Editorial: Daunting role for kids' champion

The phrase "non-accidental" was in the news far too much last week.
That's the term used by hospital staff and police when a child has been hurt on purpose.
Last week we found out that police were investigating the "non-accidental" injuries received by a 10-week-old baby.
"Non-accidental" doesn't sound nearly awful enough for what that really means.
It means that somebody deliberately hurt that child - stop and think for a second about how small a 10-week-old baby is - for some sick reason. They did it on purpose.
Also last week, a Hastings woman was convicted for, among other things, punching her 9-year-old son in the face so hard that two of his teeth came out. Non-accidentally.
And it wasn't just here. The Whangarei High Court was last week hearing evidence from a 36-year-old mother accused of the non-accidental kicking and beating that killed her 2-year-old daughter. The mother claims her partner dealt out the bashing.
Amidst all that horror, you'd have to think the new Children's Commissioner, Hawke's Bay paediatrician Russell Wills, would be feeling a bit daunted.
In announcing Dr Wills appointment, it was highlighted that he works at the coal face of child abuse - identifying and treating those "non-accidents" and dealing with the people who caused them.
It was also pointed out that family violence programmes implemented here have halved the number of non-accidental injuries turning up at hospital.
Hawke's Bay Today asked to speak to Dr Wills about child abuse last week but was declined because he has not yet taken up the role, which is a shame, because it seems like he would have useful and well-informed things to say on the subject.
A couple of years ago, in the midst of the anti-smacking law debate, he wrote this remarkable statement: "Most of the parents I have met who seriously assaulted their child believed they were disciplining them and doing them good."
Think about that: Knocking two teeth out - for his own good. Bashing your newborn baby - for its own good.
I'm baffled, and I think most people are baffled, and that's why I don't envy Dr Wills his new job. He has to understand the reasons behind something that just isn't reasonable, and find sensible solutions for something that makes no sense.
He said in a statement about his appointment that there is "every reason to be hopeful" about making a difference for children in this country.
Reading the news last week, I didn't share that optimism. But I very much hope he's right.