Christmas should be a time of peace, love and joy for all tamariki. Yet, sadly, for many children in Aotearoa New Zealand, it’s the most terrifying time of the year – marked by neglect, abuse and fear.

New Zealand has the highest rate of family and intimate partner violence in the developed world, with Police and frontline agencies reporting a sharp rise in incidents over the Christmas period. 

“Sadly, Christmas is often the time when family and sexual violence are at their worst,” says Elizabeth Walker, CEO of Te Whare Ruruhau o Meri Trust (Te Whare).

 “It can be a time of immense pressure and stress for many whānau – and when alcohol or drug use increases, so too does the risk of harm and violence in the home. Tragically, this can mean tamariki are more neglected than ever.” 

These seasonal pressures, combined with New Zealand’s persistently high rates of family violence, (where on average, one child dies from family violence every five weeks and police attend a family violence episode every four minutes) make the Christmas period an especially dangerous time for at-risk tamariki.

“As an organisation working on the frontline with vulnerable whānau, our team witnesses these statistics in action on a daily basis,” says Elizabeth.

“Sadly, Māori are disproportionately affected by family and sexual violence, and tamariki and rangatahi even more so.”

Elizabeth says that the Government’s Te Aorerekura Action Plan is a step in the right direction, but family and sexual violence is so systemic in Aotearoa that we need an intentional, collaborative approach to really shift the dial. 

For their part, Te Whare Ruru has initiated several collaborations with other agencies and social service providers to deepen their impact. These include partnerships with Nurturing Families, The Period Place, Rongopai House Community Trust, and Te Ahuru Mōwai Service (TAMS), an innovative initiative in Kaitaia delivering a wrap-around, multi-agency approach to address family violence.

The organisation also plays an integral role in Kia Ora Ake, a co-designed wellbeing service that supports tamariki, rangatahi and whānau in the Franklin area.

One of the key success factors for Te Whare is their "Te Kawa o te Marae" framework, which integrates kaupapa Māori, Māori Christianity and mātauranga Māori into their work with whānau.

The framework supports people to address personal challenges, understand the roots of violent behaviour and build safer, healthier relationships within their whānau.

“However, creating true generational change requires more funding, more investment, more collaboration, and more outreach to those who are at risk.” said Elizabeth. 

Te Whare has launched a ‘Safer Tamariki’ Christmas Appeal to support their work in the Auckland and Northland areas where the needs are great over the Christmas period.

To learn more or to donate: https://tewhare.org.nz