Karen Chhour said the decision reflects that all people could potentially be victims. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Karen Chhour said the decision reflects that all people could potentially be victims. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The minister in charge of family violence prevention is ditching the Māori name for a collective established to deliver a whole-of-government approach to the issue.
Karen Chhour, an Act MP, is also forming a new “multi-cultural” advisory group with members of different communities, something she said has led to concernsbeing raised by “the current Māori-only one”.
“I need an advisory board that can advise on all issues victim-survivors face, and one that reflects the diversity of our nation, not just the 17% of New Zealanders who identify as Māori.
“Yes, I am Māori, and proud of this. I am also a mother, a wife, and a survivor of both family and sexual violence. The idea that one part of my being is somehow more important than any other is something I don’t accept, and I don’t believe that the majority of New Zealanders would accept this either.”
Te Puna Aonui is a current informal, brand name for the Executive Board for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence. It was established in 2022 to “ensure joint accountability for work relating to the elimination of family violence and sexual violence”.
Karen Chhour wants a new "multi-cultural" advisory group. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Chhour said in a statement on Friday morning that “Te Puna Aonui” will no longer be used and the legal name of “Executive Board for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence” will be adopted instead.
“This decision reflects the reality that all people are potentially victims of family violence and sexual violence,” Chhour said.
She said it was also the Government’s policy that departments, except those focused on Māori, have their main names in English.
Chhour said it would take some time to update the agency’s branding and letterhead. Te Puna Aonui is currently used across the board’s website.
“By continuing with a te reo name I believe we risk potentially making non-Māori victim-survivors feel like their lived experiences do not matter,” Chhour said.
“I can assure them that they do and will continue to. This is the right thing to do, it reflects our national values of equality.”
The minister said the decision also reflected what she said were “wishes of disgruntled former advisory board members who have asked for the gifted te reo name to be returned”.
Chhour said members of this advisory group – not the department chief executives on the main board – had raised concerns with her around her decision not to extend their tenure.
She also said concerns had been raised about her decision “to include other communities in a new, multi-cultural advisory board which will replace the current Māori-only one”.
“The important work of the agency will be strengthened by the incorporating Pasifika, Asian communities, and other groups who were deliberately excluded by the scope of the previous Ministerial Advisory Board for this portfolio.”
Amokura Panoho, a co-chair of Te Pūkotahitanga, told the Herald she acknowledged interest after the minister’s announcement, but was currently mourning the loss of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp and acknowledging her contributions to whānau, hapū and iwi.
Te Pūkotahitanga plans to release a statement on Monday, she said.
A “message” from the advisory group’s co-chairs in Te Puna Aonui’s 2024 annual report said recent reports had provided “clear evidence of the importance of investing in Māori-led solutions that are grounded in tikanga and whānau-centred approaches”.
“Without targeted resources and stronger partnerships, the transformative change required to address violence in our communities will remain out of reach.
“Looking ahead, we remain committed to advocating for sustained investment in Māori-led solutions that uphold the mana of our people and deliver real, lasting outcomes for our whānau.”
It is working on seven key areas over the next five years – investing and commissioning well, keeping people safe, stopping violence, protecting children and young people, strengthening the workforce, taking action on sexual violence and preventing violence before it starts.
Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.
