Family violence — including domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and child abuse — is one of the most significant community wellbeing challenges in New Zealand. New Zealand has among the highest rates of family violence in the OECD. The funding landscape for family violence services is complex, combining government contracts, community grants, and philanthropic support, and serving some of the most vulnerable people in New Zealand communities.
Ministry of Social Development is the primary government funder of family violence services in New Zealand, including Women's Refuge, crisis accommodation, and family violence intervention programmes. Government contracts fund the core of the family violence service system.
Community trusts and gaming trusts are among the most significant non-government funders of family violence services. Most trust grant guidelines explicitly include family violence prevention and response as a priority area, recognising the scale of need and the gap between government funding and community need.
ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) funds family violence services through its sensitive claims pathway, particularly for survivors of sexual violence and childhood abuse.
Ministry of Justice funds some family violence prevention initiatives, including court support services and community programmes.
Private philanthropy is relatively limited in this space, partly because of the sensitivity of the issue and partly because of a preference for more visible philanthropic causes.
Local councils sometimes fund local family violence prevention initiatives through community grants and community development budgets.
Crisis services:
- Women's Refuge and crisis accommodation for women and children fleeing violence
- 24-hour crisis lines and after-hours support
- Safety planning and risk assessment
- Emergency housing and relocation support
Legal and advocacy support:
- Community legal services for survivors (protection orders, custody, employment)
- Court support services and accompaniment
- Immigration support for migrant women experiencing family violence
- Police and court liaison advocates
Healing and recovery:
- Counselling and trauma therapy for survivors
- Children's therapeutic services
- Group programmes for survivors
- Peer support and community connections for women who have experienced violence
Prevention and community education:
- School-based healthy relationships programmes
- Community education for bystanders
- Male engagement and perpetrator prevention programmes
- Community awareness campaigns
Perpetrator programmes:
- Stopping Violence programmes for men who use violence
- Māori-specific kaupapa approaches for Māori men
- Accountability and safety monitoring
Survivor safety is paramount. Any grant-funded programme in this space must demonstrate that survivor safety is the primary consideration. This means: not inadvertently exposing survivors to further harm through programme design, maintaining confidentiality, and not requiring survivors to engage with abusers as part of programme delivery.
Trauma-informed practice. Effective family violence services are trauma-informed — understanding how trauma affects behaviour, maintaining survivor choice and agency, avoiding re-traumatisation. Funders should look for evidence of trauma-informed approaches in applications.
Intersectionality matters. Family violence intersects with immigration status, disability, ethnicity, and economic disadvantage. Māori women experience family violence at higher rates and face specific barriers. Migrant women face barriers including language, visa status, and lack of social networks. Effective services are responsive to these intersecting factors.
The role of children. Family violence significantly impacts children — both as witnesses and direct victims. Services that address children's needs, not just adult survivors', produce better long-term outcomes for families.
Perpetrator accountability. Prevention requires addressing perpetrator behaviour. Funders who only fund victim services, without also funding perpetrator programmes and systemic change, are addressing symptoms not causes.
Safety risks in service delivery. Organisations delivering family violence services face physical safety risks — from perpetrators, from people in crisis. Funders should be realistic about the infrastructure costs of safe service delivery, including secure facilities, safety protocols, and staff wellbeing support.
Safety framework. Does the organisation have a clear safety framework — for survivors, for staff, and for the organisation itself? This should include risk assessment protocols, confidentiality practices, and physical safety measures.
Trauma-informed culture. Is there evidence of genuine trauma-informed practice — not just the language, but the culture? Staff training, supervision, policies, and service design should reflect trauma-informed principles.
Cultural competency. For organisations serving Māori women, Pacific women, or migrant women, does the organisation have appropriate cultural expertise? This goes beyond having bicultural policies to having lived cultural competency in service delivery.
Perpetrator and systemic perspective. Does the organisation understand family violence systemically — not just as a crisis service but as part of a broader response including prevention, perpetrator work, and advocacy?
Survivor voice. Are survivors involved in governance, service design, and quality improvement? Organisations that include survivor perspectives in decision-making produce more effective services.
Reporting for family violence grants requires balancing accountability with survivor safety and privacy:
Service reach: Number of people supported, contacts, hours of service — without identifying information that could compromise safety.
Safety outcomes: Safety planning completed, protection orders supported, crisis accommodation provided. These are meaningful outputs, not just activity counts.
Survivor-centred outcomes: Where survivors consent to follow-up, self-reported measures of safety, wellbeing, and empowerment.
Children's outcomes: Where child-specific services are funded, outcomes for children — school attendance, therapeutic progress, safety.
Not requiring case details. Reporting should not require detailed case information that could compromise confidentiality. Aggregate data and de-identified illustrative examples are appropriate.
Tahua supports community trusts and funders in the family violence space with confidential grant management, trauma-informed reporting frameworks, and the compliance infrastructure that this sensitive sector requires.