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The Family Violence Death Review Committee (FVDRC) published their Sixth report | Te Pūrongo tuaono: Men who use violence | Ngā tāne ka whakamahi i te whakarekereke in April 2020.
In Professor Tolmie's response, Victims should be front and centre in the response to men using violence, she says there is "much to applaud" in the report. This includes the need to develop higher expectations of men as parents, to see their use of violence as a parenting decision, and to train professionals to work effectively with men using violence (including developing a better understanding of how children are used to control and intimidate women). She notes the discussion of the role that schools, mental health and others can play, and that the report flags the possibility of models of care involving long term support for men with high and complex needs and ongoing high risk of causing harm. Importantly the Sixth Report highlights the limited support that is currently available to those men using violence who want to change their patterns of behaviour.
She writes “Despite the many strengths of the report, however, I am concerned that it tackles only part of what is required to address men’s use of violence against their female partners and children.”
She acknowledges that some men using violence may have sought help for various issues in their lives, and some may have sought help for their use of violence. However many men using violence who come into contact with services to address their violence were not voluntarily seeking help for this.
She notes that perpetrators often deny and minimise their use of violence and coercion and do not take responsibility for their actions; even if they acknowledge their use of violence, often they blame the victim for causing it (Prioritising women’s safety in Australian perpetrator interventions: The purpose and practices of partner contact, ANROWS, 2020).
In terms of service responses to men using violence, Professor Tolmie writes,
“In some instances, because agencies working with men were not connected into a broader family violence safety response, they were under the impression that the men they were working with were taking responsibility for their behaviour – when in fact, they were continuing to use violence. Other agencies also unwittingly colluded with men in minimising and excusing their violence and insisting the victim take partial responsibility for what happened."
She says that in the FVDRC death reviews, “There were instances where agencies responded to these men who were suicidal or depressed or had addiction issues as though they were vulnerable (which they were), but tragically failed to understand that they were also very dangerous.”
She discusses the role of trauma, writing “Although trauma may be part of the histories of many men who use violence, many men and women who experience trauma do not use violence against their partners and children. … When men who use violence have themselves experienced abuse and neglect in childhood and structural violence over their lifetimes, practitioners need to acknowledge these experiences whilst holding them responsible for their use of violence.”
She also notes “The death reviews evidence that many of the female victims also had been abused as children, as adolescents and by multiple male partners. Concerningly, these women had repeatedly experienced negative and unsafe responses from professionals, services and systems to their attempts to seek safety from their partner’s lethal violence.”
Professor Tolmie welcomes the Sixth Report highlighting the need for equitable health, education and social services; the need for social care and protective responses to be based on indigenous world views and cultural values; the need for trauma informed and community based responses; the value of Kaupapa Māori services; and the structural harm that indifferent or discriminatory agency responses have on Māori, including the enduring impact of colonisation, intergenerational trauma and profound structural inequity.
While acknowledging that Māori men are overrepresented as male predominant aggressors in intimate partner violence death events, Professor Tolmie emphasises that they remain a minority of those men who use violence against their partners. She says
“… one could be forgiven for losing sight of this fact in reading through the report. The concluding recommendations are to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi; decolonise services; address racism; and address structural inequity. Few would disagree with these as aspirations. Nonetheless, the violence of Pākehā men and the multiple forms of violence against Māori women slip from visibility. Sexism, despite the inherently gendered nature of family violence, and its intersection with racism and oppression, is not on the agenda."
(Of the 97 male predominant aggressors in intimate partner violence death events in the report, 41 were Pākehā, 32 were Māori, and the remaining 24 men other ethnicities listed in the report.)
Professor Tolmie notes “the report does not discuss the disproportionate impact of colonisation on Māori women, who today bear a significant burden of the violent victimisation in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Professor Tolmie summarises:
“If we are to address men’s use of violence we must do many things at the same time – respectfully engage with men using violence so that they are ‘connected and in sight’ whether or not they are committed to behaviour change, hold them in places where proper holistic help and culturally responsive support is available to them should they choose to address their harmful behaviours, develop ways to contain their abusive behaviours so that we can keep child and adult victims safe, and escalate the consequences for the continued use of violence."
She concludes:
“In Aotearoa New Zealand, in the shadow of Covid 19 we are confronted again by our failure to effectively respond to family violence. We urgently need to be developing intersectional ways of working, at all levels of the family violence safety system, which are publicly accountable to victims. Such approaches must hold the dignity, sanctity and safety of victims at the centre of our work with those using violence, while also maintaining the dignity and humanity of those using violence.
Present systemic opportunities to do this include:
- Delivering men’s stopping violence services with victim services within one organisational setting or within a formal partnership organisational setting.
