administer bullying prevention practices and programmes. 84 The guidelines contain
reference to obligations upon schools to prevent bullying.
113.
However, the principal legislation governing the school sector, the Education Act 1989,
does not contain any provisions that establish explicit obligations upon schools to
prevent bullying, nor are any contained in the National Administrative Guidelines for
schools, issued under that Act.
114.
The BPAG 2016 strategic plan includes the following key activities:
115.
develop an interagency bullying prevention centralised website;
establish a Bullying Prevention Week and profile bullying prevention best
practice through the media;
heighten awareness of the importance of addressing bullying systematically and
proactively by supporting school communities in the development of best practice
by providing the knowledge and resources they need to facilitate and sustain their
bullying prevention and response efforts; and
encourage building the evidence-base for effective practice:
o enhancing the capacity to collect data;
o encouraging research and evaluation to identify what works;
o collecting and sharing best / informed practice; and
o supporting new developments / innovations in line with the evidence.
The Committee may wish to consider including the following question in its
LOIPR for New Zealand:
What steps has the government taken to systematically collect data on
violence and bullying in schools; monitor the impact of the student mental
health and well-being initiatives recently introduced in schools on the
reduction of the incidence of violence and bullying; and assess the
effectiveness of measures, legislative or otherwise, in countering violence
and bullying?
What steps has the government taken towards implementing a binding
obligation on schools to prevent violence and bullying?
C.
Disabled people
116.
A recent study85 focusing on violence against disabled people highlighted the hidden
nature of much abuse directed against disabled people living in care situations akin to
84
http://www.wellbeingatschool.org.nz/sites/default/files/Bullying-prevention-and-response-A-guide-forschools.pdf
85
The Hidden Abuse of Disabled People Residing in the Community: An Exploratory Study, Roguski, M (18
June 2013) http://www.communityresearch.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/formidable/Final-Tairawhiti-Voicereport-18-June-2013.pdf.
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