Women's Refuge

MSD currently funds women’s refuges across Aotearoa New Zealand to provide family violence services and crisis support for women and their tamariki.   

Women’s Refuges deliver 24-hour crisis response, safe housing, community response services, advocacy and practical help to rebuild safety and stability. As such, refuges play a central role in the wider family violence response system and in keeping women and tamariki safe. 

MSD-funded women’s refuges are either affiliated to the National Collective of Independent National Women’s Refuges (NCIWR) or they are independent women’s refuges. 

Budget 2020

Through Budget 2020, MSD received $183m to invest in specialist services for people impacted by family violence.  MSD has more than doubled its funding for women’s refuges based on a costing model for specialist refuge service delivery.

National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges (NCIWR) and the Partnership Outcome Agreement

NCIWR is the national body for Women’s Refuge and is recognised as a leading family violence response provider in Aotearoa New Zealand.

They sub-contract member refuges who deliver services to approximately 18,000 people every year.

In late 2022, MSD and NCIWR entered into an eight-year Partnership Outcome Agreement that established a longer-term strategic partnership between MSD and NCIWR. The agreement provides a framework for joint planning, shared accountability, continuous improvement and strengthening safe, accessible and integrated specialist refuge responses for wāhine, tamariki and whānau experiencing family violence.

Independent Women’s Refuges

MSD also funds and works directly with a small number of independent refuges.  The independent refuges deliver specialist family violence refuge services within their local communities, including kaupapa Māori, ethnic and migrant specific responses.

Future state of women’s refuge service

New Women’s Refuge Service Guidelines 

MSD is drafting new Women’s Refuge Service Guidelines, informed by the long-standing expertise of refuges delivering specialist family violence responses.  MSD will consult with refuges on the draft Guidelines before they are finalised to ensure they reflect operational practice, are workable for refuges, and strengthen safe specialist family violence responses across the refuge sector. 

Child Advocates

MSD also has a Child Advocates programme in a small number of women’s refuges. This is in response to growing evidence of the impacts of family violence on tamariki.

See here for further information: