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New evidence brief on the escalation of online violence against women in the public sphere
UN Women has released a new evidence brief: Tipping point: The chilling escalation of online violence against women in the public sphere (2025). It highlights how online attacks are now spilling offline, affecting women’s safety, well-being, and ability to participate freely in public debate. It also explores how new technologies, including artificial intelligence, are making abusive content easier to create and harder to control, further heightening risks for women in public life.
The brief draws on a global multilingual survey of women human rights defenders, activists, and journalists in 119 countries, which was overseen by academic researchers at City St George’s, University of London between August and November 2025.
The brief describes how online platforms reflect systemic violence against women:
“Online violence is an escalating threat to women’s participation in public life and democratic deliberation in the AI Age, especially in the context of rising authoritarianism, increased repression of women’s rights organizations, and networked misogyny. It is designed to stymie women’s freedom of expression and part of a burgeoning strategy to roll back their hard-won right to gender equality and empowerment.”
Key findings
- 70% of women human rights defenders, activists, journalists and media workers surveyed have experienced online violence in the course of their work
- 24% said that they had experienced AI assisted online violence
- 41% experienced offline attacks, abuse or harassment that they linked with online violence
- 42% of women journalists and media workers surveyed said that they had experienced offline harm triggered by online violence — more than double the incidence rate recorded in 2020
Conclusions
- Urgent responsive measures are needed to address the very real risk of physical harm caused by online violence.
- Since generative AI tools became mainstream around 2022, it has suddenly become much easier and cheaper to produce realistic and abusive content like deepfakes – in turn, this content becomes increasingly amplified by algorithms as it drives engagement.
- Addressing the challenges posed by online violence is two-fold: develop tools to better identify, monitor, report and repel AI-assisted online violence, and develop legal and regulatory mechanisms to require Big Tech companies to prevent their technologies being deployed against women in the public sphere in ways which undermine their rights to gender equality, democratic participation, and freedom of expression.
Next steps
UN Women intend to publish further reports drawing on this survey data in 2026, including:
- The intersectional exposure and impacts of online violence directed at women human rights defenders, activists, journalists, writers and other public communicators who experience multilayered attacks targeting other aspects of their identity such as race, religion, and sexual orientation; and,
- A survey of respondents’ attitudes towards, and experiences of, responsive mechanisms designed to address online violence against women, including legal and judicial remedies.
Related UN Women technology-facilitated violence against women reports
How AI is exacerbating technology-facilitated violence against women and girls - UN Women (2025)
Generative AI has intensified technology-facilitated violence against women and girls by enabling large-scale abuses such as deepfakes, disinformation, automated harassment, impersonation, sextortion, and data-driven stalking - forms of violence that disproportionately harm women in the public eye. This UN Women paper analyses the legal, ethical, and accountability challenges posed by digital tools that drive AI-driven abuse, and maps how they amplify existing inequalities and forms of online violence. It also highlights emerging AI-based prevention efforts and offers concrete recommendations for governments, platforms, and other stakeholders to ensure AI technologies uphold women’s rights, safety, and autonomy.
This compendium compiles, reviews, and organizes emerging practices to address digital violence against woman and girls. It is a living document that provides an overview of emerging practices and interventions by different actors, with a focus on governments, civil society organizations, and technology companies. It showcases select laws, policies, programmes, and initiatives, and highlights global trends in addressing, preventing, and responding to technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.
This strategy, which aligns with the 2026-2029 Strategic Plan, sets out UN Women’s approach to tackling the growing threat of technology-facilitated violence against women and girls. It sets out a human rights-based, gender-responsive and inclusive vision for safer digital spaces, and across all areas of UN Women’s work. As well as identifying key drivers of violence and gaps in existing responses, it outlines five pathways for action:
- strengthening norms and standards;
- expanding data and evidence;
- transforming social norms and digital ecosystems;
- improving survivor-centred and justice-focused responses; and
- amplifying women’s voice, agency, digital resilience, and leadership.
For more research on technology-facilitated abuse, you can search our Vine library database here.
For an overview of technology-facilitated violence against women and children, see our previous 2025 news stories: Netsafety Week 2025: Resources on technology-facilitated violence and online safety and Public submissions open for inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders encounter online.
Related news
Deepfake Bill pulled from the biscuit tin
In October 2025, Act party MP Laura’s McClure’s Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill was pulled from the biscuit tin. The bill, currently before Parliament, would ensure the production of sexual deepfakes are covered by the Harmful Digital Communications Act.
Eleanor Parkes on behalf of ECAPT (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking) New Zealand spoke to Stuff News about X’s Grok and its production of sexualised deepfake images:
“The issue is that in New Zealand we haven’t yet had a discussion around how we see privacy in an AI world, and we don’t yet have a shared understanding around privacy and AI-generated images. Until we have regulations and policies supporting that vision and those values, just banning things is a bit of a piecemeal and reactive approach.”
Canterbury University senior law lecturer and online abuse expert Dr Cassandra Mudgway told Stuff News that New Zealand's law is behind many other countries when it comes to deepfakes:
"We are treating fakes differently to real images. We are suggesting that a real sexualised image that's shared without consent… we assume that the harm has already been done. The only concern was whether it was shared without consent. Whereas if it's a deepfake, not real, you've suddenly got all of these additional hurdles. The bill seeks to redress that."
Related publications
Below is a selection of recent publications related to online violence against women, children, and public figures.
This is an interim report on an inquiry conducted by Parliament's Education and Workforce Committee that examines the nature, severity, and prevalence of online harm experienced by young New Zealanders. It summarises information and advice the Committee received and provides an overview of current efforts to address online harm. A final report is due to follow in early 2026.
This qualitative study explores the experiences and impacts of harassment among female Members of Parliament (MPs) in New Zealand. It analyses four key themes in the abuse MPs, their staff, and their families face and links these to wider challenges for democracy and representation.
Free to lead: Backing your people to stay safe online – e-learning course
Manatū Wāhine | Ministry for Women have created an online course for employers to help support their employees to stay safe online. This free e-learning course discusses online violence and positions appropriate support for employees as both a matter of wellbeing and a core responsibility for employers in Aotearoa. The wider Free to Lead Toolkit, along with a complementary course for individuals, can be found here.
Characteristics of image‑based sexual abuse recorded by police (2025)
This Australian bulletin describes the findings of an analysis of 771 individuals proceeded against by police for image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) offences in four jurisdictions in 2022–23. Most alleged offenders were men aged 25-34 perpetrating IBSA against women. In addition to identifying other trends and subtypes, the bulletin discusses implications for prevention and detection of IBSA offending.
First report on UK Speaker’s Conference on the security of MPs, candidates and elections (2025)
This is a UK House of Commons committee report with recommendations to UK government on the safety and security of MPs. It summarises the initial work the committee has undertaken to examine the escalating abuse and threats public service figures face.
