Indications are that violence against women and children has escalated and intensified during COVID-19, in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. This has led to the coining of the term "shadow pandemic." COVID-19 has highlighted both new and pre-existing challenges and opportunities in addressing family and whānau violence. In this webinar, the panellists explored and urged action on critical issues that have emerged during COVID-19. Some key quotes are highlighted below.

Intensification of abuse

“We were already living in a country founded on violence, with intersecting patterns of violence – huge levels of interpersonal violence, structural violence, the ongoing violence of colonisation. So the woman and children experiencing violence in their whānau and families that we were supporting before we went into COVID-19, they're already living in constricted life spaces, they're already trying to navigate their safety within a system that has completely inadequate safety options for them. They are often having to seek help from services, as Denise Wilson’s research shows, that didn’t know how to give them help in ways that were respecting of who they are and were dignifying. If you understand violence as a crime against people's self-determination, and you put a COVID context on top of that … We saw a removal of social supports but most concerningly we also saw a removal of the responsivity of services. It is concerning because I think it's recreating ways of working that many of us don't want to be working in.” ~ Rachel Smith

“Some of the government's messaging didn't serve some of our whānau well, for example the message of ‘stay home stay safe’ was a message that's counter-intuitive when you're working in the area of whānau violence. Whānau, wāhine, some of our tamariki and some of our men as well needed to leave their homes to be safe.” ~ Denise Messiter

Colonisation and racism

“People don't like the word colonisation and they don't like the word racism but actually those two kupu, those two words really define the way in which the State has grown in this country. The notion of partnership is a very scary place I think for the State to really engage with however in order to be a good partner I would encourage the Ministries to really think about: how do I best get resources to Māori communities and other vulnerable communities to do the work that they do better than Ministries?”
~ Rihi Te Nana

“As regards migrant and refugee communities, I think the experience of racism has been quite unique in many different ways especially after the Christchurch terror attacks and the aftermath of that. I think that is an additional factor that our people had to deal with in the context of COVID-19 because they're simply known as migrants and refugees so therefore [it was assumed] they have COVID. I think a large segment of communities underwent having to front up to these kind of remarks as well. I absolutely acknowledge that if the government can't get it right with Māori, they're never going to get it right with migrant and refugee communities.” ~ Shila Nair

“We make big decisions for the country to suit most of the people most of the time without thinking about some of the issues and equity is an issue for our whānau and all the inequities that they face.” ~ Denise Wilson

Relationships and resourcing

“Family violence and sexual violence is a pandemic in this country. It took an extraordinary pandemic to actually get more resources into the sector and I think that is a challenge that the government really needs to review in terms of its priorities.”
~ Rihi Te Nana

“I think it's about trust and it's about the ability for the State to look at high trust contracting – that in a nutshell would actually be a very good example of power sharing. The government demonstrated they could do that during COVID-19, really quickly. The challenge that Māori communities and providers have [now] is: what is different? What is actually different about our situation?”
~ Rihi Te Nana

“It's really important that the State lends itself to seek better relationships, better relationships with Māori providers, better relationships with hapū and whānau. If the State is reluctant to do that and as has a strong desire to go back to business as usual then our vulnerable whānau and communities will suffer.” ~ Rihi Te Nana

Power and accountability

“There is always a demand for accountability from the top down so there's always a gaze on our Māori providers but there needs to be also accountability of government and regional decisions and actions and resourcing decisions to the community, to Māori providers. At that level our whānau have a right to know why this decision was made and it's had this roll-on effect for our whānau … That's one of the things that I think we should be advocating for and under Te Tiriti that there's an obligation to be accountable to whānau, hapū, iwi.” ~ Denise Wilson

