NZ govt to hold line in child smacking ban

Prime Minister John Key said his National Party will vote against a bill proposed by rightist Act Party lawmaker John Boscawen to overturn the current law.

Boscawen said the bill would make it legal for parents to lightly hit their children for 8220;the purpose of correction,8221; and 8220;makes it absolutely certain that it wouldn8217;t be a criminal offence.8221;

We8217;re not interested in promoting violence8221; against children,but hitting that is 8220;trifling and transitory8221; will not be illegal,he said.

Last week,87.6 percent of voters in a national referendum 8211; which is not binding on the government 8211; called for the law to be overturned.

But while there is widespread public support for the measure,Boscawen8217;s bill will likely be defeated when voted on by Parliament in the coming weeks,with the governing National Party and the opposition Labour and Green parties all opposed to it.

Key repeated Wednesday that the law is working and won8217;t be changed.

8220;I8217;ve given New Zealanders an absolute assurance that if the law isn8217;t working I will change it. I don8217;t need a member8217;s bill to do that,8221; Key told reporters. He said that if parents were prosecuted or if their children were taken away for 8220;minor or inconsequential smacking,8221; then the law would change.

The prime minister acknowledged the referendum showed there was some unease with parents.

Boscawen said he hoped the National Party would still listen to voters.

8220;I hope the National Party will listen to the 87 percent of New Zealanders who voted 8216;No8221;8216; in the referendum,he told reporters.

8220;My intent 8230; is to give effect to the referendum. It was an overwhelming endorsement for a law change.8221;