Monday, 21 March 2022 - 1:49pm

Iwi, NGOs and Police reducing family harm in Tairāwhiti

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Image looking over the shoulder of a police officer as the talk to someone, who's not in focus.

Kei te whakaheke ngā iwi, ngā kamupene NGO me Ngā Pirihimana i ngā tatauranga tūkino ā-whānau ki Te Tai Rāwhiti.

He mea tautoko a te kaupapa Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke (WNPH) nā ngā pirihimana, i whakarewaina i te Pēpuere 2017.

Kei te mahi ngātahi ngā pirihimana, ngā iwi, ngā kamupene NGO me ngā tari kāwanatanga kia whakaheke haere i te tūkino ā-whānau - kua eke panuku tēnā - i te Tairāwhiti, kua kitea te hekenga o ngā tūkinotanga ki tōna 18.7% tae noa ki Tihema 2019.

Ko tētahi wāhi he pērā rawa te nui o ngā tūkino ā-whānau, ko Te Tairāwhiti,

Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa. E 49,100 te rahi o ngā tāngata kei te rohe o Te Tai Rāwhiti (ngā tatauranga 2018), ā, i te wā arotake (2017-2019), tata ki te 2500 ngā karanga tūkino ā-whānau i ia tau.

Kei te panoni te kaupapa i tēnā. I oti tētahi arotake i Tīhema 2019. Nā konā ka kitea, he tere te whai hua a WNPH mō te whakaheke i te tūkino o ngā hara, ka pā hoki ki te hunga hara o anamata kua uru atu ki tō Whāngaia tauira i te rohe o Te Tairāwhiti.

Hei tā Kaitirotiro Janelle Timmins, kaiwhakahaere o Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke ki te tari ā-motu o Ngā Pirihimana, he aronga motuhake tō Whāngaia me te hono ki ngā hiahia moata ahakoa kua kitea he hara, kāore anō kia kite rānei. Kua whai pūtake tēnei nā ngā mahere uara Pirihimana ā-motu, e aro atu ana ki te hekenga o ngā tūkinotanga hara me te whaihua ki ērā whānau e pāngia ana, e noho mōrerea rānei.

He haerenga whānaungatang, māramatanga hoki a Whāngaia. Ko tōna aroro, he whai hua takitini me te whakaaro nui ki te tirohanga whānui mō te oranga o te hapori. Ka whai wāhi te reo o te whānau e taea ai te whakaahua ngātahi e te hapori, mō te hapori.

E pā ana ki te ako ngātahi me te whai māramatanga kia kaha te whanake me te tipu haere me ngā hapori me ngā taiao e huri haere ana.

Ko ngā rangapū, ngā whakapāpā kaha puta noa i te mataora ka whakamana i te auahatanga kia whakawhanake, kia whakatō hoki i ngā whakautu mō ērā e pāngia ana e ngā mahi tūkino ā-whānau, puta noa i ngā whānuitanga o te ārai, te whakataunga moata, te whakautu mōrearea, te whakaoranga me te whakamāuitanga.”

Hei tā Natalie, tētahi pārurenga i āwhinatia e Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke, “He tangata kai whakapōauau taku hoa rangatira o mua, he nui tana inu waipiro, he tangata whakamanioro, he rite tonu tana ūmere mai ki ahau, me te aha, i kanga mai ki ahau i taku wāhi mahi. He rite tonu hoki tana īmēra, tana pātuhi hoki i ngā kangakanga ki ahau, i tipu tana whakararata mai, tana whanokē hoki, i tūngia hoki ētahi o ā māua rawa. Ka kimi mai ia i a au - ka whakakaha ake, i mate taku whakakati ā-ture i a ia. I āwhina te tīma i ahau ki ngā pānui me ngā ōta ārai.

