The Wahine Toa programme gives local women who have been impacted by family harm the opportunity to challenge themselves in an unfamiliar environment. Photo / Supplied
The Wahine Toa programme gives local women who have been impacted by family harm the opportunity to challenge themselves in an unfamiliar environment. Photo / Supplied
With nearly 35 years of policing experience between them, Levin-based officers Fiona Read and Fiona Barker are tackling the aftermath of family harm situations in a unique way.
The Wahine Toa programme was set up in 2016 with the aim to provide local women who have been impacted by familyharm the opportunity to prove to themselves just how strong and capable they are.
Through Read's dealings with the local school communities as part of the Levin police children's team, she realised the impact on families could be lessened if help was given to strengthen the mums.
"We needed to help get Mum into a place where she could make different choices," Read said, "create a preventative model [of support] instead of reacting to the situation."
Local police officer Fiona Read accepting a generous grant from Horowhenua NZ Trust on behalf of the Wahine Toa programme. Photo / Janine Baalbergen
Coming from a search and rescue background, where you have to push through hard times in nature to discover what you are capable of, Read envisaged a programme where women could be challenged to trust in the unknown.
"It can be really hard for a lot of these women to build that trust [after what they're been through]," said Read, "but we wanted to show that if you put your trust in the right people then good things will happen."
Barker comes from a neighbourhood policing background and for the past five years has been the mainstay in Levin's family harm team.
"Over the past three to five years the face of the community has changed," said Barker, "plus we are more focused on applying a prevention-first style of policing."
The Wahine Toa programme is less about sharing your story and more about individual growth within a team-building environment. Photo / Supplied
The participants in the Wahine Toa programme are usually put forward by the support agencies they are already engaging with, as it is another stepping stone on their path to change.
Barker and Read interview all the applicants to get a feel for who will fit into the group, but it is rare they turn anyone down.
The women come from a wide range of backgrounds, with ages from 18 to late 50s, proving that not only does family harm not discriminate, but you are never too stuck or too old to make positive changes in your life.
One of the most recent participants, Alice*, was secretly pleased when the 2022 event was initially cancelled in May due to the unexpected tornado tearing through Levin that weekend.
"I couldn't unpack fast enough when I got the text," she said with a laugh, "but when Fiona got in touch with the new date in June, I knew I had to go through with it."
Alice had spent many years with an abusive partner and, although he is now an "ex", hadn't really taken up a lot of the outside support that was offered in the past because she had good family support around her.
However, after being approached by Read, who believed Alice would benefit from being part of the programme and that she would be a good fit with the other women participating, she decided to give it a go.
"Being with a group of women I'd never met [before] and not knowing exactly what the programme involved pushed me right out of my comfort zone," said Alice*.
Read believes the programme is reflective of societal change in attitude towards domestic violence, with the police, in particular, recognising they have a duty of care in this area.
She said the hardest part for a lot of the participants is getting into the van on the Friday afternoon; however, the programme is not so much about sharing your story than about individual growth within a team-building environment.
The support from the community is huge as well, with a Horowhenua-based retreat/outdoor centre hosting the women, locals volunteering to help with meals etc during the weekend, and guest speakers with lived experience of family harm sharing their stories.
"I kinda wish I had done something like this earlier," said Alice. "... if you get offered the chance to [take part in the programme] just take it ... you'll come out of it stronger [within yourself]."
Until last year, the organisers had spent a lot of time sourcing financial support to be able to produce the once-a-year programme.
This year, however, they were grateful to receive a substantial grant from Horowhenua NZ Trust, which covered the costs of last month's course as well as up to four more future ones.
Read and Barker have seen the majority of previous participants continue to work on themselves as well as have more of a resolve to hold their partners accountable for their actions.
"Overall, we have noticed a reduction in family harm incidents [within these families] and the women are much more likely to reach out for help [if things escalate again]," they said.
Having just completed the seventh course since the Wahine Toa programme started, future plans for Read and Barker include looking at a course for teenage girls, to help them recognise the signs of an unhealthy relationship as well as build knowledge and trust of agencies that can support them.
