On Monday 8 May, Ara Poutama Aotearoa – the Department of Corrections launched our Implementation Plan PDF, 851.6 KB in response to Te Aorerekura: The National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence. The plan aims to uplift and support the work we already do to reduce the harmful impacts of family violence and sexual violence in our communities
The launch of the plan was attended by the Minister of Corrections, Hon Kelvin Davis, and Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and Sexual Violence, Hon Marama Davidson, along with many others who contributed to the development of Te Aorerekura and our plan.
Te Aorerekura is the first ever National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence, complemented by an Action Plan outlining 40 initial government actions to eliminate family violence and sexual violence in New Zealand. Te Aorerekura outlines the transformational changes needed to address family violence and sexual violence and calls for locally led and whānau-centred responses. It sets out a new collective path for government, tangata whenua, specialist sectors, and communities to eliminate family violence and sexual violence.
A key focus of the change articulated our own Hōkai Rangi strategy is to reduce harm and shift to an approach centred in Te Ao Māori, which is more responsive to the needs of the people in our management and their whānau. Hōkai Rangi and Te Aorerekura both identify the need to ensure that individuals and their whānau are at the centre of responses, with an increased focus on community-led practice, strengths-based approaches, healing, and restoration of mana.
Our Implementation Plan outlines how we will build on our existing work, recognising that a significant proportion of people on sentences and orders have lived experience of violence. Grounded in mātauranga Māori, the plan acknowledges the need to be driven through the lens of te Ao Māori.
Kotahi anō te kaupapa; ko te oranga o te tangata - there is only one purpose to our work; the wellness and wellbeing of people.