Latest news with #PinkShirtDay
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Scoop
‘Kids Do Dumb Things': Principal Speaks Out Against Keyboard Warriors
Article – David Hill – Local Democracy Reporter Schools speak up on 'challenging student behaviour' in the wake of an incident at Oxford Area School this week. All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'', and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a North Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues, after critics took to social media following an incident this week at Oxford Area School. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries after being allegedly assaulted by another student at Oxford Area School on Wednesday, media reported. Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, he said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way. ''But social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse and it happens everywhere and not just in schools,'' Mr Kearney said. ''It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Mr Kearney said it was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you because you hit someone else'.'' Like politicians, Mr Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day, he said. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Mr Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school if they had any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools have always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which is an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1 to 13. Local Democracy Reporting noted several Oxford Facebook pages had blocked comments on the incident.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Scoop
‘Kids Do Dumb Things': Principal Speaks Out Against Keyboard Warriors
All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'', and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a North Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues, after critics took to social media following an incident this week at Oxford Area School. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries after being allegedly assaulted by another student at Oxford Area School on Wednesday, media reported. Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, he said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way. ''But social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse and it happens everywhere and not just in schools,'' Mr Kearney said. ''It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Mr Kearney said it was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you because you hit someone else'.'' Like politicians, Mr Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day, he said. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Mr Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school if they had any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools have always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which is an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1 to 13.
NZ Herald
21-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Athletics Insight: Whanganui cross country season heats up as Harrier Club turns 100
In Wellington, the annual College Relays were held at Berhampore with 71 teams competing at the Wakefield Park venue following the move from Karori Park three years ago. Whanganui Collegiate sent three mixed teams from the small group of students for whom cross country is their main sport, as opposed to some years in the past when teams had many runners from other codes. The largely inexperienced teams enjoyed the spirit and camaraderie of relays in the near-perfect conditions. Mixed relays have become a popular addition to both track and field and cross country, and the grade was a perfect fit for the Whanganui students at the Wellington event. The more experienced Olivia Gilbertson, Ben Brunton, and Dylan Anderson stood out, as did Year 9 runner Sophie Dunlop. The top team finished fourth in the grade but will gain confidence that, had the inexperienced Dunlop run with the top team rather than the B team, they would probably have won the grade. At local school level, the annual Secondary Schools Cross Country will return to the popular Dudding Lake venue. Although all teams must travel, the excellent and beautiful venue has proved popular with runners. The date of this year's championships has been changed and will now be held on Thursday, June 5, 10 days later than the original date. Whanganui High School and Whanganui Girls' College have held their championships. Cullinane College held its yesterday. The Whanganui Collegiate Championships will be held on Friday, May 30. Lennox Brotherton, who in the summer won the senior 3000m Whanganui Schools title, added the Whanganui High School senior title from Darcy Johnson and Jake Newton. Brotherton is clearly in good form and has impressed in recent Whanganui Riverbank park runs. He has been first across the line seven times from his 12 appearances, including five in a row leading to a personal best of 16m 48s last Saturday (his first time under 17 minutes for the 5km run). Brotherton is clearly the in-form senior boys' runner. The Whanganui High School senior girls was won by Whanganui Secondary Schools sprint representative Amy Davidson from Paige Conley and Isla Jones. Alex Payne won the junior boys from his close track rival Sean Frieslaar with Bruce McGregor third. The junior girls grade was won by Hannah Cameron who, in the summer, was Whanganui's leading junior high jumper. The Year 9 events were won by Korbin Gabbott and Chelsie Howe in the respective boys' and girls' races. Whanganui Girls' College had an excellent turnout for their event with many dressed