Related media
Sexualised deepfakes on X are here and NZ law is struggling to keep up, 1News, 21.01.2026
Standalone Grok app still undresses women after X curtails access to tool, NZ Herald, 16.01.2026
Elon Musk, Grok and the latest misogynist invention, The Press, 15.01.2026 [paywalled]
Political parties respond to spread of sexual deepfakes on X, Newsroom, 14.01.2025
How boys get sucked into the manosphere, The Conversation, 09.12.2025
'It just seems cruel': Councillor shocked by comments after cycling accident, RNZ, 24.11.2025
Louisiana middle schooler charged with sharing fake AI nudes of schoolmate, 14.11.2025
Thinking deeply about deepfakes, RNZ [audio], 13.11.2025
Māori Digital Safety: Wāhine Māori under Attack Online, Waatea News, 12.11.2025
The attacks on Wahine Maori, are they getting worse?, Waatea News [audio], 11.11.2025
Dangerous AI language tricks stubbornly objectify women, Newsroom, 10.11.2025
How would a move to criminalise pornographic deepfakes in New Zealand work?, RNZ, 04.11.2025
Dr Elizabeth Kerekere | Former Green Party MP, Waatea News [audio], 03.11.2025
Bill to criminalise explicit 'deepfakes' pulled from ballot, RNZ, 23.10.2025
'Trump boys' in NZ classrooms: Teachers warn of rising student extremism, The Press, 25.09.2025
Support services for people experiencing violence are always available, even during the holidays. Contact details for support services are on our website.
The Campaign for Action on Family Violence has information about how to get support for people experiencing violence. There is information to get help for yourself, friends or whānau, or your kids.
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.
The It's Not Ok Campaign has previously put out these holiday messages:
We hope that you are able to take some time out to be with your loved ones, and to rest and rejuvenate over the holidays.
Related media
Remind your staff about family violence support available over the holidays, SHINE, 10.12.2025
Auckland family violence refuge full as demand surges before Christmas, NZ Herald, 07.12.2025
”You are not alone” - survivor’s message as demand for support climbs, SHINE, 24.11.2025
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is celebrated every year on 3 December. The theme for 2025 is “Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress”. This story highlights research and resources published during the year, recognising the ongoing work being done by community-led organisations, researchers and government agencies to address violence against tāngata whaikaha Māori, disabled people and D/deaf people in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Refresh of the New Zealand Disability Strategy
In time for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) 2025, the Minister for Disability Issues, Louise Upston launched a new 5-year New Zealand Disability Strategy 2026-2030. Whaikaha | Ministry of Disabled People led the strategy refresh and public consultation. The vision for the strategy is:
New Zealand is an equitable and accessible place for all disabled people and their whānau – where disabled people thrive, contribute, and choose the lives they want to lead.
In her media release, Louise Upston says:
"This strategy shows what the Government will do over the next five years through meaningful, measurable actions to improve the lives of disabled people.
This is our country’s third disability strategy. While much has already been achieved, disabled people still face barriers preventing them from thriving and leading full lives."
The new strategy includes:
- a vision and principles to set the direction for the strategy, and guide work across government for disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori
- 5 priority outcome areas of education, employment, health, housing and justice. Each has a goal and a set of actions to support the goal
- a monitoring approach to measure the government’s progress towards delivering the strategy.
The strategy highlights disabled people’s disproportionate rates of family and sexual violence, and that:
"The higher levels of violence and abuse faced by disabled people may also contribute to disabled young people offending at higher levels, as there are strong links between childhood trauma and children and young people offending."
It notes that disabled people also report facing challenges in upholding their rights in legislation across the criminal and civil justice systems.
Whaikaha has outlined next steps, including development of an implementation plan and a framework to measure the impact of the strategy on the lives of disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori. Whaikaha will report annually to Parliament and will publish updates on interactive dashboards on their website.
Contributing strategies:
The development of Atoatoali'o: National Pacific Disability approach, building on previous work with Pacific stakeholders, also contributed to the refresh the New Zealand Disability Strategy.
The NZSL Strategy 2026 – 2036 titled 'New Zealand Sign Language – everyone, everywhere, every day', was also launched in November 2025. This strategy reflects the NZSL Board’s ambitions for sign language as a strong and vibrant language that is recognised and embraced as a living language for all New Zealanders.
New disability prevalence statistics
The Household Disability Survey 2023, published by Statistics New Zealand in February 2025, found that 1 in 6 New Zealanders are disabled, based on the criteria used in the survey. Findings include:
- Just over 1 in 5 Māori were disabled (21 percent). The Māori disability rate was higher than the national rate and the rate for all other ethnic groups. For Māori children, the rate was 14 percent (higher than the national rate of 10 percent), and for Māori adults it was 24 percent (higher than the national rate of 18 percent).
- People in the LGBTIQ+ (Rainbow) population were more likely to be disabled (29 percent) than those in the non-LGBTIQ+ population (17 percent).
- Māori and LGBTIQ+ populations had higher rates of disability, despite both groups being younger on average than the total population.
The Household Disability Survey also found that “disabled adults were more likely to feel unsafe than non-disabled adults”. The two situations with the highest proportion of disabled adults feeling unsafe were:
- being alone in their neighbourhood after dark (32 percent)
- using or waiting for public transport (17 percent).
This survey did not ask about situations related to family violence.
Reports on the persistence of poverty for disabled people
In Whaikaha, whaimana: Our voices count, Disability Leadership Canterbury surveyed the disability sector in the Canterbury region, identifying the negative impacts that the changes to disability support services and the Review of Whaikaha, Ministry of Disabled People in 2024 had on disabled people. Impacts included increased psychological harm, burnout for carers, financial strain, loss of employment, increased isolation, denial of human rights, confusion, and inconsistency in service delivery.
Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora | Ministry of Social Development (MSD) published Material hardship of children in households with a disabled person as one of the outputs of a research programme to better understand experiences of material hardship and income support among disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.
On 3 September 2025, the Minister for Social Development announced further changes to Disability Support Services funding effective from 2026.
Disabled people’s experiences of violence
Femicide and disabled women
Aotearoa New Zealand’s first femicide report written by the family violence death review subject matter experts on behalf of the National Mortality Review Committee includes a section on women as adults at risk (pp. 52-57). It particularly focuses on women experiencing chronic health conditions, noting:
"… that there is also a heightened risk of violence experience for disabled people, D/deaf, and tangata whaikaha (disabled) Māori. At present, insufficient data is available to fully consider these groups in this report. In this context, we note it as another data gap."
The report notes “cases where an older woman was increasingly unwell and her partner chose to end her life and then his own, ostensibly to reduce ‘pain and suffering’.”
