Vine Quick Reads: 20 February 2026

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

Second round of Social Investment Fund now open

The second round of the Social Investment Fund is now open for investment applications. Applicants will first submit a Registration of Interest (ROI). Shortlisted applicants from the ROI will then be invited to submit a more detailed proposal. Applicants will need to demonstrate that their proposals will focus on one or more of the following priority groups:

Mothers who experience harm from substance use, and their children, from pregnancy up to age five – New priority group
Children whose parent(s) are currently or have recently been in prison
Children of parent(s) who experienced the care system
Children that were stood down or suspended from school when they were 12 or younger

The priority outcomes are improved health, greater safety, ensuring stable and secure housing, improving knowledge and skills, growing income and wealth, and supporting people into work. More information on the application process is available at the link above. For further questions, contact the Fund at info@sia.govt.nz. ROI submissions are due by midday, Tuesday 10 March 2026.

New literature review released by Oranga Tamariki looks at services for disabled young people at risk of coming to OT attention

Oranga Tamariki has released the following literature review: Prevention of Harm and the Cultivation of Wellbeing: Tamariki, Rakatahi, and Mātua Whaikaha (2024). The review, undertaken by the Donald Beasley Institute, focussed on six key questions exploring the definition of prevention, promising initiatives, current gaps, service improvements, and strategies for preventing disabled young people from engaging with care and protection/youth justice services. For an overview of the key findings, see Oranga Tamariki’s website.

New UNICEF report: Guidance on AI and children (2025)

UNICEF has published Guidance on AI and children: updated guidance for governments and businesses to create AI policies and systems that uphold children’s rights (2025). This updated guidance was prompted by the rapid advances in and uptake of AI technologies and the risks and opportunities they present. They raise concerns regarding the development and use of generative AI and AI companions, AI-generated child sexual abuse material, and non-consensual intimate images.

Two new reports on the death of Malachi Rain Subecz

The Coroners Court Auckland | Te Kōti Kaitirotiro Matewhawhati has released their report, An inquiry into the death of Malachi Rain Subecz (2026). The report establishes the cause and circumstances of Malachi’s death and makes recommendations and comments for the purpose of preventing similar deaths from occuring in the future. For media coverage, see RNZ's 'Victim of unspeakable cruelty and deliberate evil': Coroner's findings on Malachi Subecz death. The Independent Children's Monitor | Aroturuki Tamariki have also released their second review of the implementation of the recommendations of Dame Karen Poutasi. See RNZ's, Children still no safer than when Malachi Subecz was murdered - latest report.

New report on media literacy and digital resilience for young people

Netsafe and AUT’s TOROA Centre for Communication Research have published Digital Resilience Research Report 2025-2026 (2026). The project worked with secondary school students to explore their everyday experiences of online risk, information credibility, and digital pressure, and to examine how media literacy messages are received when young people are involved in their design. Netsafe have also released their Scam Update January 2026 which shows an almost 24% increase in cases of sextortion from the month prior.