Violence prevention
We’re working to create the changes needed to achieve safe, inclusive hapori (communities) free from violence.
On this page
We all have a role to play in supporting wellbeing and preventing violence and harm. This involves addressing the long-term causes of inter-generational harm through greater scale and connection of activities.
We’re one of the lead agencies in the cross-government response to preventing and responding to family violence and sexual violence. We’re a member of Te Puna Aonui, a collective of government agencies responsible for delivering Te Aorerekura, the national strategy and action plan to eliminate family violence and sexual violence.
Creating long-term, sustainable changes to behaviours and environments
Preventing sexual violence
There’s overwhelming evidence sexual violence is preventable, but it requires fundamentally changing how we think about preventing violence and harm.
Evidence and experience tell us one-off interventions and single focus programmes don’t create the scale of change or impact needed. So, we’re taking an evidence-based primary prevention or systems approach underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi to create long-term change at the community, cultural and societal levels. It’s also sometimes called ‘upstream’ prevention.
How does it work?
Rather than focusing solely on people who use or experience violence, our approach goes deeper. We’re focussing on the whole population and the social, system and structural drivers that permit violence to happen in our communities.
Our mahi (work) aims to address these underlying causes or drivers of sexual violence such as:
- social norms
- practices and structures that influence attitudes
- behaviours.
The goal is for all people and their communities to have greater wellbeing, be more connected, more resilient, and more empowered.
We know investing early in a person’s life has the greatest potential to make a difference. So, we’re stepping up our efforts to foster conditions for healthy, mana-enhancing, tapu-enriched relationships across peoples’ lives.
Lessons from other successful prevention models show how crucial it is solutions are led by Māori, for and as Māori, as well as other priority groups. We must invest heavily in kaupapa Māori solutions in partnership with hapū and iwi.
Our approach supports and complements other areas of intervention and crisis response by, in time, reducing pressure on those parts of the system.
Our initiatives
We’re not implementing prevention initiatives on our own. We’re working closely with our partners to build a more effective, aligned and sustainable prevention system.
We’re focusing on the changes we know will make the most difference:
- community-led action
- communications to challenge and shift social norms toward oranga whakapapa and healthy relationships
- building a skilled workforce and helping organisations understand how to prevent harm
- coordinating investment across government
- working with and through others.
The following are some of the initiatives we’re partnering with others to design or deliver. This is not an exhaustive list and will be added to over time.
Community-led prevention partners
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.
In September 2024, we announced the first five lead provider organisations in Te Tai Tokerau, Te Arawa, Te Tairāwhiti, Te Tau Ihu and Otago. The next regions will be announced in early 2025.
This is a community-led, systems-focused prevention initiative. For example, this could look like local story telling activities to shift mindsets and norms or working in partnership with local councils to address high risk areas of the CBD.
Our network approach means prevention partners will share knowledge and practices, build on each other's work and influence the ‘system’ at the local and national level.
By the end of 2025, we hope to have at around 80 kaimahi across 16 organisations and 16 rohe (regions) in place.
Oranga Whakapapa prevention initiatives
We're partnering with Māori specialists to develop new regionally based prevention initiatives. These are focussed on oranga whakapapa and the prevention of sexual violence through the promotion of mana-enhancing and tapu-enriched relationships.
Partnering with experts in the kaupapa Māori sexual violence sector
We’ve partnered with Te Taumata o Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri, the Paetakawaenga (governing group) of the tangata whenua whare, Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri of Te Ōhaakii a Hine – National Network Ending Sexual Violence Together (TOAH-NNEST).
This partnership supports the kaupapa Māori sexual violence sector to work with their communities to self-determine effective and sustainable sexual violence prevention. It also allows us to work together to deliver a range of kaupapa to prevent sexual violence.
More about this strategic partnership
This is Aotearoa
This is Aotearoa uses storytelling to encourage healthy relationships, safer communities, and more connection and kindness in our homes, schools, workplaces and neighbourhoods.
Wellbeing is at the heart of this initiative, emphasising the importance of creating a community where everyone can thrive emotionally, socially, culturally, physically and spiritually.
This is Aotearoa was formerly known as Aotearoa Humanity Project. In 2020, after initial success in Auckland, Aotearoa Humanity Project was expanded and shared across the motu. This is Aotearoa is an evolution and reimagining of the Aotearoa Humanity Project.
Supporting Pasifika communities with Atu-Mai
Le Va provides New Zealand’s first national Pasifika Spearhead service. It's focused on the primary prevention of family violence, sexual violence and suicidal behaviour for young people.
The name of the programme is Atu-Mai. It's a community-based violence prevention programme designed to support Pasifika young people to experience safe, healthy and respectful relationships in the context of family and community.
Atu-Mai aims to equip Pasifika young people and their families with the right knowledge, information, education, resources and tools to prevent violence from happening in the first place.
The prevention system is complex and requires the right clinical, cultural and community expertise. Integrating a socio-ecological and systems approach provides an effective framework for outcome targets.
Support for people who've experienced sexual violence
We provide support for anyone in Aotearoa, including visitors to the country, who has experienced sexual abuse and assault. It doesn't matter if the event happened recently or a long time ago.
More about supports available through ACC
If you've experienced sexual abuse
Use the Find Support website to see the organisations that have therapists who can support you.