It also highlights the impact of repeated trauma resulting in chronic encephalopathy (CTE) and brain injuries caused by non-fatal strangulation:
“The health consequences of non-fatal strangulation and head injury through assault increase women’s need for care and support. Both experiences are identified as risk factors for escalating physical abuse to the point of homicide, and both create the conditions for potential suicide.”
Research on responding to and preventing violence
Webinar on violence free futures
In July 2025, Te Kāhui Tangata Tiki | Human Rights Commission hosted a webinar, Building a violence free future for Tāngata Whaikaha Māori and all disabled people, which featured speakers discussing the drivers of violence, the barriers to addressing and responding to violence and abuse, and inclusive and accessible prevention and responses. The key points are found in A roadmap for a violence and abuse free future for disabled people in Aotearoa, available in te reo Māori, English and various accessible formats.
Evaluation of adult safeguarding responses
An evaluation of the 12-month pilot of an adult safeguarding response in Counties Manukau, conducted during 2024, Safeguarding adults in Aotearoa New Zealand: The futility of micro and meso interventions without a legislative imperative (Roguski & Hager, 2025), found:
The 11 stakeholder participants unanimously asserted that the pilot had failed and concluded that efforts to disrupt conventional responses through short-term micro and meso level changes were futile. Rather, macro level change through the introduction of national adult safeguarding legislation is required…
Disability Support Services currently contracts a number of providers to deliver the Disability Abuse Prevention and Response (DAPAR) service to prevent and respond to situations of abuse and neglect of disabled adults.
Research on violence prevention and intersectional inequalities
In July 2025, a team from Massey University’s Centre for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE) published Preventing violence in the disability margins: A culture-centered study in Aotearoa. Through interviews with predominantly Māori and low-income disabled individuals, it explored the systemic roots of violence and how their experiences can guide prevention of family violence and sexual violence.
Experiences of tāngata whaikaha Māori (disabled Māori) during Covid-19
Research published in January 2025, Reclaiming indigenous systems of healing: experiences of disabled Māori of Māori-centric health service responses in Aotearoa New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic, (Roguski, et al, 2025), highlights the importance of Māori cultural values when delivering healthcare and related services.
New resources
Deaf Aotearoa |Tāngata Turi has partnered with VisAble to create a library of New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) videos on understanding family and sexual violence. The topics covered are:
- Coercive control
- Isolation
- Emotional abuse
- Economic abuse
- Minimising, denying and blaming (gaslighting)
- Sexual abuse
- Using children as a tool
- Intimidation
- Physical abuse
- Using internalised Homophobia, Biphobia or Transphobia
- Privilege
There are also NZSL resources in the Insider’s Guide series on the Are You Ok website, including written accounts from people with lived experience including How my vision loss was used against me.
IHC has developed a guide to supporting decision-making – a guide for supporters of people with intellectual disability. There is further guidance on supported decision-making on the IHC website.
Related news
On 1 December 2024, Whaikaha, Ministry of Disabled People moved from being a departmental agency hosted by Ministry of Social Development to a standalone public service department funded by a new vote, Vote Disabled People. The Disability Support Services part of the Ministry was transferred to MSD in September 2024.
Whaikaha has published Pūrongo ā-tau | annual report 2024/2025, its first as a standalone entity, and Tuākī Whakamaunga Atu | Strategic intentions 2025 – 2028.
Related media
Building change for disabled New Zealanders, Beehive, 03.12.2025
Aotearoa's role in forming the UNCRDP, The D*List, 03.12.2025
International Day of Disabled Persons 2025 focuses on real inclusion, NZ Herald, 29.11.2025
How disabled New Zealanders are being excluded from the workforce, The Post, 24.11.2025
Number of disabled people in financial hardship growing, data shows, RNZ, 02.10.2025
Digital inclusion is a right, not a privilege - disability advocates. RNZ, 18.03.2025
The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has released its Review of Police handling of complaints against Jevon McSkimming. The review found significant failings, including serious misconduct undermining the integrity of the organisation as a whole, in the way in which senior Police responded to serious complaints made against Jevon McSkimming in 2023 and early 2024.
The complaints were made by a woman, in the report referred to as Ms Z, regarding her interactions with former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming, which began when she was 21 and he was in his early 40s. She accused him of multiple sexual offences, including rape and sextortion, and said the relationship between them was never consensual. When she complained to police and the IPCA about McSkimming, neither organisation took action against him, and she was later prosecuted for harassment under the Harmful Digital Communications Act.
Despite the findings of the IPCA report, Ms Z still faces prosecution under the Harmful Digital Communications Act for another set of emails she sent to the detective who investigated the case against her. For an overview of the Harmful Digital Communications Act in relation to the McSkimming case, see Stuff’s coverage.
The IPCA’s report
As detailed in the IPCA press release, police response to Ms Z was characterised by inaction and an unquestioning acceptance of McSkimming’s version of events. It made findings in respect of, among others, the then Commissioner, two Deputy Commissioners and an Assistant Commissioner.
Some of the findings include:
- Ms Z’s complaints were not investigated effectively and there were unacceptable delays
- A report by the joint Police/Health Fixated Threat Assessment Centre in February 2024 recommended that complaints about Mr McSkimming be referred to the Police National Integrity Unit and the IPCA for further investigation; the Deputy Commissioner and Acting Assistant Commissioner (Investigations) took no direct action
- The only investigation launched at that time focused on whether Ms Z behaved in a threatening way while making her complaints and whether this should be prosecuted under the Harmful Digital Communication Act
- After Ms Z was arrested, police prepared a Summary of Facts for the court, which labelled her email allegations as “false”, without evidence
- In October 2024, then-Commissioner Andrew Coster attempted to influence the IPCA investigation into Mr McSkimming, with some suggesting this was to avoid jeopardising McSkimming’s prospects of being appointed the next Commissioner
- Commissioner Coster did not disclose knowledge of McSkimming’s relationship with Ms Z to the Public Service Commission while he was a member of the interview panel for McSkimming’s eventual appointment as Deputy Commissioner
The report makes the following recommendations:
- more specific recognition of who is responsible for the protection of integrity at senior management level;
- a revamp of Police internal policies and programmes to promote positive culture around integrity issues and ethical behaviour;
- changes to the Integrity and Conduct Unit within Police to enable it to play a stronger and more independent role and more effectively to act against poor behaviour when it arises;
- legislative and structural changes to enable more robust criminal and employment processes and outcomes in relation to alleged misconduct by Police officers;
- a strengthening of the IPCA’s oversight role; and
- enhanced Ministerial and Parliamentary oversight.
The report finds failings with the handling of complaints and police conduct but does not make findings about the substance or truth of the allegations.