“What we’re talking about is power, isn't it, and it's not just about sharing power, it's about ceding power, it's actually allowing people who are doing the work to do the work in ways that they know is meaningful and useful to the people that they work with. But for me, it’s [also] how do we start having those conversations of what accountability looks like in that government space because as much as we need to have localised responses and ways of engaging, a lot of the people that we're helping and who need our help are still involved with national organisations, whether that be Oranga Tamariki, Police or devolved regional organisations such as our District Health Boards so we do need change and responsivity in those areas as well.” ~ Rachel Smith

Moving forward

“There are many ways to move forward and we don't all have to be doing the same thing at the same time. To create change, to be transformative, we just need to recognise that we're in that state and know who our allies are and the nature of those relationships that we have with allies that will support us to deal with or address some of the issues that we've raised around systemic and structural violence.” ~ Denise Messiter

Reflexive questions for participants

What can you do within your sphere of influence to act on the issues above?

While government level decisions have been noted in the comments above, they are also relevant for government-funded providers. How is your organisation accountable to Māori and migrant and refugee groups within the community it serves? What changes need to occur as we move into the future?

Related resources

Resources for whānau, communities and services during COVID-19 on NZFVC website

• Te Whare Māori
• For everyone

Now includes: Frequently Asked Questions on understanding and addressing the impacts of COVID-19

This webinar was held on 17 September 2020, with a panel of speakers:

• Rihi Te Nana
• Professor Denise Wilson
• Denise Messiter
• Rachel Smith
• Shila Nair

See more information about the panelists.

"When I first got involved in the field, I thought I would see the end of domestic violence in my lifetime. I now find myself contemplating the likelihood that my granddaughters may face challenges not unlike those faced by my daughter, my sisters and my mother. This is not to deny some significant reforms which have taken place. However, in this talk, I argue that some of these reforms have produced mixed results. By placing these reforms in a historical context (beginning with pre-colonisation Aotearoa), it is possible to chart the slow and uneven progress towards a world in which women can expect to live lives unconstrained by violence, abuse and tactics of coercive control. This analysis also allows us to identify ways in which well-meaning reforms aimed at protection have in fact resulted in further oppression for women. I argue that unless we prioritise women’s autonomy, we will, at best, achieve only limited advances for women."

Intimate partner violence is more than physical assaults - it is about the accumulation of multiple forms of abuse that take effect over time, designed to stop women from being self-determining. It is about a conscious shrinking of their world, their interconnectedness, and the space in which they can truly be themselves without experiencing harm from people, services or systems.

Our challenge is not just to protect women from further violence - a harm reduction approach - but to focus on women’s freedom - to expand their ‘space for action.’ Collectively we need take steps to restore the liberty and self-determination which has been transgressed not only by individual men; but frequently by inadequate organisational responses and the embeddedness of structural violence in their lives.

What would change if we collectively pivoted - restoring women’s ability to be self-determining as the focus of our systemic response to IPV? Can we expect societal transformation without equity and self-determination as our guiding principles?"

Related resources

Neville Robertson's talk

 Māori family violence in Aotearoa

Balzer, B., Haimona, D., Henare, M., & Matchitt, V. (1997). Te Puni Kōkiri: Wellington.

 Family Violence Death Review Committee - reports and papers

Various dates  

 Whānau violence: A Māori conceptual framework

Report to Hon Tariana Turia from the Second Māori Taskforce on Whānau Violence. Kruger, T., Pitman, M., Pitama, D., McDonald, T., Mariu, D., Pomare, A., ... Lawson-Te Aho, K. (2002). Wellington: Te Puni Kokiri.

 Transforming whānau violence: A conceptual framework

An updated version of the report from the former Second Māori Taskforce on Whānau Violence. Kruger, T., Pitman, M., Grennell, D., McDonald, T., Mariu, D., Pomare, A., ... Lawson-Te Aho, K. (2004). (2 ed.) Wellington: Te Puni Kōkiri.

 It’s Not OK’, but ‘It’ never happened: parental alienation accusations undermine children’s safety in the New Zealand Family Court

Mackenzie, D., Herbert, R., & Robertson, N. (2020). Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.