- Requiring men’s stopping violence programmes to provide safe and supportive service responses to victims, irrespective of the man’s attendance at the programme.
- Re-orientating the criminal justice response towards victim safety [rather than punishment of perpetrators], including integrating the safety of victims’ into all criminal justice responses.
- Developing an integrated justice strategy for men who use violence that is directed at upholding victims’ safety. This would include developing sentencing options and alternatives to imprisonment which are safe (including culturally), just and effective for victims and for men using violence.”
Professor Tolmie is a former Chair of the Family Violence Death Review Committee.
A shorter version of Professor Tolmie's response was published on Newsroom.
Related information and research
NZFVC hosted the Family Violence Death Review Committee to present a webinar on their Sixth Report in May 2020.
Prioritising women’s safety in Australian perpetrator interventions: The purpose and practices of partner contact (ANROWS, April 2020)
Wāhine Māori: Keeping safe in unsafe relationships (Denise Wilson and others, 2019)
He rau murimuri aroha: Wāhine Māori insights into historical trauma and healing (Te Atawhai o Te Ao, 2019)
The Law Society is running a consultation on the rules related to lawyers' conduct and a consultation on access to justice.
Feedback on rules related to lawyers’ conduct
The Law Society is inviting public consultation on proposed changes for the rules about lawyers' conduct related to bullying and sexual harassment. The proposed changes relate to the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 (RCCC) and Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Ongoing Legal Education – Continuing Professional Development) Rules 2013 (CPD Rules). The Law Society has published a document that explains the proposed changes which states:
"The objective of the proposed changes is to better address sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination, violence and other unacceptable conduct within the legal community. The changes are one part of the larger picture in improving the wellbeing and culture of the legal profession and making the legal community a safe and healthy place for everyone. They have been informed by the work and recommendations of the Law Society’s Independent Regulatory Working Group chaired by Dame Silvia Cartwright, the 2018 Workplace Environment Survey and concerns and experiences courageously shared by many people within the legal community."
The changes include defining discrimination, bullying and harassment; clarifing reporting obligations; addressing protection for people who file a complaint or report; and addressing mandatory education and training.
You can give feedback through an online survey. Send questions or additional feedback to rulechangesfeedback@lawsociety.org.nz. The deadline to give feedback is 3 July 2020.
This consultation is part of broader work within the Law Society and legal profession to address sexual harassment and assault following the Newsroom story of sexual assault and harassment allegations at law firm Russell McVeagh in 2018 and the global #metoo movement.
Consultation on draft report on access to justice
The Law Society is also inviting public feedback on a draft research report about access to justice. The Law Society published the draft report Access to Justice – a stocktake of initiatives in May 2020. The report explores barriers to accessing justice through case studies, provides a summary of current initiatives in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally, and identifies gaps in access to justice. The Executive Summary of the report states:
"This project aims to increase understanding of the current landscape in Aotearoa New Zealand. It will also inform the future focus for the Law Society in its ongoing contribution towards improved access to justice in the criminal and civil justice systems. The objective is to develop an overarching programme of work on access to justice, including work delivered in partnership with others, along with a framework to measure its impact."
In announcing the report, Law Society President Tiana Epati said:
“This report, however, illustrates our willingness to explore these issues differently, taking a people-centred approach to better understand the issues from a consumer rather than a system perspective. We know this may challenge some conventional thinking or preconceptions of our role and I welcome that; fresh thinking can be the catalyst for innovation and new initiatives."
The report includes four sets of questions for feedback (see pages 11, 31, 52 and 65).
Send feedback or questions to accesstojustice@lawsociety.org.nz. The deadline to give feedback is 3 August 2020.
Related news
The Rules Committee is inviting feedback from the public on how to improve access to civil justice. The Committee is looking at possible changes to the High Court Rules and District Court Rules to improve access to civil justice by making the costs of civil proceedings more reasonable. The Committee has published a brief document that explains to the consultation to the wider public. More detailed information is available on the Courts of New Zealand website related to the Rules Committee project on Improving access to civil justice. The deadline for submissions is 11 September 2020.
The Rules Committee is a statutory body established by s 51B of the Judicature Act 1908 and continued by s 155 of the Senior Courts Act 2016. It has responsibility for procedural rules in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court, and the District Court. The Committee does not have jurisdiction to make rules of court in respect of the Family Court. However, the Committee may consider learnings from the experience of litigants in Family Court and may share feedback with the Ministry of Justice and Family Court.
