Te Aorerekura Hōkaitanga
National Strategy Shifts

Adopt a strength-based wellbeing approach that integrates prevention, healing and responses through the Tokotoru model and focuses on changing the social conditions that perpetuate harm.

Tokotoru describes three dimensions that must be addressed to enhance individual and whānau wellbeing:

• Strengthening – an integrated primary prevention approach with a focus on wellbeing
• Responding – holistic safe, accessible and integrated responses tailored to individuals, families, whānau and communities
• Healing – recovery, redress and restoration are needed.

This shift indicates the government’s ongoing commitment to changing the social conditions, structures and norms that perpetuate harm.

Action Plan: Shifting towards strength-based wellbeing

Actions 1-4 of the Action Plan will enable us to adopt a strength-based wellbeing approach. These actions are led by different Joint Venture agencies.

1. Te Aorerekura is supported by a clear investment plan

A Government investment plan will coordinate a range of responses and activities to reduce harm sooner and strengthen safe healing pathways. This includes primary prevention, healing, responses, the workforces, relationships with tangata whenua, communities and the sectors and the learning system.

Activity

• August 2022: Prepare component parts of investment plan - primary prevention, responses, healing, the workforces, funding for relationships and collective monitoring and the learning system.

2. Agencies integrate community-led responses

Integrated, community-led responses that are supported by the investment plan (see Action 1) are key to delivering Te Aorerekura. They will enable agencies and communities to build capability to deliver effective services and responses.

Activities from December 2021

5 existing community responses have been identified as opportunities to work with and learn from.

• Work with communities and specialists to strengthen prevention, healing and community leadership into the 5 existing sites.
• Work with 5 additional Whāngaia Pā Harakeke localities to stabilise crises/safety responses so they can support the ICR approach.
• Work with communities and specialists to expand the ICR approach to other regions and develop strong connections and integrated responses with specialist sexual violence services.

3. Strengthen wāhine Māori leadership

Te Puni Kōkiri will support wāhine Māori to share and develop cultural practices that support whānau and whakapapa to heal and overcome trauma from violence. Wāhine Māori impacted by violence should also be able to access integrated and inclusive responses to enable their safety.

This can include learnings from the Mana Wāhine Inquiry(external link).

Activities from December 2021

• Establish initiatives in 3-6 target areas
• Evaluate the initiatives
• Extend initiatives within the target areas.

4. Wāhine Māori leadership succession

A tuakana-teina based initiative focusing on developing and nurturing emerging wāhine Māori leaders in the family violence and sexual violence professional and vocational fields in Aotearoa. This will help women, wāhine Māori, whanau and communities to access safe services and create change. It will also help to develop skilled and culturally competent workforces.

Activities

• November 2021 – June 2022: Policy development and engagement with wāhine Māori leaders and partner agencies to inform the design scope for the tuakana-teina based initiative.
• June – December 2022: Test and refine the tuakana-teina based initiative with focus on wāhine Māori leaders and partner agencies. Identify resources to implement this initiative.

For more information, you can reach out to the Joint Venture and other support services through the Contact us page.

Support tangata whenua, specialist sectors and communities through sustainable, trust-based relationships and commissioning decisions grounded in Te Tiriti.

This shift is about bringing together and strengthening relationships between tangata whenua, central and local government, the specialist sector, communities and businesses to plan the responses and actions needed to eliminate violence.

Government agencies will work to streamline processes and remove system barriers in the family violence and sexual violence sector.

Agencies will also develop shared infrastructure that supports continuous learning, co-ordinating a research and evaluation plan for family violence and sexual violence, and a process for continuous improvement through the analysis and sharing of data and insights to inform service development.

Action Plan: Shifting towards mobilising communities

Actions 5-9 of the Action Plan will enable us to develop sustainable, trust-based relationships and commissioning decisions grounded in Te Tiriti and share evidence on what works.

These actions are led by different Joint Venture agencies.

5. Engage and value communities in collective monitoring, sharing and learning

Government, communities, tangata whenua and specialists will work together and give feedback to improve family violence and sexual violence responses, healing and prevention. Government will focus on developing trusted relationships and safe ways of working

Activities

• Government agencies work closely with communities and the specialist sectors to agree on the work programme and prioritise actions
• Develop a proposal for an advisory group(s) made up of community and specialist voices.

