WHAT'S HAPPENING IN NEW ZEALAND 

• 14 Children per day are seriously abused or neglected (1997 figures)

• #1 in OECD for personal violence (per head of population)

• #1 in developed World for youth suicides (phop). Each week up to 3 young people take their own lives.

• NZ has the 2nd highest rate of suicide among young males in key OECD countries.

• 10,000 divorces per year in NZ. 49% of these marriages have children who are affected by the divorce.

• Since 1970, the rate of marriage has decreased 66%, while the number of divorces has tripled.

• 1 in 6 babies conceived are aborted (14,000 per year)

• # 1 in the world for illegitimacy (phop)

• #2 in the world for marital brakdown

• #2 in the world for rape (phop)

• #2 in the world for murder (phop)

• #3 in the world for unmarried teenage pregnancies (phop)

• 1 in 5 children are born to a solo parent

• NZ has the developed world's highest rate of births outside marriage

• Up to 30,000 reported child abuse cases per year

• 16% of alcoholics are under 19 years old

• 45% of all crimes are committed by people under the age of 21

• 9% of all babies born in NZ are regarded as being at very high risk - they could be seriously abused and/or terribly maltreated

• 18% of students at school are believed to be "at-risk". Up to 10% of the school population are "regular" truants.

• NZ students rated 5th among OECD countries for academic performance.

• Since 1960, government spending per head of population on welfare has increased 320% (in today's dollar terms)

• $7 billion p.a. spent on gambling

• In 1970 there were 28 full-time workers for every person on a full-time benefit. Today only 4 workers support each beneficiary.

• NZ is spending at least $5.7 billion a year as a direct consequence of family breakdown (close to 5.5% of GNP)