Victim-survivors and advocates responses
As detailed in the Spinoff, the IPCA report echoes the 2007 report from Commissioner Dame Margaret Bazley in the wake of allegations by Louise Nicholas and Judith Garrett that they were raped by police officers and that their complaints were deliberately undermined or mishandled by police. Dame Bazley’s report found that New Zealand police had “a culture of scepticism in dealing with complaints of sexual assault” and that there were “systemic flaws” in their investigations into police sexual misconduct.
Sexual violence advocate Louise Nicholas told NewstalkZB that Aotearoa should be “extremely grateful” for Ms Z’s actions and bravery speaking out.
Other victim advocates have also responded to the report, highlighting the scale and severity of the issue, and the damage police misconduct does to public trust and safety.
Awatea Mita (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Porou) spoke to Waatea News, saying:
“One of the biggest challenges is that we genuinely do not know how widespread this behaviour is. We don’t know the scale of the problem.”
“I don’t think it’s a trust issue… What we have is a misconduct issue, and a culture within police that protects its own and minimises misconduct and too often prioritise that reputation. Misusing police authority to cover up misconduct in order to protect another officer is an abuse of authority and it erodes public trust at its core.”
Kathryn McPhillips, executive director of HELP Auckland, told 1News:
“That’s what offenders do, they make sure people aren’t believed. The mistakes that have occurred here reflect the dynamics we see every day.”
“These [sexual violence understanding] skills do exist within the police, we work every day with specialist teams who do a great job. Why are these people not making the decisions? Reporting to police can in itself be really intimidating, they hold a position of power. We all need to take a sharper look and understand how these myths serve perpetrators, so we don’t succumb to them.”
“This is a wake-up call for police, and changes need to be made so it doesn’t happen again. We can’t abandon a justice response to sexual violence—these are serious crimes, and people deserve to be safe.”
In an interview with Newsroom, NZ Council for Civil Liberties chair Thomas Beagle commented on the report. His organisation, he said, had long expressed concerns about the quality of police oversight:
“Every time there’s an article saying that the IPCA says someone should be prosecuted … and the police refuse to, I think that severely weakens the ability to trust both the police and the IPCA.”
Related research and reports
An article in Violence Against Women, “The fact that he was a police officer was probably my number 1 challenge”: victim-survivor experiences of officer-involved domestic violence in Australia, explores victim-survivor experiences of officer-involved domestic violence (OIDV) and the unique risks involved. It analyses how domestic violence perpetrated by police officers has a profound impact on victim-survivor safety, access to justice, as well as perpetrator and organisational accountability. It found that gendered experiences of domestic violence, safety or lack thereof, and inequality were compounded for victim-survivors by virtue of their perpetrator's workplace and the unique power afforded to police officers.
A report published by Flat Out as part of the Beyond Survival Project, Harm in the name of safety: Victorian family violence workers’ experiences of family violence policing, details findings from a survey of frontline family violence workers in Victoria, Australia and their practice-based observations of Victoria Police responses to family violence. It identified six key intersecting trends in police harms:
- police minimising or downplaying the violence and harm done to victim-survivors and increasing the risks of further harm
- police extending the violence through collusion with people using violence, enabling of systems abuse, and the criminalisation and punishment of victim-survivors
- police targeting and discriminating against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, migrant and other racialised communities, LGBTIQ+ communities, disabled people, sex workers, drug users and those who have been previously criminalised
- police ‘misidentifying’, or wrongfully identifying, victim-survivors as perpetrators
- police perpetrating family violence and institutionally protecting officers who abuse
- police resisting feedback, avoiding accountability, and preventing access to justice and remedies for victim-survivors who are harmed by police.
In the UK, a five year research project on Powerful Perpetrators is examining sexual misconduct and abuse perpetrated by professionals – high status/high trust groups including doctors, police, and religious leaders – and how regulatory and administrative justice mechanisms investigate and sanction their behaviour. The literature summary, The police and sexual misconduct: a summary of the literature, examines police officers as perpetrators.
Related media
The ‘hysterical’ problem in the Andrew Coster Q+A interview, The Spinoff, 09.12.2025
Police commissioner and minister say no culture problems, despite IPCA report, Newsroom, 03.12.2025
Breaking the Silence: Confronting Sexual Misconduct in NZ Police, Waatea News [audio], 21.11.2025
A scandal that should change a culture, The Press, 17.11.2025
Top cops, top cover-up: why no-one should be buying police spin, The Press, 16.11.2025
Jevon McSkimming scandal: An anatomy of a cover-up, The Post, 16.11.2025
Scorned women, great men: when will police update their take on sexual violence?, 1News, 15.11.2025
Beating the system: Inside the flawed vetting of Jevon McSkimming, The Press, 14.11.2025
Jevon McSkimming and the myth of the perfect victim, The Spinoff, 13.11.2025
'Utterly disgraceful': Parliament reacts to McSkimming saga, RNZ, 13.11.2025
Do the scathing IPCA report recommendations go far enough?, RNZ [audio], 13.11.2025
A day of reflection, and a day of shame, The Spinoff, 13.11.2025
McSkimming scandal shows rules must apply to bosses too, 1News, 13.11.2025
Watching the watchdog: how police oversight body fell short on McSkimming, Newsroom, 13.11.2025
Top lawyer to lead employment probe into three serving police leaders, Newsroom, 13.11.2025
RNZ’s Sam Sherwood with the latest on IPCA report, RNZ [audio], 13.11.2025
All the systems that failed in the police’s non-systemic failure, The Spinoff, 13.11.2025
The infamous McSkimming LinkedIn post, explained, Stuff News, 13.11.2025
The Police and the bad apple thesis, Gone By Lunchtime - The Spinoff Podcast Network, 12.11.2025
Revealed: The five senior officers at the heart of the McSkimming ‘cover-up’, Stuff News, 12.11.2025
Timeline: How the Jevon McSkimming scandal unfolded over nine years, 1News, 12.11.2025
Police commissioner says IPCA report reveals cover up, RNZ [audio], 12.11.2025
WATCH: Louise Nicholas says McSkimming scandal 'extremely alarming', Stuff News, 12.11.2025
Update - November 2025: Change to puberty blocker regulations
Cabinet has announced that it will introduce new puberty blocker regulations under the Medicines Act effective 19 December 2025. These changes mean:
- New patients seeking treatment for gender dysphoria or incongruence can no longer be prescribed gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues [puberty blockers], pending the completion of the United Kingdom's clinical trial on their use in this context.
- Existing youth gender services are maintained for young people experiencing gender dysphoria or incongruence and bringing these services together through a central, accessible online resource.
- Puberty blockers will continue to be prescribed for other conditions like early-onset puberty, endometriosis, or prostate cancer.
The UK clinical trials follow the 2024 Cass review of NHS gender identity services for children and aim to further explore the impact of puberty blockers on young people using strict clinical trial methods. It will take at least four years before the results of the studies are known.
