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Labour leader David Cunliffe says developing cultural competency within service agencies will be an important step in addressing family violence.
Mr Cunliffe has promised a $60 million campaign to eliminate violence, with responsibility for the programme being taken by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
He says it’s not an issue that is unique to any particular culture or community, but it’s something all communities need to address, including Maori.
"I believe there’s a place for Maori to take a really hard look and see what can be done to assist and for those providing assistance from outside, whether it is education or support services, or the operation of our police as the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, these all have to have cultural competency and get alongside people in terms of where they are at and where their whanau is at," Mr Cunliffe says.
Only about 1 percent of rape cases result in conviction, so there may need to be a review of prosecution guidelines to ensure police appropriately and consistently arrest and charge offenders.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH DAVID CUNLIFFE CLICK ON THE LINK
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