 Living at the cutting edge: Women’s experiences of protection orders. Volumes 1 & 2

Robertson, N., Busch, R., D'Souza, R., Lam Sheung, F., Anand, R., Balzer, R., Simpson, A., & Paina, D. (2007). Report prepared for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs by the Maori and Psychology Research Unit, University of Waikato: Kirikiriroa.

Rachel Smith's talk

Only a global movement can eradicate racism
Moana Maniapoto, eTangata, 5 July 2020

Edited transcript of interview with professor Angela Davis on Te Ao with Moana, Māori TV

 Finding the costs of freedom: How women and children rebuild their lives after domestic violence

Kelly, L., Sharp, N., & Klein, R. (2019). London: Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (London Metropolitan University) and Solace Women’s Aid.

 E Tū Wāhine, E Tū Whānau: Wāhine Māori keeping safe in unsafe relationships

Wilson, D., Mikahere-Hall, A., Sherwood, J., Cootes, K., Jackson, D. (2019). Auckland: Taupua Waiora Māori Research Centre.

 Resisting and transforming rape culture: An activist stance for therapeutic work with men who have used violence

Reynolds, V., (2014). The No To Violence Journal, Spring: 29-49.

See more articles by Vicki Reynolds

 Tallawah: A briefing paper on black and ‘minority ethnic’ women and girls organising to end violence against us

Larasi, M., & Jones, D. (2017). London: Imkaan.

 ‘Feeling ‘like a minority . . . a pathology’: Interpreting race from research with African and Caribbean women on violence and abuse’

Kanyeredzi, A. (2018). Qualitative Research, 19(4): 399-417.

 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

(A/HRC/35/21) 2017

 Self care to communities of care
Heath, T. (2019). TEDxMSUDenver.

 A Black feminist reflection on the antiviolence movement

Richie, B.E. (2008). In N. J. Sokoloff & C. Pratt (Eds.) Domestic violence at the margins: Readings on race, class, gender, and culture (pp. 50-55). Piscataway, NJ, US: Rutgers University Press. (Available for loan from the NZFVC library)

Janet Fanslow (host)

 The civic origins of progressive policy change: Combating violence against women in global perspective, 1975–2005

Htun, M. & Weldon, S.L. (2012). American Political Science Review, 106(3): 548-569.

This webinar was presented by Dr Neville Robertson and Rachel Smith on 9 July 2020.

Neville Robertson (BA MSoSc DipPsych(Community), PhD) is a Pākehā of Scottish descent and a registered community psychologist. He is currently in private practice in Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), having “retired” from the University of Waikato (although he still retains “Associate” status in the Māori and Psychology Research Unit). Over 35 years, he has undertaken various roles in the family violence sector as a facilitator of stopping violence programmes, trainer, advisor, researcher and evaluator. He has been much influenced by feminist scholarship and owes a huge debt to both Māori and non-Māori women colleagues and to the many women he, his colleagues and/or his students have interviewed over the years.

Rachel Smith has worked in the family violence sector across government, health and the voluntary sector in the UK and Aotearoa New Zealand. She has a Masters of Science in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Rachel spent seven years working for the Family Violence Death Review Committee. This experience gave her a privileged insight into the limitations of New Zealand's systemic response to family violence. She is currently Senior Manager of Professional Practice at Shine.

Rachel says: "Legislative reform in Aotearoa New Zealand has been focused on securing the physical safety of women and children. The uncomfortable reality is that many of our current safety responses to men’s violence against their female partners and their children are a serious mismatch for the ongoing transgressions of their person that victims experience.

The FVDRC presented the findings of their Sixth Report, ‘Men who use violence | Ngā tāne ka whakamahi i te whakarekereke.'

This report follows on from key findings and recommendations of previous reports, in that, to ensure victims’ safety, a significant focus on men who use violence is required. The report takes a life-course approach, seeking to understand the men’s life trajectory from birth to the family violence death event. It intentionally focuses on missed opportunities to change men’s development trajectory and the impact of their violent behaviour.

