New Zealand in need of a truly ‘family’ violence policy

“New Zealand does not have an enacted Family Violence policy, it has a ‘men’s violence to women policy’,” says AUT University Violence and Trauma Studies senior lecturer Warwick Pudney. ‘We have been bound to outdated programmes such as Duluth when there are many other ways of doing violence intervention that need investigation.’

Organiser of tomorrow's symposium Violence Prevention: Early Intervention and Therapy, Pudney says the emphasis needs to be on assisting families to be enskilled to live violence –free rather than assisting them to separate without resolution.

Keynote speaker Professor Jane Koziol-McLain, co-director of the Interdisciplinary Trauma Research Unit at AUT University, will look at the role of the healthcare system, and individual healthcare providers, in violence prevention. Koziol-McLain is currently carrying out an evaluation of hospital responsiveness to family violence, funded by the Ministry of Health.

Sir Paul Reeves will facilitate presentations by professionals who are having success in a variety of violence intervention programmes. These include Dr Kerry Gould’s work on Family Court education for separated parents, Liz Flaherty of the Tauranga Moana Restorative Justice Trust, Jim Van Rensburg  of the  Te Piriti Prison sex offender programme and Gabrielle Quirke, the founder of the Whakakotahitanga Family Violence Programme run out of Taumarunui Police Station,

Quirke says the Whakakohitanga domestic violence programme has had considerable success with more difficult family violence call-out couples in the district.

A selection of practitioners will describe improved engagement and group practice in working with men who have been violent, including AUT’s Dr Phil Carter who trains in psychodrama and experiential learning in offender programmes. 

Maori Party co-leader and Minister Tariana Turia will deliver her keynote address at 3pm.

Symposium on Violence Prevention: Early Intervention and Therapy

Friday 03 April

8am-5pm

AUT North Shore Campus, Akoranga Drive, Northcote

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