Reflecting on Mates & Dates and looking forward
After seven years of delivering the consent and healthy relationship programme around Aotearoa we are looking at a more effective way to support young New Zealanders.
Our Mates & Dates programmes will conclude in December as we extend our investment into consent and healthy relationships in a multifaceted, nationwide approach.
Mates & Dates is a consent and healthy relationships education programme delivered in high schools across New Zealand.
The programme will end in December after seven years of delivery. During this time, it has reached 433 schools, and over 150,000 students.
This programme has also significantly contributed to workforce capability, with 825 Mates & Dates facilitators trained in consent education delivery. And those that have left the programme have taken that knowledge with them as they have gone on to other careers.
As part of the evaluation of the programme, students are asked to complete surveys pre- and post- delivery of the sessions.
The surveys have shown that students believe the Mates & Dates programme have significantly improved attitudes around the following subjects:
- Gender roles - 73 percent think their attitude improved
- Sexual identities – 65 percent think their attitude improved
- Consent – 88 percent think their attitude improved
- Bystander intervention – 94 percent think their attitude improved
Mates & Dates isn’t just about dating. It’s about all kinds of relationships, including family and friends. The programme aimed to give young people the skills and knowledge to prevent harm caused by sexual violence and dating violence.
Why we are moving on from Mates & Dates
The Mates & Dates programme has shown it can improve students perceived attitudes towards several crucial aspects of consent and healthy relationships.
However, Mates & Dates survey responses show that the programme has been delivered predominately in higher decile schools.
The results show a disproportionate number of students engaged in the programme are of NZ European descent.
We believe to achieve the necessary shift in attitudes and behaviour to prevent sexual violence, the opportunity to access and engage in healthy relationships kōrero needs to be available to all young people in Aotearoa.
To ensure that this is the case the Ministry of Education have refreshed the guidance around their Relationship and Sexual Education resources.
Relationship and Sexuality Education resources
They will be revamping their Health and Physical Education curriculum which is due 2024. We understand to effectively prevent this harm, social drivers and societal structures that allow violence to occur need to be addressed and challenged.
Extending our investment beyond the classroom
We will continue to be involved in sexual violence primary prevention in the community.
This means we are extending our investment beyond the classroom, and into a multifaceted nationwide approach. This will enable us reflective and inclusive delivery of a Primary Prevention System that is underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
We have invested $44.9 million into the development of this system.
You can read more about this investment here below:
ACC invests $44.9 million in Healthy Consensual Relationships.
Our mahi (work) in this area also supports Te Puna Aonui's Te Aorerekura Strategy, which is the National Strategy and Action Plan.
It sets out a new collective path for government, tangata whenua, specialist sectors, and communities to eliminate family violence and sexual violence.