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What is Te Puna Aonui?

The Joint Venture was formed in 2018 to improve the whole-of-government approach to family Violence and sexual violence.

In 2022, the Joint Venture became Te Puna Aonui, an Interdepartmental Executive Board under the Public Service Act 2020.

Te Puna Aonui agencies are responsible for implementing Te Aorerekura – the National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence.

Together, we: 

  • provide whole-of-government strategy, policy, and budgeting advice to Ministers on eliminating family violence and sexual violence
  • provide analysis and evidence to support Ministers to make decisions on specific interventions
  • provide Ministers with an oversight of interventions and outcomes within the whole family violence and sexual violence sector, and identify any linkages, gaps, or opportunities
  • monitor, support, and coordinate implementation of Te Aorerekura, and other priority and cross-agency initiatives
  • manage relationships between government and the family violence and sexual violence sectors.

Strategic Intentions

Read our Strategic Intentions document [PDF, 1.4 MB] to see what we will deliver and how we will work.

Who is involved in Te Puna Aonui?

Te Puna Aonui describes the collective of government agencies, the Board, and the team working in the business unit.

Te Puna Aonui includes:

There are 4 associate agencies of the Joint Venture:

Interdepartmental Executive Board

In December 2021, Cabinet Ministers agreed to establish the Joint Venture for Family Violence and Sexual Violence as an interdepartmental executive board. The (external link). The Cabinet paper and Minute(external link) are available on the Public Service Commission website.

Government agencies will build on the work of the Joint Venture in this new structure(external link) to enable the collaborative responses, clear roles and responsibilities required to deliver Te Aorerekura.

How we work

Te Puna Aonui operates with a system-wide view and is a single point of accountability that enables government agencies to work in a ‘joined-up’ way, to improve coordination and enable a collective approach. A joint response can make a big difference to eliminating family violence and sexual violence. This aims to improve the system and improve responses to complex family violence and sexual violence issues in a sustainable way.

This approach also aims to support non-government agency (NGO) providers that respond to family violence and sexual violence so that people impacted by violence can access appropriate support without re-traumatisation.

Information about funding

Te Puna Aonui brings government agencies together to align whole-of-government strategy, policy and investment to eliminate family violence and sexual violence. Individual Joint Venture agencies are responsible for delivering and funding family violence and sexual violence services, programmes, and prevention initiatives. 

Te Puna Aonui is not a funding agency. If you are seeking funding, please contact the relevant government agency. In particular, the Ministry of Social Development, ACC, and the Ministry of Justice can provide support for victim/survivors of violence and may consider funding proposals that contribute to the current prevention system.

Working with Te Tokotoru

The Tokotoru prevention and wellbeing model (from The Auckland Co-Design Lab and The Southern Initiative) helps us take a whānau-centred, strength-based approach to support the elimination of family violence and sexual violence. Tokotoru means ‘unbreakable three’, and outlines the three dimensions that enable and enhance wellbeing:

  • Strengthening: a strength-based approach to enhancing the factors that support wellbeing and prevent harm
  • Responding: holistic safe, accessible and integrated responses tailored to individuals, families, whānau and communities
  • Healing: a focus on supporting recovery, redress and restoration.

Resources on Te Tokotoru by the Auckland Co-Design Lab and The Southern Initiative

The Auckland Co-Design Lab and The Southern Initiative released an Innovation Brief short report on Te Tokotoru model(external link). This report provides information about where Te Tokotoru came from, how it is being used, and how it can be applied by government agencies, communities and groups in their work towards equity and intergenerational wellbeing. 

Read the full report: Designing for equity and intergenerational wellbeing: Te Tokotoru [PDF, 2.1 MB]

They also developed the Futures Visualisation Project report [PDF, 11 MB] in collaboration with Te Puna Aonui. This report helps show what the ‘activated ecology of support’ based upon Te Tokotoru might look like for people, whānau and communities, and what will lay the foundations for this to happen.

Tokotoru model: the 'unbreakable three' dimensions of wellbeing: healing, responding and strengthening

Tokotoru model: Adapted from Auckland Co-Design Lab and The Southern Initiative, 2021.

Our leaders

Te Puna Aonui is led by the Interdepartmental Executive Board for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence, which brings together leaders of the members agencies to align whole-of-government strategy, policy and investment to eliminate family violence and sexual violence.

This Board includes Secretary of Justice Andrew Kibblewhite as Chair, and Emma Powell, the Chief Executive of Te Puna Aonui. This creates a single point of accountability and leadership. The group reports to the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and Sexual Violence, Hon Karen Chhour.

Māori-Crown partnership

Improving the New Zealand’s family violence and sexual violence system to enable wellbeing requires change on multiple levels. Te Tiriti o Waitangi, te ao Māori, and whānau-centred approaches are central to Te Aorerekura. They provide a unique perspective about how safely and wellbeing can be realised for all people, while maintaining a focus on victims.

Te Aorerekura, the National Strategy and Action Plan to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence will help give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi by:

  • Article 1 – Kawanatanga – continuing to build relationships and partnering with iwi and Māori organisations in the delivery and governance of Te Aorerekura.
  • Article 2 – Tino Rangatiratanga – enabling iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori communities to have full authority (mana motuhake) over their own wellbeing.
  • Article 3 – Oritetanga – working with tangata whenua to strengthen protective factors and achieve equitable outcomes that allow iwi, hapū, whānau, and Māori communities to realise their potential, free of family violence and sexual violence.

Māori are over-represented in experiencing family violence and sexual violence. To honour Te Tiriti, the Joint Venture is focused on unlocking the solutions held within Te Ao Māori, especially around building capability, learning to hear victims’ voices and sharing power.

Tangata Whenua Ministerial Advisory Group

The Tangata Whenua Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) was appointed in June 2022 to provide independent advice on the implementation of Te Aorerekura – the National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence.

The MAG will have a significant role in creating family violence and sexual violence systems and supports that are governed and led by, and for, tangata whenua in the best interests of their whānau, hapū, iwi and all communities.

Government investment for change

Summary of initiatives in Budget 2021 for violence prevention and community leadership

Historically, the family violence and sexual violence sectors have been underfunded, creating significant gaps in services for people and limits to the capacity and capability of responses the system offers.

The government is investing over $800 million over the next four years into addressing family violence and sexual violence. Budgets 2018-2020 mainly increased funding for specialist family violence and sexual violence services. This investment stabilised the family violence and sexual violence sectors with more funding for services and a joint approach to investment and planning.

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