Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, September 8, 2023
Family violence is a significant issue worldwide, including in New Zealand. It’s important to acknowledge that family violence affects individuals of all genders and ages, including men. While there are existing support services and shelters for victims of family violence, there has been growing recognition of the need for specialised services to support male victims.
One such vision has now become a reality for the community of Gisborne, with the opening of the respite house ‘Whare Ahuru’, a time-out space for men who are struggling to maintain a violence-free lifestyle. It is a pilot, with Kāinga Ora providing a house adapted to meet the service provider’s needs.
About the Centre
Tauawhi Men’s Centre and Tairāwhiti Men Against Violence have realised a long-held vision with the opening of a respite house for men. Tauawhi Charitable Trust was able to open its ‘Whare Ahuru’ this month with the support of Kāinga Ora community housing.
“This has been a dream of ours for many years, so we are grateful for the support of Kainga Ora and in particular supported housing regional lead Bonnie Moana, who has enabled us to get to this point,” Tauawhi Men’s Centre coordinator Tim Marshall said.
“It has always been our view that if it is the man who is being unsafe towards his family, it makes more sense for him to come away so that his partner and children can stay where they are. The traditional model is for Women’s Refuge to provide a space for women and children, but this often means leaving their home for something they are not responsible for,” said Mr Marshall.
Intervention and Prevention
Tauawhi Whare Ahuru is a space that men can come to for a few days until it is safe to return home. All men must be referred through Tauawhi Men’s Centre.
“We hope that it will develop into a space that men can access in a preventative sense before violence and/or Police intervention occurs,” Mr Marshall said.
The house will be supervised when men are in there, to ensure they have a safe space and their needs are attended to. House staff will work alongside the wider Tauawhi Men’s Centre team to provide intervention to address issues that have contributed to the situation.
It is also planned that connection will be made with the family, to ensure that a safe return home is managed.
Bonnie Moana, a representative from Kāinga Ora expressed her pride and privilege in being part of this journey and said, “This really was a team effort with Tauawhi putting in the hard mahi to achieve this excellent outcome. I am stoked for our Tāne, whānau and hapori to have this service available in Tairāwhiti.”
Additionally, Tauawhi thanked the community partners who supported this project, including Gisborne Police, Te Runanga o Tūranganui a Kiwa, Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou, Salvation Army, Te Puni Kokiri, and Tūranga Health.
Providing counselling and rehabilitation services for both victims and perpetrators of family violence is crucial to breaking the cycle of violence and promoting healing and recovery, and the community hopes that a positive change is brought about with the initiative.
Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Hamilton.
