REMITS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 2008 CONFERENCE
 

REMIT ONE:      Moved  Christchurch                      Seconded……………..
“that Catholic Women’s League of New Zealand asks the appropriate minister to reduce the GST on basic food items.”
 

Notes:
With the ever increasing cost of basic food items e.g. diary products, bread and meat, there is concern that families are unable to provide nutritious meals.
 

People on limited incomes finding it difficult to cope with the ever increasing cost of basic food items like milk and butter could result in further pressure on our health system.
 

With modern technological advances it should be possible to code into tills etc the price minus GST. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REMIT TWO :     Moved Dunedin                            Seconded ..……….
“That CWLNZ establish policy that all babies and mothers be entitled to a minimum of 5 home visits by a Plunket nurse during their first year with that care being referred automatically by the midwife to Plunket”.
 

Rationale.
Mothers are now released from the Nursing home very shortly after the birth of a baby, sometimes only hours, and sometimes a few days. Responsibility for their care remains with the midwife for six weeks and after that they may register with Plunket where they are entitled to five visits until 5 years old. 
Over recent years we have seen many cases where young children have been severely abused and mistreated by their parents. If there was a trained professional going into homes and helping to educate parents in the proper care of children, it may be possible to prevent some of the problems.
 

REMIT THREE:    Moved    DUNEDIN                       Seconded …………..
The CWLNZ establish policy that the government set in place regulations governing a code of best practice for the employment of children in delivery work.
 

This should include the participation of children who are employed in the industry and their parents / guardians, representatives of the industry, Department of Labour Inspectors, ACC, Occupational Safety and Health, relevant unions and the Office of the Commissioner of children.
 

Rationale
Children will be better protected in the workplace when:
o       There is a minimum age of employment (or staggered age entry to different types of work)
o       There is a minimum wage tied to the age of entry to the workforce
o       There is comprehensive monitoring of health and safety conditions of children who work.
o       There is contract coverage of all children working outside the home
o       There is appropriate education in schools and communities about children’s employment rights, targeted at children from the age of entry to the workforce
o       There is appropriate collective organisation of children in the workforce through union membership
o       Household poverty is addressed so that children do not have to work to supplement family income
o       Existing restrictions on children’s hours of work and employment in hazardous work are strictly enforced
 

In our opinion
o       A requirement for direct employment relationships, which would give children better health and safety coverage, as well as access to paid leave for illness and injury. In our opinion, this would be the single step which would deliver most protection to child workers
o       A minimum age of employment for the industry, which is clearly notified on contracts and other information material, and which should be applied also to the employment of substitute or support workers.
o       An agreed process for negotiating a minimum rate of pay, which could include discussions around how current rates are set and a discussion around the ‘average time taken’ according to which some employers set their rates.
o       Extensive, age-appropriate information on health and safety issues in the industry, which reaches all children working in the industry.
o       Agreed health and safety minimum, such as provision of reflective clothing, ensuring that children on bicycles wear helmets and recommendations about suitable load sizes for children.
o       Proactive oversight of employment conditions of children in delivery work by child specialist Department of Labour and OSH staff.
o       Proactive follow up and investigation of all work-related injures for children in delivery work requiring Accident Compensation payment particularly for those children under the age of 10
o       Appropriate forms of union membership, including recruitment, organisation and representation.
 

“Any industry based on child labour, no matter how willing the participants, has a very high level of moral responsibility to ensure that they are well-treated. Children are our most vulnerable workers. They deserve at least the same protection as that received by adults”
 

 

 

 

 

 

REMIT FOUR:   Moved  DUNEDIN                   Seconded …….……..
That CWLNZ establish policy that all drivers be required to undergo a Defensive Driving Course as part of the process in gaining their Restricted Driver’s License.
 

Rationale
There have been reported many incidences where young or new drivers have had accidents due to lack of knowledge or understanding of the consequences of their driving errors.
 

 

 

 

 

 

REMIT FIVE:  Moved   Wellington                       Seconded……………

“THAT the Catholic Women’s League of New Zealand , strongly urges the Minister of Social Development to put more resources, both money and personnel, into research-based programmes providing support to families at risk, so that our high levels of  child abuse and infant death can be decreased.”

 

Notes:
Violence against children is shamefully prevalent in New Zealand.  In a UNICEF/INNOCENTI report written in 2005, New Zealand ranked third worst out of OECD countries in children’s deaths from maltreatment.  A report in the New Zealand Herald on 9 August 2007 stated that CYFS substantiated cases of  child abuse had jumped by 15.45% in the past year to 10,159 cases.  Cases of neglect brought this up to 16,479.
 

Among OECD countries in 2005, New Zealand ranked fourth worst in terms of  child poverty.  Many studies link child abuse strongly with unemployment and poverty.  An analysis of police data by CYFS reported that child homicides rose from 0.94 killings per year for every 100,000 children in the decade up to 1987 to 1.07 a year in the 1990s when unemployment was much higher.  It is now trending down as unemployment has decreased, but child abuse and neglect cases are still increasing.  Some Child Specialists think that ignorance of the best ways to raise children is a common factor in child abuse.
 

UNICEF New Zealand has stated that “As with other matters pertaining to children, change and significant reduction in violence will only come when a society fully values its children, respects children’s full human rights and makes children and families a priority in establishing policy and allocating resources”  (UNICEF NZ submission to UN study on violence against children.)
 

There are now a considerable number of programmes and  community groups working with families or providing parental education.   However, more resources and trained personnel are badly needed.
 

 

 

 

 

REMIT SIX:       Moved  AUCKLAND               Seconded  ……………..
 

Catholic Women’s League of New Zealand request the government: To urgently consider changes to the current model of care offered by hospitals to women suffering miscarriages.
 

Notes
In NZ, babies that die before 20 weeks gestation, even by a few days, are statistically recorded as “spontaneous abortions.” Where pregnancy has passed 20 weeks a birth certificate is issued stating “stillborn” and the baby must be either buried or cremated. The difference – both in medical terminology and level of care offered to the mother is huge. Women whose babies are Stillborn are cared for by Midwives but before 20 weeks are treated as gynaecological cases and cared for by general nurses. For grieving women, being treated as pregnant one day and a gynaecological patient the next makes a traumatic situation worse. Often general nurses prefer not to deal with pregnancy complications that they feel should fall more naturally to the midwives care and attention.
 

In NZ in 2003, approx 590 babies died between 20 weeks of pregnancy and 1-month of life – 30% higher that the road toll. Hospital reported miscarriages for babies that died up to 20 weeks gestation numbered 3571
(and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome was 45). As a result this means more than 4000 families require information and support.
 

The death of a baby is very traumatic whether before 20 weeks gestation and acknowledgment of this loss needs to begin with health professionals. Pro. Peter Stone who heads the Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Auckland Hospital believes all women over 12 weeks gestation should be given maternity care. “To me this an important issue that would be worth fighting for.” 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RECOMMENDATION  A:  Moved  Dunedin
 
Anderson’s Bay Branch respectfully recommend that study of the Theme once again be one year as in past years.  Many members feel that momentum is lost when there is such a length of time at their disposal.
 

 

 

 
 
RECOMMENDATION B    moved  National Board
 
 “that pages 2,3,& 4 of the Constitution – be constitution - structure and aims and the other pages be taken as guidelines as circumstances arise”.