Todd McClay: Putting a stop to bullying a priority

For the past two weeks, The Daily Post has been running an anti-bullying campaign called Stop the Hate.

I must commend them on their efforts to draw attention to this serious issue, which has affected, and continues to affect, so many in our community.

The campaign has featured many stories on bullying, as well as tips on how to deal with it if it's happening to you or someone you know. It is important to make this information available, as often people think they have nowhere to turn.

I was impressed to read of the efforts of the students and staff at Kaitao Middle School, who are working together to actively combat bullying at their school. In particular it has been heartening to hear from locals like Elizabeth Marvelly, who shared her own personal story of being bullied.

You see, bullying can happen anywhere and affect anyone. That's why it is imperative that we as a community band together and send out a clear message to those who are harming and victimising others: your behaviour is not acceptable.

Bullying is a serious and ongoing issue. It occurs in the workplace, at school in the classroom and the playground, and it even happens at home. Worse, in the digital age its reach has increased considerably. Bullies can now reach their victims via cellphone, Facebook, Twitter and email 24 hours a day.

Young people in particular are vulnerable to this sort of bullying and the effects it has on them can be devastating and leave long-lasting emotional scars. Evidence has shown that bullying leads to increased truancy, failure at school and problems such as depression, self-harm and even suicide.

Locally we have witnessed this first-hand with the tragic death of 15-year-old Hayley-Ann Fenton, who took her own life after receiving bullying text messages.

As a parent, my thoughts remain with Hayley's family.

This incident raised the profile of cyber-bullying in Rotorua and across New Zealand. In response, the Government made reducing the impact of this sort of bullying a priority.

It is a priority for us here and I'm committed to continuing the fight against bullying in all its forms alongside schools, community groups and the media.

In the past few months I have spoken a lot about it during visits to schools, including a visit to John Paul College last month, where I addressed a full student assembly. It has also been a hot topic of discussion for my Youth Advisory Committee.

Throughout the year, I have used my regular meetings with the committee to gain insight into the minds of the very people cyber-bullying affects the most.

By talking about bullying openly and honestly with young people, we can work to stamp it out in our communities.

Should you know of someone who is being bullied, or are worried about a family member, please raise this with a parent or with your school.

If someone is bullying you, it's okay to ask for help by telling someone you trust. It's up to all of us to do everything we can to put a stop to the significant harm caused by bullying.