Jennifer Shields, president of the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa, told RNZ that the ban was an “act of discrimination” that was “ideologically driven”:
"Nothing in the Ministry of Health's evidence brief published last year indicated a need for action this significant or severe... We are seeing increased rates in suicidality, a reduction in young people's ability to participate in public life. They stop going to school, they stop engaging with their social engagements. It really is just a huge limit on trans young people's ability to thrive."
In a press release responding to the ban, Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa chief executive Jackie Edmond said:
“Healthcare decisions should always be made by healthcare professionals. Young people who are transgender have the right to decide, with their parents and doctors, about whether puberty blockers are right for them.”
The above release also gathers expert commentary from the Science Media Centre regarding the ban.
In a joint statement responding to the announcement, a number of organisations that support young Rainbow and Takatāpui youth (RainbowYOUTH, Intersex Aotearoa, Gender Minorities Aotearoa, Qtopia, Rainbow Hub Waikato, Te Ngākau Kahukura, Burnett Foundation Aotearoa, InsideOUT Kōaro, OutLine Aotearoa) were highly critical of the move.
The Identify Survey research team, who survey the experiences of Rainbow people in Aotearoa aged 14 to 26, recently released their adapted submission on safety measures for the use of puberty blockers in young people with gender-related health needs.
Evidence brief and position statement on the use of puberty blockers - December 2024
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. In 2025, an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia further criticised the Cass Review - Cass Review does not guide care for trans young people.
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
The overwhelmingly positive experiences of trans youth on puberty blockers, The Spinoff, 22.11.2025
Halt to puberty blockers curses 'young transgender women to stigma', RNZ, 21.11.2025
Puberty blockers banned: The reality of raising a trans child in 2025, The Spinoff, 20.11.2025
Govt's puberty blockers move attracts strong reactions, RNZ, 20.11.2025
Govt halts puberty blockers for new gender dysphoria patients, 1News, 19.11.2025
New Zealand bans puberty blockers for young transgender people, The Guardian, 19.11.2025
Puberty blockers: Health Ministry releases evidence brief, 1News, 21.11.2024
Careful approach to puberty blockers – Expert Reaction, Science Media Centre, 21.11.2024
Update November 2025: Second round of consultation for RSE framework now open
Consultation is now open for the new draft New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) Years 0-10. This includes the updated relationships and sexuality education (RSE) framework under the Health and Education Curriculum.
The latest draft curriculum content can be found on the NZC website, here.
Feedback (Health and Education) can be submitted through Survey Monkey, here.
The consultation period closes on Friday, 24 April 2026. The final version of the national curriculum will be released mid-2026 and will be in use from 2027. Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education recently released a fact sheet on the April 2025 RSE consultation, which provides an overview of public feedback they received.
For commentary on the latest draft, see the following:
- An overview from Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa of weaknesses of the new curriculum.
- An overview from RNZ of criticisms of the framework from the Principals Federation and others.
- An interview on NewstalkZB with therapist and parenting education Jo Robertson discussing the delayed references to consent in the framework.
- A press release from InsideOUT raises questions about the removal of references to gender identity and sexual orientation.
- A press release from Rights Aotearoa suggests the new curriculum falls short of Aotearoa's human rights obligations.
First consultation in April 2025
Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education sought feedback on the RSE framework in April 2025. The framework will become part of the refreshed compulsory health and physical education learning curriculum available from 2026. RSE aims to equip school students with knowledge and confidence in topics like puberty and sexual health, healthy relationships, sexuality, and safety.
Consultation on the initial draft closed on 9 May 2025.
Once the consultation closes, feedback will be consolidated into key actions and incorporated into the design of the health and physical education learning area. The updated learning area will be released for consultation in Term 4, 2025.
The initial draft framework can be found here.
Key elements of the draft framework
The framework outlines proposed teaching that will be covered in RSE from Year 0 to 13.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said in a Government press release:
“Parents deserve certainty and clarity on what their children are learning, when and how in RSE at school so they can make informed decisions about their education… It aims to ensure the content is age-appropriate, evidence-informed, and detailed about what is taught and when.”
Some elements covered in the framework include:
- Years 1-4 - naming body parts, respect and friendships, bullying, digital devices, navigating feelings, and safety.
- Years 5-8 - puberty, conception basics, online risks, some stereotype discussions, different kinds of families and relationships (including first mentions of LGB relationships).
- Years 9-11 - sexual relationships, alcohol and drugs, sexual violence, contraception and STIs, online behaviour, consent, and communication.
- Years 12-13 - nuanced and complex consent scenarios, interpersonal problems, contraception, reproductive health conditions.
The 2020 RSE guidelines and Education Review Office review
The previous non-compulsory 2020 guidelines offered guidance for teaching different age groups about consensual relationships, online bullying, sexualities, gender diversity, and pornography, but were scrapped last June under the National and New Zealand First coalition deal. Schools were instructed to use the 2007 curriculum in the interim.
The 2020 guidelines can be found here:
- Relationships and sexuality education: a guide for teachers, leaders and Boards of Trustees. Years 1-8
- Relationships and sexuality education: a guide for teachers, leaders and Boards of Trustees. Years 9-13
Fiona McNamara, Director - Health Promotion at Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa, said that the 2020 guidelines were “age appropriate, evidence-informed, best practice guidance and it's really disappointing to see that it's disappeared before there's any new guidance issued.”
Last year the Education Review Office (ERO) reviewed the delivery of existing RSE guidelines and curriculum across the country and found significant inconsistencies between schools.
The Education Review Office’s 2024 review of RSE found:
- While RSE is widely supported, students, parents, and whānau have mixed views on when and how much RSE is taught, and whether the curriculum meets their expectations
- What students learn depends on where they go to school, as no RSE content is compulsory
- Recent school leavers report that there were significant gaps in their RSE learning – including 82% of students who didn’t learn and would like to have learned about consent
- Schools face significant challenges in consulting on what to teach in RSE, particularly rural schools and schools with a high Māori roll
- Most, but not all teachers have the capability they need to teach RSE and many find it stressful.
Reception of the new proposed framework
Unlike the 2020 guidelines, the new proposed framework has several notable omissions including references to gender diversity, pornography, and te ao Māori.
“We think that's incredibly harmful for trans young people who deserve to see themselves reflected in the curriculum.”
InsideOUT has created a submission guide to support responses to the consultation, which can be found here.
“Without adequate guidance, kaiako and school leadership may lack crucial advice on how to create positive environments in which bullying, discrimination and social exclusion can’t thrive – especially for rainbow and takatāpui tauira,” he said. “Removing the guidelines sends a harmful message to rainbow staff and tauira that they don’t deserve to be safe at school or work.”
