Fundraising fears hit child abuse ad

By CATHERINE MASTERS

A television advertisement raising awareness of child abuse - starring Lucy Lawless, Liz Gunn and Michael Jones - may not screen.

But the anti-child abuse campaign they are promoting is alive and well, says Lawless, the star of Xena: Warrior Princess.

In September, the Herald revealed that the celebrities would star in an ad to promote an Auckland fundraising appeal, also urging New Zealanders to form a national action plan against child abuse.

The advertisement is now on hold, or may not screen, after concerns that people in other parts of the country would be asked through the ad to raise money for what has been an Auckland venture.

TVNZ had offered free advertising space to the now-finished Safe and Sound Appeal, which was raising money for a multi-agency centre in Auckland to streamline child abuse services, and the ad with Lawless was made.

But the network later became concerned at fundraising aspects.

Spokesman Liam Jeory said: "It's always the problem and there is a sensitivity that if you ask people in Dunedin to put money in, they would expect to see some of it flowing back to Dunedin."

The Safe and Sound Appeal raised $140,000 towards the centre - which is going ahead at a location yet to be finalised - and organisers are working out how best to set up a nationwide action plan.

TVNZ says the free advertising space that would have been used for Safe and Sound will now be filled with messages over the Christmas period aimed at preventing child abuse.

Lawless became the public face of the Safe and Sound Appeal, being run by the Starship Foundation and Sky City, and Xena fans worldwide donated money.

She says she would be happy to star in any new ads and help the organisers of the action plan.

"I'm not an expert and I have nothing to offer but my profile and the energies that I have outside of work and family - but one of the priorities in my life is to contribute in some way and this is a cause which moves me and three and a half million other Kiwis."

One of the organisers is Dr Ian Hassall, the country's first Commissioner for Children and chairman of lobby group Children's Agenda. He hopes that an action plan will be in place as soon as possible but says it is a big job and not likely before Christmas.

"There was at one point the feeling it would be a good thing to establish multi-agency centres all over the country and that may well be true but they need a lot of preparation."