Related media
Law Society proposes changes to define unacceptable conduct, Stuff, 30.06.2020
Law Society proposes changes to define unacceptable conduct, NZLS, 30.06.2020
'No silver bullet' for fairer access to civil justice, says chief justice, Stuff, 02.02.2020
Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin said:
“For too long, as identified in the last two ERO reports, a number of schools have struggled in this area of teaching. The Curriculum Leads, a new type of role based in regional Ministry of Education offices, will provide the specialist support that primary and secondary schools have been wanting and need in this area.”
Within each of the education regions, Curriculum Leads will be responsible for supporting schools, Boards of Trustees, teachers and kaiako to:
- "undertake effective consultation with school communities to shape their localised Health and Physical Education/Hauora implementation
- teach key concepts, ensure curriculum coverage and consistent implementation of the refreshed Sexuality Education Guidelines 2015 and Mental Health Education Guidelines, while maximising the primary prevention opportunities
- engage quality external providers and resources, if appropriate, that complements and enhances teacher-led delivery"
The programme funding also provides for resources for parents and whānau that will support their understanding of the importance of teaching and learning about mental health and healthy relationships. This is to enable families to provide support to their children at home.
The new roles are funded from a $32.8 million programme that will be delivered over four years and are the first part of a comprehensive wellbeing support package for the entire education sector.
Tracey Martin commented “It’s predicted that COVID-19 will have long-lasting impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.”
Related research and reports
Education Review Office reports:
- Promoting wellbeing through sexuality education (2018)
- The teaching of sexuality education in Years 7 to 13 (2007)
ACC reports on the Mates & Dates programme:
- ACC Mates & Dates: Presentation of key survey findings 2018 (Synergia, 2018)
- Report on the 2016 Mates & Dates survey: Report for the Violence Prevention portfolio at ACC (Synergia, 2017)
- Evaluation of ACC's Mates and Dates: School-based healthy relationships primary prevention programme pilot (Lighthouse Consulting, 2015)
- Mates & Dates: Focus groups - a summary (ACC, 2015)
Guidelines:
- Mana Tangata Whenua: National Guidelines for Sexual and Reproductive Health Promotion with Māori (Te Whāriki Takapou, 2016)
- Sexuality education: A guide for principals, boards of trustees and teachers (Ministry of Education, 2015)
- Relationship education programmes: Guide for schools (Ministry of Education, 2013)
Other resources:
- Indigenous (Māori) sexual health psychologies in New Zealand: Delivering culturally congruent sexuality education (Jade Le Grice & Virginia Braun, 2017)
- Te Toka Tūmoana: Supporting the Navigation of Indigenous Wellbeing in Colonised Waters - Presentation to IUSTI Asia Pacific Sexual Health Congress 2018, Tāmaki Mākaurau (Prof Leonie Pihama, 2018)
- Young people's experiences of sexuality education (New Zealand Family Planning, 2019)
- Fatumata Bah: Racism and Islamophobia are a mental health issue, Re:, 23.06.2020
Violence prevention, healthy relationships and sexuality education work currently being delivered in schools also includes:
- Jade Speaks Up - Violence Free Communities
- We Can Keep Safe - HELP Auckland
- Shine in School - Shine
- Loves-Me-Not - NZ Police
- Bodysafe - Rape Prevention Education
- Te Ira Tangata and Te Aitanga a Tiki - Te Whāriki Takapou
- Village Collective
- Shakti Youth
For further resorces, search sexuality education in the NZFVC library.
Relate media
The circumstances created with by COVID-19 and social isolation has highlighted the importance of providing a dedicated platform for Māori communities to ensure their voices are heard. Keeping whānau and communities safe, informed and talking to each other is paramount.
The new Te Whare Māori portal on the NZFVC website is providing COVID-19 related information on addressing violence, kōrero, and activities to support whānau Māori and Māori community providers. The portal has three pou:
- Pou Āwhina - Information on support and services available
- Pou Manaaki - Activities to keep well and safe
- Pou Kōrero - Conversations, interviews and commentaries to support whānau living in these extraordinary times
As Ngā Wai a Te Tūī says, the existing working relationship between NZFVC and the Ngā Wai a Te Tūī team helped fast-track plans to formalise an important relationship with Māori.
Director of Ngā Wai a Te Tūī, Professor Jenny Lee-Morgan, has supported the ongoing dialogue between senior researchers Rihi Te Nana and Professor Leonie Pihama, and the NZFVC to co-create a Te Tiriti governance framework that better serves the needs of whānau Māori, and Māori service providers actively involved in the sexual and domestic violence prevention across Aotearoa New Zealand communities.
This collaboration between Ngā Wai ā Te Tūī and the NZFVC has been in the pipeline since June 2019. Pihama and Te Nana, alongside other Māori researchers, practitioners and healers have grown significant and important body of Kaupapa Māori research that examines historical and intergenerational trauma and the impact of sexual, domestic violence upon whānau, hapu and iwi. Their research has focussed on Kaupapa Māori healing interventions that support affirmative whānau transformational change towards whānau ora and flourishing whānau.