6. Relational approach to commissioning to better support community decision making and needs

Government agencies will implement social sector commissioning principles and approach to the 5 Integrated Community-led Responses (ICR) to ensure family violence and sexual violence services are working for them. Implementation will be ongoing.

Activities

• Test commissioning in agreed locations
• Asses the impacts of family violence and sexual violence services for the 5 ICR localities
• Align future contracts with the new approach

7. Enable Te Aorerekura implementation in the regions

Regional Public Service Commissioners will support Government and communities to work better together and implement family violence and sexual violence solutions for people.

Activities

• June 2022: Invest in joint interagency training and strategic and operational multi agency working groups
• December 2022: Report back on regional alignment activities investement to support cross-agency local and regional decision making.

8. Establish a Ministerial Tangata Whenua Advisory Group

Establish a tangata whenua advisory group to give advice to the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and Sexual Violence to make positive change. Implementation will be ongoing.

Activities

• February 2022: Establish the Ministerial Tangata Whenua Advisory Group.

9. Establish an annual Te Aorerekura Hui

Establishing an annual hui will help government, tangata whenua, community and specialists come together to review the progress of Te Aorerekura, share information, and agree on next steps.

The 2022 annual hui for Te Aorerekura took place on 26-27 July. Find out more about the 2022 annual hui(external link). You can also view the korero from the hui on the Te Puna Aonui YouTube channel(external link).

Activities

• June 2022: Hold the first annual Te Aorerekura hui.

For more information, you can reach out to the Joint Venture and other support services through the Contact us page.

Ensure the specialist, general and informal workforces are resourced and equipped to safely respond, heal and prevent, and enable wellbeing.

Different communities need different kinds of support to eliminate family violence and sexual violence.

In order to provide the right help to different people, we need:

• Skilled family violence or sexual violence specialists with skills and cultural competence in providing responses that meet the needs of different people, in healing or preventing violence.
• Workers in government and community generalist services who can identify if someone needs help, take action safely, and connect to specialist services if needed.
• People in informal networks including workplaces, marae, faith organisations, sports groups, friends, family and whānau who can respond, heal and prevent.

Action Plan: Shifting towards skilled, culturally competent and sustainable workforces

Actions 10-15 of the Action Plan will ensure specialists, general, and informal workforces are equipped to safely respond, heal and prevent, and enable wellbeing.

These actions are led by different Joint Venture agencies.

10. Develop and implement trauma-informed family violence and sexual violence capability frameworks for specialist workforces

Implement frameworks, tools and training for specialist, general, and voluntary workforces co-designed by and for tangata whenua, Pacific peoples, disabled people, LGBTQIA+, older people, ethnic, migrant and refugee communities, and children and young people.

Activities:

• Complete the co-design of capability frameworks and tools
• Implement the platform that will share training and knowledge.

11. Agencies implement capability frameworks for generalist workforces

Government agencies will develop and implement capability frameworks that help workforces understand how to work in a trauma- and violence-informed way, and how to recognise and respond to family violence and sexual violence.

Activities

• December 2022: Training developed across government to train generalist workforces.
• July 2024: All generalist workforces have been trained.

12. Build tools for communities and informal helpers

Build tools for people to recognise family violence, provide safe information and support, and connect with the right services.

Activities

• October 2021: First release of a website focused on people impacted by family violence, including 24/7 webchat and phone service. See available family violence support services.
• March 2022: Further develop online content for people who use violence
• Underway: Pilot of a 24/7 after hours phone service
• Work with people with lived experiences and specialists to improve the help available.

13. Invest in upskilling community primary prevention

Contract and train national and regional practitioners for primary prevention of family violence and sexual violence (linked with Action 2). This will help us develop a prevention system that focuses on prevention and strengthening, providing coordintion, connection and capability building to reduce drivers of violence for communities.

Activities

• December 2022: 5 regional primary prevention practitioners in place to test and learn from the prevention system model and support roll-out of practitioners.
• Identify long term funding, refine the model, plan for scaling up, map current coordination activity and contract communities for these roles.