In this webinar, members of the Committee provided an overview of the findings of the report. In addition, contributions were provided from a lived experience perspective, and from NGO service providers to reflect on the implications of the report for service delivery, funding and capacity building within the sector. The recommendations of the report were also placed within the context of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Panelists

• Professor Jane Koziol-McLain, Chair of the Family Violence Death Review Committee
• Dr Fiona Cram, Chair of Ngā Pou Arawhenua, the Māori caucus to the mortality review committees
• Denis Grennell, Ngā Pou Arawhenua
• Patumoana Jeremy Eparaima, motivational speaker on the prevention of family violence
• Tim Marshall, Tauawhi Men's Centre
• Nicola Woodward, Be Company
• Dr Michael Roguski, Family Violence Death Review Committee

Download more information about the panelists.

Related resources

‍Sixth report | Te Pūrongo tuaono: Men who use violence | Ngā tāne ka whakamahi i te whakarekereke
Family Violence Death Review Committee (2020)

Professor Julia Tolmie has written a response to the Sixth Report Victims should be front and centre in the response to men using violence (2020), saying:

“Despite the many strengths of the report, however, I am concerned that it tackles only part of what is required to address men’s use of violence against their female partners and children. … The focus of the Sixth Report on restoration and rehabilitation in response to men’s help seeking provides little guidance to assist us to improve our responses to men who are using and are not currently committed to stopping using violence.”

This webinar was presented by the Family Violence Death Review Committee (FVDRC) on 5 May 2020.

A version of this webinar with NZSL interpreting is also available to view.

Related resources‍

Historical trauma and whānau violence‍

Leonie Pihama, Ngaropi Cameron and Rihi Te Nana (2019)
Issues Paper 15, New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse ‍

Te Taonga o taku Ngākau: Ancestral knowledge and the wellbeing of tamariki Māori‍

Leonie Pihama, Naomi Simmonds and Waikaremoana Waitoki (2019)
A kaupapa Māori research project that situates the wellbeing of tamariki (Māori children) within the context of well and thriving whānau.‍

Te Pūtake o te Riri (Facebook page)‍

Te Pūtake o Te Riri acknowledges and aims to raise awareness about the period between 1818 and 1881 when Taranaki was in conflict.

This webinar was presented by Professor Leonie Pihama on 31 October 2019

Presenter

Professor Leonie Pihama
Te Ātiawa, Ngā Māhanga a Tairi, Waikato
Leonie Pihama is a mother of six and a grandmother of three. Leonie is Professor of Māori Research at Ngā Wai A Te Tūī Research Institute, Unitec and Director of Māori and Indigenous Analysis Ltd, a kaupapa Māori research company. Leonie is a leading kaupapa Māori educator and researcher. She was a recipient of the Hohua Tūtengaehe Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (Health Research Council) and the inaugural Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga Senior Māori Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Washington. In 2015, Leonie was awarded the ‘Te Tohu Pae Tāwhiti Award’ (NZARE) for excellence in Māori Educational Research and as Director of Te Kotahi Research Institute accepted the ‘Te Tohu Rapuora Award (Health Research Council) to recognise significant contribution to Māori health excellence and leadership. Leonie has served on the Māori Health Committee for the Health Research council and on a number of key boards including Māori Television, Te Māngai Pāho, and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga.  Leonie is currently the Principal Investigator on three Health Research Council projects, ‘He Oranga Ngākau: Māori Approaches to Trauma Informed Care’, ‘Honour Project Aotearoa’, and ‘He Waka Eke Noa: Māori cultural frameworks for violence prevention and intervention’.

This seminar was held on 14 October 2019 at Tāmaki Campus, University of Auckland.

Related resources

The Expect Respect Educational Toolkit
Lesson plans for teachers on domestic violence, developed by Women's Aid for schools in England. Can also be used by other professionals working with children and young people in a variety of settings.

