Young people still facing challenging lockdown. Made with funding by NZ On Air.
Three weeks into lockdown and some families are feeling the strain. But there are promising signs that lockdown is forcing some to resolve their differences peacefully. And when it comes to the younger generation, extra care needs to be taken.
"For my own rangatahi that I'm working with, I wouldsay they're a lot more resilient,' said Terere Aoake-Paearahi, a social worker for Te Waiariki Purea Trust.
"A lot of the families that the trust deal with, they're our lower socio-economic families, they're used to having to say 'okay, we're only going to get what we actually need, we won't be wasting money.' So this time, they're really used to it," she said.
"It's the families that have mum and dad working busy lifestyles and now they've just been forced to stop. They're the ones that are really struggling."
Social workers like Aoake-Paearahi are helping Rotorua families who are struggling to come to terms with their new reality.
"To be honest, the new family harm cases that are coming through, it's not really our clients we already have. It's a heap of new people.
"Maybe mum and dad have both lost jobs and they're not used to the WINZ service - they don't know how to navigate that system, they've got all these financial questions and in the past, maybe they live life a bit too 'golden'.
"The other side of things is that we're now dealing with a population that is very used to saying 'Easter Weekend, we're going out on the boat, we're gonna go away for the weekend.' Now they're looking at 'we might have to sell that boat because we can't afford it'."
Despite reports of family harm spiking over the lockdown, Rotorua police say they're seeing a lot of positive behaviour as well.
"What we are seeing is that there are large numbers of our people, particularly people we've dealt with in the past, who are actually self-moderating and sorting their own behaviours within their own families," said Phil Gillbanks, Inspector for Youth, Community and Family Harm.
"That might be that somebody's been for a walk, for a bit of a cool-down," he said.
"What we are also finding is families are actually utilising this time to become a better family, which is actually quite impressive if you think about it.
"Part of it might be that the neighbours are home, there's more people around. So in that respect there's more monitoring going on, no screaming and shouting - more chance somebody will notice."
For a minority of young people living in these environments, it can be tough to stick to the lockdown rules.
Aoake-Paearahi says initiatives need to be put in place to safeguard children during the remainder of level 4.
"The normal rangatahi that we see ... they're not the ones out. It's these other kids that are [experiencing] tensions at home, 'I've just got to get away', they're the ones we're having to tell to stay home.
"But more importantly, the message we have to get to the parents is to include their kid. As a parent, we want to shelter them. If we're not telling them there's something wrong in terms of finances, of course they're going to keep asking 'can you go to the supermarket and get this'."
Gillbanks agrees and is hopeful for young people in challenging environments.
"Go and get some exercise, that can just be going for a walk. You don't have to put your running shoes on, you can just go for a walk, get some fresh air, get some exercise and get out of the house.
"If you have to leave and get some time out, it might be because you're not feeling safe and need to go away a little bit further, go away a little bit further. But just remember the isolation rules."
Help is at hand
Reach out to others; don't isolate yourself. Have legal documents such as birth certificates ready. Get extra keys. Have emergency contact numbers. Call the Crisisline on 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843.
https://shielded.co.nz/ Does not show in browser history https://womensrefuge.org.nz/ http://www.shakti-international.org/contact-us/ http://areyouok.org.nz/ https://safetotalk.nz/ https://www.govt.nz/browse/law-crime-and-justice/abuse-harassment-domestic-violence/
