Part 3: Working together to understand people's needs

3.1
In this Part, we discuss:

• the extent that Te Puna Aonui agencies, tangata whenua, and community partners share an understanding of family violence, sexual violence, and the need for systemic change; and
• the progress that Te Puna Aonui agencies have made in understanding the needs of people affected by violence.

3.2
We expected Te Puna Aonui agencies, tangata whenua, and community partners to be developing a collective understanding of:

• the problems of family violence and sexual violence; and
• the needs of those affected by family violence and sexual violence.

Summary of findings

3.3
Te Aorerekura includes definitions of family violence and sexual violence that Te Puna Aonui agencies, tangata whenua, and community partners increasingly share. The definitions were developed through extensive engagement with different groups, communities, and organisations and were well supported by those we spoke to.

3.4
The process of completing Te Aorerekura was challenging for some community representatives. The business unit of Te Puna Aonui is carrying out work to address some of the concerns about the process that people raised.

3.5
Te Puna Aonui agencies are also doing work to better understand the needs of people affected by family violence and sexual violence. The agencies could strengthen this work by developing stronger relationships with tangata whenua and community partners.

3.6
Te Puna Aonui agencies could form more direct connections with people who have lived experience of family violence and sexual violence that are safe, fit for purpose, and not re-triggering for those people. This would improve agencies' understanding of people's needs.

Te Aorerekura represents a shared understanding of family violence and sexual violence

Te Aorerekura clearly defines family violence and sexual violence, describes the drivers of violence, and sets out the system changes needed to address them

3.7
Te Aorerekura provides clear definitions of family violence and sexual violence. It describes the nature of family violence and sexual violence, the drivers of violence, the connection to the well-being of people, families, and whānau, and the need to widen the focus of responses to include prevention and long-term healing.

3.8
Te Aorerekura also demonstrates an understanding of the power structures that perpetuate violence and how they affect different communities and groups.

3.9
Te Aorerekura is based on 20 years of reports and research into family violence and sexual violence, and the needs of affected individuals, whānau, families, and communities. At the same time, it states that more work needs to be done to understand different communities' experiences of family violence and sexual violence.

3.10
Completing Te Aorerekura was a challenging process for all involved. The business unit of Te Puna Aonui engaged extensively with tangata whenua and specific groups (including Pasifika, LGBTQIA+ people, older people and kaumatua, survivors of family violence and sexual violence, people who use violence, and ethnic, migrant, and former refugee communities). The business unit of Te Puna Aonui also engaged with organisations that work to address family violence and sexual violence.

3.11
Community representatives we spoke to recognised and appreciated that tangata whenua and communities were engaged with, and included in, the process of finalising Te Aorerekura.

3.12
We heard positive feedback from some tangata whenua representatives about the process for completing Te Aorerekura.

3.13
People we spoke to supported Te Aorerekura and the understanding of family violence and sexual violence it sets out. We also heard support for how Te Aorerekura focuses on the broader well-being of individuals, whānau, families, and communities. Te Aorerekura identifies housing, health, income, and food security as determinants of well-being.

More could have been done to ensure that the process for completing Te Aorerekura supported the development of partnerships with communities

3.14
Some people we spoke to felt that the process of completing Te Aorerekura was dominated by government agencies' aims rather than based on a commitment to partnership.

3.15
We heard that community partners felt that their involvement was rushed and that government officials did not always appreciate the work involved in accurately representing their communities' views.

3.16
Some did not feel that their community's experiences of family violence and sexual violence were reflected enough in Te Aorerekura. Others were concerned that groups purporting to speak for their community did not have the necessary knowledge or expertise in family violence and sexual violence.

3.17
Creating trust between government agencies, tangata whenua, and community partners is a foundational aspect of Te Aorerekura. It was clear to us that some people we spoke to did not have much trust in government and that the process of preparing Te Aorerekura had not improved this trust.

3.18
It is important to create trust so it can support a partnership approach to achieving various aspects of the Te Aorerekura action plan. As we discuss in paragraph 3.56, officials in the business unit of Te Puna Aonui are working with community partners to develop a partnership approach for future work.

3.19
This is an opportunity for the business unit of Te Puna Aonui to improve its future work with communities. It also presents an opportunity for Te Puna Aonui agencies to gain further insight into what a partnership approach to working with communities could involve.

