New Zealand has one of the highest rates of family violence in the developed world — approximately 40% of New Zealand women experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime, and police respond to a family violence incident approximately every four minutes. Māori are disproportionately affected. Family violence costs New Zealand approximately $4.6 billion annually. Grant funding supports the refuges, prevention programmes, perpetrator accountability, and the system change needed to reduce family violence in Aotearoa.
Scale
Who is affected
The family violence system
Te Puna Aonui (Family Violence and Sexual Violence)
Whole-of-government agency for family violence and sexual violence response.
Ministry of Social Development
Refuge and family violence service funding.
Ministry of Justice
Legal responses, protection orders, family violence court.
NZ Police
Family violence investigations, safety planning.
Oranga Tamariki
Children affected by family violence — child protection interface.
Women's Refuge New Zealand
National network of refuges — largest service provider.
Shine
Domestic abuse services and training.
Jigsaw
Family wellbeing and family violence prevention.
Ranfurly Trust
Family violence and wellbeing.
The Tindall Foundation
Family violence and child wellbeing.
ASB Community Trust
Community wellbeing including family violence.
Crisis refuge
Prevention
Perpetrator accountability
Children and young people
Māori-specific
Pacific-specific
Legal and rights
Economic safety
Sexual violence
Māori women experience family violence at significantly higher rates than non-Māori women. The causes are complex:
- Historical trauma from colonisation
- Socioeconomic disadvantage
- Breakdown of traditional tikanga that protected women and children
The most effective responses for Māori are kaupapa Māori:
- Māori-led, Māori-controlled services
- Grounded in tikanga and te ao Māori
- Whānau-centred (not just individual victim)
- Healing colonisation as part of healing violence
Te Pae Oranga (Iwi Community Panels) represent a Māori-led diversion approach with promising results.
Kaupapa Māori services
Given Māori are disproportionately affected, applications supporting kaupapa Māori family violence services are essential — not supplementary. Māori-controlled, culturally grounded services outperform mainstream services for Māori.
Prevention investment
New Zealand underfunds prevention relative to crisis response. Applications for primary prevention — respectful relationships education, bystander programmes, community change — address causes rather than symptoms.
Children's recovery
Children who witness family violence have elevated mental health and behavioural risks. Applications specifically addressing children's recovery from family violence address a frequently overlooked population.
Perpetrator focus
Ending family violence requires addressing perpetrator behaviour, not just supporting victims. Applications for perpetrator accountability and behaviour change programmes are essential system components.
Tahua's grants management platform supports family violence funders and domestic violence organisations in Aotearoa — with victim tracking, safety outcome measurement, perpetrator programme data, and the reporting tools that help family violence funders demonstrate their investment in ending family harm in New Zealand.