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, 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:
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
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