Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Editorial: We need to speak against abuse

By Dylan Thorne
Bay of Plenty Times·
14 Apr, 2013 10:06 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Child Youth and Family figures show more than 5500 reports about the welfare of children in the Western Bay last year.

It's a disturbingly high number and equates to a 141.6 per cent increase over the past five years.

Of the reports, 2193 required further action and 831 were recorded as substantiated abuse.

The spike in reports does reflect a positive change in our society. It shows more people are unwilling to turn a blind eye to abuse.

CYF Bay of Plenty operational manager Tayelva Petley says the increase in reports reflects a greater willingness in the community to report concerns about a child's welfare rather than a rise in abuse.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The agency has worked closely with police to encourage people to report suspected child abuse and it appears their hard work is paying off.

"Communities are more educated. Schools and health agencies are more in tune with indicators of abuse.

"In Tauranga, the community has really, really stepped up," she says.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This was not always the case, people often felt they should not interfere in another family's affairs.

This attitude was mirrored by the country's dreadful domestic violence record and high-profile child abuse cases: twins Cris and Cru Kahui, James Whakaruru, Coral-Ellen Burrows, sisters Olympia Jetson and Saliel Aplin and Rotorua's Nia Glassie.

The message that families and neighbours shouldn't turn a blind eye to abuse is getting through.

A wall of silence will not help a child who is being abused.

People need to speak out.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit

Premium
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms

Bay of Plenty Times

Kora the dog's journey: From failed police trainee to rescue hero


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit
Bay of Plenty Times

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit

It will add up to 125 vehicle movements an hour on local roads.

16 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Premium
'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms

16 Jul 06:00 PM
Kora the dog's journey: From failed police trainee to rescue hero
Bay of Plenty Times

Kora the dog's journey: From failed police trainee to rescue hero

16 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP