Aviva calls for political party responses to frontline family violence and sexual violence concerns

10th of September, 2026

Aviva is calling on New Zealand’s political parties to respond to urgent concerns being raised by frontline family violence and sexual violence kaimahi/workers about the impact of current policy, funding and system pressures on victim/survivors, tamariki and whānau.

As a specialist family violence and sexual violence service based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aviva works alongside people navigating policing, justice, housing, welfare, health and ACC systems every day. Our new briefing, Tāngata Whai Ora Experiences of Government Policy and System Change, brings together recurring feedback from kaimahi about what is happening when those systems are harder to access, slower to respond, or no longer able to provide timely protection and support.

We have sent the briefing to political parties and relevant portfolio spokespeople, asking for a single, consolidated response by 23 September 2026. The request is non-partisan. Its purpose is to understand how each party sees the most urgent issues, what actions they would prioritise, and how they would ensure people experiencing violence can access safety, support and justice when they need it.

What frontline workers are seeing
The briefing identifies a growing pattern of government agencies narrowing their role to “core business” functions or shifting focus to new priorities. In practice, this can mean victim/survivors and whānau face greater barriers to protection, housing, counselling and financial support, while specialist community organisations are left holding more complex risk for longer without matched resourcing.

These are not isolated incidents. They are consistent patterns across multiple services, affecting people’s safety, recovery and long-term wellbeing.

Five areas of concern

Police response to family violence: Kaimahi are reporting reduced police capacity and inconsistent responses to family violence incidents, protection order breaches and ongoing safety concerns. Victim/survivors may experience delays in police attendance or no response at all, making safety planning more uncertain and leaving breaches unaddressed.
Justice system delays: Survivors of family violence and sexual violence are experiencing long delays in investigations, charging decisions and court processes. In some cases, people can wait several years for resolution, prolonging uncertainty, compounding trauma and making recovery harder.
Housing and emergency accommodation: A lack of accessible emergency accommodation and safe, affordable housing means some victim/survivors remain in unsafe situations because they have nowhere else to go. Support can be difficult to access until people are already in crisis, increasing instability for adults, tamariki and whānau.
Access to sexual violence support: Long waits for ACC-funded counselling and barriers within the Sensitive Claims system are leaving many survivors without timely, trauma-specific support. Community organisations are often trying to bridge the gap while demand increases, and specialist workforce capacity remains stretched.
Income support and cost of living: Rising living costs, unaffordable transport, food insecurity and tight eligibility thresholds can make it harder for people to leave unsafe situations or establish safety. Economic hardship can increase dependence on abusive partners or family members and reduce people’s ability to act quickly when risk escalates.

Why prevention matters

Alongside crisis response, Aviva is asking parties to consider how they would support and resource long-term prevention. Education in schools and communities is critical to reducing family violence and sexual violence over time. The briefing asks parties to respond to the loss of national school-based prevention programmes such as Mates and Dates, and to explain how young people will have consistent access to evidence-informed learning about healthy relationships, consent and safety.

Coercive control and the need for careful law reform

The briefing also asks parties to state their position on whether New Zealand should introduce a standalone criminal offence for coercive control. Several Australian states have introduced offences recognising patterns of psychological, financial and controlling behaviour as serious forms of abuse. Aviva is asking parties not only whether they support such a law, but how it would be implemented safely, including what relationships it should cover, what legal threshold would apply, what penalties would be appropriate, and what safeguards would be needed to protect vulnerable and marginalised communities from unintended harms.

What Aviva is asking political parties

Aviva has asked parties to respond to questions across nine areas: their overall approach to reducing family violence and sexual violence; prevention and education; police responsiveness; justice system delays; housing and emergency accommodation; access to sexual violence support, including ACC; income support and cost of living pressures; the sustainability of specialist services; and coercive control.

These questions are intended to support clear public accountability. People experiencing violence, their whānau, and the organisations working alongside them need to know how political parties understand the issues, what they would prioritise, and how they would resource meaningful change.

Policy decisions are felt in people’s lives

Behind every policy setting, funding decision, eligibility threshold, waitlist and system delay is a person trying to live safely and rebuild their life. For the tāngata whaiora Aviva supports, policy change is not abstract. It is experienced directly in whether police attend, whether housing is available, whether counselling can be accessed, whether court processes progress, and whether there is enough support to leave violence before crisis point.

Aviva is asking all political parties and portfolio holders to consider how current settings are affecting victim/survivors of family violence and sexual violence, and to prioritise solutions that improve safety, reduce delays, strengthen prevention, and ensure those seeking help can access it when they need it most.

When responses are received, Aviva will review and share them in a fair, non-partisan way. Our aim is to help our community understand where parties stand, support informed public discussion, and continue advocating for practical action that improves safety, strengthens prevention, and ensures people can access support when they need it.

To connect with Aviva on this topic, contact the Fundraising and Communications Team Leader on 0223 157 954 or email funding@aviva.org.nz

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