Hon Amy Adams

Minister of Justice

Hon Anne Tolley

Minister for Social Development

Hon Judith Collins

Minister of Police

10 August 2016
Waikato to host second site for extended family violence pilot

Ministers today confirmed Waikato would be the second site for the Integrated Safety Response pilot.

The pilot, also being run in Christchurch, brings together different agencies involved in family violence to support victims and their families in a daily safety assessment approach.

“We know family violence affects all parts of New Zealand society. Extending the pilot to Waikato provides us with an opportunity to assess how well the model works across a diverse population, including a higher proportion of rural and Māori communities,” says Justice Minister Amy Adams.

“Waikato was selected as a second site because of the strong Family Safe Network that operates locally, and a readiness from regional agencies to get up and running quickly. This is supported by strong leadership in the area,” says Social Development Minister Anne Tolley.

“Waikato Police received 10,000 family violence calls in 2015. This means we can test the pilot on a large volume and level of high-risk family violence victims,” says Police Minister Judith Collins.

The multi-agency Waikato project team will be made up of Justice, Police, Corrections, Health, Child, Youth and Family and specialist family violence NGOs and Māori service providers. The pilot will be up and running by early October.

The Integrated Safety Response pilot is a key initiative developed by the Ministerial Group on Family Violence and Sexual Violence Work Programme which is committed to reducing family violence and keeping victims safe. It aims to better support family violence victims by improving safety and stopping family violence escalating by intervening and identifying risks earlier.

More information can be found at: www.police.govt.nz/about-us/programmes-and-initiatives/integrated-safety-response-isr-pilot

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