Vine Quick Reads: 27 February 2026

Vine Quick Reads: 27 February 2026

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

This week we are also launching our new ‘Spotlight On’ feature. Each week for the next few months the Spotlight will shine on a different area of our website. We hope you will take a moment to learn more about the resources available through our mahi at Vine.

Consultation open on Government’s report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

The Government is seeking feedback on a draft report to the UN Human Rights Committee. The report, the seventh report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), describes new measures adopted by the New Zealand government to give effect to the ICCPR. This includes information about measures to address family violence. Submissions close 19 March 2026.

For more on the intersection of civil and political rights and family violence, see Femicide: deaths resulting from gender-based violence in Aotearoa New Zealand | Kōhuru Wahine: nā te ririhau ā-ira i te whenua o Aotearoa (2025).

New study on prediction of lethal and near-lethal family and intimate partner violence

The Journal of Family Violence has published a new open access article: The Limits of Predicting Near Lethal and Lethal Family and Intimate Partner Violence (2026). The study evaluates the effectiveness of the Victorian Police’s IPV predictive model and 12 widely recognised risk factors of male-to-female IPV. For a summary, see The Conversation: Can we predict domestic homicide? New research suggests we can’t.

New protections for victims of litigation abuse come into force

The Victims of Family Violence (Strengthening Legal Protections) Legislation Act 2025 is now in force. The Act gives courts dealing with family proceedings new powers to combat litigation abuse. Litigation abuse involves someone using legal processes to harass, control or maintain unwanted contact with another party.

People’s select committee on pay equity release their findings

The People's Select Committee on Pay Equity have released their inquiry into the Pay Equity Amendment Act 2025. The inquiry was undertaken by a group of former Members of Parliament across the political spectrum in response to the passing of the Equal Pay Amendment Act 2025 under urgency, bypassing opportunities for public consultation. For more, see The Conversation: The work women do has changed. The case for pay equity in NZ hasn’t. The People’s Select Committee have also compiled a timeline of pay equity in Aotearoa.

Netsafe’s annual survey reveals unwanted digital communications frequently disrupt daily life

Netsafe have recently released their 2025 Annual Survey report, which includes findings on keeping safe online, awareness of rights and options, access to support services, perpetrators of online harm, and reporting harmful content. It highlights that a significant number of people report negative disruptions to their daily life as a result of unwanted digital communications.

Human Rights Monitor publishes Government response to UN CEDAW report

New Zealand’s response to the UN’s ninth periodic report under the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has been published on the Human Rights Monitor. The response, agreed to by Cabinet last year, includes 62 recommendations and 49 actions. The Human Rights Monitor is an online tool administered by the Ministry of Justice that records recommendations made to New Zealand from different UN human rights mechanisms and tracks the actions being taken by the Government in response.