Such research findings have highlighted the need for organisations like the NZFVC to seriously consider strategic alliances with Māori, making space available within organisational structures to include Māori in the strategic and operational processes that effectively impact this sector.
NZFVC was in the throes of establishing a Whare Māori to demonstrate their intent to positively address family violence in partnership with Māori, when the pandemic hit Aotearoa. This collaboration with NZFVC demonstrates an authentic treaty-based relationship between tangata whenua and tangata tiriti where the expectation that domestic and sexual violence intervention and prevention work with whānau Māori is determined and driven by and for Māori.
‘He Waka eke noa tātou’
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand's Māori Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE), Waatea News and Te Ao Māori News covered the portal and partnership, including interviews with Rihi Te Nana.
NZFVC is very pleased to work with Ngā Wai a te Tūī to continue to develop the partnership.
Children's Commissioner report on pēpi Māori
The report, Te Kuku O Te Manawa – Ka puta te riri, ka momori te ngākau, ka heke ngā roimata mo tōku pēpi, shares insights gained so far in the OCC’s review, which aims to answer the question:
What needs to change to enable pēpi Māori aged 0-3 months to remain in the care of their whānau in situations where Oranga Tamariki is notified of care and protection concerns?
The report is the first report of a two-part series.
This report focuses on the experiences of the mothers and whānau of 13 pēpi across 10 iwi, in whose lives the statutory social work system has been involved. The OCC interviewed mums and whānau about their experiences in relation to 13 pēpi (aged 0-3 months) who had either been removed, or were at risk of being removed, from their whānau by Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children or its predecessor Child, Youth and Family.
Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft said:
“They told us their stories – unedited and raw. I wholeheartedly thank them for their willingness and courage to entrust us with their experiences. Their accounts are among the most heart wrenching I have heard in my time in this role.”
The report includes quotes from the mothers and whānau.
The OCC looked at the themes from what they heard from mums and whanau, and wove these together with other strands of evidence: a consideration of the Treaty of Waitangi; a statistical snapshot of pēpi Māori 0-3 months and the care and protection system; a process map of relevant legislation, policies and practice requirements for Oranga Tamariki; and an overview of the rights framework underpinning the statutory care and protection system.
After considering these multiple strands of evidence, the OCC identified six areas for change to explore during stage two of their review. These areas for change are:
- “The system needs to recognise the role of mums as te whare tangata and treat them and their pēpi with humanity
- Unprofessional statutory social work practice is harming mums, whānau and pēpi
- Whānau need the right support from the right people
- Pēpi Māori and their whānau are experiencing racism and discrimination
- The organisational culture of the statutory care and protection system needs to support parents and whānau to nurture and care for their pēpi, and
- The system needs to work in partnership with whānau, hapū and iwi so they can exercise tino rangatiratanga.”
The OCC says “This report should be read as an insight into the wider statutory social work system, spanning both the latter years of Child, Youth and Family and the practice of Oranga Tamariki since its establishment on 1 April 2017. The experiences and concerns of those we interviewed appear to have remained the same regardless of the name of the organisation.”
This report does not contain recommendations – recommendations will be made in part two of the review which is expected to be published later in 2020.
The Children’s Commissioner notes this report represents the OCC’s first ever steps to produce a ‘Māori-led’ project within the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (see more information on page 8).
Background information
This report containing personal stories follows the OCC’s release of statistics in January 2020.
The Children’s Commissioner announced in June 2019 that his Office would undertake a thematic review of the policies, processes and practices of Oranga Tamariki relating to care and protection issues for pēpi Māori aged 0-3 months.
The Māori-led inquiry into Oranga Tamariki published its final report and recommendations in March 2020, Ko Te Wā Whakawhiti: It's Time for Change - A Māori Inquiry into Oranga Tamariki (2020).
The Chief Ombudsman is also carrying out a review.
The Waitangi Tribunal is carrying out an urgent inquiry into the policies and practices of Oranga Tamariki.
In November 2019, Oranga Tamariki - Ministry for Children published the results of its internal practice review.
The reviews were announced following widespread concern about the attempted uplift of a Māori newborn baby at Hawke's Bay Hospital in 2019.
