One person in the Manawatu/Wairarapa area was convicted 14 times for breaching an order, and another in the Bay of Plenty/Coromandel area has been convicted for 13 breaches.
Three people were convicted for 12 breaches, two for 11 breaches and 10 for 10 breaches. The date show 129 convictions for six breaches, 237 for five breaches, 486 for four, 1075 for three and 2654 for two.
Males committed 97 per cent of the breaches and offenders aged in their 30s committed about a third. The breaches were not declining over time: 2241 offenders were convicted last year - a rate higher than any other year in the period.
Shine director Jill Proudfoot said it was widely accepted that many breaches went unreported. "It is very much the tip of the iceberg. Quite often people who have a protection order will not bother to report what might be considered a low-level breach because they are not responded to seriously enough.
"We have experience with a lot of women who report breaches and find that the response to that from the police or from courts puts them at further risk.
"There seems to be a view among police and judiciary that a breach of a protection order has degrees of seriousness and I think that completely goes against the intent of the original legislation."
She said every breach should result in an arrest and an offender being taken into custody.
"There is always the risk of retaliation, but if you report something and it doesn't result in the person being kept away from you how can you guarantee your, or your family's, safety?"
Ministry of Justice general manager of district courts, Heather Baggott, said: "Breaches are taken seriously by police and the courts and the number of convictions reflects this.
"In September 2013, the maximum penalty for breaching a protection order was increased from two to three years' imprisonment. About a third of all people convicted of breaching a protection order are sentenced to imprisonment."
Justice Minister Amy Adams said the Government was committed to protecting victims. Yesterday, she announced a new risk assessment model to better protect victims was under consultation.
"Rates of conviction show people are being prosecuted more often by police as well as greater reporting, both of which are good. It's good to see discharge without conviction is now almost never given."
If you're in danger NOW:
• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you
• Run outside and head for where there are other people
• Scream for help so your neighbours can hear you
• Take the children with you
• Don't stop to get anything else
• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay
Where to go for help or more information:
• Women's Refuge: Free national crisisline operates 24/7 - 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 www.womensrefuge.org.nz
• Shine, free national helpline 9am- 11pm every day - 0508 744 633 www.2shine.org.nz
• It's Not Ok: Information line 0800 456 450 www.areyouok.org.nz
• Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and their children. Crisisline 24/7 0800 742 584
• Ministry of Justice: www.justice.govt.nz/family-justice/domestic-violence
• National Network of Stopping Violence: www.nnsvs.org.nz
• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women, focusing this year on sexual violence and the issue of consent. www.whiteribbon.org.nz
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* The original version of this article incorrectly stated "New Zealand has the worst rate of family and intimate-partner violence in the world". This has been amended to read "New Zealand has the highest reported rate of intimate partner violence in the developed world and the fifth highest reported rate of child abuse, according to Justice Minister Amy Adams."
New Zealand has the highest reported rate of intimate partner violence in the developed world and the fifth highest reported rate of child abuse, according to Justice Minister Amy Adams. Eighty per cent of incidents are believed to go unreported — so what we know of family violence in our community is barely the tip of the iceberg.
