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The holiday season can be a very difficult time for people who may be at risk from family violence and/or sexual violence. Support services for people experiencing violence are always available, even during the holidays. Contact details for support services are on our website.
The website Are You Ok has information about how to get support for people experiencing violence. There is information to get help for yourself, friends, family or whānau, or your children.
For people using violence or worried about their behaviour, find information, live chat and links to support services at Change is Possible. This website also has information for people who want to support someone who might be using violence.
Shine have created key messages that employers can share with employees ahead of the holidays: Domestic Violence & the Holiday Season - key messages for your employees.
We hope that you are able to take some time out to be with your family or whānau and rest and rejuvenate over the holidays. We look forward to continuing to work alongside you to eliminate and prevent violence in 2025.
Manatū Hauora | Ministry of Health (MOH) have released their evidence brief and position statement on the use of puberty blockers for gender identity issues.
The Position Statement sets out expectations of greater precaution in the prescribing of puberty blockers to transgender young people. It also advised deferring the prescription of puberty blockers to transgender young people to interprofessional teams experienced in administering gender-affirming healthcare to transgender children.
The MOH has also announced that it has been asked by Government to hold a public consultation on whether additional restrictions are needed on the use of puberty blockers in young people with gender-related health needs including “…additional safety measures for puberty blockers, such as regulations under the Medicines Act.”
MOH stated “In particular, the Ministry seeks input from organisations that represent people who may be affected by safety measures or that may be involved in how safety measures are used in practice.” Submissions are due 20 January 2025.
Community responses
Gender Minorities Aotearoa (GMA), a national transgender organisation, have undertaken an analysis of the MOH’s review of the use of puberty blocker, which found that the MOH's Evidence Brief, Position Statement, and consultation are discriminatory. They argue that the MOH is adding extra scrutiny to gender-affirming treatment for young people only if they are transgender: “Creating further regulations and restrictions specifically for transgender people is sex based discrimination.”
GMA highlight the double standard in the provision of gender affirming healthcare:
“Blocking hormones during puberty is normal. It is the usual medical approach to children with unwanted sex characteristics. Unless those children are transgender.”
GMA also highlight methodological concerns including that the initial framing of the MOH review’s scope focused on puberty blockers effects on general wellbeing and “gender dysphoria”, and not on the physiological changes the medicines are sought for. Further concerns include:
- That MOH “downgraded studies that looked at what transgender people said about their wellbeing, and didn’t see it as good evidence if transgender people’s bodies changed, or if they said the treatment worked and was helpful.”
- MOH claims that “evidence about gender dysphoria being reduced by puberty blockers was bad evidence if the researchers didn’t also check if psychological support, family support and school support could fix “gender dysphoria.””
- “[s]tudies were assessed as “low quality” (or “at risk of bias”) if a majority of the transgender children receiving puberty blockers had a supportive environment.”
GMA have also criticised the MOH’s decision to hold a public consultation on this matter. They highlight that the MOH “does not use a public consultation process to decide the medical care of any other group.” They also draw attention to the risk associated with holding a public consultation given the heightened interest of the “large international population of anti-transgender extremist groups.”
Jennifer Shields, the president of the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA), commented that, “[i]t’s highly unusual and inappropriate to engage in public consultation on a medical matter, particularly for a minority group already exposed to increasing levels of hatred and disinformation…[t]his process is discriminatory, already doing harm, and has the potential to do massive and irreversible damage to a generation of trans children.”
The MOH has also been criticised by both GMA and PATHA for the inadequacy of its direct consultation with the rainbow community. They, alongside 24 other representatives from rainbow community organisations were invited to a single, shared 30-minute consultation meeting which was later extended to 60 minutes.
The MOH's brief was delayed a number of times in part to take the findings of the Cass Review in the UK into account. For more information on methodological flaws of The Cass Review, see An Evidence-Based Critique of “The Cass Review” on Gender-affirming Care for Adolescent Gender Dysphoria (2024) published by the Yale School of Medicine, as well as the British Medical Association’s call to immediately halt the implementation of the reviews findings.
Resources for making a submission
Several organisations have produced resources for making submissions on the MOH’s consultation. Submissions are due 20 January 2025.
InsideOUT Kōaro, a national charity providing education, resources, consultation, and support for anything concerning Rainbow and Takatāpui communities, have published their Submission guide for puberty blocker restrictions.
Te Ngākau Kahukura, an organisation working to make communities, environments, and systems safe and inclusive for Rainbow people, have compiled a list of resources to help people understand the issue and to support them to make a submission.
GMA have also provided information and advice on the consultation towards the end of their analysis of the puberty blocker review. For additional information on puberty blockers, see their primer Puberty blockers and differing ethical perspectives (2024).
Emily Writes has written on the MOH’s consultation and has provided information on writing an effective submission in, How you can stand up for trans kids being targeted by this government.
See also the publication of the review into Queensland’s gender services, which found they delivered safe and evidence-based care.
Related News
The Education Review Office (ERO) has published Let’s talk about it: Review of relationships and sexuality education (2024). In their media release, ERO shared that they found "too much inconsistency in relationships and sexuality education.” Underscoring its importance, they write “Relationships and sexuality education plays an important role in teaching students to identify and reject misinformation and harmful attitudes.”
The media release also shares ERO’s findings and concerns about the existing consultation process schools must currently undertake with regards to relationships and sexuality education (RSE). ERO found that the diverging views held by parents and students as well as between male and female students, and mothers and fathers, made consultation difficult. To address these concerns, “ERO is also calling for schools to be required to inform and explain to parents what will be taught in relationships and sexuality education, rather than consult.”
The Government has welcomed the ERO report and its findings that the delivery and content of the current RSE curriculum is inconsistent and is, in some instances, failing to meeting the need of student. In their response to the report, Education Minister, Erica Stanford, announced that the MOE will be developing a new RSE curriculum, stating “[a] draft of the topic areas to be taught will be available from Term 1 with consultation open later in 2025.”
Related Media
Puberty blockers: Health Ministry releases evidence brief, 1News, 21.11.2024
Careful approach to puberty blockers – Expert Reaction, Science Media Centre, 21.11.2024
VisAble launch
Tāngata and whānau whaikaha Māori, tagata sa’ilimalo and their āiga-tele, d/Deaf, neurodivergent, and disabled people, along with their allies, policymakers and politicians celebrated the official launch of VisAble on 24 October 2024. The term "disabled people" is used to include tāngata and whānau whaikaha Māori, tagata sa’ilimalo and their āiga-tele, d/Deaf, neurodivergent, disabled people, Adults at Risk (across the lifespan), and their families.
VisAble is a disability-led not-for-profit organisation dedicated to making violence against disabled people visible, while building a more responsive family violence and sexual violence prevention system. VisAble works to equip and enable individuals and organisations working with or in contact with people who are impacted by violence, to make their services more inclusive and accessible. They provide a range of tailored services and programmes to assist organisations to implement a Te Tiriti o Waitangi and rights-based twin-track response (that is based on the Enabling Good Lives (EGL) principles and approach) in the prevention, identification and response to violence, abuse and neglect against people.
Whaikaha has contracted VisAble to deliver the Disability Abuse Prevention and Response (DAPAR) service, which works to safeguard the rights of disabled people and responds to situations of violence, abuse and harm. According to the Whaikaha website, DAPAR does this by:
- "Working directly with the disabled person and tāngata whaikaha Māori and building a Safeguarding Adults from Abuse (SAFA) multi-agency response to individual situations of concern
- supporting disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori to access mainstream family violence and sexual violence (FVSV) services
- building capacity and capability of individuals, organisations, services and systems through education and training."
Currently DAPAR is only taking referrals for SAFA responses to situations of concern from Whaikaha, Needs Assessment and Coordination, and Enabling Good Lives sites.
Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour, and Minister for Disability Issues, Louise Upston, hosted the launch at Parliament. Speaking at the launch Louise Upston said that safeguarding adults at risk is "...a significant part of not just my work as a Minister for Disability Issues but across government." In her speech, Karen Chhour said,
"Disabled people are among the groups of people disproportionately impacted by family violence and sexual violence, and it is often harder for them to seek help and be heard.
It will take all of us, especially groups like VisAble, to enable effective responses from the system, as well as building a culture of care and respect for children, young people, adults at risk and families to prevent, respond and heal from violence."
Timeline storyboards at the launch outlined the work of advocates, including Sue Hobbs and Debbie Hager, leading to the launch of VisAble. Speakers at the launch gave tribute to Dr Pauline Boyles, who championed the Safeguarding project at Whaikaha. Paula Tesoriero, Chief Executive of Whaikaha, and Liz Tanielu, from Te Puna Aonui, also spoke at the launch.
At the launch Paul Gibson, VisAble's recently appointed Chief Executive, talked about:
"...three challenges and three solutions; listening to disabled people, implementing the Abuse in Care Inquiry recommendations and fixing the current problems of the increasing abuse against disabled people as a result of recent decisions."
Read a transcript of the launch event including all speakers.
Related news
Submissions open on Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Bill and Government apology and response to Abuse in Care inquiry findings.
The Social Services and Community Committee are calling for submissions on the Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Bill. Submissions are due 11 December 2024. It is an omnibus bill that proposes to amend 4 different Acts. One of the proposed changes is to amend the Crimes Act 1961, to explicitly include disability in the definition of a vulnerable adult.
Disabled people and advocates have more broadly criticised the use of the word 'vulnerable' to describe or refer to disabled people. Adult at Risk is the preferred language as noted in the Family Violence Death Review 2023 position paper Responding to adults at risk who need care and support and who are experiencing family violence (see page 3, footnote 3).
The legislation was announced following the government's public apology to survivors of abuse in care, which was delivered on the 12th of November 2024.
Disabled survivors made up just over a quarter (27 percent) of the 2,329 survivors who registered with the Inquiry. This does not include Deaf survivors or survivors who experienced mental distress. Deaf survivors including tāngata Turi Māori comprised 6 percent of the 2,329 survivors who registered with the Inquiry. Many Deaf people do not identify as disabled.
Many disabled people were among those listening and watching as the national apology was given by the Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, followed by a statement from the Leader of the Opposition, Chris Hipkins. The national apology followed an earlier event at Parliament where the chief executives of several agencies also made apologies. Survivors had a brief opportunity to respond. Disability advocate, Gary Williams introduced a video clip of the late Sir Robert Martin giving evidence to the Abuse in Care Inquiry, followed by Fa’afete Taito, Keith Wiffin, Tu Chapman and Poi Karakia.
- Access recordings of individual speakers on the Abuse in Care apology programme (recording available on Vimeo)
- Read the full text of the national apology made by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Watch video of Christopher Luxon
- Read statement of apology by Leader of the Opposition, Chris Hipkins. Watch video of Chris Hipkins
Disabled people were also critical of the arrangements for the apology, some saying the registration process was not accessible, while other survivors felt retraumatised by the need to go in a ballot to attend the proceedings at Parliament due to the restriction on the number of attendees.
Changes to Whaikaha and Disability Support Services
Update: Paula Tesoriero, Chief Executive of Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People, gave a statement about the changes to Whaikaha on 2 December 2024.
Following an independent review the government announced changes affecting the future of Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People and funding for disabled people’s services. This included that the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) would take over responsibility for delivering the Disability Support Services by October 2024. The government also announced that Whaikaha — Ministry of Disabled People would become a stand-alone government department but with reduced responsibility for strategic policy advice, monitoring the effectiveness of services, education, and advocacy. These decisions were made 2 years after Whaikaha, Ministry of Disabled people was established.
The Independent Review of Disability Support Services (2024), subtitled "A report to provide advice on the actions that should be taken immediately in the 2024/25 financial year to better manage the increasing cost pressures faced by Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People", made 7 recommendations. It states:
"It is the assessment of the Reviewers that the Ministry is in urgent need of change. Current fiscal controls are inadequate; monitoring and evaluation is poor; there is a worrying lack of clarity about the terms and conditions of existing provider contracts; the roles of the NASCs and hosts are in need of review, and the shared services provided to the Ministry by MSD, MOH and HNZ, and the Departmental Agency Agreement with MSD, need to be reassessed and strengthened." (paragraph 154).
The disabled community and advocates have criticised these decisions. In response to these announcements, the New Zealand Disability Support Network (NZDSN) said,
"The disability community fought long and hard to have a Ministry focused on the needs of disabled people with control of its own budget. Whaikaha is not perfect, but it is a big step in the right direction. Now, the Government is taking us back to the days of the Office for Disability Issues, making Whaikaha a toothless ‘advisory’ agency that will have no budget for helping disabled people."
Kaihautū Tika Hauātanga Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker says "...it is very disappointing to see a key function of Whaikaha, Ministry for Disabled People, removed from it."
There is a new Disability Support Services website. The Disability Support Services Taskforce is working on how disability support services should best be provided in the future and recently sought feedback through a survey. The survey has now closed and the Taskforce expects to share results in December. The survey is the first round of input on this work. Further community engagement and consultation will be held in early 2025.
UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The United Nations celebrates International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December each year. The theme for 2024 is "Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future." The theme emphasises the importance of the participation of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes that affect their lives. For 2024 the UN outlined the following key goals and calls to action:
- "Promoting the leadership of persons with disabilities in all areas of life.
- Ensuring the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society.
- Increasing the participation of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes.
- Raising awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities.
- Celebrating the achievements of persons with disabilities."
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission is hosting a webinar in recognition of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December 2024. Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker will host a panel discussion. Registration is free.
Australia-based Our Watch is hosting a webinar on 11 December 2024 on Changing the landscape – new resources for preventing violence against women and girls with disabilities.
Other related UN Initiatives
In 2023, the Zero Project published the Model Policy Report, which showcases innovative policies that integrate the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) into the fabric of sustainable development. The Zero Project is an Australia-based global initiative to support the implementation of the CRPD.
The United Nations Development Programme and UN Women, with funding from the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, piloted the Addressing Stigma and Discrimination against Women with Disabilities project in Moldova, Pakistan, Palestine and Samoa. This project produced the Women with disabilities stigma inventory (WDSI) toolkit, a survey tool to assess the experiences of women and girls with disabilities regarding stigma, discrimination, and gender-based violence. Alongside developing the WDSI using a participatory approach, a methodological note and ethical guidelines were also produced to ensure a human rights–based approach and to minimise harm.
Related research
Recent research and publications added to our library include:
Child to parent violence and abuse: New Zealand's invisible family violence (2024) by Lee Tempest, published by VisAble
Reports from Understanding Policing Delivery: Tākata Whaikaha, D/deaf and Disabled People (2024) from the Donald Beasley Institute
Report on complaints to HDC about Residential Disability Support Services (2024) from the Health and Disability Commissioner | Te Toihau Hauora, Hauātanga makes recommendations for improvements after reviewing five years of complaints
Case studies from the Abuse in Care Inquiry related to the experiences of disabled and d/Deaf people:
- Beautiful children : Te Uiui o te Manga Tamariki me te Rangatahi ki Lake Alice | Inquiry into the Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit
- Our hands were tied : Van Asch College and Kelston School for the Deaf A case study of audism abuse at Deaf Schools
- Out of sight, out of mind : Kimberley Centre. A case study into the Kimberley Centre, a ‘psychopaedic’ institution for people with a learning disability
- Stolen lives, marked souls : Te whakatewhatewhatanga o te Kāhui o ngā Parata o Hato Hoani o te Atua i te kura o Marylands me te Tarati o Hebron The inquiry into the Order of the Brothers of St John of God at Marylands School and Hebron Trust
Dr Patsie Frawley wrote a Disability overview for the Abuse in Care Inquiry highlighting the experiences of disabled people in care.
Earlier this year Kirsty Johnston produced the 8-part podcast series, Nellie's baby, which follows Sarah as she searches for her biological mother, a mental health patient who was institutionalised in Porirua Hospital.
Related media
Submissions open on legislation to redefine the Treaty relationship
The Justice Select Committee is calling for submissions on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill.
Submissions are due 7 January 2025.
The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill would redefine the Treaty relationship between Māori and the Crown, replacing it with 3 principles developed by the ACT Party.
Treasury provided a Regulatory Impact Statement on the draft legislation in August 2024, which found, “the status quo is more beneficial.” Their analysis includes that the draft bill is “worse than the status quo” for: upholding the Treaty; clarity and certainty; promoting social cohesion and consensus; and maintaining constitutional legitimacy. There were no criteria where the draft bill was better than the status quo.
The Treaty, colonisation and ending violence
He Waka Eke Noa was the first comprehensive study of violence centring kaupapa and mātauranga Māori. Its findings include:
- “The failure of the Crown to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi is highlighted in all components of the research as a structural reason that underpins the level to which whānau have been exposed to generations of violence.”
- “Transforming the impact of violence upon whānau requires approaches that are aligned to the wider notions of tino rangatiratanga and mana Motuhake.”
- “Honouring, enacting and upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi is considered a critical part of the solution to the underlying systemic issues that sustain violence.”
- “Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi will begin to unlock the appropriate frameworks and models for good partnership and decision making that will support whānau wellbeing.”
The Treaty Principles Bill ignores the context of colonisation and its harm to Māori, and moves away from upholding and honouring the treaty.
The national strategy to eliminate family violence and sexual violence, Te Aorerekura, also identifies that "Violence that impacts whānau is rooted in the marginalisation of tangata whenua and societal changes enforced during the colonisation of Aotearoa."
The Strategy identifies a strong treaty relationship as a foundation for ending violence and growing toiora whānau:
“The Treaty of Waitangi |Te Tiriti o Waitangi, te ao Māori, and whānau-centred approaches are central to Te Aorerekura. They provide a unique perspective for Aotearoa New Zealand about how family violence and sexual violence can be eliminated and how safety and wellbeing can be realised for all people.”
Waitangi Tribunal Report on Treaty Principles Bill updated
The Waitangi Tribunal has released Ngā Mātāpono/The Principles: Part II of the Interim Report of the Tomokia Ngā Tatau o Matangireia – The Constitutional Kaupapa Inquiry Panel on The Crown’s Treaty Principles Bill and Treaty Clause Review Policies (2024).
The report updates the previous interim report with an additional chapter. That report found that the Treaty Principles Bill and the Crown’s agreement to support it are in breach of the treaty principles of partnership and reciprocity, active protection, good government, equity, redress, and the article 2 guarantee of rangatiratanga. The updated report adds further findings of breaches, which cause significant prejudice to Māori. The Tribunal confirmed its recommendation that the Bill be abandoned.
“the Crown’s process to develop the Bill has purposefully excluded any consultation with Māori, breaching the principle of partnership, the Crown’s good-faith obligations, and the Crown’s duty to actively protect Māori rights and interests. The Tribunal also found this policy process to be in breach of the principle of good government, as Cabinet has decided to progress the Bill despite it being a policy that is not evidence-based, has not been adequately tested, has not been consulted upon, and fails regulatory standards.”
The Tribunal also found:
- “Māori would be particularly prejudiced by the extinguishment of tino rangatiratanga in a legal sense if the Bill were to be enacted”
- “the new principles would advance the discredited agenda of assimilation”
- “Cabinet’s decision to introduce the Bill would prejudice Māori by further damaging the Māori–Crown relationship”
- “Māori would also feel the brunt of the social disorder and division caused by the introduction of the Bill.”
Widespread opposition to Treaty Principles Bill
Te Hunga Rōia Māori shared excerpts of a letter calling on the Prime Minister to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill, which they describe as “an act of bad faith and deep dishonour.” Their reasons include:
- That conversation about the Bill is divisive and misinformed, and “Māori will bear the brunt of that misinformation.”
- The Bill attempts “to reframe and minimise the guarantees made to Māori” in the Treaty.
- “Applying the new and distorted principles to the interpretation of the Treaty across all law would have the legal effect of redefining Te Tiriti itself.”
- “The Crown’s actions are not only inconsistent and contrary to the advice of their own officials (including the Ministry of Justice), the recommendations of the Waitangi Tribunal and Te Tiriti o Waitangi itself, but also other international agreements such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.”
In a letter to the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General, 42 King’s Counsel stated that the Treaty Principles Bill should be abandoned. Their reasons include:
- “By imposing a contested definition of the three articles, the Bill seeks to rewrite the Treaty itself.”
- “The Treaty Principles Bill would have the effect of unilaterally changing the meaning of te Tiriti and its effect in law, without the agreement of Māori as the Treaty partner.”
- The proposed “Principle 2” erases the Crown’s guarantee to Māori of tino rangatiratanga, and attempts to exclude the courts from deciding on questions of treaty rights.
- The proposed “Principle 3” erases the Crown’s guarantee to Māori of the right to be Māori and to have tikanga recognised in law.
- “it is not for the government of the day to retrospectively and unilaterally reinterpret constitutional treaties. This would offend the basic principles which underpin New Zealand’s representative democracy.”
- “the Treaty Principles Bill would cause significant legal confusion and uncertainty, inevitably resulting in protracted litigation and cost.”
A petition to “Stop the Treaty Principles Bill” signed by over 200,000 people was given to Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke at Parliament on 19 November 2024. The petition continues to gather signatures, attracting more than 290,000 to date.
A nationwide hīkoi mō te Tiriti opposed to the introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill attracted tens of thousands around the country, and to Wellington on 19 November 2024. A feature of the hīkoi was the diversity of participants.
Submissions and templates
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata | The Human Rights Commission publicly released its submission, which describes the Bill as “...unnecessary, unworkable and in breach of human rights and Tiriti obligations.”
Many groups have produced guides and tools to support people to write submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill. These include:
- Together for Te Tiriti list local events supporting submission writing around the motu
- Tuku Kōrero is the simplest 'submission builder' to help write and even send submissions
- Koekoeā have produced a document explaining the submissions process, and are hosting nightly workshops across social media platforms
- Together for Te Tiriti have an online tool and downloadable template for the process of writing your submission in te reo Māori or English
- ANZASW will hold a webinar “Submission writing for beginners: Equipping social workers to respond to the Treaty Principles Bill” on 11 December 2024
- Lawyer Roimata Smail has created a downloadable submission template
- Common Grace has collected resources to support faith communities to encourage and gather submissions
- Greenpeace has created a Treaty Principles Bill personal submission builder
- The Green Party has published their submission and is collecting signatures in support of it. They have also produced an online guide for writing a submission on the Bill.
NZFVC Submission
You can read the submission from NZFVC here.
Update: Maranga Mai release response to Treaty Principles Bill, Tuku Kōrero mō te Pire Takahi Tiriti
Maranga Mai, the working group towards a People’s Action Plan Against Racism in Aotearoa, has released their response to the Treaty Principles Bill, Tuku Kōrero mō te Pire Takahi Tiriti (2025). Maranga Mai were appointed by the National Iwi Chairs’ Forum. In their response they provide a definition of racism and outline the racial dimensions of the Treaty Principles Bill as well as setting several expectations for the Government’s response to this Bill.
This is an opportunity to make a significant contribution towards eliminating sexual violence and family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Policy Lead will be responsible for:
- Building and maintaining effective relationships with key research and policy professionals and within communities.
- Monitoring communications from key stakeholders to identify emerging research, issues, policy changes and relevant events.
- Collaborating on website content and developing evidence briefs and submissions on policy and legislation relative to family and sexual violence in Aotearoa.
It is expected that applicants will be experienced in collaborative and integrated partnerships across the family violence and sexual violence sectors. As well as a strong family and/or sexual violence focus to their academic and research background, experience working on equity, working with priority populations and knowledge of te reo me ōna tikanga Māori is preferred.
Please share with your networks.
See the job description for more details and find further information on Seek. The closing date for applications is Sunday 24 November, 5pm. Note we may interview prior to the close date.
Abuse of older people symposium
The New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse and the Ministry of Social Development | Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora co-hosted a one-day symposium to bring together specialists, researchers and policymakers working to address the abuse of older people. This event was held on 3 September 2024 at the University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau in Auckland. The symposium featured speaker panels and workshop discussions that explored the critical gaps in our understanding of and response to abuse of older people in Aotearoa.
The speaker panels and workshops addressed 4 themes:
- Understanding and measuring abuse of older people
- Inequities and intersectional identities
- Reflections from practice on barriers and challenges
- Aspirations for wellbeing and hauora.
Speakers shared insights from their work, providing a starting point to spark conversation, broaden thinking and create opportunities for collaboration. Videos and slides from these short presentations are available on our website.
MSD consulting on 2025 long-term insights briefing
The Ministry of Social Development | Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora is currently consulting on the topic of its next Long-term Insights Briefing. The proposed topic is Current and future disadvantage for older New Zealanders.
MSD states that it has proposed the topic on the basis of evidence that suggests disadvantage for older people has the potential to become an issue of increasing significance for New Zealand, due to a combination of demographic changes, social and economic trends, and public finance constraints.
All feedback is due by 25 October 2024.
MSD would like to better understand these kinds of issues for New Zealand's ageing population and their implications for policies and services.
More information on Long Term Insights Briefings can be found at the DPMC website.
International Day of Older Persons
The International Day of Older Persons was observed on the 1st of October. The theme for 2024 is "Ageing with Dignity: The Importance of Strengthening Care and Support Systems for Older Persons Worldwide".
In a press release to mark the day, Chief Executive of Age Concern New Zealand Karen Billings-Jensen stated that:
"Ageing with dignity is a fundamental right, and supporting that means having care and support service options that allow older people to thrive. Our mission is to advocate for respect, care, and support for older New Zealanders, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs met."
The UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, Claudia Mahler, marked the day with a call for urgent global action to safeguard the rights of older persons in the face of an ageing world population. She highlighted the persistence of ageism and discrimination as crucial barriers for older persons’ access to essential services, and their full participation in society:
"During my recent country visits, I have witnessed how ageism continues to impede older persons' rights," the Independent Expert said. "For those experiencing multiple forms of discrimination, such as older women, LGBTIQ+ persons, migrants, persons with disabilities and those belonging to minorities and Indigenous Peoples, these challenges are even more pronounced."
2021 – 2030 is also the Decade of Healthy Ageing. The decade has four action areas:
- Combatting ageism – changing how we think, feel and act towards ageing
- Creating age-friendly environments – enabling older people to participate in and contribute to their communities and society
- Providing integrated care – delivering integrated care and primary health services that are responsive to the needs of the individual
- Ensuring access to long-term care – providing access to long-term care for older people who need it.
You can find out more about work being undertaken to advance these action areas in Aotearoa on the Office for Seniors | Te Tari Kaumātua website. To get involved see the Community Conversations Facebook page from the Selwyn Foundation, an initiative of the Aotearoa New Zealand National Forum for the Decade of Health Ageing. Learn more about the Aotearoa National Forum in this RNZ interview with Denise Cosgrove, Selwyn Foundation Chief Executive.
Related Research
In 2022, the Office for Seniors provided eleven one-off grants of up to $25,000 for initiatives aiming to prevent the abuse of older people through the Elder Abuse Prevention Fund.
The Ministry of Social Development subsequently commissioned a review to explore the learning and insights from initiatives that received funding. The report, Gathering insights from the Elder Abuse Prevention Fund: a learning and insights review prepared for the Office for Seniors (2024), shares practice-based insights and information to enhance understanding of the scale, prevalence, and nature of the abuse of older people in New Zealand. The project involved a review of relevant documentation and nine semi-structured interviews with staff involved in the planning and implementation of the funded initiatives.
Related media
The NZFVC was commissioned by Te Puna Aonui to understand more about existing local and regional family violence and sexual violence networks, the current landscape of collaborative initiatives addressing violence in Aotearoa, and what would strengthen existing local and regional networks.
The findings and recommendations in Strengthening and Expanding Local and Regional Family Violence and Sexual Violence Networks (2024) are based on a literature review, an online survey and focus groups and interviews with key informants from local networks, national networks, and government agencies.
The report identified approximately 43 existing local family violence and sexual violence networks in Aotearoa and noted their role in building relationships, fostering good practice and information sharing, training, supporting network members in their work, and leading community awareness and mobilisation activities addressing both family violence and sexual violence. It found that local networks play a unique and essential role in holding space for coordination and collaboration that spans crisis response, intervention, and prevention. Within these networks, Family Violence Network Coordinators play an important role in bringing people in communities together to align their work.
