Love Better youth campaign (phase two, Love Creep)

Love Better is a primary prevention campaign aimed at fostering safe, positive, and equal relationships. It is a whole-of-population campaign that aims to disrupt and/or shift harmful discourses and behaviours around relationships that are universal and affect all young people.

Phase two of Love Better was developed using research and evaluation, including research that shows young people in New Zealand are three times more likely than the general population to be victims of coercive control. You can read more about the overall Love Better campaign approach:

Evaluative Love Better research showed 68% of participants had experienced controlling behaviours but are often not able to discern between ‘poor behaviour’ and the pattern of behaviours that we call coercive control.

Research indicated that young people wanted and needed to know what this sounds like, feels like, looks like.

"Love Creep"

Phase Two, “Love Creep”, aims to:

• Shift perceptions of controlling behaviour so people can see what it really looks like by providing alternative viewpoints they can trust
• Help people explore the complexity of controlling behaviour by creating spaces and opportunities to delve into the subject
• Find opportunities to validate experiencing controlling behaviour by using the voices of peers and role models to shift how people feel about controlling behaviours.

In summary, our core jobs are to increase literacy about harmful behaviours and encourage norms that support positive, non-violent behaviour.

Love Creep is a digital experience that supports young people to understand that coercive control is a pattern of behaviour. It uses real stories of control experienced by, used by, or seen by young people, friends or family members and practitioners.

These stories have been turned into a series of "love bites" and patterns of behaviour that people can listen to, and the digital experience allows them to make patterns based on their own experiences.

The digital experience can be accessed here: lovecreep.nz which is live from 16 September 2024.

The digital experience is supported through our social pages on TikTok, Meta, YouTube and Snapchat, as well as partnerships with media and cinema to strengthen the message and deepen understanding of the topic. The social media content and out-of-home advertising (posters, digital screens) will go live in mid September 2024.

We will continue to evaluate Love Better through our continued partnership with Verian, and monitor usage (anonymously) of the digital experience and engagement with our social channels.

Our Love Better helpline (run via Youthline) will continue its 24/7 support of young people. Youthline have received specific training on coercive control in preparation for this campaign.

Here is more information about the overall Love Better campaign approach:

If you have any questions or comments about Love Better, please email: