March 16, 2022
Family violence court needed nationwide
An Auckland district court judge wants to see innovations in the Tāmaki Makaurau family violence court rolled out around the country.
Grant Fraser says the court, which incorporates therapeutic and tikanga Māori approaches including starting the day with karakia and waiata, is proving to be extraordinarily successful.
It has fostered a number of culturally-relevant stop violence programmes it can refer offenders and victims to, and it also has a staff member whose job is to connect whānau and iwi.
“If you’re in one of the seven or eight family violence courts, to some extent you get the service being offered in Tāmaki Makaurau. If you’re outside of those courts you don’t. You just get the mainstream response which at this time, in my view, doesn’t meet the requirements of offenders of victims of family violence,” Judge Fraser says.
He says the cost of rolling out the programme nationally is insignificant compared to the ongoing cost of family violence to Aotearoa.