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The latest report on family violence deaths in Aotearoa New Zealand highlights a whole-of-whānau approach taken by Māori organisations as contributing to a reduction in the proportion of family violence deaths occurring in Māori whānau.
Provisional data from the Family Violence Death Review Committee shows Māori accounted for 44 percent of family violence deaths, between 2009 and 2019, but this dropped to 23 percent in 2021.
Between 2009 and 2019 there were 292 deaths from intimate partner violence, child abuse and neglect or intra-familial violence.
Committee chair Dr Fiona Cram says Māori community organisations are leading the way and their approach can show others how to form genuine, respectful relationships.
The committee’s seventh report, A duty to care – Pūrongo tuawhitu: Me manaaki te tangata, highlights the work of three kaupapa Māori organisations that are embedding a duty to care for their people, resulting in less risk of unseen victims and more opportunities for families and whānau to guide service delivery.
Dr Cram says in contrast, some government institutions are yet to move.
She says upholding a societal duty of care could have prevented many of deaths from family violence.
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