14. Build specialist workforces for children

Develop a workforce that supports the needs of children and young people impacted by family violence and sexual violence. This will be co-designed with and for tangata whenua, disabled people, Pacific communities, LGBTQIA+, and ethnic, refugee and migrant communities.

Activity from December 2021

• Start scoping investment in initiatives to improve specialist workforce capability for children and young people.

15. Build court workforce capability

Train Ministry of Justice staff, the legal profession, and other people who work in court to better work with and support people impacted by violence.

Activities

• December 2022: Workforce training package developed with representatives of court participants and communities, including people impacted by violence and people who use violence
• Implement workforce training.

For more information, you can reach out to the Joint Venture and other support services through the Contact us page.

Invest in a unifying, Te Tiriti-based primary prevention strengthening model.

Strengthening prevention includes building strong positive cultural identities, pro-social peer connections, promoting gender equity, and support for new parents. These can all contribute to fewer people using violence.

The first 1,000 days of a child’s life lay the foundation for their future. Children are most responsive to their experiences and environment. This is an effective time to support parents and whānau with strengthening and preventive interventions, with potential to improve long term outcomes and break cycles of intergenerational disadvantage.

Action Plan: Shifting towards investment in primary prevention

Actions 16-26 of the Action Plan will enable us to invest in a Te Tiriti-based primary prevention strengthening model that protects people from family violence and sexual violence. These actions are led by different Joint Venture agencies.

16. Adopt the Primary Prevention System Model

Government agencies adopt the Te Tiriti-based family violence and sexual violence Primary Prevention System Model that reflects the Tokotoru model.

Activities

• June 2022: Government agencies have mapped activity and resources across the Primary Prevention System model
• October 2023: Strategic alignment of agency initiatives and investment across the model.

17. Develop tools to support healthy, consensual relationships for young people

Co-develop and share a ‘primary prevention toolkit’ for communities that focuses on healthy relationships for people of all ages.

Activities

• December 2022: toolkit and framework are available for communities and align with the refresh of the New Zealand curricula
• Implement toolkit across communities in Aotearoa New Zealand.

18. Refresh the health and physical education curricula

Refresh sections of the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa to include teaching about healthy relationships. This will support workforce development and the production of teaching and learning resources.

Activities

• February 2023: The refresh of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is ready for implementation
• During 2023: Content for the Health and Physical Education section of the Aotearoa New Zealand Curriculum has been designed and tested with the sector
• From 2024: Content for the Health and Physical Education section of the Aotearoa New Zealand Curriculum is ready for implementation in schools, and refreshed Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is ready for implementation in kura.
• December 2023: Curricula developed.

19. Develop the Oranga Whakapapa programme

Government and whānau, hapū and communities design approaches for tamariki rangatahi and whānau to know about mana-enhancing and tapu-enriched relationships to support healthy, consensual relationships.

Activities

• December 2022: Clear understanding of the mātauranga on what a positive tangata whenua relationship is, including the enablers for whā
• Work with whanau, hapū and communities to design locally led approaches to oranga whakapapa.

20. Develop community mobilisation infrastructure to lead sexual violence primary prevention

Design and build a nationwide community prevention network with a range of functions to promote healthy consensual relationships and oranga whakapapa with communities across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Activities

• June 2022: The approach for the network is designed and ready for procurement
• December 2022: Network of prevention partners are in place.

21. Deliver prevention initiatives: Campaign for Action on Family Violence, E Tū Whānau and Pasefika Proud as well as for other population groups including older people

Develop and continue targeted campaigns for communities to promote safe, positive and equal relationships, behaviour changes, awareness and prevention of family violence and sexual violence

Activities

• June 2022: Develop a campaign to support positive, safe and respectful relationships
• December 2022: Work with community leaders to support positive behaviour change in men.
• Continue to enhance and learn from the E Tū Whānau and Pasefika Proud approaches and frameworks to support effective community action.
• Plan for the expansion of all campaigns and programmes to further communities, including older people.

22. Develop and deliver a sexual violence primary prevention campaign for tangata whenua and Tauiwi

Establish a large scale, multifaceted sexual violence primary prevention communications and social media campaign, guided by tea o Māori, to promote healthy relationships and oranga whakapapa.

Activities

• December 2022: Established platform for positive storytelling and behaviour change for communities.
• Launch oranga whakapapa/healthy relationships campaign.

23. Develop prevention programmes for ethnic communities

Develop prevention programmes to meet the needs of ethnic communities, including new migrant and refugee communities

Activities

• Design and develop prevention programmes to support ethnic communities, including new migrants and resettled communities
• Develop culturally appropriate and accessible prevention resources
• Set up initiatives that provide information and share knowledge on family violence and sexual violence with ethnic communities
• Improve capability in mainstream prevention programmes to better support the needs of ethnic communities.

24. Holistic support for safe early years

Develop a ‘co-commissioning model’ of early years primary child health and maternal mental health services. This will connect with social services in South Auckland and leverage off the Place Based Initiative.

Activity

• March 2022: Design co-commissioning approach with partners in South Auckland.

25. Develop social and emotional learning for children

Complete trials to support young children (0-6 years) in early learning services to understand healthy relationships, how to seek help, and access tailored services. This includes a 12-month pilot.

Activities

• Jan-April 2022: Evaluation of trials
• June 2022: Final evaluation report
• June 2022: Reach up to 6,000 children, 130 Early Learning Services and 120 teachers during the 12-month pilot that ends 30 June 2022
• Extend the initiative to more children and Early Learning Services.

26. Strengthen community-led solutions to prevent child sexual abuse

Design approaches with whānau, hapū and communities to prevent child sexual abuse. Develop capability frameworks and support to enable child sexual abuse prevention.

Activities

• December 2022: Build capability frameworks and develop accessible, culturally appropriate resources
• Identify opportunities to increase capability and awareness to prevent child sexual abuse.

For more information, you can reach out to the Joint Venture and other support services through the Contact us page.

Ensure accessible, safe and integrated responses meet specific needs, do not perpetuate trauma and hold people who use violence to account.

Te Aorerekura establishes an ongoing commitment to safe, integrated services that meet the holistic needs of those impacted by violence and supports accountability and behaviour change for people who use violence.

Response services must be safe, accessible and available earlier in the places where people are, provided by trusted people, and with culturally appropriate and safe approaches. Responses to those who use violence must hold them to account while supporting change and healing.

Action plan: Shifting towards safe, accessible and integrated responses

Actions 27-32 of the Action Plan will enable us to provide safe, accessible and integrated responses. These actions are led by different Joint Venture agencies.

Actions to ensure safe and integrated responses meet specific needs, do not perpetuate trauma, and achieve safety and accountability.

27. Develop new practice guidelines for supporting participants in court proceedings

Design and implement guidelines and information about court proceedings that involve people impacted by family violence and sexual violence. This will align with the Te Ao Mārama(external link) vision for the District Court.

Activities

• December 2022: Practice guidelines developed with representatives of court participants and communities, including people impacted by violence (victims-survivors) and people who use violence.
• Implement the guidelines and best practice in family violence and sexual violence proceedings.

28. Implement safeguarding responses for disabled and vulnerable adults

Develop and expand the Safeguarding Framework and interagency safeguarding adults from abuse approach (SAFA) to improve prevention, responses and reporting on forms of abuse, neglect or harm of vulnerable adults.

Activities

• Work with Disabled People’s Organisations and other key groups to identify how the Safeguarding Adults framework and approach can work for all disabled people, and how to expand this beyond the Waitematā and Manawatu locations.
• Expand the Safeguarding Adults framework and approach to other locations.

29. Develop a plan to fill the service gaps for family violence

Government agencies and service providers will work together with communities and specialists to develop a plan to fill gaps in family violence response services.

Activities

• July 2022: Scope service needs to fill gaps, including services that support people who use violence.
• Scope service design for services with tangata whenua, Pacific peoples, ethnic communities, LGBTQIA+ communities, older people, children and youth, and disabled communities.
• Establish an investment plan to fund services for tangata whenua and these different communities.

30. Develop a plan to fill the service gaps for sexual violence

Government agencies and service providers will work together with communities and specialists to develop a plan to fill gaps in sexual violence response services.

This includes working with providers of the Sexual Abuse Assessment Treatment Services (SAATS(external link)) and Non-Fatal Strangulation Service.