The report also found that:
- Family and sexual violence networks across Aotearoa are a critical mechanism for implementing Te Aorerekura. There is significant potential to strengthen existing networks to enhance their effectiveness and impact.
- There is a lack of a cohesive plan in relation to family violence and sexual violence networks across government. This creates a continuous cycle of ‘new’ initiatives layered over and competing with existing initiatives, along with a loss of focus and investment for existing and effective initiatives.
- Funding for existing networks is extremely insecure. There is a serious risk that two decades of expertise and community initiatives will be lost.
- While existing local family violence networks are inclusive of tangata whenua, additional structures and spaces need to be strengthened and/or developed that are led by tangata whenua and that respond specifically to the needs and aspirations of tangata whenua.
- Key informants, researchers and experts have been saying the same things for 20 years and yet recommendations aimed at strengthening networks have largely been ignored. This has been the biggest barrier to success.
The report recommends that:
- A clear and cohesive long-term plan be developed that articulates the role and value of local violence prevention networks that aligns with Te Aorerekura Shift Two: Towards Mobilising Communities.
- Secure long-term funding is allocated to support networks at all levels of the system. This includes networks operating at the local, regional and national levels.
- Backbone infrastructure is developed to support individual coordinators, reduce isolation, assist in feedback loops, increase consistency across networks and provide guidance and support for best practice. Specifically, a national coordinator role should be established with responsibility for assisting with coordination across networks.
- Funding is allocated to support tangata whenua to develop networks/structures that are led by tangata whenua and that respond specifically to the needs and aspirations of tangata whenua, irrespective of their participation within other networks.
Find contact details for all local violence networks and more information about the local networks.
Te Whāriki Manawāhine o Hauraki report
From 2018-2020, Te Whāriki Manawāhine Research spoke with wāhine from Hauraki about their experiences of mahi tūkino and housing poverty. Mahi tūkino included family violence, sexual violence, and the transmission of historical and intergenerational violence. They found mahi tūkino and housing poverty were strongly connected, each making the other worse, and trapping whānau in cycles of harm. The report, He Whare, He Taonga – Connecting Mahi Tūkino and Housing Poverty in Hauraki: Wāhine give voice to passionate solutions (2024), says:
- “...whānau violence, and systemic entrapment forces many Hauraki Wāhine and their whānau into homelessness”
- “...profound challenges in finding suitable and sustainable housing … force them back into the violent situations they were trying to escape.”
The wāhine interviewed in the research also offered compassionate solutions:
“...where tamariki are raised in non-violent villages founded on mātauranga me tikanga Māori. These are villages where Wāhine Māori and their whānau are fully supported to recover from their lived experiences of mahi tūkino, and they are thriving.”
Te Whāriki used a mana wāhine methodology, which found 4 themes:
- Pū — the desire for home, including safety, stability, security, self-determination, connection to culture, people and communities, and raising healthy mokopuna.
- Rā — creating wellness, which includes addressing the roots of violence and housing poverty, and supporting whānau aspiration.
- Kā — correcting barriers and building systems that are wāhine- and tamariki-centred. Participants shared that engaging with state systems (particularly Oranga Tamariki and Kāinga Ora) was often worse than the violence in their home.
- Ū — growing compassionate solutions, based on listening, believing, understanding and action to support healing.
He Whare, He Taonga report includes chapters of participants’ voices, key informants’ voices, and a targeted demographic and literature snapshot which provides international and local context.
In announcing the report, Paora Moyle – Te Whāriki Manawāhine o Hauraki - Research Manager said:
"This project intentionally illuminates the voices of wāhine Māori, enabling them to be key contributors towards housing solutions in Hauraki. It is from this standpoint that we come to understand societal violence, whānau violence, and related persistent housing poverty experienced by Hauraki wāhine Māori and their whānau."
In an article for The Post, Paora reflected on the research writing:
"Our research backed up what so many thought – that there is absolutely a direct link between domestic violence and housing poverty and housing inequity.
We heard about a discriminatory, disjointed and desensitised system that fails to regard the human connection and responsibility to respect a māmā’s dignity.
And Paora also wrote:
"We came away from our research knowing that our wāhine possess powerful wisdom to change housing poverty forever in a way that achieves intergenerational wellness for the good of all.
It starts with compassion. It ends with collaboration.
Like cross-party, bipartisan commitments from the top to tackle this head-on, enabling the people on the ground to create multi-generational housing solutions together.
Locally led, with whānau-at-the heart builds for koroua, kuia and mokopuna. Easy to say, hard to do."
Related media
We’ve tackled child poverty before, and we should do it again, Mana Mokopuna, 03.09.2024
Administering poverty, E-tangata, 18.08.2024
The green light flicks on for tougher beneficiary sanctions, The Bulletin, 13.08.2024
Agencies helping women escape abuse struggle with demand, RNZ, 07.08.2024
Aotearoa is a beautiful country but there's a lot of ugly in it, The Post, 04.08.2024
Some Māori living in mangrove swamps in Hauraki, RNZ, 03.08.2024
Fears women can't afford to leave abusive relationships amid cost of living crisis, RNZ, 02.08.2024
Direct link between domestic violence and housing poverty, research finds, RNZ, 31.07.2024
New Research Proves Link Between Domestic Violence & Housing Poverty, Scoop, 31.07.2024
This isn’t a cost of living crisis, it’s a pandemic of poverty, The Press, 31.07.2024
The report concerns claims submitted to the Tribunal under urgency regarding Crown policies to progress a Treaty Principles Bill and, separately, to review legislative enactments referring to ‘the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi’ (the Treaty clause review). The Tribunal held the claims at hearings on 9 and 10 May 2024.
This story also gives background information on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the principles of the treaty, and their relevance to the sexual violence and family violence sector including Te Aorerekura.