Te Puna Aonui agencies could improve their understanding of people's needs by incorporating communities' knowledge and experience

The family violence and sexual violence response system does not serve all communities well

3.20
Te Aorerekura is about building a better system for preventing, detecting, and responding to family violence and sexual violence, and supporting the long-term healing of those affected by it. This involves establishing a shared view of the system's current state, what needs to be done differently, what more is needed, and how tangata whenua, government agencies, and community partners can work together to make all this happen.

3.21
We began our audit about six months after Te Aorerekura launched. We were interested in how Te Puna Aonui agencies are improving their understanding of what people affected by family violence and sexual violence need.

3.22
Much of the work we saw at a national and local level is driven by the understanding that current responses do not serve some communities well. A particular focus for many people we spoke to was how accessible responses are.

3.23
Ensuring that people can access responses is a significant and complex task. It involves understanding the multiple and diverse characteristics of the individuals, families, and whānau who seek help (for example, their cultural identity, language skills, gender, age, and whether they have a disability). It also involves understanding their needs and preferences for how responses are provided.

3.24
Te Puna Aonui agencies are developing responses to meet the needs of Māori communities. For example, the Ministry of Justice noted the need to engage more kaupapa Māori community partners in some regions. Te Puna Aonui agencies are also carrying out work to develop whānau-centred responses and other ways of meeting the needs of Māori communities (see paragraphs 4.16-4.23).

3.25
People from a range of Te Puna Aonui agencies at the national and local level acknowledged the clear need for responses that better support disabled people.

3.26
Community advocates and staff in some Te Puna Aonui agencies also identified a lack of responses for men who are affected by violence. Some agencies identified the need to develop responses that are more sensitive to the needs of LGBTQIA+ people, older people, and immigrant communities.

Te Puna Aonui agencies are working to better understand needs

3.27
Several Te Puna Aonui agencies are doing work to better understand the needs of different communities.

3.28
The Ministry of Social Development is leading work to better understand and "map" the system for responding to family violence and sexual violence, which responses are being funded, and which communities and needs are under-served by current responses.

3.29
ACC is doing work to better understand the needs of people affected by sexual violence. This involves understanding how people come into and out of their services and creating a better understanding of when and how people seek help.

3.30
ACC has refreshed its customer advisory panel on sexual violence. This panel comprises representatives from organisations that provide responses to sexual violence and also those who advocate for the rights of survivors.

3.31
Engagement between ACC and the panel has improved. The panel members are engaged earlier in work to improve the sexual violence responses that are available through ACC.

3.32
The Ministry of Justice is working to understand the needs of people engaged in the court process – in particular, how people's situations affect how they are able to engage with the court process and in mandated non-violence programmes. The Ministry of Justice is also working to understand their wider needs and how to better connect them to the social services they might need.

3.33
We also saw evidence of Ara Poutama Aotearoa Department of Corrections doing work to better understand the experiences and needs of Māori in the corrections system. This involves applying a te ao Māori lens to the development of new programmes aimed at working specifically with Māori offenders.

3.34
The Police worked with an independent organisation to carry out a survey about how the Police responded to women, transgender people, and non-binary people who have been affected by family violence and sexual violence.

3.35
Some collaborative work is also under way. People who experience sexual violence can access immediate crisis support through agencies that the Ministry of Social Development funds. The Ministry of Social Development and ACC worked together to better understand how the transition between crisis support and ACC-funded services works. This included how clients access both services and how the agencies could bridge any gaps people may experience between immediate crisis support and longer-term support.

Local initiatives support greater collaboration to understand peoples' needs

3.36
Each of the local initiatives we looked at encourage collaboration between Te Puna Aonui agencies, tangata whenua, and community partners. Those involved in these collaborations are improving their collective understanding of what is needed for responses to work well.

3.37
The local initiatives we looked at are all unique in the scope of their work and their approach to working between agencies and with tangata whenua and community partners. Each initiative involves Safety Assessment Meetings (commonly referred to as SAM tables).

3.38
SAM tables bring together government agencies and community partners to discuss the needs of families and whānau who are the subject of reports of Police callouts for family violence. This includes staff from ACC, Ara Poutama Aotearoa Department of Corrections, the Ministry of Education, Oranga Tamariki, the Police, and Te Whatu Ora.

