success.
Not even the rain could keep them away as people came to check out the action at the school gala, which was an amazing success thanks to the hard work of the parents and teachers.
They provided a fantastic festival of fun as the school put on a number of stalls, rides and attractions to keep the crowd entertained - with one little girl taking the limelight after throwing the perfect shot.
Little Olivia's sterling effort in dropping principal Brian Rolfe into the dunk tank showed that the future of our women's cricket team, the White Ferns, is in good hands. After that, others showed the same skill and we ended up with a soaking wet principal. Impressed by the good spirited principal, I supported the school by buying up big with gift baskets for Christmas.
Somerville students have stars in their eyes
On Friday, November 20, I joined the kids at Somerville Intermediate School to pose with a Christmas tree for a magazine photo shoot of us in Santa hats as the school winds down for the year.
It was great to see these students, who had come to see me in the Beehive, on their home ground as the kids showed off decorating skills.
The kids also managed to show off their art skills, presenting me with a fantastic contemporary painting by two students of their impression of Botany. Two others did a cartoon sketch of me which is now hanging on my Parliamentary office door, much to the amusement of my staff and the people who visit me.
Watch this space for a glimpse of the magazine cover and the contemporary painting.