Related media
Bullying and red tape - Oranga Tamariki’s culture issue, Newsroom, 20.07.2020
Inside Oranga Tamariki - is it an organisation unravelling?, RNZ, 20.07.2020
When you’re in a hole, stop digging, Newsroom, 08.07.2020
Oranga Tamariki still missing fundamental restructure, Waatea News, 06.07.2020
Child protection’s culture of silence, Newsroom, 06.07.2020
Time up for Oranga Tamariki leadership, Waatea News, 06.07.2020
Māori leaders repeat call for OT resignations, Newsroom, 02.07.2020
‘The tip of the iceberg’, Newsroom, 04.07.2020
The brave new world of Oranga Tamariki, Newsroom, 01.07.2020
'Tokenistic inclusion of Māori' despite fall in state care numbers, RNZ, 01.07.2020
Post-Covid demand could stretch Whānau Ora, RNZ, 17.06.2020
Oranga Tamariki social workers' te ao Māori knowledge questioned, RNZ, 15.06.2020
Police admit trying to take dead child's body from grieving parents, NZ Herald, 14.06.2020
Human barricade protesting baby uplifts at Waitākere Hospital, Stuff, 13.06.2020
Community action stops Pēpi uplift, Waatea News, 12.06.2020
'No way' Oranga Tamariki allowed to take babies from hospital - Waitematā DHB, RNZ, 12.06.2020
Māori caucus backs Oranga Tamariki reform, Waatea News, 11.06.2020
Ian Hyslop: Powerful wāhine voice in child protection review, Newsroom, 11.06.2020
Power shift needed to fix child welfare crisis, Waatea News, 10.06.2020
A former Oranga Tamariki employee on why change must start at the top, The Spinoff, 09.06.2020
One for the PM’s reading list, Newsroom, 09.06.2020
Tough stories highlight Oranga Tamariki flaws, Waatea News, 09.06.2020
ANZASW Update, Press Release: Aotearoa NZ Association of Social Workers, 09.06.2020
Māori mothers describe child welfare system as dangerous and brutal in new report, RNZ, 08.06.2020
Ian Hyslop: Te Kuku O Te Marama: Questions Arising, Reimagining Social Work, 08.06.2020
Naida Glavish 'appalled' at lack of action over Oranga Tamariki, RNZ, 04.06.2020
The Government made a pre-Budget announcement of $183 million dollars of funding for family and sexual violence. (See the summary of initiatives from the Joint Venture for the breakdown of this funding.) The announcement also included $19.9 million for a cross-agency initiative with Police, Justice and Health to ensure victims of non-fatal strangulation can access trained medical practitioners and the forensic services necessary to gather the robust evidence required to prosecute offenders.
Further Budget 2020 announcements included an additional $22 million of funding related to family violence:
- $13 million to provide therapeutic services and treatment for children and young people who are exposed to family violence
- $8.6 million over two years to help family violence providers increase capacity to respond to increased demand for services due to the impacts of COVID-19 (see the MSD Fact Sheet on Responding to Increased Demand for Family Violence Services).
In his speech, Finance Minister Grant Robertson provided an overview of Budget 2020 highlighting three themes:
- Child poverty
- COVID-19 respond, recover and rebuild (which includes business support, infrastructure, housing, environment jobs, education and training, sector recovery and community wellbeing)
- Core services (which includes health, social sector, education, primary industries, justice sector, arts and culture, defence and foreign affairs, and transport)
"New Zealand's ability to respond strongly to COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of investing in, and maintaining, core government services that support all New Zealanders' lives and wellbeing. Accordingly, the Budget 2020 package focuses on support for public services and key infrastructure. This builds on the record investment made in the past two years, rebuilding services after a decade of underfunding. It remains critical we maintain the vital public services New Zealand needs to overcome COVID-19.
This investment will complement and support our targeted COVID-19 response, recovery and rebuilding measures. The $50 billion COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund (CRRF), established through the Budget, will be used to continue our support for households and businesses and begin the work to help support our society and economy to rebuild."
All Wellbeing Budget 2020 Government announcements are available online. The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has Budget 2020 Fact Sheets that provide brief summaries of funding related to a number of areas in the social sector.
The Budget 2020 Policy website provides detailed information. Below are some of the main announcements related to family violence.
Family Court and other legal initiatives
Justice Minister Andrew Little made budget and legislative announcements related to the Family Court. This includes $62 million under the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund to start the reform of the Family Court and enable the Family Court to respond to the increased backlog from the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of this package involves the Family Court (Supporting Families in Court) Legislation Bill which was introduced on 14 May and was under urgency, receiving Royal Assent on 15 May 2020. The purpose of the legislation is to:
- "Restore the right to legal representation at the start of a case in the Family Court;
- Allow parties to those proceedings, where eligible, to access legal aid;
- Establish Family Justice Liaison Officers and produce better information resources to help parents and whānau navigate the system;
- Increase remuneration for lawyers for children to incentivise the recruitment and retention of skilled practitioners."
