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March 18, 2026
#regional: National family violence agency joins Te Hiku Iwi–Crown wellbeing partnership
Matthew Tukaki
Posted On March 18, 2026
A national agency focused on preventing family and sexual violence has joined a longstanding partnership between Te Hiku iwi and the Crown aimed at improving the wellbeing of whānau in Te Tai Tokerau.
The Centre for Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention has formally become a Crown agency partner in the Te Hiku o Te Ika Iwi–Crown Social Development and Wellbeing Accord, a framework established to support collaboration between government and iwi in addressing social and economic challenges in the Far North.
The Accord was first signed in 2013 as part of the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process and was later refreshed in 2018, with an addendum signed in 2020 allowing additional Crown agencies to join the partnership.
The agreement brings together Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Kuri alongside government agencies to pursue shared goals around social development and community wellbeing in Te Hiku o Te Ika.
The partnership focuses on a unified systems approach to tackling issues such as housing, employment, education and infrastructure, recognising that challenges facing whānau are interconnected and require coordinated responses across multiple sectors.
Family violence remains a major concern in the region. Data referenced in the national Te Aorerekura Action Plan shows Te Tai Tokerau sits in the highest band nationally for family violence investigations, with between 36 and 61 cases per 1,000 people recorded.
One of the key initiatives operating under the Accord is Whiria Te Muka, a kaupapa Māori-led partnership between Te Hiku iwi and New Zealand Police that works directly with whānau experiencing harm.
The initiative operates at the frontline of family harm responses in the Far North, coordinating services and supporting whānau through integrated approaches that bring together iwi leadership and government agencies.
Figures from the programme show that during the 2024–2025 year Whiria Te Muka responded to 1,475 family harm incidents involving nearly 2,500 individuals across the region, with almost half of the cases classified as high risk.
Supporters of the programme say these figures demonstrate both the scale of the challenge and the importance of locally led, place-based approaches to addressing violence within communities.
An independent analysis carried out by Business and Economic Research Limited found the programme generated significant social value. The study estimated that for every dollar invested in Whiria Te Muka, more than four dollars in social benefit were delivered to the community.
Based on just over five million dollars in government investment, the programme was calculated to have produced more than sixty million dollars in social value in the Far North over four years to June 2024.
The addition of the Centre for Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention to the Accord is intended to strengthen national coordination around the goals of Te Aorerekura, the country’s strategy to eliminate family violence and sexual violence.
The Accord now enters its thirteenth year of operation, continuing its work to improve outcomes for whānau, hapū and iwi across Te Hiku o Te Ika through a partnership model grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Leaders involved in the initiative say the collaboration reflects a long-term commitment between iwi and government agencies to support safer communities and stronger wellbeing outcomes for whānau in the Far North.
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