Wellington pupils tackle school bullies Prison expands to fit in more elderly sex offenders

THE young pupils at a Wellington primary school are leading the way in tackling New Zealand’s ‘‘appalling’’ bullying culture.

Marsden Primary is one of the first Wellington schools to introduce an anti-bullying programme being hailed as revolutionary overseas.

KiVa – a Finnish programme being used across Europe – has anti-bullying experts and teachers in New Zealand believing it could be the answer to finally turning the tide against bullying, and should be introduced to all schools.

It differs from other antibullying programmes by focusing on bystanders, as well as the bullies and victims.

New Zealand desperately needs to address its bullying problems, says Deidre Vercauteren of Accent Learning, a Victoria University subsidiary.

‘‘New Zealand’s statistics are appalling, and surveys suggest there has been no improvement in the last 10 years.’’

A 2013 survey had found about 94 per cent of New Zealand teachers and principals indicated bullying was a problem in their school, said Vanessa Green, a developmental psychology expert at Victoria.

Results from a study carried out in Finland showed a significant reduction in bullying after one year of implementing KiVa. There was a 98 per cent improvement in the victims’ situation, and an end to bullying in 86 per cent of reported incidents.

Marsden Primary director Celia McCarthy said the school took up the programme because of New Zealand’s ‘‘dreadful’’ bullying statistics.

While Marsden did not have serious bullying issues, all schools had bullying, she said. ‘‘It’s a societal issue that needs to be confronted and schools should be proactive.’’

The programme allowed children to learn the definition of bullying, which was when harm was meant, it was repeated over time, and came from a position of power, she said.

Year 3 teacher Kate Feary, whose class has been going through the programme since term two, said children were being given the power to recognise bullying behaviour and given the tools to take action.

‘‘It really is working for us. The girls can understand and see what is happening, not just in school, but in the community, and are developing the skills to deal with bullying.’’

Green said KiVa was the only preventive anti-bullying programme currently available that had strong evidence-based results.

It was never too early to introduce schoolchildren to the programme’s philosophy of looking out for one another and creating an environment that was safe for everyone, she said.

‘‘Bullies only bully when they have an audience. The whole idea of KiVa is that it teaches kids to stand up for one another, rather than turning a blind eye.

‘‘We already know that, without intervention, school bullies are more likely to end up engaging in delinquent behaviour and have a higher chance of being incarcerated. The ‘best case’ scenario is that they end up being workplace bullies.’’ RIMUTAKA PRISON has had to expand its high-dependency unit as more elderly sex offenders are sent to jail.

The Upper Hutt unit – the only one of its kind in New Zealand dedicated to supporting men with severe mental or physical health needs – added 10 more single-bed rooms this week, boosting its capacity from 20 to 30 by taking over a wing previously used by young offenders.

It comes on top of a big rise in prisoners aged over 70. Four years ago, there were 51 nationwide; last month, there were 118.

The oldest offender to be held in the unit since it opened in 2012 was in his mid-80s. Such prisoners inevitably require higher levels of medical care than the general prison population.

Corrections Minister Sam LotuIiga said staff would be looking at ways to develop similar highneeds treatment units at other prisons. Last year, ramps were installed in a 20-bed unit in Waikeria Prison near Te Awamutu, to make it more suited for elderly inmates.

‘‘Prisoners generally have poorer health than the rest of the population and their bodies are often a lot older than their actual years, due to lifestyle choices and neglect,’’ he said. ‘‘The additional beds have been added to deal with an ageing prison population and will allow more men to receive the care and support they need.’’

Corrections Department director of offender health Bronwyn Donaldson said convictions for historical sex offending had contributed to a steep rise in the number of those aged 70-plus in prison over the past five years.

Rimutaka Prison director Chris Burns said a collaboration between Corrections and the Health Ministry had seen custodial officers learn to work alongside health professionals. ‘‘The quality of healthcare offered here is better in some cases than what people would get in [their homes] in the community.’’