Following the enactment of a private members bill by Green Party Member of Parliament Sue Bradford in May 2007, the legal defence of "reasonable force" has been removed from parents prosecuted for assault on their children.
Previously, under Section 59 of the New Zealand Crimes Act 1961, the parent of a child, or a person in the place of a parent was:
“justified in using force by way of correction towards a child if that force is reasonable in the circumstances."
With it being for a jury to determine if the force used is "reasonable in the circumstances."
|