“For a learning area that contains vital and incredibly important information for ākonga, it is vital that educators and whānau have adequate opportunity to provide feedback… It is unacceptable to have such late notice for consultation.”
She also stressed the importance of access to “culturally appropriate non-judgemental information” and schools maintaining “sufficient flexibility to teach to the needs of their communities, and instead have to follow narrower, year-by-year content based solely on the chronological age of students.”
“We need to talk about risk and that's crucial, but we also need to talk about the joy of sexuality so that in the future, young people have a positive sense of themselves, their bodies and that power to say this relationship is healthy or not healthy.”
She also questioned whether students were interviewed as part of the Ministry’s development process.
Key research
The following research highlights discussion and evidence that may be useful when writing submissions.
In September 2025, Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa published Young People’s Perspectives on Relationship and Sexuality Educations (RSE) Online Survey Report Executive Summary. This provides an overview of their survey of more than 1000 participants aged 16-20 on what they thought about RSE in schools, with results showing young people want RSE to be earlier, longer, and more inclusive.
Dixon et. al. examined common issues delivering RSE in their 2023 article, What would it take for relationships and sexuality education to be enacted meaningfully and responsively? Provocations informed by New Zealand policy and teachers’ perspectives. This groups teacher survey responses and asks policy questions under five themes: community consultation, teacher practice inconsistencies, lack of time and status for RSE, senior secondary education, and teacher capacity inconsistencies.
In 2015, the Education Review Office evaluated how well schools promoted and supported student wellbeing through sexuality education. It noted that pornography is recognised internationally as an increasingly accepted and prevalent aspect of young people’s sexuality experiences. It then highlighted concerns that pornography was one of the least well covered aspects of RSE in the curriculum pre-2020.
The Classifications Office released a report ‘Growing up with porn: insights from young New Zealanders’. It provides an in-depth understanding of young people’s experiences with porn and the impact this may have on relationships. It found that young people want information about porn to be part of sexuality education in schools as they believe education is the best way to deal with the potential negative impacts of porn.
A report from Waikato Queer Youth and Hohou Te Rongo Kahukura makes recommendations on teaching Rainbow-inclusive RSE. It emphasises that RSE must include discussion of diverse Rainbow identities and relationships. This should include a safe and welcoming teaching environment with wrap-around support for Rainbow young people, with discussions of consent, peer pressure, and healthy relationships in a Rainbow-specific context.
Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa (formerly Family Planning) released a 2022 report on New Zealand secondary school teachers’ perspectives on teaching Relationships and Sexuality Education. It found teachers lack time, access to professional development, senior support, ‘status’ for RSE as a subject, and whole-of-school consistency when delivering RSE. Many teachers commented that most senior students do not study health at NCEA level and do not have meaningful RSE.
A research article by Fitzpatrick et. al. (2021): Relationships and sexuality education: Key research informing New Zealand curriculum policy summarises key thinking and research that informed the 2020 RSE guidance. It justifies the framework based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Indigenous knowledges and human rights, attention to issues of bullying and inclusion, and the responsibility of schools to address gender and sexual diversity. It stresses the importance of including mātauranga Māori in RSE:
“Research in Māori education is clear that Māori students are more successful at school when ‘being Māori’ is affirmed and Māori epistemologies and practices are visible and embedded in the work undertaken.”
Fitzpatrick et al. (2021) also summarises key points of a research article by Le Grice and Braun (2018): Indigenous (Māori) sexual health psychologies in New Zealand: delivering culturally congruent sexuality education - [abstract only]. This article was central to the development of the 2020 guidelines. It maps Māori sexual health psychologies with mātauranga Māori to demonstrate that ‘school-based sexuality education holds potential [for] decolonising notions of Māori sexuality, relationships and reproduction’. It similarly suggests that schools explore whakapapa and pūrākau, discuss contemporary issues using kaupapa Māori, and learn about the history of the word takatāpui.
An article by Cammock et. al. (2023) examines Pacific high school students’ experiences of sexual and reproductive health education in Aotearoa New Zealand. It explores how efforts to deliver culturally appropriate sexuality education to Pacific youth are hindered by lack of resources, and cultural sensitivities and taboos. It discusses lack of tailored RSE in school settings, the concept of sex before marriage, home discussions of RSE, the need for connection with peers and educators, and pornography and social media use.
Related Media
Is education being “recolonised”?, School News New Zealand, 10.11.25
'Just absolutely ridiculous' - new school curriculum unpopular with principals, RNZ, 29.10.2025
Principal ‘absolutely gobsmacked’ at new draft curriculum, The Post, 29.10.2025
Principals at odds over new relationships and sexuality framework, RNZ, 09.05.2025
Compulsory consent education proposed for schools, RNZ, 18.04.2025
Consultation starts on new draft sexuality education framework, RNZ, 15.04.2025
Schools ‘in limbo’ after removal of relationship and sexuality guidelines, The Spinoff, 14.03.2025
Sex education curriculum to be reviewed after critical report, RNZ, 10.12.2024
Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill open for submissions
Public submissions are now being called for the Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill.
The bill creates a legal framework for the provision of redress to survivors of abuse in State care. It progresses legislative changes required by decisions the Government has made when responding to redress recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions.
The bill is also intended to:
- establish the legal presumption that serious violent and sexual offenders are not eligible for financial redress under a redress scheme
- set out the process by which serious violent and sexual offenders can apply for eligibility for financial redress
- establish offences (and penalties) for failing to disclose criminal convictions that would make an applicant ineligible for financial redress under a redress scheme; and
- set out the circumstances in which an apology given by or on behalf of a person to a survivor of abuse in care is not relevant or admissible in court.
In a Beehive press release, Lead Co-ordination Minister for the Crown Response, Erica Stanford said:
“This approach, based on the Australian model, does not automatically exclude any survivor from receiving financial redress. However, it does require that the independent decision maker satisfy themselves that making such a payment would not bring the scheme into disrepute.”
In its 2021 interim report, He Purapura Ora, he Māra Tipu, the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry recommended against imitating an exclusionary model for redress as Australia (and Scotland) have done:
“However, we consider there should continue to be no exclusion for serious offenders or any extra criteria for them to meet. A large number of those in prison have been in care and the tūkino they suffered may have contributed to their offending. Most are Māori, and they and their whānau are likely to be among those most in need of help through the scheme.” (p. 280)
As detailed by Newsroom, a submission from lawyer Sonja Cooper opposes the bill, highlighting increased administrative burden, additional pressure on the courts, and the issues of double jeopardy and retroactivity:
“Justice must be inclusive. The abuse suffered by children and vulnerable adults in ‘care’ does not lose its significance because of what those individuals may do later in life. To exclude serious offenders from redress is to deny the reality of trauma, perpetuate systemic injustice, and undermine the very purpose of this redress scheme.”
