October 04, 2021
Better funding for Māori anti-sexual violence rōpū
Māori providers working to prevent and address sexual violence are set for a big boost thanks to an Accident Compensation Corporation initiative.
The ACC has $45 over four years to establish a sexual violence primary prevention system, with $11.7 million of that pūtea earmarked for kaupapa Māori programmes.
Associate Minister Willie Jackson says there is overwhelming evidence sexual violence is preventable.
He says historically the organisation hasn’t been good at meeting the needs of Māori, so he’s insisting it looks for culturally appropriate ways to respond and works with rōpū with proven track records in the field.
“Te Whāriki Whakapau, who made some real criticism of some of the funding going out from ACC and they wanted it more specific for our kids and kura. We have groups like Te Kaha o te Rangatahi out in Manurewa who have been doing the business. We need to have pūtea designed for them because they have been living off the smell of an oily rag,” Mr Jackson says.