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Story: Primary and secondary education

Abolishing corporal punishment

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Abolishing corporal punishment

By the 1980s pressure was mounting to abolish the use of the strap and cane – once considered essential to maintain discipline in schools. This cartoon comments humorously on the campaign. Corporal punishment was finally legislated against in 1990.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: B-144-188

by Eric Heath

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Primary and secondary education – Teachers, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/cartoon/36644/abolishing-corporal-punishment (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 29 May 2012.