Kiwi Party use Mother’s Day to target voters

ONE NEWS: One of the newest political parties is trying to seize upon Mothers Day as an opportunity to pitch for mums' votes in this year's election.

The Kiwi Party is promising it will give mothers back their parental authority to physically discipline their children by this time next year, something it claims National, Labour, and United Future took away.

Leader Larry Baldock says the party's petition to force a referendum on the anti-smacking bill will be complete within six weeks.

He says the law change has made life difficult for parents who know the difference between a smack, and the kind of abuse everybody is against.

Mr Baldock says mothers all over the country are outraged at the Government interfering in their role as parents.

However, the actual suggestion that life has become more difficult for law-abiding parents under the law reform has been disputed - one December 2007 police report suggested police were investigating one smacking-related complaint on average per week nationwide.