Submissions are due 26 November 2025.
More information on how to submit, and the submission portal, can be found on the Parliament website.
Oranga Tamariki annual report shows children continue to be harmed in State care
An appendix to Oranga Tamariki’s 2024/25 annual report, Safety of Children in Care, provides a picture of harm against children in State care between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.
As of 31 March 2024, there were 4,025 children and young people in care and protection custody and 164 in youth justice custody, a total of 4,189 children in care.
During this reporting period, 530 children experienced harm. This represents an increase of 23 children compared to the previous 12-month period.
This year, there has been a 4% increase in recorded findings of harm for children in care (896 findings). A finding refers to case file analysis of a report of concern that has led to an assessment or investigation and a finding of harm. Findings of physical harm had decreased since the previous year, while emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect findings had increased.
In this reporting period, 10% of all children in care had a recorded finding of abuse.
In a joint response to the report, Aroturuki Tamariki | Independent Children’s Monitor Chief Executive Arran Jones and Mana Mokopuna | Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad called for continued focus on the safety of children in State care. While they welcomed a small reduction in the recorded instances of harm in secure residences, they noted that the numbers were largely the same (115 young people compared to 118 the previous year).
“All children and young people, including those in the care of the State, have the right to live free from all forms of harm and violence. We must pay attention to the fact that 10 percent of all children in State care were abused or neglected over the last 12 months. While the reduction in physical harm, and in some types of care, is encouraging and shows that making progress is possible, there continues to be a disproportionate level of abuse occurring in return home care and in secure residences,” Dr Achmad said.
Their statement notes that despite the reported level of repeated harm for children and young people in residences decreasing, much more work is needed to make care and protection and youth justice residences safe spaces:
“Many of the residences we visit are not safe therapeutic places for children and young people. Young people tell us they ask to go into secure units to keep themselves safe from harm by other young people. We hear from staff who tell us they don’t have the training, time or spaces to take a more therapeutic approach to managing behaviour,” Mr Jones said.
In October 2025, RNZ published data obtained under the Official Information Act, which showed that between August 18, 2024 and August 18, 2025 there were 254 instances where a young person was held in secure care for more than three consecutive days.
State of Care 2025 report released
VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai have released their inaugural biennial state of care report - Kei te rongo koe? Are you listening? Co-written by VOYCE and care experienced advocates Ihorangi Reweti Peters and Lisa McLaren, it highlights there is still significant room for improvement in the care system.
“This is the state of care according to young people, but it was obvious we didn’t need to ask them to retell their stories in care, and it was important that we didn’t because retelling them is so painful. Those stories were already out there for the world to see and they should have been properly heard from the beginning” Reweti Peters said in a press release.
Some key findings include:
- Tamariki are still being harmed in care, with over 500 children hurt in state custody last year alone
- Some rangatahi are living in cars, garages or motels instead of homes
- Over 1,000 young people in care don’t have a social worker
- Many are being turned away from schools, denied mental health care, or left without stable housing after leaving care; and,
- In too many cases, their voices are still not being heard.
The report issues three urgent calls on behalf of all care-experienced rangatahi to those in power:
- Put us ahead of politics – commit to cross-party, long-term care reform that doesn’t change with the government of the day.
- Make us a priority – all agencies, not just Oranga Tamariki, must take responsibility for outcomes for tamariki in care.
- Tell us how you’re going to do better – respond publicly, with specific plans for action, before the next report and scorecard in 2027.
Lisa McLaren said in a press release: “Tamariki in care need to know they belong, that they are loved, and that Aotearoa believes in them.”
Experiences of Care in Aotearoa 2023/2024 report
Aroturuki Tamariki | Independent Children’s Monitor released their report – Experiences of Care in Aotearoa 2023/2024 – in February 2025, which reports annually on whether agencies with care and custody responsibilities are complying with the National Care Standards (NCS) Regulations. It found tamariki and rangatahi are still not receiving the minimum standard of care required by the NCS Regulations.
Other key conclusions include:
- Social workers are not always able to work effectively due to workload and resourcing, a lack of care options, workforce shortages, administrative burdens, and low trust expenditure models
- Tamariki and rangatahi in care are not prioritised for government services and funding does not follow the child, which means funding can be delayed, inconsistent, or reliant on goodwill and established relationships
- More tamariki and rangatahi are being abused in care in the 2023/2024 year, including high levels in secure residences and when children return to their parents’ care
In a press release responding to the report, Save the Children New Zealand's Advocacy Director Jacqui Southey said:
"It is unacceptable that funding cuts are impacting the delivery of care and protection of children in vulnerable situations. Adequate investment is required to ensure our care system is working effectively and cohesively, protecting and improving the lives of children that have already experienced significant harm or neglect. Enduring failures to meet the minimum standards required by the National Care Standard Regulations are not good enough."
Minister admits comments on state care abuse stats may have misled public, One News, 02.11.2025
Youth in state care still not getting enough support, survey finds, RNZ, 30.10.2025
Abuse of children in care jumps in year after Royal Commission, The Post, 28.10.25
Children's Minister accepts state care harm statistics didn't provide full picture, RNZ, 24.10.2025
Fewer children being abused in government facilities, RNZ Morning Report, 24.10.25
State abuse redress carve out for criminals decried by opposition, RNZ, 21.10.2025
Govt to make it harder for some abuse survivors to get redress, Tautoko Tāne, 15.10.2025
Dr Claire Achmad | Chief Children’s Commissioner, Waatea News [audio], 27.02.2025
Oranga Tamariki not meeting minimum care standards five years on, Newsroom, 27.02.2025
Number of children being abused in state care has increased, report finds, RNZ, 26.02.2025
More children abused in care, report finds, The Post, 26.02.2025
The team at Vine are delighted to announce the publication of a new Issues Paper, Mobilising Aotearoa New Zealand to prevent sexual violence: a Te Tiriti approach.
This issues paper is the result of a collaboration between tāngata whenua and tāngata Tiriti sexual violence experts. The collaboration arose out of a recognition of the need to develop evidence-based and culturally informed approaches to guide sexual violence primary prevention in Aotearoa. This mahi aligns with the shifts outlined in Aotearoa’s national strategy to eliminate family violence and sexual violence, Te Aorerekura.
Alongside the Issues Paper, Vine has also published two evidence summaries that outline the key evidence bases underpinning sexual violence prevention:
- Primary prevention of sexual violence: Tāngata whenua evidence summary report
Authors: Terry Dobbs (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi), Logan Hamley (Ngāti Rangi, Whanganui), Jade Le Grice (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi), Charlotte Moore (Rangitāne o Wairau).
