Urged to dob in bullies

schoolmates would make a real difference to tackling the issue.

‘‘As teachers in the classroom we see things, and we hear things, and we try and act on it, but the really powerful thing is for the peer, the bystander, to actually stand up and do something.

‘‘We’re particularly concerned because we’re a boys’ school and the statistics don’t look good for boys.’’

A 2017 Unicef report found 35 per cent of New Zealand children aged 13-15 complained of being bullied every month.

‘‘It is not always possible for our students to feel courageous or brave enough to stand and tell the person victimising another, that it is not OK,’’ a Manukorihi Intermediate representative said.

‘‘Stymie has broken down those barriers and we, the senior leadership team, are receiving anonymous notifications about bullying behaviour like never before.’’

Life coach Stacey Maree, who is helping teenagers facing bullying issues that she faced, said anything that helped reduce bullying was a good thing.

‘‘It can be quite daunting to walk into somebody’s office and say ‘I’m being bullied, or this person is doing this’, for fear of not being believed,’’ she said.

The website allows the user to name the bullied person, their school and year, and details of the bullying and its frequency. There is also a window to upload supporting evidence, such as screenshots of social media content or messages.

Once a notification is made, designated staff members receive an email.

The website has an initial warning that ‘‘there are consequences for sending untruthful or misleading information’’ via the form.

Maree was cautious about the programme since anyone could use it, including bullies, but it would have been a good option to have when she was bullied via abusive text messages, damaged property, insults and being beaten.

‘‘To have that option there is definitely a plus.’’

Katrina Casey, deputy secretary of sector entablement and support at the Ministry of Education, said bullying prevention was a shared responsibility.

‘‘We work hard to support schools in their development of bullying prevention approaches that work for them.’’

The Stymie website, created by Rachel Downie, right, might have helped Holly Reed, left. Life coach Stacey Maree, far right, says lodging a complaint in person can be daunting.