The Treaty Principles Bill
The introduction of a ‘Treaty Principles Bill’ was agreed to as part of the National and ACT Coalition Agreement, which includes the commitment to "Introduce a Treaty Principles Bill based on existing ACT policy and support it to a Select Committee as soon as practicable".
Although the Bill is still being drafted, the ACT Party have developed and shared its own proposed treaty principles, which redefine the treaty relationship to protecting:
- the Crown’s right to govern,
- property rights, and
- equality under the law.
ACT’s principles have been drafted without involvement from either Crown or Māori representatives. The Bill would require a binding referendum on ACT’s proposed treaty principles. The Bill has not yet been introduced in Parliament.
For more information about what is being proposed and what this means see legal academic Carwyn Jones' (Ngāi Te Apatu, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa) E-Tangata article.
The pre-publication version of the Waitangi Tribunal’s interim report found that the Treaty Principles Bill, and the Crown’s agreement to support it, are in breach of the treaty principles of partnership and reciprocity, active protection, good government, equity, redress, and the article 2 guarantee of rangatiratanga. They state:
“the evidence before us indicates the Treaty Principles Bill is not necessary to solve any problem; there is no policy imperative that justifies it; it is ‘novel’ in its Treaty interpretations; it is fashioned upon a disingenuous historical narrative; and its policy rationales are unsustainable." (p.134).
They further state that:
“the Treaty/te Tiriti created a foundational relationship for this country founded on a partnership between Māori and the Crown and equality between the tino rangatiratanga and kāwanatanga spheres. The proposed Bill and the Crown’s agreement to pursue it belies the existence of this partnership. Despite the constitutional significance of the Bill’s proposal to amend the Treaty principles and its importance to Māori, the Crown agreed to pursue the policy without any engagement or discussion with Māori. Māori did not want this policy and in fact many have been strongly opposed to it from the beginning. This is a clear failure of the principle of partnership, including the obligations of good faith and reciprocity. It is also a failure of the Crown to respect the tino rangatiratanga of Māori.” (p.135)
The Tribunal found that:
“by engaging with this policy the Crown is sanctioning a process that will take away indigenous rights and reduce the Crown’s Treaty/te Tiriti obligations across the statutory landscape. It has adopted a policy that is contrary to fundamental human and indigenous rights and international law, including ICERD [International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination] and UNDRIP [United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples]. It is subjugating the Māori–Crown relationship with little regard to the normative value of the Treaty/te Tiriti in our constitutional framework. It is an attempt to utilise Parliament’s law-making authority to alter Aotearoa New Zealand’s constitutional foundation predicated upon a legal fiction and an attempt to oust the judiciary.” (p.135)
They conclude that:
“the Treaty Principles Bill policy is poorly designed, not informed by consultation with Māori, not justified by robust policy analysis, and risks destroying the very foundation of the constitutional arrangements of this country.” (p.138)
The Tribunal found that the impacts of the policies will be highly prejudicial to Māori. They recommended that:
- "The Treaty Principles Bill policy should be abandoned.
- The Crown should constitute a Cabinet Māori–Crown relations committee that has oversight of the Crown’s Treaty/te Tiriti policies. The Tribunal did not consider it appropriate that these matters are considered by the Social Outcomes Cabinet Committee.
- The Treaty clause review policy [see below] should be put on hold while it is reconceptualised through collaboration and co-design engagement with Māori.
- The Crown should consider a process in partnership with Māori to undo the damage to the Māori–Crown relationship and restore confidence in the honour of the Crown. While the Tribunal noted that this issue was wider than the two specific policies before it in this urgent inquiry, it stated that it made this recommendation based on its findings and the redress that is necessary to remove the prejudice and prevent similar prejudice in the future."
Many organisations oppose the Treaty Principles Bill being introduced or read. Over 150 community groups and civil society organisations have signed an open letter, organised by ActionStation, opposing the Bill and calling on the Prime Minister to stop the Treaty Principles Bill and ensure it is withdrawn before going to select committee. ActionStation Director Kassie Hartendorp (Ngāti Raukawa) said:
"We really wanted to start showing it’s not just Māori who care about this bill. It’s people who have been within civil society and within communities and doing their best to be able to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi…”
Treaty Clause Review
The treaty clause review is a separate government workstream from the Treaty Principles Bill. Undertaking this review was part of the 2023 Coalition agreement between the National Party and New Zealand First Party. The agreement states that the Coalition will:
"Conduct a comprehensive review of all legislation (except when it is related to, or substantive to, existing full and final Treaty settlements) that includes "The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi" and replace all such references with specific words relating to the relevance and application of the Treaty, or repeal the references."
Work to scope and implement this review was initially led by Te Arawhiti – The Office for Māori Crown Relations, however, the Waitangi Tribunal report notes that responsibility for the review has since been transferred to the Ministry of Justice.
The Tribunal’s report concludes that the outcomes of the review are ‘pre-determined’, and that by failing to consult with Māori on a matter that will have great significance to them, the Crown “has not to date acted honourably and in good faith in pursuing the review.” The report goes on to state that:
"The review is likely to remove or narrow existing Treaty clauses which will in turn remove Treaty/te Tiriti protections that currently exist in New Zealand law. While these protections are imperfect, they nonetheless provide a means for iwi, hapū, and whānau to both hold the Crown to account and seek redress through the courts. Reducing these protections would therefore impact the rights of Māori to access justice to have their rights under the Treaty/te Tiriti realised, which is in breach of the principles of equity and redress. The Crown also has an obligation to actively protect the rights and interests of Māori. To remove or limit the effect of the Treaty/te Tiriti protections contained in Treaty clauses is a self-evident breach of the principle of active protection." (p. 183).