- Primary prevention of sexual violence: Tāngata Tiriti evidence summary report
Authors: Melanie Beres, Jordan Dougherty, Kris Taylor
The Issues Paper articulates key concepts and ideas necessary to end sexual violence in Aotearoa, discusses the development of these approaches and provides guidelines to support their implementation. It also provides questions to guide organisations and communities to develop their own initiatives for the prevention of sexual violence.
Lead authors Dr Terry Dobbs and Associate Professor Melanie Beres comment:
“We used Te Tiriti o Waitangi as our foundation for writing this paper and its content. Te Tiriti-led primary prevention of sexual violence gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi by enabling actions from te ao Māori and tāngata Tiriti knowledge systems. This is critical recognition of te ao Māori as the first knowledge system in this place, while also creating space for multiple knowledge systems to come together to innovate.
Te Tiriti-led primary prevention enables transformation and healing from sexual violence by recognising the impacts of colonisation, intergenerational trauma, and the oppression of te ao Māori. It also centres Māori knowledge, expertise and tikanga for preventing sexual violence and supporting toiora whakapapa.”
Key messages:
- Strategies for primary prevention require a clear logic for how any activities contribute to the broader project of ending sexual violence.
- When designing sexual violence prevention initiatives, engaging with the origins of sexual violence must be at the centre.
- Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi means acknowledging Māori knowledge systems and self-determination.
- Kaupapa Māori primary prevention services are an essential part of the primary prevention system within Aotearoa – working with and within our communities.
- To avoid the dangers of appropriation in the primary prevention system, it is crucial to attribute and situate Indigenous knowledge in relation to the people and places it originates, and by whom this is held and innovated.
- Understanding and addressing imposter tikanga within sexual violence primary prevention initiatives, and the impact of its ongoing use, is essential to prevent sexual violence.
- Effective primary prevention requires time, openness and resilience. Short and quick fixes are not enough to solve this complex problem, and in some cases can further entrench the very structures they aim to challenge.
- A one-size-fits-all approach does not work. Prevention needs to resonate with and be embedded within communities.
- Working with communities means understanding the diversity within the community and listening to their hopes and dreams for ending sexual violence. Primary prevention systems need to meet communities where they are, as well as act as enablers to grow successful prevention initiatives and build capacity.
- Funding structures need to resource locally-driven community partnerships.
- Change requires collective courage – to be courageous, bold, and unapologetic. It cannot be achieved by doing what we have always done.
Researchers
- Dr Terry Dobbs
- Associate Professor Melanie Beres
- Dr Logan Hamley
- Jordan Dougherty
- Dr Jade Le Grice
- Dr Charlotte Moore
- Dr Kris Taylor
Related news
Netsafe survey findings on sextortion
A recent survey conducted by Netsafe has found that 8% of Kiwis have experienced sextortion directly (which they define as when someone threatens to leak sexually explicit material of a person as a means of coercion) and 13% have experienced it through someone they knew. The survey did not include people under the age of 18, however, Netsafe Chief Executive Brent Carey commented that “when we look at the reports of harm we receive at Netsafe, we find teenagers are also targeted through sextortion”.
Bill to criminalise explicit 'deepfakes' pulled from ballot
A bill to criminalise sexually explicit 'deepfake' images has been drawn from the biscuit tin. The Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill, developed by ACT MP Laura McClure, would amend existing laws to expand the definition of an 'intimate visual recording'.
It would widen what a 'recording' is to include images or videos that are created, synthesised, or altered to depict a person's likeness in intimate contexts without their consent.
Related media
First ‘deepfake porn’ prosecution in New Zealand, One News, 16.10.2025
Funding cuts a 'devastating blow' to sexual support services, RNZ, 23.09.2025
ACC halts rollout of second stage of sexual violence prevention plan, The Press, 16.07.2025
The Kei roto tō tātou rongoā project was led by Professor Denise Wilson at AUT's Taupua Waiora Research Centre and funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. The aim of the research was:
"To produce a uniquely Māori, holistic prevention approach that optimises oranga whānau with a focus on harm elimination, acknowledging that whānau have aspirational and successful futures."
The project team worked in partnership with whānau and communities in seven locations across Aotearoa, to design a prevention approach to improve whānau ora and reduce whānau harm from violence and the unnecessary removal of mokopuna from whānau. They conducted wānanga in Kaikohe, Tāmaki Makaurau, Kirikiriroa, Taranaki, Te Oranganui, Te Tari o Heretaunga and Ōtautahi. From these wānanga the researchers gathered insights into the lived experiences of whānau and kaimahi, their needs and and their aspirations for the future. These insights were then used to co-create a series of rauemi | resources for whānau, service providers, policymakers and the media. They include:
- Advocacy plans for service providers, government and policy makers and media;
- Journey maps designed to help whānau understand the legal processes around protection orders and navigating interactions with Oranga Tamariki;
- A cards-based resource designed to support taitamariki and their understanding of healthy relationships;
- A glossary of everyday and sacred terms in te reo Māori to help whānau and providers speak to experiences of violence, resilience, and healing;
- Ahi - The Fire Within: A retelling of Mahuika’s pūrākau, honouring her fire, sacrifice, and enduring gift of transformation as a guide for resilience and change;
- ‘Shifting Perspectives: Whānau Violence’ - three sets of cards that outline the journey of Marama and Jack, a wahine Māori and tane Māori experiencing whānau violence;
- Illustrated spreads drawn from wānanga kōrero that give form to whānau voices, celebrating hidden strengths and ensuring mana is acknowledged and uplifted;
- A narrative-based project that revisits a traditional whānau framework and makes it visible to promote whānau ora; and
- Aroha' - a storytelling resource which communicates the complex layers of whānau violence reimagined as a flat pack set that whānau and kaimahi can build for themselves to use as a learning tool and healing taonga.
These resources and the summary of research findings can be downloaded from the Kei roto tō tātou rongoā website. A limited number of printed resources are available through an expression of interest process.
Reflecting on the project, lead researcher Professor Denise Wilson says that:
"it has been a privilege and honour to sit with whānau and kaimahi over a period of three years, to engage in whakarongo and kōrero, and take back findings to discuss and develop these resources. I have learnt that whānau affected by violence have aspirations for their tamariki – they have incredible potential but need support and tools in their kete. This project provides a koha to whānau, kaimahi, and communities to support whānau journeys to recovery."
Researchers:
- Professor Denise Wilson
- Huri Campbell
- Dr Tanya Allport
- Dr Leland Ruwhiu
- Associate Professor Alayne Mikahaere-Hall
- Dr Nicole Coup
- Professor Tania Ka’ai
- Rolinda Karapu
- Professor Stephen Reay
- Dr Moana Eruera
- Dr Te Wai Barbarich-Unasa
- Jordan Tane
- Cassie Khoo
- Bryre Dowling
- Emma Marie Buitenhek
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