"I te mutunga iho, i mate au ki te wehe atu kia tīmata ai i tōku oranga hou, otirā inā te pai o ngā kaimahi Pirihimana Whāngaia o Te Tairāwhiti. I kōrero au ki a Cameron, Rihara, Tina me ētahi atu nō tēnei tīma. He rite tonu tā rātou whakahounga kōrero ki a au - ka haere au ki a rātou, ā, ka whakawātea rātou i a rātou i te wā ka karanga, ka tae atu rānei. He rite tonu tā rātou whakahoki i aku karanga. He pīrangi nōku kia mōhio, kei te ahatia. Ka tomo atu ana ki roto, ahakoa kāore āku hui, ā, ka kōrero mai tētahi o te tīma ki ahau. He mea pai kāore au i mate ki te tōai i aku kōrero. I pau te rua tau mai i te pānga tuatahi mai o ngā pirihimana, tae noa ki tana whakawhiunga - mei kore tā rātou āwhina nui."

Natalie, i pāngia e te tūkino ā-whānau i āwhinatia e Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke, e noho ana i te pae, me tana kanohi kua makaro e noho muna ai ia.
Natalie, i pāngia e te tūkino ā-whānau i āwhinatia e Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke.

Hei tā Tui Keenan, (he kairuruku) mō Whāngaia nō te tau 2019 ki 2020, me tētahi pirihimana o mua, he miharo te whanake haere o te pūnaha. Hei tā Tui, kei a ia hoki tōna anō hōtaka whakangangahu, “Nōku i Whāngaia, i kite au i ngā ārai e hinga ana i waenganui i te hapori me ngā pirihimana. Ko ngā kākahu he momo whakatuma ki ēnei tangata i ngā wā o mua, kua riwha nā ngā mahi whakawhanaunga a nga pirihimana ki ngā whānau. Nā Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke, kua whai tirohanga hou ahau. He tirohanga ā-whānau ōku ināianei, ehara i te tirohanga o te Kaiāwhina.

He hononga hirahira tō tōku hoa tāne, he pirihimana kurī i te rohe, ki ētahi whānau hoki, nā te mea kei te mōhio rātou ki ahau, whakapono ki ahau hoki - nā konā ka whakapono rātou i ahau ki te kōrero ki a ia i te wā ka ara ake ngā raru, me te mīharo hoki o tēnā.”#

Tui Keenan, whakaahua nā Samuel Richards.
Tui Keenan, whakaahua nā Samuel Richards.

Hei tā te Toihau ā-rohe o Te Tairāwhiti, Kaitirotiro Sam Aberahama, “He whakaminenga te tīma Whāngaia o ngā iwi me ō mātou tangata (kaiāwhina me ngā pirihimana), e aro atu ana ki ngā whānau, me te āwhina i a rātou ki te whakatutuki i ō rātou wawata.

"Kei te kite mātou he anamata e heke ana ngā mahi tūkino i te makiu tangata ka āwhinatia. Kua nui atu ngā tono āwhina mō ngā ratonga, nā konā pea ka tohua te tipu o te whakapono ki Ngā Pirihimana, me ngā tari hoa pokapū.

"Kua tipu tō mātou hononga ki ngā iwi e rua o Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Porou me Te Rūnanga o Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa i ēnei tau kua pahure, ā, e whakahīhī ana ki te mahi tahi, ki te āwhina i ngā whānau e hiahia ana.”

He pērā rawa nō te angitu, kua whakaterea e Ngā Pirihimana ki Te Matau-a-Māui whānui:

Kei Counties Manukau, Waitematā, Te Manawa Titi a Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke, i Tāmaki Makaurau, FLOW i Whanganui, Kapiti mana me Whānagaia Ngā Pā Harakeke ki Ōtepoti, me Whiri te Muka ki Te Taitokerau.

Hei tāpirihanga ki te angitu o tēnei kaupapa ā-hapori, kua whai wāhi nui ki Te Aorerekura, he rautaki ā-motu mō te hekenga o te tūkino ā-whānau. Kia kimi kōrero anō, haere ki https://violencefree.govt.nz/


Iwi, NGOs and Police reducing family harm in Tairāwhiti

Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke (WNPH) is a police-sponsored initiative that went live in February 2017.

It’s police and local iwi, NGOs and government agencies working in partnership to reduce family harm – and it’s working. In Tairawhiti, the harm has shown an 18.7 per cent decrease by December 2019.