Information and resources on treaty principles
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the agreement between hapū and the Crown that was debated and signed by representatives of each at Waitangi in 1840. It consists of three written articles, promising:
- Crown right to ‘kāwanatanga’, or authority over its own people (at the time, an estimated 2000 English people were here. This article makes clear the Crown’s responsibility to control them, just as Māori would expect hapū to control their own people).
- Rangatira and hapū ongoing ‘tino rangatiratanga’, or complete authority, which is sometimes translated as sovereignty or self determination (this article is consistent with political arrangements at the time, and the earlier He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni). Also, rangatira could sell land to the Crown’s agent at a price agreed to by both.
- Māori all the rights and protections of English citizens. The ‘lawlessness’ of English manuhiri was a key problem the Treaty was trying to solve. This article and the first promise that the Crown will protect Māori just as it would protect its own citizens.
For information about the difference between Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Treaty of Waitangi, see Professor Margaret Mutu's (Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Whātua) article Enhancing the mana of Te Tiriti. Also see see Tiriti vs Treaty, and challenging 'Treaty principles' from the government's New Zealand History information on Teaching te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The principles of the treaty
Te Ara Whiti describe the history of the principles of the treaty. The first piece of New Zealand legislation to refer to the principles was the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975, which established the Waitangi Tribunal. The Act says that Māori can bring a claim to the tribunal about a Crown policy or practice (amongst other things) which was or is ‘inconsistent with the principles of the Treaty’.
Many pieces of legislation have since incorporated ‘principles of the Treaty’, however, there is no single list of principles. Instead, principles have been developed and interpreted through a range of Crown controlled mechanisms and processes including (amongst other things) court cases, new laws, Waitangi Tribunal findings and a 1989 government statement. The Crown has not partnered with Iwi, hapū and other Māori organisations in the development of treaty principles.
The Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 requires that the Waitangi Tribunal look to both the Māori text of Te Tiriti and the English draft in order to determine how ‘the principles of the treaty’ should be applied. Carwen Jones explains that principles of the treaty do not accurately reflect Te Tiriti:
"The use of the phrase "the principles of the Treaty" is an attempt to reconcile the Māori text of Te Tiriti with the English draft. More specifically, the concept attempts to reconcile Te Tiriti with the view that Crown sovereignty is absolute and exclusive and does not allow space for the exercise of other authority. Exclusive and absolute Crown sovereignty is not consistent with the guarantee of tino rangatiratanga to Māori in Te Tiriti. In this way, Treaty principles reflect a significantly watered-down version of Te Tiriti."
For a more comprehensive explanation of treaty principles, including examples of treaty principles that have been identified and applied, see Carwyn Jones’ primer on Treaty principles (2024).
The Treaty of Waitangi and Te Aorerekura
Te Aorerekura, the national strategy to eliminate family violence and sexual violence, explains the relationship between Māori values, the Treaty of Waitangi and Te Aorerekura:
“The Treaty of Waitangi |Te Tiriti o Waitangi, te ao Māori, and whānau-centred approaches are central to Te Aorerekura. They provide a unique perspective for Aotearoa New Zealand about how family violence and sexual violence can be eliminated and how safety and wellbeing can be realised for all people.”
Te Aorerekura recognises the importance of building from a healthy relationship between Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti, and the potential of this for reproducing safe, equitable relationships. It aspires to be a framework with a safe, equitable relationship at its centre. The question of how to support such relationships is repeated throughout Te Aorerekura, for example in engaging with the many communities impacted by violence. Rather than rolling out a single repeated template for working with communities, or a single set of goals or needs to be met, Te Aorerekura invites communities to explore what they each need to thrive.
Te Aorerekura explains the benefit of this approach:
“The Treaty of Waitangi affords Tāngata Tiriti the same rights to access equitable options. Te Aorerekura draws on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori values to envision a different expectation of how to achieve safety and wellbeing for all people in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Related resources
For more information on Te Tiriti, the treaty and treaty principles see:
- Ani Mikaere’s (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Porou) chapter Te Tiriti and the Treaty: seeking to reconcile the irreconcilable in the name of truth from her book Colonising myths - Māori realities: He rukuruku whakaaro (2011).
- Carwyn Jones' primer on Treaty principles (2024).
- Ako Aotearoa has shared a short collection of notable commentaries related to The Treaty of Waitangi (2024) (Ako Aotearoa supports teachers, trainers and educators on the tertiary sector).
- Community Research's podcast series Te Tiriti 2024 and Beyond that looks at the history and kōrero about our constitution, He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This builds on their previous 2022 Te Tiriti Kōrero podcast series.
- Independent consultant, Groundwork trainings, Treaty Principles explainer, and other resources to support tangata tiriti. See their June 2024 Pānui for more details.
- Chapters 8, 9 & 10 of Waitangi Tribunal Claim 1040, Te Paparahi o te Raki (Northland), which give a good overview of the context surrounding the signing of Te Tiriti and how effect has been given to Te Tiriti over time.
Related media
Understanding the Waitangi Tribunal’s report on the Treaty Principles Bill, The Spinoff, 02.09.2024
Margaret Mutu - Perspective on Govt Actions Towards Te Tiriti, Te Hiku, 23.08.2024
National opts to deepen the divisions with Māori, The Post, 10.08.2024
Ferris puts tribunal boost bill in ballot, Waatea News, 31.07.2024
Opposition mounts ahead of draft Treaty Principles Bill, Newsroom, 17.07.2024
Hekia Parata backs boycott of Act’s treaty principles select committee, The Spinoff, 15.07.2024
Treaty Principles Bill: Māori translators pen letter over 'deeply flawed translations', RNZ, 03.07.2024 (see the open letter, shared by Waatea News)
Government stops putting general Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation, NZ Herald, 13.03.2024
Leaked ministry doc warns Bill could break spirit and text of Treaty, One News, 19.01.2024
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