Date: April 2008

New book documents how prohibition was achieved in New Zealand

A new book, published in February 2008, documents events leading to the achievement of full prohibition of corporal punishment in New Zealand in 2007, when the legal defence of using reasonable force “by way of correction”, used by parents who had assaulted their children, was repealed.

Unreasonable Force: New Zealand’s Journey Towards Banning the Physical Punishment of Children, written by Beth Wood, Ian Hassall and George Hook with Robert Ludbrook, examines the 40 years of advocacy and debate which led to the repeal last year of section 59 of the Crimes Act.

The book identifies the factors that contributed to a climate in New Zealand where law reform was eventually possible, explores the roots of the old law on physical discipline in early Roman law and English common law, considers the role of religious convictions in the use of physical punishment and opposition to reform, examines the human rights imperative to give children equal protection from assault, and investigates the role of the media in the national debate. It also looks at what lies ahead now that legal prohibition is in place.

The book can be ordered using this order form (PDF).

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