Family Violence Networks Final Report

Te Puna Aonui and the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse recently released this report, titled ‘Strengthening and Expanding Local and Regional Family Violence and Sexual Violence Networks’.

You can read the report on the Te Puna Aonui website here.

This report finds that Network Co-ordinators play an important role in bringing people in communities together to align their work. It says that funding is one of the most significant barriers to effective community initiatives - and echoes previous reports recommending adequate long-term funding for both local and national networks, and national level coordination and infrastructure.

The major findings of the report were, in summary:

• Family and sexual violence networks across Aotearoa are a critical mechanism for implementing Te Aorerekura.

• The networks can play a key role in bringing the sector together in local and regional settings, which is vital to eliminating family violence and sexual violence.

• There is potential to strengthen existing networks to enhance their effectiveness and impact. 

• There has been a lack of a cohesive plan in relation to family violence and sexual violence networks across government. This creates a continuous cycle of ‘new’ initiatives layered over and competing with existing initiatives, along with a loss of focus and investment for existing and effective initiatives. 

• Funding for existing networks is insecure. There is a risk that two decades of expertise and community initiatives will be lost if funding is discontinued. 

• Within this, tangata whenua want to develop their own networks and spaces. 

The findings and recommendations in this report are based on a literature review, focus groups with and an online survey, and interviews with key informants from local networks, national networks, and government agencies.