Budget funding for prevention work

In Budget 2019, the Government increased its investment in three innovative MSD initiatives that are working to prevent family violence by changing the attitudes, beliefs, norms and behaviours that sustain violence, and by supporting community-led responses.

These initiatives are:

• E Tū Whānau – a kaupapa Māori initiative to positively change behaviour, attitudes and norms as a means to improve wellbeing and reduce family violence. E Tū Whānau also works with refugee and migrant communities as they value the strength-based approach and the focus on increasing wellbeing.
• Pasefika Proud – a social change initiative grounded in Pacific values, that works with the eight key Pacific nationalities in New Zealand in order to prevent family violence.
• The Campaign for Action on Family Violence – which includes the current It’s not OK campaign, refocused on supporting positive behaviour change for men using violence, and a new campaign focused on safe relationships for young people.

MSD’s approach is evidence informed, culturally responsive and relevant to the New Zealand context. The strength of each initiative is that they invite communities to take ownership and create solutions that work for them.

This investment will enable us to scale up, strengthen and further evaluate what is working well and making a positive difference for families and communities across New Zealand.

Funding for specific initiatives

The Budget investment will enable us to:

• increase the number of partnerships with iwi and communities, and increase the depth and penetration of current partnerships
• respond to the need in regions that currently have no investment, and to change-ready communities (Kiribati and Tuvalu for instance)
• develop new communications, including TV advertising, and digital and social media campaign strategies for It’s not OK – specifically focusing on changing the behaviour of men using violence
• develop a new campaign focussed on safe and respectful relationships for young people, including countering the impacts of pornography
• carry out formative research, testing and evaluation.

Breakdown of new funding

The table below provides a breakdown of the new funding.