“We have city councillors, teachers, police, businesspeople, sports players all joining together.
“The key message is that there is help out there, and you don’t have to go through it alone.”
Barnardos Gisborne office service manager Dianne Saunders said the ‘It’s Not OK’ anti-violence campaign had been running for years nationally and a need existed to do something at a local level.
“We started by seeking public feedback.
“The VFTN project team conducted a survey in early 2017 and we were surprised at the feedback which was overwhelming support for a wider community response.”
The national Champions Project has proven to be highly successful in reducing family violence and encouraging people to ask for help early.
Labour list MP Angie Warren-Clarke, who has worked in the area of domestic violence since the early ’90s and is a community champions advocate, said it was essential to have local commitment and involvement.
“Prior to entering Parliament as Labour list MP, I worked for many years in the area of domestic violence and saw the complexities involved with this issue. It was clear greater collaboration and community ownership was required to see any gains.
“This is how we will change society, by working together and taking responsibility together.”
Family violence is estimated to cost the country between $4.1 and $7 billion each year.
In 2016, police attended incidents of domestic violence at the rate of more than one every five minutes.
Evaluation data released in 2015 showed the ‘It’s not OK’ campaign significantly prompted individual and community attitude and behaviour change to family violence.
Evaluation of the Champions Project has seen an increase in awareness and willingness for people to talk about the issues of violence and domestic violence.
The campaign was cited as providing a common language, at a community and provider level, which has proven invaluable when relating to individuals, families and clients.
Gisborne District councillor and community champion Meredith Akuhata-Brown said it was important for people to realise they were the change agents.
“We have the solutions within the community and if I can make this shift away from violence, anyone can.
“There is a champion in everyone and all it takes is to ask whanau if they are doing OK.
“These need to be the values we promote.”
Ms Warren-Clarke said it was important to remember this issue was not isolated to any one part of the community.
“We can never assume who is a perpetrator or victim but these problems are insidious to any community and what we need is a generational shift.
“People often want help, but don’t know where to go or who to ask.
“This campaign goes a long way towards raising awareness, starting discussions and bringing this out into the open.”
Community Champions Against Family Violence are:
Wendy Miller, Dianne Saunders, Leslynne Jackson, Tim Marshall, Molly Pardoe, Kelly Swann-Ferris, Tricia Walsh, Glenis Philip-Barbara, Nick Barbara, Sharon Pihema, David Hall, Andrew Randall, Jess McLean-Wilson, Renee Lolohea, Carolyn Hodgkinson, Darryl Monteith, Matt Todd, Rehette Stoltz, Sam Cairns, Ian Kirkpatrick, Tui Takarangi, Te Aorangi Harrington, Deb Rogers, Rayleen Wright, Gareth Thomas, Herewini Rangi, Katie Macrae, Jeremy Muir, Arish Naresh, Hayden Swann, Tania Rauna, George Brown, Meredith Akuhata-Brown, Jason Akuhata-Brown, Hineiti Monika, Puna Manuel, Mark Naden.
