Launch of NgÄÂti Kahungunu Iwi Violence Project.

A local Māori response to family violence.


---------------------------------

Launch of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Violence Project.
Ruahapia Marae, Hastings.

Mihi
No-one remains unaffected by the death of a child.
But the violent death of a child at the hands of an adult who should be showering them with love and affection not punches and kicks, makes us angry and has us asking who is responsible and why did it happen?
In the last few weeks especially, every person in this country was deeply affected by the torturous injuries sustained by Nia Glassie.
We all reacted with horror as we watched events unfold that not only showed her injuries but also revealed the cruel manner in which she received them and that it appears they were inflicted by those closest to her - those with a responsibility to love and care for her.
Five adults from her whānau face charges relating to her abuse and the police are investigating whether her brother and sister were also abused.
Nia is now resting and at peace - free from violence.
We, however, remain asking the questions and seeking the solutions which will free our children, their children and their children, from violence permanently.
We gather today to launch the Ngāti Kahungunu Violence Free Strategy in the wake of the depositions hearing against Chris Kahui, charged with the murder of his twin sons, in Auckland.
The media coverage of the depositions this week reminds us again of the events surrounding the deaths of the twins and especially the long period of apparent complicit silence by family members.
The Glassie case is yet to be played out and the Kahui case continues to unfold. But we can at least rest assured that those who have been charged will be held to account by our justice system.
In the fresh, raw and horrific circumstances of these innocent, baby victims, I suppose it is inevitable that fingers are pointed.
But this government will not be drawn into a false debate on abuse as a problem only for Māori - all our communities have urgent work to do to own up to this issue.
Ninety-nine percent of Māori families love, nurture and cherish their children - but there are a small proportion of our families which carry out horrific abuse and there's no excuse for that.
Poverty, coupled with the impact of social dislocation and a lack of self-worth on behalf of parents contributes to this terrible tolerance of abuse. But we can't allow this to continue.
Māori have a responsibility to condemn and address violence in our communities and in our whānau, but people who dismiss violence as a Māori problem are not only naïve, they are dismissing the seriousness of the violence experienced within thousands of non-Māori families.
We want to harden attitudes against violence in all communities.
It is unacceptable that we are still seeing cases where neighbours, family and friends are staying quiet even when they know about cases of abuse. This isn't just happening within Māori communities though.
I suppose too, that in the first flood of outrage and dismay over such violent deaths for ones so innocent, we do not see the hard work that is being done already and has been for many years by many people to find a solution to family violence.
So I am very pleased to be here today to acknowledge the Ngāti Kahungunu Violence Free Strategy.
It is a local Māori response to family violence.
It boldly and proudly asserts that whānau violence is NOT normal.
The inception of the strategy was an invitation in September 2005 from the Tangata Piringa Māori Women's Refuge to a public meeting at this marae to discuss whether Kahungunu whānau wanted to develop a kaupapa-based strategy.
That meeting was enthusiastically attended by representatives from taiwhenua, taurahere, NGO and government agencies. A focus group of Māori providers - whānau, hapū, iwi - volunteered to put the strategy together.
After many hui, the strategy was endorsed by the Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated Board in February 2006 and along the way to today's launch, it has received the endorsement of the various taiwhenua and Kahungunu Māori providers.
An action plan has been developed, a Memorandum of Understanding signed between LIVE (Local Initiative for Violence Elimination network) and Te Tumu Whakahaere o te Wero Kahungunu which means both Māori and non-Māori service providers are standing behind the strategy.
And more recently the Project Coordinators - Sally Rye and Mereana Pitman - started working together to introduce the Kahungunu Violence Free Strategy to your communities.
Today's launch is a great milestone for the iwi. It is also a great example for Māori and for New Zealand.
Today's launch is also the culmination of persistent and consistent mahi to develop a kaupapa Māori regional strategy based on tikanga and kawa.
The strategy aims to promote standards of practice authentic to Ngāti Kahungunu and empower whānau, hapū and iwi to transform from a state of violence to a state of wellbeing!
The strategy aims to integrate and coordinate approaches to whānau violence within the Ngāti Kahungunu tribal areas.
A couple of weeks ago I saw a great article by Hawkes Bay Today on this initiative.
The article contained a fantastic diagram which showed the wrap around services that focus on a violent offender.
It was a great diagram because in a highly effective visual manner - it showed how individual groups and cluster groups within communities all have a role to play to turn around a violent offender.
It identified government and non-government agencies such as Police, Courts, women's refuges, hospital, schools, Plunket, Work and Income, general practitioners, neighbourhood safety groups, Neighbours, and Friends.
The point was, everyone is responsible for the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in our communities.
All of us must be vigilant, responsible and have zero tolerance for violence.
A multi-pronged approach that draws on interagency work is a very effective way of countering child abuse and I am delighted to see it in action here today in the Ngāti Kahungunu Violence Free Strategy!
Strong people and strong families can overcome adversity.
Providing the right support at the right time can make a huge difference.
Just as we encourage you to play your part, this government too, is committed to addressing family violence.
We put a lot of effort into repealing Section 59 of the Crimes Act, which was a long-reaching initiative designed to change attitudes to disciplining our children. Many of us grew up in a family where it was ok to physically discipline children and this had resulted in too much tolerance, I believe, for family violence generally.
We are continuing to invest in a wide range of initiatives to reduce family violence.
Earlier this month, my colleague Health Minister Pete Hodgson launched the Ministry of Health's VIP Violence Intervention Programme - the health sector response to violence.
We committed $11.2 million to help the health sector in its response and continue to work within the VIP to:
. Ensure that victims of violence using health services receive the support they require, and
. Ensure that staff are trained and competent to screen health service users who may be victims of child and partner abuse.
Next month the Government will launch a nationwide campaign we hope will help change attitudes and behaviour towards family violence. The programme will support leaders at a community and national level who are working in this important field.
Māori were part of the research which has informed the direction of this campaign and Māori have been part of the process of critiquing and refining the television advertisements.
My ministry, Te Puni Kōkiri, has given significant support to this iwi violence strategy.
The Takitimu regional staff have participated by attending public hui and those for government agencies linked to this mahi.
They provided advice and information for the development of the strategy and the project coordinator's have been funded through TPK's Kaitataki-a-Rohe programme.
No-one remains unaffected by the death of a child.
But everyone can take responsibility for helping to prevent the violent deaths of our tamariki.
Accepting responsibility is not the same as accepting blame!
Accepting responsibility is an act of courage.
I applaud Ngāti Kahungunu's courage to develop and implement its Violence Free Strategy.
I'd like to be attending launches like this in the near future, for other iwi.
Let's invest the same energy into this critically important kaupapa as what we invest in economic development.
It's the triple-bottom line - cultural, social and economic development! All these developments should be occurring hand-in-hand, anyway.
Na reira me ū tātou katoa ki te manaaki i ā tātou tamariki, mokopuna hoki. Ko tēnā ko tēnā ō tātou he tauira mo ngā rangatira o āpōpō.