On July 1, the Family Violence Act 2018 replaced the Domestic Violence Act 1995, and Hawke's Bay police say it will go some way to rectify the region's alarming family violence statistics.
According to Eastern Police, the region still has highest rate of family harm incidents per 10,000 population in New Zealand.
In Hawke's Bay the family harm team is attending an average of 20 family harm incidents a day with the numbers showing no signs of abating.
Eastern District prevention manager Inspector Dean Clifford said Hawke's Bay police have an ongoing commitment to getting better outcomes for the Bay's young people, their families and communities, and the legislative changes will provide them further opportunities to do this.
"We're continuing to work with our wider sector partners on a daily basis to ensure we have an integrated response to how we address family violence.