18 Dec 2013

Dry Christmas for former league star

7:41 pm on 18 December 2013

Former rugby league star and television host, Awen Guttenbiel, is encouraging whanau to have an alcohol-free Christmas Day to help bring family violence down.

Mr Guttenbiel is an ambassador for the Maori child advocacy group Mana Ririki, which is supporting a Dry Christmas.

He says family violence increases over the holiday period, adding that drugs and alcohol are major contributing factors to violence and child abuse.

About 10 children a year are killed in New Zealand by members of their family.

Mr Guttenbiel says the statistics are horrific and people often don't know what they can do to help.

He says he and his wife will lead by example and keep alcohol out of their Christmas day, and focus on their children.