3.39
Bringing these groups together provides a broader range of knowledge about the needs of individuals, families, and whānau. This allows for more effective and holistic risk assessment, safety planning, and referrals for whānau and families needing support.

Te Puna Aonui agencies could improve their understanding of the experiences of tangata whenua, community partners, and local initiatives

3.40
Te Puna Aonui agencies could do more to incorporate communities' knowledge and experience in their work. This would help them to better understand the needs of those affected by family violence and sexual violence.

3.41
Some concerns we heard are similar to concerns about the process of completing Te Aorerekura. For example, we heard that engaging with staff from Te Puna Aonui agencies, especially staff in national offices, is inconsistent and focuses on the agency's priorities.

3.42
Some people told us that Te Puna Aonui agencies determine the time frames for work and that this has led to some in the community feeling that their work with the agencies was rushed. Others were concerned that, although the agencies ask for community input, they often disregard it.

3.43
In our view, Te Puna Aonui agencies need to build trust with tangata whenua and community partners to support the partnership approach described in Te Aorerekura. We recognise that building trust means that Te Puna Aonui agencies need to form new or different relationships with tangata whenua and community partners and that this takes time.

3.44
We saw examples of Te Puna Aonui agencies prioritising their relationships. The local initiatives we looked at also provided examples of agencies seeking to build relationships with tangata whenua and community partners.

3.45
There are opportunities for Te Puna Aonui agencies to learn from these examples and apply lessons about how to develop a partnership approach. However, we did not see Te Puna Aonui agencies taking these opportunities.

Te Puna Aonui agencies need to listen to people who have been affected by violence

3.46
Te Puna Aonui agencies could improve their understanding of people's needs by making better connections with people affected by family violence and sexual violence.

3.47
Because community partners work directly with individuals, families, and whānau, they are often relied on to represent the experiences of people affected by family violence and sexual violence. However, the extent that they can speak to those experiences has limits. This is especially the case for people who, for whatever reason, do not engage with the organisations providing responses.

3.48
Research has shown that some people affected by family violence and sexual violence do not seek help from non-government organisations or government agencies. For example, a 2020 survey funded by the Ministry of Social Development found that more than half of women affected by family violence were too scared to talk about the abuse and that 37% did not feel safe seeking support. Research has also shown that people sometimes rely on informal community networks for support.

3.49
Practical barriers also prevent some people from accessing help. For example, we were told that, for the most part, refuges and other responses are not accessible for people with physical disabilities.

3.50
Understanding the experiences of people affected by family violence and sexual violence, including their reasons for not seeking or accessing help from non-government organisations and government agencies, is important to developing appropriate support to assist them.

3.51
We acknowledge that Te Puna Aonui agencies need to be careful about engaging with people who have been affected by or who use violence. Agencies have a duty of care and ethical responsibility to ensure that engagement is safe, fit for purpose, and not re-triggering.

3.52
Engaging safely and sensitively needs skills and experience that agencies might not have. This was a concern of some staff in Te Puna Aonui agencies.

3.53
We also acknowledge that some Te Puna Aonui agencies are finding ways to engage with communities, whānau, families, and individuals affected by violence more directly. ACC told us that it has engaged with client advocates about the future design of its integrated service for sensitive claims.

3.54
When responding to our findings, the Ministry of Social Development told us that it has commissioned work to explore the help-seeking behaviours of men who use violence and who are not currently accessing family violence services. The Ministry has also engaged with young people when designing a violence prevention campaign for young people called Love Better.

3.55
Oranga Tamariki has Engagement Principles and Guidance that support safe, sensitive, and respectful engagement with tamariki and rangatahi in care. It told us that it used this engagement to influence its policy, practice, and systems development.

3.56
The business unit of Te Puna Aonui told us that it is also working to develop enduring mechanisms for different communities to guide the Government's work programme and monitor the implementation of Te Aorerekura. Communities covered by this work include tangata whenua, LGBTQIA+ people, ethnic communities, Pacific peoples, disabled people, older people, children and young people, victims and survivors, and users of violence.

3.57
In our view, this work provides an opportunity for Te Puna Aonui agencies to find safe and sensitive ways to engage with those directly affected by family violence and sexual violence.