Vine Quick Reads: 5 June 2026

Vine Quick Reads: 5 June 2026

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

Consultation open on Legislation (Definition of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill

The Social Services and Community Select Committee is seeking public submission on the Legislation (Definition of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill. The bill would amend the Legislation Act 2019 by adding a definition of “woman” as “an adult human biological female” and of “man” as “an adult human biological male”, with corresponding definitions for “male” and “female”. For more, see Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission’s media release and Massey University Professor, Mohan Dutta’s opinion piece. The complete bill as well as instructions on how to make a submission are available at the top link above.

Consultation closes Thursday 2 July 2026.

Consultation open on bill to tighten benefit eligibility for young people

The Social Services and Community Select Committee is seeking public submissions on the Social Security (Jobseeker Support and Accommodation Supplement) Amendment Bill. The bill aims to:

• Tighten eligibility criteria for jobseeker support and the equivalent emergency benefit for young people aged 18 and 19, and for those aged 16 and 17 in some circumstances
• Targets the accommodation supplement more tightly to some homeowners.

The complete bill as well as instructions on how to make a submission are available at the link above. For more, see RNZ’s story.

Consultation closes Wednesday 10 June 2026.

Consultation open on Disability Support Services Bill

The Social Services and Community Select Committee is seeking public submissions on the Disability Support Services Bill. The bill’s proposed legislative framework for disability support services (DSS) would, among other things:

• clarify that responsibility for care of disabled people rests in the first instance with their family and whānau, where appropriate
• mitigate the Crown’s fiscal and litigation risks arising from, or related to, the Supreme Court case Fleming v Attorney-General [2025].

The complete bill as well as instructions on how to make a submission are available at the link above.

Consultation closes Friday 12 June 2026.

Sexual Violence Workforce Capability Frameworks released

The Centre for Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention have released the Sexual Violence Workforce Capability Frameworks (2026). The Capability Frameworks set out guidelines and benchmarks for a shared language and understanding for sexual violence workers and organisations. The document contains:

• Information on understanding sexual violence workforce capability
• The Sexual Violence Organisational Standards
• The Sexual Violence Essential to Expert Workforce Capability Framework

A Companion Guide has also been released.

Consultation open on Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill

The Justice Select Committee is seeking public submissions on the Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill. The bill would give new powers to Police to ‘move-on’ people aged 14 and older engaging in disorderly or criminal, and sometimes criminal, behaviour, especially around retail and hospitality premises. Disorderly or disruptive behaviour includes unreasonably obstructing entry to a trade or business, breaching the peace, begging, rough sleeping, or indicating an intent to inhabit a public place. The complete bill as well as instructions on how to make a submission are available at the link above. For more, see Justice and Police Ministers’ joint media release, Hāpai te Hauora’s media release, The Herald and Waatea News.

Consultation closes Thursday 3 July 2026.

New stalking law now in force, implementation factsheets released

The Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment Act 2025 came into force in May 2026. Te Tāhū o Te Ture | Ministry of Justice has released two factsheets on the new law: Stalking and harassment law: "Information for organisations working with victim-survivors" and "Information for people affected by stalking and harassment".

2025 Transparency Report: Digital Child Exploitation released

Te Tari Taiwhenua | Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) have released their 2025 Transparency Report: Digital Child Exploitation. The report provides an overview of the online child sexual exploitation landscape in Aotearoa, sharing key data and insights on referral volumes, investigations, the digital child exploitation filtering systems, our international footprint, and prevention and education activities. For more, see DIA’s press release, Online child exploitation reports linked to NZ up 29%, or RNZ’s coverage, AI-generated imagery part of boom in online child exploitation.