Anti-injury role for basher

Despite having served a jail term for beating a teenager in her care, a South Auckland woman is giving advice on injury prevention, reports LIBBY MIDDLEBROOK

A woman jailed for bashing a 16-year-old boy in her care is giving advice to an injury prevention project in South Auckland, even though she is unrepentant about her crime.

Ioana Fuimaono has been appointed an adviser to Injury Free, an organisation aiming to reduce child and adult injuries in the Counties-Manukau area.

In 1995, the Otara resident was sentenced to 18 months' jail for repeatedly punching, slapping and kicking a teenage boy as punishment for running away from the rehabilitation home she managed.

Graphic video footage of the assault, filmed by a Television New Zealand crew doing a documentary on the Samoa Fa'a Fouina Trust of Otara, which Ms Fuimaono led, aired on 60 Minutes.

The video included Ms Fuimaono ordering other teenage boys to take turns kicking and punching the 16-year-old as he cowered on the floor.

Some people, including the Commissioner for Children, are outraged at Ms Fuimaono's voluntary role with Injury Free as a Pacific Island representative and adviser, not only because of her conviction but because of her unchanged views on child discipline.

During a discussion this week about her role with Injury Free, Ms Fuimaono told the Herald that someone had to be responsible for dishing out corporal punishment to put problem teenagers "in their place."

While she no longer wanted to work with problem children, Ms Fuimaono's philosophy was to use hard discipline to punish teenage boys who had committed serious crimes such as rape.

"I'd kick his arse ... There should be a place for hard discipline. Someone has to recognise the value of victims," said Ms Fuimaono, a mother a four.

"I'm a Samoan and I'm not going to muck around. If you can come up with a better way I'd like to hear it."

Commissioner for Children Roger McClay was appalled to hear Ms Fuimaono had been advising Injury Free, which focuses on the reduction of unintentional injuries such as burns.

"If we're going to allow people to be on advising bodies and they have a record and a belief that assault is part of therapy then we're wasting our time," he said.

Ms Fuimaono was recommended to Injury Free by the Manukau City Council's Pacific Island advisory group, of which she is a member.

Her Injury Free role includes attending workshops and offering advice about how to access the Pacific Island community and reduce injuries.

"If a convicted paedophile was put on an advisory group about children's rights to dignity, that would be abhorrent," said Mr McClay.

The executive director of the Pacific Foundation for Health, Education and Parent Support, Lesley Max, said Ms Fuimaono's role was inappropriate.

"I find it hard to reconcile the pictures I so clearly remember from that TV documentary with a person giving advice on preventing injury ... I can only say I'm stunned."

Injury Free project coordinator Shayne Nahu was aware of Ms Fuimaono's conviction; however he "trusted" the Pacific Island advisory group to make an appropriate referral. He conceded that it probably "wouldn't be the best thing" to have a person convicted of beating a child advising the group.

But despite Ms Fuimaono's conviction and attitudes towards discipline, she is a respected member of the Otara community. She attends most public meetings and is heavily involved with Otara Health, Maori Wardens and other community groups. Ms Fuimaono is a matai, a chiefly title bestowed on respected elders of the Samoan community, and this week she was organising lollies for a children's Christmas picnic.

Ms Fuimaono was furious people had criticised her role as she had served her jail sentence and contributed "so much" to the community.

The Manukau City councillor for Otara, Len Brown, is an avid supporter of Ms Fuimaono as a "raw, earnest, loud and strong voice for the Otara community."

"She's done her time and is working flat out for Otara. She's a leader in a community that doesn't produce leaders."

Otara Maori Wardens chairman Letele Amani said Ms Fuimaono had a good relationship with children and had learned to control her temper.

An Otara Community and Social Services coordinator, Joy Ramsay, said people frequently went to Ms Fuimaono for advice and assistance.