First community-led prevention network partners announced

We all want safe, inclusive hapori (communities) free from violence. To help achieve this, we’re creating a network of prevention partners to work with community and local leaders to create the changes needed to support wellbeing, protect against violence and prevent harm.

The first five partners

Following an open procurement process, we’re proud to announce our first tranche of Hikitia! For Our Future prevention partners:

•    Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa – Te Tai Tokerau
•    Tauawhi Charitable Trust – Tairawhiti
•    Tautoko Mai Sexual Harm Support Services – Te Arawa
•    RISE Living Safe – Te Tau Ihu 
•    Te Hou Ora Whānau Services – Otago

Our new partners have experience leading prevention initiatives in their communities, working strategically and collaboratively, and working across sectors and settings.

These first five partners are just the start. By 2026, we hope to have around 80 kaimahi across 16 organisations and 16 rohe (regions) as part of this community-led prevention network.

A collective commitment

‘Hikitia! For Our Future’ is the new name of sexual violence prevention approach. It symbolises our collective commitment to a better tomorrow with a clear focus: it’s for our future, for the next generation.

In te reo Māori, ‘hikitia’ means to raise, lift or end, and is also used when lifting the rāhui of an area. This concept serves as a powerful metaphor for lifting the veil on hidden issues and addressing them openly, particularly in the context of preventing sexual violence. 

Hikitia is our call to action to confront these challenges and bring them to light, ensuring a safer future for all. Our commitment to equity ensures the future we build is one where every whānau, family, hapori and community can stand strong, with dignity, safety and opportunity.

Creating long-term change

Evidence and experience tell us one-off interventions and single focus programmes don’t create the scale of change or impact needed. This initiative helps us do things differently and move towards creating long-term, sustainable changes to behaviours and environments. 

We’ll work with our partners and communities to: 

•    Build skills, knowledge and capabilities in communities, organisations and initiatives to prevent sexual violence
•    Increase coordination and alignment of sexual violence prevention including child sexual abuse prevention 
•    Identify, implement and leverage initiatives that strengthen protective factors and the prevention system
•    Enable and activate local leadership to take action to prevent violence

Not a one-size-fits-all approach

Each rohe is different so our Injury Prevention team will work with each organisation as they develop their regional strategies and ideas for implementation.

A key part of the Hikitia! For Our Future initiative is its ‘network approach’. Those part of it will share knowledge and practices, build on each other's work, and influence the ‘system’ at both the local and national level.

Through partnership and community-led design, we can ensure we’re making the changes needed to achieve safe, inclusive hapori free from violence.

We’ll announce our next regions (Phase 2) in early 2025.

ACC leading the way

ACC is one of the lead agencies delivering Te Aorerekura, the national strategy and action plan to eliminate family violence and sexual violence.

We’re investing $44.9m into the sexual violence primary prevention programme. This community-led initiative is a key component of our approach alongside other initiatives designed to build workforce capability, shift social norms and behaviours, develop kaupapa Māori-informed prevention initiatives, and initiatives focused on child sexual abuse prevention.

It aims to address the underlying causes of sexual violence and the social norms, attitudes and behaviours that enable violence and harm.

You can find out more about violence prevention on our website.

Violence Prevention