Hōkaitanga Ono
Shift 6: Towards increased capacity for healing

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.