The men, some with small children in pushchairs, were addressed post-march by Mayor Annette Main and kaumatua John Maihi, Mr Metcalfe said.
"We had some lovely family entertainment at Majestic Square. It was a very special hour-and-a-half for everyone."
Mr Metcalfe said numerous studies had shown that while both men and women engaged in low-level violence, men were more likely to use "serious tactics" against women.
"We're not talking just about physical violence but also emotional violence - it's about injecting fear," he said.
"In my experience, threats to harm children or pets are extremely common in domestic-violence situations."
Mr Metcalfe said it was often hard for people with status, privilege and power to understand the fears that victims faced.
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