Many Kiwi parents are sending their children to martial arts lessons to boost their confidence and teach them to hit back at bullies if necessary. Last year Quintin Derham, regional manager of Auckland's Shaolin Kempo and Tai Chi Schools, responded to parents' concerns by launching free anti- bullying workshops.
Derham says about 150 children and 100 parents have attended the two-hour sessions. Afterwards, some parents have thanked him in tears because their children were no longer scared of going to school.
He says strong values, breathing, posture and voice techniques are taught alongside self-defence moves.
"The last thing we teach our children is the need to fight. We do it as a last resort, so children don't fear fighting but they respect it because someone will get hurt, or in trouble."
Derham teaches children that telling adults about bullying is not snitching, it's "reporting", and they learn how to deflect verbal bullying.
"My own six-year-old son was being bullied because he couldn't ride a bike. I told him to say to them 'no, I can't ride a bike and I can't drive a car either'."
But how can children stop bullying before it starts?
"Imagine you've just scored the winning try for the All Blacks. As you walk past [bullies] your eyes will change, your shoulders. Pretend you're a superhero."