Political parties responding to concerns raised by
frontline family violence and sexual violence services have
acknowledged significant pressures facing victim-survivors
but differ substantially on how those challenges should be
addressed, according to responses released today by
Aviva.
The responses were sought by Aviva following
feedback from frontline kaimahi about increasing barriers to
safety, support and justice, including police
responsiveness, justice system delays, housing insecurity,
access to sexual violence support, cost of living pressures
and the sustainability of specialist
services.
Responses were received from the Labour
Party, Green Party, Te Pāti Māori, National Party, The
Opportunity Party and New Zealand First. ACT New Zealand and
The Alliance did not respond.
Aviva Chief Executive
Jane Cartwright said the responses demonstrate that family
violence and sexual violence remain major issues ahead of
the election, while also highlighting significant
differences in priorities and proposed
solutions.
“Frontline services are reporting the
impact of system pressures every day. What these responses
show is that there is broad recognition of the challenges,
but different views about what should happen
next.”
Several parties highlighted concerns about
under-resourced services, justice delays, housing
affordability and the need for violence prevention, while
proposing different approaches to achieving
change.
The responses revealed particularly clear
differences around prevention education. Both the Green
Party and The Opportunity Party supported stronger
relationship and consent education in schools, while New
Zealand First emphasised that relationship and sex education
should primarily begin at home with limited school
involvement.
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Parties also differed on the role of
income support and wider social policy in reducing violence.
The Green Party linked violence prevention to housing,
income and social wellbeing measures, while other parties
focused more heavily on criminal justice responses, victim
protections or targeted service investments.
One of
the strongest points of difference was coercive control. The
Green Party explicitly committed to criminalising coercive
control, New Zealand First indicated support for exploring a
standalone offence, while several other parties said their
positions were still under development or depended on
further evidence and consultation.
Parties also
outlined varying approaches to strengthening specialist
services. Responses ranged from commitments to flexible,
multi-year funding and greater community leadership through
to social investment approaches, reduced compliance
requirements and increased funding for proven service
providers.
“People experiencing violence deserve to
know where political parties stand on issues that directly
affect their safety, recovery and access to support. The
differences in these responses matter because policy
decisions shape what help is available when people need it
most.”
Aviva emphasises that the publication is
non-partisan and is intended to support transparency and
informed public discussion rather than endorse any political
party.
The full responses have been published to allow
voters, community organisations, sector leaders and people
with lived experience to review each party’s position in its
entirety.
“Family violence and sexual violence affect
communities across Aotearoa. We encourage people to read the
responses, consider the issues, and engage with the
conversation about what is needed to improve safety,
accountability, prevention and support.”
The full
report is available on the Aviva website: aviva.org.nz/election26
About
Aviva
Aviva has more than 50 years of specialist
knowledge, relationships, and mana within Aotearoa New
Zealand’s family violence and sexual violence sector.
Founded in 1973 as Christchurch Women’s Refuge, the first
refuge in New Zealand, Aviva helped create the foundations
for a national movement of protection, advocacy, and social
change. Since becoming Aviva in 2013, the organisation’s
mahi has continued to evolve beyond crisis response to
include prevention, early intervention, sexual violence
support, safety planning, advocacy, and work with people of
all ages and genders who are affected by violence. Today,
Aviva works across Canterbury, from Ashburton to Kaikōura,
alongside tāngata whaiora, tamariki, whānau, communities,
and sector partners.
Aviva’s advocacy is grounded in
what tāngata whaiora and frontline kaimahi tell us about
the systems they are navigating every day, and in
collaboration with others across the sector to strengthen
outcomes for the people supported. Aviva sees how policy
settings, funding decisions, service thresholds, and delays
affect people’s safety, recovery, and long-term
wellbeing.
A briefing document titled Tāngata
Whaiora Experiences of Government Policy and System
Change reflects those shared experiences and sought
clear responses from political parties and portfolio holders
about the policies and practical changes they would make to
better support tāngata whaiora, tamariki, whānau, and
communities to live free from
violence.
