Aotearoa New Zealand has high rates of family violence and sexual violence. There are significant gaps in family violence and sexual violence services (FVSV) in Aotearoa New Zealand. This means not everyone can access the support they need when they experience or use violence. Tangata whenua, Pacific peoples, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ communities, children and young people, ethnic communities, older people, and people who use violence are especially impacted by service gaps (referred to as tangata whenua and diverse communities).

Te Aorerekura – The National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence – called on government to identify the FVSV service gaps across Aotearoa New Zealand and outline a potential approach to address these gaps (the Gaps Report). This work sits under the first Te Aorerekura Action Plan (Actions 29 and 30). 

Development of the Gaps Report was led by the Ministry of Social Development with support from Te Puna Aonui Business Unit (now the Centre), the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), Ara Poutama Aotearoa – Department of Corrections, Ministry of Justice, NZ Police, Oranga Tamariki, and Whaikaha Ministry for Disabled People.

The Gaps Report is shaped by consultation with tangata whenua, communities, advocacy groups, and the wider FVSV sector from March to May 2023. We received around 150 detailed submissions.

The Gaps Report focusses on the gaps that have the biggest impact across tangata whenua and diverse communities. While there are some FVSV service gaps which are only experienced by a specific community (e.g., a lack of support for people with intellectual disabilities), many communities have a shared experience of FVSV service gaps (e.g., a need for more long-term healing services).

The Gaps Report identifies five ‘overarching gaps’ which impact across multiple communities, including gaps in:

• FVSV services workforce capability
• the delivery of holistic, whānau centred wraparound support
• sexual violence services
• the accessibility of safe houses and the availability of emergency accommodation
• services tailored for tangata whenua and people from diverse communities 

Focusing on overarching gaps is intended to encourage system level coordination of resources, increase the quality of support and accessibility of existing FVSV services, and strengthen the FVSV system for everyone.

The Gaps Report will not determine how the gaps will be addressed or what implementation will look like.  It does set out a collective understanding of what is missing in FVSV services and will be a key input into ongoing work to implement Te Aorerekura. 

Download the report or find out more [PDF, 475 KB]

Find out more about Te Aorerekura

In 2021, we heard from many communities impacted by violence. Working with government agencies and people supporting and representing those communities, we produced 10 analysis papers that reflect their experiences of the family violence and sexual violence systems.  

These papers summarise what government heard from key groups in the family and sexual violence system during engagement to develop Te Aorerekura. They draw on some existing evidence that highlights the prevalence and different dynamics of violence each of these groups experience. The papers also identify some opportunities for improving ways to prevent, respond, and heal from these types of violence.

Note: These papers are a snapshot in time and are limited to the voices of those who participated in the engagements. As such, it may be that not every person can see themselves reflected in them. The words used reflect as much as possible those used by each group during engagement. For that reason, there may be inconsistencies in terminology across the different papers, and between these papers and Te Aorerekura. The papers are authored by the Joint Venture in consultation with Independent Advisors nominated from each group.

We are committed to building on-going and enduring relationships with tangata whenua, communities and sectors and embedding a diversity of voices and experiences across its work.

What we understood: summaries of 2021 engagement

To share the voices we heard during our engagement process, the Joint Venture produced summaries that outline key themes in the feedback we received.

The summaries below reflect careful analysis of the common themes emerging from the many different engagements. These summaries were assessed by the Joint Venture and reviewed by our Independent Advisors(external link) to make sure they accurately reflect the opinions of the people who spoke to us.

View other key documents we used to invite people to contribute to our engagement process for Te Aorerekura.

• Invitation to contribute [PDF, 1.5 MB](external link)
• Have your say - PDF [PDF, 1.3 MB](external link)
• Have your say - Word [DOCX, 46 KB](external link)
• Where should we focus? - PDF [PDF, 1.8 MB](external link)
• Where should we focus? - Word [DOCX, 65 KB](external link)

‘Strengthening and Expanding Local and Regional Family Violence and Sexual Violence Networks’ finds that Family Violence Network Coordinators play an important role in bringing people in communities together to align their work.

Te Puna Aonui (now the Centre) commissioned the report from the NZ Family Violence Clearinghouse (now VINE). You can find the full report in the link below.

Violence Networks Final Report [PDF, 1.5 MB]

The major findings of the report were, in summary:

• Family and sexual violence networks across Aotearoa are a critical mechanism for implementing Te Aorerekura.
• The networks can play a key role in bringing the sector together in local and regional settings, which is vital to eliminating family violence and sexual violence.
• There is significant potential to strengthen existing networks to enhance their effectiveness and impact. 
• There has been a lack of a cohesive plan in relation to family violence and sexual violence networks across government. This creates a continuous cycle of ‘new’ initiatives layered over and competing with existing initiatives, along with a loss of focus and investment for existing and effective initiatives. 
• Funding for existing networks is insecure. There is a risk that two decades of expertise and community initiatives will be lost if funding is discontinued. 
• Within this, tangata whenua want to develop their own networks and spaces. 

The findings and recommendations in this report are based on a literature review, focus groups with and an online survey, and interviews with key informants from local networks, national networks, and government agencies.

If you have any questions about this report, please reach out to Megan Sety m.sety@auckland.ac.nz

What works: Responses to People who have used Sexual Violence

This evidence summary was developed to inform investment and development of services to respond to people who have used sexual violence, to stop further harm. It provides high level insight into the characteristics of interventions which have the most success with adults and youth who have used sexual violence. The interventions discussed span socio-ecological levels, from treatment with individuals, to the relationships, community support, and society-level interventions which reduce sexual violence. 

It summarises a vast amount of international and local evidence which shows that specialised treatment tends to reduce sexual violence compared to no treatment. However, it points out that the effectiveness is variable across programme characteristics and evaluation methodologies, and further research is required to strengthen the evidence-base. 

It also highlights the importance of social and professional support and accountability, and the role of communities in reducing sexual violence. It concludes that evidence-based interventions should be supported across socio-ecological levels, as no intervention alone is sufficient to eliminate sexual violence and the harms it causes in Aotearoa New Zealand.

What works: Responses to People who have used Sexual Violence Evidence Summary [PDF, 306 KB]