Activities

• June 2023: Work with specialists, government agencies to scope service needs with tangata whenua, Pacific peoples, and disabled communities, followed by an investment plan for funding these services
• Scope service design with community groups and sexual violence service providers to identify and fill gaps.

31. Develop a case management system for family violence responders

Project Whetū delivers a national case management system that supports integrated case management for crisis responses, and support for ongoing wellbeing.

Activities

• July 2022: Continue Request for Information (RFI) and Business Case proposals
• Develop technology with a provider and implement the system.

32. Improve the Family Start service

Improve the Family Start(external link) service to offer more services, reduce whānau worker caseloads, and improve culturally appropriate responses.

Activities

• From late 2021: Explore ways of reducing whānau worker caseloads.
• Investigate development of training and resources to build capability of whānau workers to respond to family violence and sexual violence
• Scope work with other Joint Venture agencies to identify opportunities for the expansion and enhancement of Family Start, as part of cross-agency efforts to provide support for pepi and tamariki in their early years.
• Identify potential new locations for Family Start.

For more information, you can reach out to the Joint Venture and other support services through the Contact us page.

Increase capacity for healing to acknowledge address trauma for people and whānau.

Trauma is ongoing for people impacted by violence. Te Aorerekura sets out a need for more appropriate, tailored specialist and whānau-centred healing, recovery, and restoration services.

This is essential to address the intergenerational trauma of childhood exposure to family violence and sexual violence. Many people who use violence have experienced trauma as a child. This trauma is often unaddressed and contributes to the choices they make to use violence as adults.

Direct experience of violence, or exposure to it, has negative impacts on children and young people’s health, education, social development, and future economic wellbeing. People impacted by sexual violence experience significant physical and mental health challenges including impaired personal relationships and drug and alcohol misuse. These can be compounded as children and young people transition into adulthood.

Action Plan: Shifting towards increased capacity for healing

Actions 33-37 of the Action Plan will enable us to increase capacity for healing, and acknowledge and address trauma for people and whānau. These actions are led by different Joint Venture agencies.

33. Undertake an analysis of healing services and responses to determine gaps and opportunities

Work together with communities, tangata whenua, and specialists to map and understand available services and the gaps and opportunities to improve healing across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Activities

• August 2022: Work with tangata whenua, communities and specialists to map healing services across the country this work can be fed into the Investment Plan (Action 1).

34. Develop training and resources for parents, caregivers, and whanau

Work together to create national training and education programmes for parents, caregivers and whānau to recognise and respond to harmful sexual behaviours exhibited by children/young people.

Activities

• December 2023: Undertake an analysis of what training and resources are available and whether they are effective.
• Design an engagement approach to work alongside iwi, hapū and communities to develop resources
• Support and enable te mana o te rangatahi through the Social Media Innovations Fund(external link).
• Enable and support the development of training and resources that can be tailored locally and to specific communities
• Implement the rollout of training and resources, alongside iwi, hapū, and communities.

35. Design local tangata whenua services for sexual violence healing and restoration

Design regionally based, tangata whenua-led services by local kaupapa Māori suppliers for people with mental health injuries from sexual violence. This is to ensure tangata whenua have greater access to services, improved experiences of ACC care, and better health outcomes.

Activities

• December 2023: All regions have designed and implemented services.

36. Extend and expand whānau-centred initiatives

Extend and expand whānau-centred models to more communities to support kaupapa Māori service providers to work with whānau experiencing family violence

Activities

• December 2022: Current service providers have access to more long-term and outcomes focused funding allowing for long-term planning
• July 2023: Increase in the number of communities where kaupapa Māori service providers are working with whānau from 4 locations to 8.

37. Extend and expand whānau-centred early intervention

Extend and expand the Ngā Tini Whetu(external link) initiative to strengthen families and improve the safety and wellbeing of children through Whānau Ora(external link) and other agency funding.

Activities

• June 2022: The Ngā Tini Whetu initiative will be completed, including the completion of a workforce development report, the outcomes and indicators programme confirmed, and outcomes report completed.
• Extend the initiative with multi-year funding and more agencies involved
• Expand the number of whānau engaged in the programme
• Expand the whānau-centred early intervention programme to the South Island.

For more information, you can reach out to the Joint Venture and other support services through the Contact us page.