Kiwi Kids Books

There are some crazy laws out there in the big wide world. For some reason once people arrive in the corridors of power their brain often cease to function. Like a school boy with alcohol and a reconditioned Datsun 180B, they lose all moral bearings and any sense of social responsibility. A simple internet search reveals some absolute hilarious laws out there in the world today. Not surprising the United State of America, home of the strange and mentally weird, tops the charts.

Did you know that in Salt Lake County, Utah, it’s illegal to walk down the street carrying a violin in a paper bag? Meanwhile in sunny Florida men seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown can be fined. In Tennessee, they have a classic where you are breaking the law if you drive while sleeping. Now you may laugh and snigger at the laws that govern the most powerful country on the plant but a little research will reveal that New Zealand is not ammine to both the stupid law and the politicians who lose their marbles once they get in power.

If you are a closet atomic developer you must be especially careful. If you find uranium in New Zealand and don’t report it – in writing – to the Government within three months, you’ve broken the law. But it doesn’t stop there. You actually have to reveal the site of your discovery in your report too. It’s all in the Atomic Energy Act of 1945. But New Zealand’s strange laws are not just restricted to our narrow minded anti Nuclear stance. Apparently the Mercantile Agents Act, 1908, requires shopkeepers to use red ink to write the price on books or magazines that were sold in installments. Might have to run that by the guy at Paper Plus the next time I’m buying something.

Please stop laughing our list of strange and exotic laws because they don’t stop there my friend.  Did you know that within New Zealand, no parental notification or consent is needed for a girl to have an abortion? Oh that wouldn’t happen in New Zealand, the land of the long white cloud. Unfortunately it does. The other day a colleague of my  told me the story of a 12 year old girl who received counsel from the public health nurse. Following that one-sided counsel she aborted the child she was carrying. This entire process was carried out without any notification to the young girl’s parents. But don’t worry the numbers a nice and low. In 2008, a total of 83 abortions were carried out with mothers aged between 11-14 and 4,097 abortions on mothers aged 15-19. (click to view)

Suddenly our American friends and their violins in brown paper bags don’t look so stupid after all do they? Sadly New Zealand’s  list of crazy laws doesn’t stop there.

Next up the for New Zealand’s strange laws is the hotly debated Crimes Amendment Act 2007. In it we have the much talked about section 59 and within that a little clause which reads

“(2) Nothing in subsection (1) or in any rule of common law justifies the use of force for the purpose of correction.

Yes, your mind is correct and your vision good. The last two laws make it legal in New Zealand for a young girl to abort her children without her parents being informed of the process. However, in the same country it is illegal for a parent to correct their child using force. Now as force is not defined we are left the police officer on duty is left to decide what is reasonable.

I broke the law today in my class. Now while technically not a parent, as the teacher I assume the role of locus parentis at school. This means I broke the law a number of times today, probably around 20 times before lunch. Mr Mandias was in a grumpy mood. In fact when it is put down in ink, as the law of the land, I break the law almost every hour of every day I teach.  As a teacher of boisterous, yet fantastic 12 year old kids, I am constantly correcting them, shaping them and this is usually done through force.  If you have any other ways please let me know.

Poor Jonny in class today when I gave him written work for not completing his homework. I was technically correcting him and technically using force. Incidentally, I am obliged to inform his parents of this minor imposition. If only he was having an abortion. I would have saved around five minutes and not have had to have written that note!!! Then during PE today I punished a boy for being continually offside in the game of netball we were playing. Shucks, I am a criminal, please don’t tell Sue Bradford. I forced him to the sideline, against his loud protests, and corrected him by forcing him to wait there for 2 minutes.

But don’t worry people it is not all doom and gloom. While this post has looked at the negative of our country Ozy always searches endlessly for the silver lining. While many people assume New Zealand’s politicians are just like the rest of the world, I have faith in John Key that he will listen to what the people told him in the recent referendum. Why do I have faith in a smooth talking businessman from Auckland? Simple, I just went to his website and prior to getting into parliament he showed us what a man he is. The strong moral fibers that make up this man should not be messed with. Mr Key is a man of principle and I am encouraged by the words that appear on his website following a speech he gave on April 18^th 2007.

“I will not support a bill that leaves otherwise good parents at the mercy of the police and the judiciary.”

“The Greens and Labour now have an opportunity to get closer to the public they serve, by agreeing they’ve got a major problem with the current wording.”

“If Labour really believes that ‘light smacking for the purposes of correction’ will not be outlawed, then they need to explain that. But no matter how you read this bill in its present form it will be illegal to ‘lightly smack for the purposes of correction’.

“The way to send a strong message on child abuse is to make the law clear and precise and then to police it strongly and vigilantly. This bill as it stands does the opposite.”

See John Key has spoken. Now lets see him act.