Awhi Whānau Launches in West Auckland

New initiatives aimed at preventing family violence amongst Māori whānau were launched at Hoani Waititi Marae in Glen Eden today, by the Waitākere Taskforce on Family Violence.

The Taskforce consists of a steering group of senior public servants and community leaders who oversee project-based activities and encourage coordination and collaboration amongst the many agencies involved in reducing family violence in Waitākere. The initiatives launched today have been developed by Tatai Atawhai, the Māori sub-committee which supports the Waitākere Taskforce on Family Violence.

This new service is being run by the Methodist Mission's Lifewise Family Services.

The Methodist Mission's Lifewise Family Services have appointed a Māori manager, Tiaria Fletcher, and two Māori social workers in a new "Awhi Whānau" service to work with what is expected to be a large number of Māori families.

A report prepared for the project by former Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro has found that this over-representation of Māori is mainly because of their poverty.

Ms Fletcher said her social workers would aim to work on socio-economic factors, such as helping families to find work and good housing, and cultural factors such as reconnecting with their whakapapa or wider family heritage.

A new strategic plan sets broad objectives for the prevention of family violence amongst Waitākere Māori. Tatai Atawhai will oversee the implementation of the plan over the next five years. Other initiatives launched today were:

• A new family violence intervention prevention service for Māori called Awhi Whānau;
• A literature review authored by Dr Cindy Kiro;
• Billboards promoting the importance of whakapapa featuring local kaumatua Pio and Chrissie Jacobs and their mokopuna

You can read full coverage from the New Zealand Herald online here.

Or you can read the media release via Scoop here. 

You can read more about the Lifewise Family Trust online here.

Photo Credit: Istock Photo