‍Change that lasts
An approach to working with survivors that "places the survivor at the heart and builds responses around her needs and the strengths and resources available to her." Includes infographics based on the true stories of survivors and the economic costs, contrasted with "what could have been" with a needs-led intervention. Developed by Women’s Aid in consultation with survivors.

‍LoveRespect
A website providing information about healthy and unhealthy relationships and abuse for young people. Developed by Women's Aid.

The 7 relationship red flags you need to know
Young Adult author Holly Bourne discusses 7 relationship red flags: "These kind of behaviours are not loving, they are controlling."

Supporting women and babies after domestic abuse
A toolkit designed for women working in specialist domestic abuse services who are working with pregnant women and women with very young children. Designed by Women’s Aid together with Sterling University.

Presenter

Amna Abdullatif is Children and Young People’s Officer, Women’s Aid, UK.

Amna led the Safer Futures project at Women’s Aid, which aims to promote and support the education of young people about domestic violence and healthy relationships. Safer Future introduces the Expect Respect toolkit for schools and teachers to enable them to talk about domestic violence with students.

Amna is a local politician in the UK, a campaigner and activist for women’s rights with interest in foreign policy and its impact on women, specifically the Middle East and North Africa. Amna currently runs trainings to support specialists working with pregnant women and children impacted by domestic abuse. She is a community psychologist who has worked with communities, children and women for over 14 years.

Amna shared her experiences and learnings from her work in the UK.

Amna was hosted in New Zealand by Presbyterian Support Northern.

This event was held on 20 March 2018 at Tāmaki Campus, University of Auckland.

Download the slides:
Elizabeth Sheehy (PDF, 255 KB)Deborah Mackenzie (PDF, 1.5 MB)

Further reading

Aotearoa New Zealand

Reports from the Backbone Collective:  

Report Two - Family Court Survey Report

Report Four - Seen And Not Heard: Children In The Family Court - Force

Catriona MacLennan: Family Court using discredited US theory, Newsroom, 14.08.2017  

International

Dallam, S. and Silberg, J. (2016). Recommended treatments for "parental alienation syndrome" (PAS) may cause children foreseeable and lasting psychological harm", Journal of Child Custody, 13(2-3), 134-143.

Dragiewicz, M. & Barkwell, C. (2016). Luke’s Place: An innovative program for assisting abused mothers post-separation. In M. Hannah and B. Goldstein (Eds.) Domestic violence, abuse, and child custody: Legal strategies and policy issues: Vol. II (§ 11:2-11:17). Kingston, NJ: Civic Research Institute.

Dragiewicz, M. (2014). Domestic Violence and Family Law: Criminological Concerns. International Journal For Crime, Justice And Social Democracy, 3(1), 121-134.

Dragiewicz, M. (2010). Gender bias in the courts: Implications for battered mothers and their children. In M. Hannah and B. Goldstein (Eds.) Domestic violence, abuse, and child custody: Legal strategies and policy issues (§ 5:1-5:18). Kingston, NJ: Civic Research Institute.

Meier, J. & Dickson, S. (2017). Mapping Gender: Shedding Empirical Light on Family Courts’ Treatment of Cases Involving Abuse and Alienation, 35 Law & Ineq. 311.

Meier, J. (2018). Mapping Gender: Shedding Empirical Light on Family Courts’ Treatment of Cases Involving Abuse and Alienation
(webinar hosted by BWJP)

Neilson, L (2018). Parental Alienation Empirical Analysis: Child Best Interests or Parental Rights? (Fredericton: Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research and Vancouver: The FREDA Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children)

Presenters

Professor Elizabeth Sheehy from the University of Ottawa is a Distinguished Visitor at the University of Auckland. She is an international expert on violence against women and women’s use of violence and the author of the award-winning book Defending Battered Women on Trial: Lessons from the Transcripts. In 2017 she received the Persons Award from the Governor General of Canada and, in 2018, the Order of Ontario from the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario for her advocacy for women’s equality in the criminal justice context over the course of her long and distinguished career.