in pink in celebration of Pink Shirt Day. There were some good performances with Alexis Toy first overall from Brynne Minnell and leading Whanganui 300m hurdler Grace Fannin third. Year level winners were Year 9 Allegra Gosney, Year 10 Brynne Minnell, Year 11 Gabrielle Valentine, Year 12 Alexis Toy and Year 13 Hayley Stewart. This winter is a special one for the Whanganui Harrier Club as it celebrates its centenary. The centennial will be held over the weekend of Friday, June 20, to Sunday, June 22, starting on the Matariki holiday. A big weekend of events has been scheduled, starting with the Vaoga Cup races on Friday. There is a street orienteering event at 1.30pm on Saturday with the Centennial Dinner at the Durie Hill Bowling Club from 5.30pm on the same day and a Sunday Brunch scheduled at the Club Rooms at Victoria Park at 10.30am on Sunday. Registrations are now open for our WHC Centennial Celebrations. All past and present members, along with anyone who has been connected with the club over the years, will be welcome at this special occasion.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- RNZ News
Cyberbullying in spotlight amid proposed social media ban
Photo: 123rf As workers dressed in an array of salmon- and rose-coloured outfits stream into offices nationwide on Friday to mark Pink Shirt Day, advocacy groups are calling for greater protections to be put in place to guard against cyberbullying. The calls come amid a recent proposal by the National Party to ban social media for users younger than 16. Brent Carey, chief executive of Netsafe, said the online safety organisation had received more than 2000 reports of online harassment in the past year. "Over two-thirds of those affected were women and 37 percent were aged 21 or younger," he said. "Reports from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) highlight that New Zealand continues to experience the highest rates of bullying among OECD countries, with 15 percent of students reporting frequent bullying." Brent Carey Photo: Supplied Netsafe's research estimates the societal cost of cyberbullying in New Zealand has risen to $1.071 billion annually, Carey said. Cyberbullying takes place when individuals use the internet to harass, intimidate or target others, according to the organisation's website. "It can take place over various platforms such as social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms and through email or texts," it said. Online bullying can include derogatory messages and name calling, repeated unwanted online contact, spreading rumours, sharing embarrassing pictures or videos, or creating fake profiles to impersonate someone, it said. Photo: Supplied Kelly Feng Photo: Supplied Kelly Feng, chief executive at Asian Family Services, said online bullying was a growing concern for Asian users, including international students and school children. "We normally get phone calls from parents who have concerns about their children being called different names ... or being bullied ... at school," Feng said. "They normally don't want to make a formal complaint but just want to find out more information on how they can get some help." Feng said migrant parents did not typically have the confidence to talk to schools directly, and they were often reluctant to make a formal complaint because they worried about retaliation or stigma. "They don't really know how a [school] counsellor works," Feng said, adding that even less knew that culturally appropriate counsellors were sometimes available. An 2023 Education Review Office report said one in five children from ethnic backgrounds experienced bullying at school. Feng said targeted research like this was needed to keep track of trends. In addition, better education on bullying for parents and children, better support at school and culturally appropriate services were needed, she said. "Currently, it's quite a broken system," she said. "I guess they're just not really connecting the dots." Feng encouraged parents to listen to their children and validate their feelings, communicate with and seek help from schools, and report the incident to Netsafe or the police if necessary. Bullying was associated with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, academic struggles and social isolation, she said. "Seek professional help," Feng said, recommending students who were being bullied to talk to a school counsellor, GP or psychologist. "You want to solve some of those issues early [so that you] don't have that long-term impact." Feng said social media could be challenging for a lot of parents and they should try to educate themselves. "There's often parenting programs and other parenting talks on how to manage children and young people's screen time or online space," Feng said. "Don't blame yourself if you don't know because ... there are a lot of people who don't know as well so you're not alone. "Just keep learning the right information and go to the right resource to get information and ... seek help." In 2015, New Zealand introduced the Harmful Digital Communications Act to prevent and reduce the impact of online bullying, harassment, revenge porn and other forms of abuse and intimidation. If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
NZ Herald
15-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Pink Shirt Day: We sit at the wrong end of global bullying rankings
Pink Shirt Day highlights New Zealand's alarming youth bullying rates. THREE KEY FACTS Today I'm proudly wearing my Pink Shirt. Pink Shirt Day is all about speaking up and working together to stop bullying. It's about being an up-stander for healthy relationships, free from bullying behaviour – and not being a bystander if we see it happening. It's about inclusion,