Tairāwhiti, Gisborne is one of a few localities in areas that have disproportionately high rates of family harm occurring. Tairāwhiti area has a population of 49,100 (2018 census) and in the evaluation period (2017-2019) had up to 2500 Family Harm callouts annually. 

The programme is changing that. An evaluation was completed in December 2019. It showed that WNPH is having an immediate impact on reducing crime harm and an effect on the future of offenders who have entered the Whāngaia model in Tairāwhiti district.

Inspector Janelle Timmins, Manager Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke at Police National Headquarters  says: “Whāngaia is a unique approach with engagement at the earliest sign of need regardless of whether an offence is identified. It is based on a police national principles framework that focuses on reducing harm and impact on those families/whānau who are enduring, or at risk.

"Whāngaia is a journey of relationships and understanding. It’s a concept of shared purpose and values that support the holistic perspective of well-being of community. It’s inclusive of whānau voice to enable local, collaborative design tailored by and for the community.

"It involves collectively learning and building a combined understanding to constantly adapt and grow with changing communities and environments.

"Strong partnership and engagement throughout the life cycle enables innovation to evolve and integrate responses for those impacted by family harm, across the spectrum of prevention, early intervention, crisis response and long-term healing and recovery.”

Natalie, a former victim who was helped by Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke, says: “My ex-partner was a drug user, big drinker and a psychological abuser, always yelling at me, even abusing me verbally at my work. He would email nasty abuse constantly and text me, he became possessive, his behaviour erratic, he even set fire to some of our property.

"He would seek me out – it escalated, I had to have him trespassed. The team helped me with these notices and protection orders. I had to leave town in the end to start a new life, but the Whāngaia Police staff in Tairawhiti were fantastic. I dealt with Cameron, Rihara, Tina and others from this team. They would keep me up to date – I would go and see them, and they would make time for me every time I rang or visited.

"They would always return my calls. I just wanted to know what was happening. I would walk in there, no appointment, and one of the team would talk to me. It was good not having to explain myself repeatedly. It took two years from the first police contact to sentencing. I could not have gone through it without their help.”

Natalie, a victim of family harm helped by Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke, sitting on a bench with her face blurred to protest her anonymity.
Natalie, a victim of family harm helped by Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke.

Tui Keenan, a Kairuruku (coordinator) for Whāngaia from 2019 to 2020 and former police officer, says how it’s improving the system. Tui, who has her own hunting show on Māori TV says: “At Whāngaia I saw the barriers break down between the community and Police.

"The uniform that was once a threat to these people became invisible because of the relationship police would build with our families. Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke has given me a new lens to look through. I look through a whānau lens now, not the lens of the support person.

“My husband, who is a dog-handler in the district, has a special relationship with some whānau too, because they know me and trust me – so they trust him and ask to speak to him when they have problems, which is pretty amazing.”

Tui Keenan. Photo by Samuel Richards.
Tui Keenan, photo by Samuel Richards.

Area Commander for Tairāwhiti, Inspector Sam Aberahama says: “The Whāngaia team is a collective of Iwi and our people (kaiāwhina and police officers) whose focus has been engaging with whānau and working to support them to achieve their goals and aspirations.

"We can see there is a future harm reduction across the large number of people who receive services and support. There is an increase in requests for service which may indicate increased trust and confidence in Police and partner agencies.

"Our partnership and relationship with both Iwi, Te Runanganui O Ngati Porou and Te Runanga O Turanganui A Kiwa has grown immensely over the past few years, and we are proud to be working alongside one another to support our whānau in need.”

It’s been so successful Police has recently launched it in the wider Hawke’s Bay.

Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke can also be found in Counties Manukau, Waitemata, Te Manawa Titi in Auckland City, FLOW in Whanganui, Kapiti Mana and Whāngaia Ngā Pā Harakeke Ki Ōtepoti - Dunedin, and Whiria te Muka in the Far North,

Building on the success of this community-led approach, it has become an integral part of Te Aorerekura, the national strategy for the elimination of family and sexual violence. Find out more at https://violencefree.govt.nz/