Vine Quick Reads: 17 April 2025

Vine Quick Reads: 17 April 2025

Welcome to our Quick Reads format. Each week we share selected news bites relevant to family violence and sexual violence in Aotearoa.

Ministry of Justice has opened the Proceeds of Crime Fund for applications

Te Tāhū o te Ture | Ministry of Justice has opened the Proceeds of Crime Fund for new applications. Applications are due 1 May 2025, with a second funding round proposed for October 2025. The purpose of the Fund is to provide a range of targeted interventions that reduce violent crime. Applications must be submitted by one of the named public service or non-public service organisations. However, if your organisation isn’t on this list, you can partner with an eligible agency to submit your proposal. The Fund webpage contains information on how to make an application.

Pharmac proposal to make it easier to access IUD contraceptives, Mirena and Jaydess

Te Pātaka Whaioranga | Pharmac is consulting on a proposal to increase the accessibility of long-acting contraceptives. Consultation closes Friday 25 April 2024. Pharmac are proposing to make Mirena and Jaydess available in clinics, eliminating the need for people to collect them from pharmacies before their appointments. The proposal also seeks to increase the clinic stocks of Jadelle, another form of long-acting reversible contraceptive placed under the skin in the upper arm.

Annual Report on The Child and Youth Strategy/the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy and the Child Poverty Related Indicators

The Annual report on the Child and Youth Strategy/the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy and the child poverty related indicators: July 2023 to June 2024 (2025) sets out the progress made towards the outcomes in both strategies. This report also covers progress on the Child Poverty Related Indicators, which measure the broader causes, correlates, and consequences of child poverty. For more information, see RNZ’s story, Annual report finds more NZ kids living in material hardship than last year. Mana Mokopuna | Children and Young People’s Commissioner has also released their response to the report.

New resources on family violence and sexual violence in NZSL

Deaf Aotearoa | Tāngata Turi has partnered with VisAble to create a library of NZSL videos on sexual violence and family violence to combat the lack of information in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) both online and within services. These cover the types of abuse that can be experienced, including coercion and threats, emotional abuse, economic abuse, and sexual abuse, alongside 7 others.

New research on harassment of female politicians in Aotearoa

A new open-access article has been published: Misogyny, racism, and threats to our families: a qualitative study of harassment of female politicians (2025). This qualitative study explores the experiences and impacts of harassment among female Members of Parliament in Aotearoa. Read RNZ’s coverage for a summary of the research findings.

New report on young people’s perception of #MeToo

Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington have published #MeToo: A Cultural Shift? Young people, social media and sexual harassment (2025) that explores young people’s perspectives on #MeToo. This report outlines key findings from a three-year qualitative research project which explored ways young people engage with, understand, and respond to sexual harassment social media content.