A second Bill is expected later this year to address further changes to the Family Court with the aim to:
- "Enhance children’s participation in proceedings that affect them;
- Ensure that children feel supported and informed as they move through the Family Court process;
- Expand lawyers’ duties in care of children proceedings."
This work is intended to address some of the recommendations identified in the government's Independent Panel examining the 2014 family justice reforms. The Justice Minister provided comments to RNZ about this work.
The Government also announced funding for community legal services, including funding to Community Law for a pro-bono clearinghouse which will match people needing legal assistance with private lawyers who are offering their services for free. For more information see the Ministry of Justice Summary of Budget 2020 Initiatives for the justice sector.
Care and protection of children
Significant funding was announced for the care and protection system. This includes $480.6 million to ensure caregivers and partners have the support they need to care for children and young people. The funding is split, with $302.7 million delivered through Oranga Tamariki and $177.9 million delivered through MSD. This includes funding to support iwi, Māori and non-government organisations (NGO) that partner with Oranga Tamariki. It also includes funding for the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse of Children in Care and Faith Based Institutions. The Oranga Tamariki Budget 2020 infographic also notes that "All NGO social service providers will get an increase in funding to cover their costs of at least 1.66% and up to 7.5%."
Funding has also been announced for
- Establishing and operating the Independent Children's Monitor which is intended to carry out independent and systemic monitoring of the Oranga Tamariki Act
- Strengthening the Office of the Children’s Commissioner
- Funding to support caregivers who care for children in and outside the state care system
Other key funding announcements
A package of $900 million to support "whānau, tamariki and all Māori" in response to COVID-19 was announced. Some of the initiatives include:
- Just under $6 million for Whānau Protect – Expanding National Home Safety under COVID-19
- $11 million for "Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities through Increasing the Capability and Capacity of Māori Organisations" focused on non-government organisations
- An additional $136 million for Whānau Ora related to "Supporting the Immediate and Near-Term Recovery of Whānau from COVID-19"
Other social sector funding announcements include:
- $36 million in grants to strengthen community groups with a focus on enhancing the wellbeing, connectedness and social cohesion of Māori, Pacific, refugee, and migrant communities
- $22 million to ensure providers can continue to deliver necessary services to support their communities in responding to and recovering from the impacts of COVID-19
- $1.92 million over the next four years to MSD funded national bodies providing general support services to continue to support community organisations.
- Funding for disability support services and innovations that empower people with disabilities
- $195 million Pacific package to support the recovery and rebuild of Pacific communities from COVID-19. For more information see the Ministry for Pacific Peoples and their booklet Wellbeing Budget 2020 Pacific Aotearoa Rebuilding Together.
Commentary
Advocates have welcomed the funding increases but note that further increases will be needed to address long-term needs and close the gap in funding for NGOs. Reports from Social Service Providers Aotearoa and ComVoices in 2019 found that NGOs were experiencing increased service demands and financial pressures (before COVID-19) but the government was funding social service providers for less than two thirds of the actual cost of delivering the services that providers are contracted to deliver. Advocates have also called on the government to take further action in implementing the recommendations from the Welfare Expert Advisory Group.
See press releases from Aotearoa NZ Association of Social Workers (ANZASW), Social Service Providers Aotearoa (SSPA), Barnardos, New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS), Disability Support Network, Child Poverty Action Group, Youth Sector Rainbow Collective and the Office of the Children's Commissioner for more details.
Also see the letter to the Prime Minister, Budget Ministers and Social and Community Sector Ministers from SSPA, NZCCSS and Philanthropy NZ calling on the Government to address "... the social sector funding gap so that social service NGOs and Iwi/Māori organisations can maximise their contribution to Aotearoa’s COVID-19 recovery."
For other commentary see the media list below.
Related news
The Minister for Women announced a new fund available for groups that support women and girls. The COVID-19 Community Fund is for organisations that provide services or support to women and girls, and have an increased demand for services or a shortfall of funding due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications are being accepted now for grants between $5,000 and $50,000. The deadline to apply for the COVID-19 Community Fund is 15 June 2020.
Related media
Right to legal representation in Family Court restored today, Beehive media release, 01.07.2020
Family court reforms - delays and costs still a worry, RNZ, 30.06.2020
Worried about what your child is doing online? The Government is here to help, NZ Herald, 07.06.2020
Women's groups united against Treasury's gender lens decision, NZ Herald, 04.06.2020
Rainbow youth sector says Covid-19 response lacks funding for its communities, RNZ, 03.06.2020
'Shovel ready' found wanting for women, RNZ, 02.06.2020
Coronavirus: Family Court reforms affected by pandemic, RNZ, 26.05.2020
Extra Whānau Ora money may not cover rise in needy families, RNZ, 15.05.2020
The deadline to apply for the COVID-19 Community Fund is 15 June 2020.
The new $1,000,000 fund is part of the Government’s COVID-19 response. The Fund is for organisations that provide services or support to women and girls, and have an increased demand for services or a shortfall of funding due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is a one-off grant to provide short-term support where other government support is not available. Grants are available for amounts between $5,000 to $50,000. Application rounds will continue until the Fund is exhausted.
The Ministry for Women will assess applications, and make recommendations to a Panel for final consideration and approval. The Panel will have two non-government representatives and two government officials.
When looking at applications, the panel will consider:
- "the impact funding will have to improve outcomes for women and/or girls
- the immediacy of the organisation’s needs and the needs of the community it serves. Higher priority may be given to organisations that are able to meet immediate needs in a timely manner
- the extent to which funding requests will contribute to ensuring healthy and safe communities; reduce family and sexual violence; and/or improve child wellbeing
- the extent to which the funding will assist organisations to support women who face intersectional challenges such as women in Māori, Pacific or rural communities and migrant women
- the connection and influence the applicants have with the communities they serve, and the difference they will be able to make at a local level."
In the media release, Julie Anne Genter said
“Issues related to gender equality can take a backseat during emergencies and crises, and this results in worse outcomes for women and girls. Greater loss of income, increased instances of domestic violence, and increased caring responsibilities all impact on women.
Many NGOs that support women have reduced income and volunteer numbers due to the impacts of COVID-19, and at the same time, they have many more people needing their support and/or services. I particularly want to encourage groups that work with wāhine Māori to apply. We welcome applications to improve outcomes for women and girls which have not been covered by other government funds. This may include initiatives such as opening a community centre for an additional day in order to provide extra services, or supporting a women’s centre to deliver counselling services."
For more information see the Ministry for Women COVID-19 Community Fund.
Ministry for Women will host a Question and Answer session via Zoom Friday 5 June 2020, from 12:00 to 1.30pm. To attend the session or for questions, email communityfund@women.govt.nz.
Update: The fund is now closed and all funds have been awarded. Due to overwhelming demand, the Government doubled the fund to a total of $2 million.
Related news
The Wellbeing Budget 2020 was announced on 14 May 2020. According to an NZ Herald article Women's Minister Julie Anne Genter's proposal for gender lenses on budget denied by Treasury, in 2019 Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter had proposed that a gender analysis be included in budget planning. This would have involved "gender budgeting pilots." The pilots would have involved agencies and government departments examining the impacts of Budget bids in terms of gender. The article cites a Treasury memo from August 2019, obtained by the Herald under the Official Information Act, which indicated that Treasury did not recommend the gender budgeting pilots. According to the Herald article, the Treasury Memo stated:
"The Treasury's experience of previous Budgets shows that adding additional analytical requirements to the Budget process likely has little impact on the quality of the bids."
According to the Herald reporter, Jason Walls, the memo noted there was a risk that government departments might treat this as a "compliance exercise.''
Academics Jennifer Curtin, Suzy Morrissey and Sarah Bickerton discussed the impacts of Budget 2020 for women in the context of COVID-19 recovery in a Newsroom article, writing:
"New Zealand doesn’t yet have a gender-responsive budgeting process, whereby agencies would be required to explicitly and systematically ask 'who' is benefiting from the infrastructure investment being proposed, and how it would address gender, intersectional and other structural inequalities that already exist in economic and social wellbeing. The Ministry for Women’s Bringing Gender In online tool can assist with this work. And such an approach would help grow the economy, because it brings in more resources, expands the number and range of people in paid work, while advancing gender equality at the same time. It’s not an either-or; it’s a win-win."
For more information about gender budgeting, see the Treasury Working Paper by Suzy Morrissey, Gender Budgeting: A Useful Approach for Aotearoa New Zealand (2018).
Also see the video recording of the Gender Impact Analysis: Women workers and COVID-19 seminar.
You can also view the video recording of Laura O’Connell Rapira (Te Ātiawa, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Whakaue), Director of Action Station, discussing What kind of future do we want for women, particularly wāhine Māori, after Covid-19? This online kōrero was organised by Auckland Women's Centre and chaired by Stacey Morrison (Ngāi Tahu, Te Arawa).
Also see the report Women at the core of the fight against COVID-19 crisis (2020) from OECD.
Related media
Women's groups united against Treasury's gender lens decision, NZ Herald, 04.06.2020
Here’s how to achieve gender equality after the pandemic, World Economic Forum, 25.04.2020
Where does gender equality fit into the Budget?, Newsroom, 31.05.2019
The series is presented by Ngā Wai ā te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research Centre. It is co-hosted by Wetini Paul (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngai Te Rangi) and Professor Leonie Pihama (Te Ātiawa, Waikato-Tainui, Ngā Māhanga a Tairi).
This is a rare opportunity to hear from Professor Graham Hingangaroa Smith (Te Aitanga o Māhaki, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa) and Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou, Tūihourangi) as they candidly reflect on their early work locating Kaupapa Māori on the education landscape, and the ongoing development of Kaupapa Māori as a theory and methodology through to today.
With the COVID-19 pandemic experience very much to the fore and providing the space for these conversations to occur with these scholars, viewers will also experience some discussion and critique of the Aotearoa New Zealand response through a Kaupapa Māori lens.
The series is made up of six sessions:
Kōrero 1: Foundations and history of Kaupapa Māori as shared by Professor Graham Hingangaroa Smith
Kōrero 2: Decolonising Methodologies with Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith and Professor Leonie Pihama
Kōrero 3: Kaupapa Māori and responding to new formations of colonisation with Professors Linda Tuhiwai and Graham Hingangaroa Smith
Kōrero 4: Kaupapa Maori Theory as an expression of tino rangatiratanga (self-determination, sovereignty) with Professors Linda Tuhiwai Smith & Leonie Pihama
Kōrero 5: Reflections on Māori and Indigenous Futures with Linda Tuhiwai Smith
Kōrero 6: Kei te ahu mātou ki hea: Kaupapa Maori theory and methodology: Where to from here? with Graham Hingangaroa Smith, Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Leonie Pihama and Margie Maaka
Practitioners working across communities with whānau Māori should find this series invaluable for understanding the conceptual underpinnings of Kaupapa Māori. These include:
- ensuring interactions and support offered in whatever form to Māori are based on a critical outlook (critical analysis applied to unpack and understand issues), and
- that interventions that follow are transformative and proactive, and ultimately about making a positive difference.
Each Online Kōrero is one hour long.
This News article is written by Ngā Wai ā te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research Centre.
The funding announced is:
- $183.0 million over the next four years for the Ministry of Social Development to ensure continued access to specialist family violence services, including:
- Services supporting victims of family violence ($142.0 million)
- Services to help perpetrators to stop inflicting family violence ($16.0 million), and
- Support for victims of elder abuse ($25.0 million) and
- A cross-agency initiative with Police, Justice and Health to ensure victims of non-fatal strangulation can access highly trained medical practitioners, trained to deal with the trauma and for forensic services necessary to gather the robust evidence needed to prosecute offenders ($19.9 million)
The Beehive release and summary of initiatives says the funding seeks to address cost pressures for specialist family violence providers. This includes "providing for more competitive wages for staff so that the sector has a more solid foundation for engaging, supporting and retaining their workforces. It also provides for funding allowances for training, supervision, management and organisational costs."
This includes funding for services by Māori for Māori, and for migrant and refugee communities.
Commenting on the importance of these services throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, Jan Logie, Under-Secretary to the Minister of Justice (Domestic and Sexual Violence Issues) said “Refuges, helplines, crisis services and many other organisations sit at the heart of our response to families who are experiencing violence. At a time of national crisis we have never needed them more. We know this crisis has increased pressure to New Zealand families and that more victims are isolated. It’s right that we respond properly to this.”
The bulk of the funding sits with the Ministry of Social Development.
The funding for responses to non-fatal strangulation goes to Police, Justice and Health so victims can access a specialist clinical response and that the perpetrator can be held to account in the Justice system.
The Government will deliver Budget 2020 on Thursday 14 May.
The May 2020 Family violence and sexual violence work programme update also provides summary information about Budget 2020.
Related news
This funding is additional to the $27 million new funding the Government announced on 26 March 2020 so essential social services could keep delivering for communities through COVID-19.
There is lots of information on responding to family, whānau and sexual violence during COVID-19 on the Clearinghouse website. The COVID-19 section is updated daily.
Non-fatal strangulation or suffocation was made a specific offence on 3 December 2018. The Ministry of Justice provides data on strangulation/suffocation charges and convictions to December 2019 (click on 'Offences related to family violence'). The spreadsheet notes:
"Extreme caution should be taken when interpreting charge outcome data for these new offences as only the charges finalised in the first 13 months following their introduction are shown. This data is still unstable as many charges filed for these offences had not been finalised by 31 December 2019; they were awaiting a trial and charge outcome, or sentencing. As such, these figures do not represent the expected distribution of charge outcomes, which will be observed once more charges have been finalised."
Related media
Women's Refuge welcomes extra funding for family and sexual violence services, RNZ, 11.05.2020
Family violence funding: Māori NGO warns systemic overhaul needed, RNZ, 11.05.2020
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