Professor Sheehy shared her research results from examining how “parental alienation” is claimed and adjudicated in family court cases across Canada 2008-2017. She focused on how allegations of family violence and parental alienation intersect and the implications for women escaping male violence.

Deborah Mackenzie has worked for many years trying to improve New Zealand's system response to violence against women and children. She has worked in advocate roles and policy positions both in NGOs and within Government. Deborah has a special interest in the justice sector response to women survivors. Deborah has significant experience as a trainer, presenter and media commentator. She has a Master of Arts (Hons).

Deborah is a co-founder of the Backbone Collective which was launched in 2017 to enable women who have experienced violence and abuse to have their voices heard. Deborah shared what women have told the Backbone Collective about how “parental alienation” is being used against protective mothers in the New Zealand Family Court.

Catriona MacLennan is a barrister, journalist and researcher. She worked in the Press Gallery for six years as a political reporter and practised law in South Auckland for 14 years. Catriona worked extensively in family and domestic violence and has for the past 20 years advocated publicly and politically for action to eliminate domestic and sexual violence. Catriona helped set up Ngā Ture Kaitiaki ki Waikato Community Law Centre and was the Project Director for Ngā Tāngata Microfinance Trust. She is the founder of Wheels for Women, a project to provide cars to domestic violence survivors.

Catriona examined recent New Zealand High and Family Court cases referring to “parental alienation.” She also spoke about how the use of “parental alienation” is undermining attempts to tackle this country’s domestic violence epidemic.

Chair

Professor Julia Tolmie, Faculty of Law, University of Auckland.

This seminar was held on 30 November 2016 in Auckland at Tāmaki Campus, University of Auckland, and on 2 December 2016 in Wellington, hosted by Superu. The video recording is from the Wellington seminar.

Watch the video recording

Download the presentation (PDF, 2.3 MB)

In this seminar, Dr Devon Polaschek provides an overview of research on achieving positive change with people perpetrating family violence. She outlines the need for integrated safety-oriented system responses, including the range of long-term supports needed for perpetrators to achieve and maintain non-violence. The presentation concludes with suggestions for ways forward.

This presentation is based on the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse Issues Paper, Responding to perpetrators of family violence by Devon Polaschek (November 2016).

Presenter

Devon Polaschek, PhD DipClinPsyc, is a clinical psychologist and professor of criminal justice psychology at Victoria University of Wellington.

This seminar was presented on 27 June 2016 in Wellington, hosted by Superu, and on 29 June 2016 in Auckland at Tāmaki Campus, University of Auckland. The audio recording is from the Wellington seminar.

Download the presentation (PDF, 2.6 MB)

Typically, a constellation of risk factors combine to result in a person experiencing or perpetrating intimate partner violence (IPV). Individual, relationship, community, social and cultural factors work together to enhance or reduce the likelihood of violence being perpetrated or experienced. This presentation explores how risk and protective factors for intimate partner violence are identified. It discusses conceptual models that have guided exploration of risk and protective factors. Comprehensive, multipronged approaches are required to address IPV, aligned with a long-term investment in policy, infrastructure and communities. Such an approach also needs to be supported by an overall strategic government framework. Lessons can be learnt from addressing other social issues such as the road toll. Exposure to IPV (as well as child maltreatment and other forms of family violence) has significant and wide ranging effects. Addressing the risk factors for IPV has the potential to impact on health, social, educational and justice outcomes as well as on the experience of violence.

This seminar is presented by the authors of New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse Issues Paper 10, Understanding research on risk and protective factors for intimate partner violence, June 2016.

Presenters

Janet Fanslow, PhD is the Co-Director of the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse and Associate Professor, Social and Community Health in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland.

Pauline Gulliver, PhD is a Research Fellow in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland