A bad day for the forces of good

CATHERINE MARSTERS explores the background of the Children First Foundation and looks at the tragedies that brought it into existence.

It should have been a huge success, riding on a wave of unprecedented public support.

A member of the family of a slain boy holds the child's picture and tells the camera that abuse of our young people has got to stop.

Instead, the hard-hitting advertising campaign, intended to raise awareness of child abuse, is in embarrassing disarray.



The newly formed Children First Foundation's founders are devastated after allegations that the man fronting the ad abused his own family, and the name Whakaruru seems even more stained than it was.

TVNZ newsreader Liz Gunn, who heads the foundation with former All Black Michael Jones, was yesterday in tears wondering how something so worthy had backfired.

She was too upset to talk but her husband, Kevin Cooney, told the Weekend Herald his wife was passionate about the cause of child abuse, a cause they would not give up. His wife "absolutely" intended to carry on with the foundation.

The cause was bigger than the controversy over comments by Gunn to Jamila Dlala which Cooney says were taken out of context.

Dlala, the stepdaughter of Rangi Whakaruru, is the person who revealed he had beaten his own family.

Last night, Gunn issue a handwritten statement saying: "I was hurt by the implication I had no compassion for Jamila. I feel great compassion for her and her pain. I hope with all my heart she finds healing and peace.

"My only interest, as it has always been, is in the welfare of abused children."

Mr Whakaruru admitted that he had abused his family and pulled out of the campaign.

TVNZ has withdrawn the ad featuring him at the foundation's request, although others featuring Gunn and Jones will screen.

Jones says the controversy has strengthened the resolve of the foundation.



"We want to move on, definitely. The fact of the matter is none of us ever proposed to be perfect in this whole thing.

"We're just proud New Zealanders who put up our hands. And I'm talking especially of Liz, because she put up her hand from the outset and said, 'Here's something that's so horrific we're not prepared to sit around and do nothing about that and if there's anything we can do, we're prepared to do it.'

"And nothing has changed. We're still proud New Zealanders who are prepared to continue to play whatever part we can to even begin to make even a small dent in what is a huge problem in our society. And we won't stop until we've got nothing else to offer."

He said the foundation was very sad for Dlala and had apologised that it had contributed to any hurt she had suffered.

Jones said the foundation "obviously" did not know about Mr's Whakaruru's past.

"Rangi has admitted that we were misled in that regard, and that's not going to stop us standing by Rangi in whatever way we can to see him change."

The real issue was children being beaten up and dying because of abuse, Jones said.



Child abuse was becoming an issue of public concern well before the awful death of James Whakaruru, aged 4, killed by his stepfather Benny Haerewa in April 1999.

That case galvanised the nation, especially when the Commissioner for Children last year produced a hard-hitting report into James' death, saying virtually every agency and individual involved had failed him.

But child abuse had been in New Zealand's headlines well before James' death.

In 1991, 2-year-old Delcelia Witika was beaten and killed by her mother and stepfather.

Edward Smith and Tania Witika each received 16 years' jail for her manslaughter.

Last year's horrors included the death in July of 23-month-old Hinewaoriki "Lillybing" Karaitiana-Matiaha, who was sexually abused, scalded and beaten. Three people face court charges.

In the same month, Whangarei 2-year-old Sade Patricia Trembath was taken to the Starship children's hospital with severe head injuries, a broken arm and cuts, bruises and cigarette burns all over her body.

Her grandmother Patricia Billy Bissett was jailed for five years.

But it was the case of 3-year-old Tangaroa Matiu that pushed the celebrities into action.

Xena: Warrior Princess Lucy Lawless shed tears when she read about the boy beaten to death with a plank for soiling his pants. His stepfather, Genesis James Mahanga, aged 32, was jailed for life for murder.

Lawless put her hand up to help, not really knowing what she could do, and ended up fronting a fundraising campaign in Auckland for the Starship Foundation, the Safe and Sound appeal, aimed at raising money for a multi-agency centre to be set up to bring agencies together and try to stop child abuse victims falling through the cracks.



Gunn and a few other mothers joined Lawless to form an action group to fight child abuse.

The Safe and Sound appeal attracted not just cash donations but millions of dollars worth of advertising time and space for television and newspaper advertisements, including in the New Zealand Herald.

Because the public feeling against child abuse was nationwide, TVNZ decided it could not run television advertisements asking the nation to give money to an Auckland venture.

The Safe and Sound appeal was eventually wound up with $150,000 in its coffers. Its multi-agency centre is still in the planning stages.



Several million dollars worth of donated advertising space was unused when the appeal ended.

Lawless has stayed with the Starship Foundation, lending her name and face for fundraising and other ventures. Gunn and Jones formed the Children First Foundation to widen the focus beyond a specific Starship project.

Before Christmas, advertisements were filmed to raise awareness of the issue at a time of year traditionally associated with raised levels of domestic abuse and violence.

Until the outing of Mr Whakaruru, it was going smoothly.

Gunn denies reports that she did not tell her TVNZ bosses for several days that Mr Whakaruru was an abuser.

She later told the Herald the advertising campaign was always clearly defined as being run by the Children First Campaign, not TVNZ.

When Mr Whakaruru's past was revealed, she had tried to sort the matter out privately, but rival network TV3 had gone public with the revelation.

TVNZ says it is standing by Gunn and Jones and the anti-violence advertisements will continue.

Spokesman Liam Jeory said TVNZ had no regrets.



"Why should we? It has laudable aims. It's not asking anyone to do anything else other than not abuse a child.

"So it's not raising money, it's not asking people to dip into their pockets. For many people it may have no real effect because they don't abuse their children, but anything anyone can do that might stay that hand, or have someone think twice about their actions, has got to be a good thing."

He said it would be extremely unfortunate if people stopped helping good causes because of the unfortunate publicity over this campaign.

Herald Online feature: Violence at home

Donations to the Safe and Sound Appeal can be sent to PO Box 91939, Auckland Mail Centre

Free phone: 0800 946 010