One in two Kiwi kids are bullied at school, yet most schools claim to have a zero tolerance for bullying. New Zealand has one of the worst rates of bullying in the OECD - how did we get here? And what can we do to change the statistics? Scott Palmer reports.

The staggering extent of bullying in New Zealand schools has come under scrutiny as mental health issues and suicide take their toll on our young and most vulnerable.

Newshub is launching a new series looking at why New Zealand has some of the worst school bullying statistics in the West, the damage this is causing, and what we can do to stop it.

According to UNICEF, one in two New Zealand children are bullied at least once a month. It's one of the most common forms of violence experienced by children, and can cause long-lasting harm to victims, bystanders and the bullies themselves.



In the 12 months ending August 2018, Police responded to 39 incidents of bullying of children and young persons.