Father of murdered woman Helen Meads heads to Hawke's Bay for tour

Although family violence prevention advocate David White suffered tragic loss and heartbreak, it hasn't hindered his journey to help others.

He will be visiting Hawke's Bay tomorrow night in a bid to share his experiences, advice and thoughts on domestic violence - an issue which is hugely eminent in the region.

His daughter Helen Meads was murdered by her wealthy husband Greg in September 2009.

After suffering years of physical and psychological violence, she found the strength to leave - but four days later, she was dead, shot in the head by her husband at their Matamata property.

Although White lost both his daughter and his retirement, he's been a staunch anti-violence campaigner, working behind the scenes helping other women and families out of dangerous situations.

His tour, Domestic Violence Can Happen to Anyone, has gained national attention and all proceeds from tomorrow night's talk will go towards the Women's Refuge in Hawke's Bay.

Hastings and Napier Women's Refuge trustee Bronwyn Harman said recent statistics showed Hawke's Bay had the highest number of domestic violence calls in the country.

"From David's perspective - he's wanting to give a message from his own personal experiences. His message is really about how to keep women safer - it's not a story about 'these are the terrible things that happened to my family' he just wants to do everything he can about stopping this kind of thing from happening," she said.

"Helen's husband was a very wealthy businessman in the horse racing industry and the message we're wanting to convey is that domestic violence can happen to anybody in any situation and we just need to be much more aware of this."

Harman said police were starting to initiate a programme called "If you see something, say something".

"It just means if you see something that doesn't feel right or you're unsure about something, then talk about it, or ask questions because sometimes that's all people need.

"Sometimes you just need to be that hand which reaches out to help another person and that can be a real positive for someone going through a tough time."

"David has a very positive story to tell - so there's something really positive to take away from it. We're encouraging parents to bring both teenage boys and girls along to this event."

David White's talk will take place at the Woodford House Hall on Iona Rd in Havelock North on Tuesday, April 9.

Tickets can be purchased on www.trybooking.com or at the door.