Luxury car mogul helps out domestic violence victims group

Sir Colin Giltrap. File photo / Christine Cornege

Luxury car mogul Sir Colin Giltrap has become one the latest supporters of a dedicated - but cash-strapped - service for young victims of domestic violence.

Last Wednesday night, at the service's 10th birthday party, Audi's Garry Periam announced Sir Colin's six-month donation of an Audi A3, plus all fuel and maintenance costs, for Shine (Safer Homes in New Zealand Everyday).

The gift is a welcome start to a children's branch of the service, called KIDShine.

"The intention is we'll start KIDshine off with this car," Mr Periam. "Then [as the service grows] we'll be able to go to our associates and say: 'look this is what we've been doing and this is who it has helped. How about we all work together on this in future?"

Veteran advocate Jill Proudfoot said the main concern was that children in domestic violence situations have "no voice".

"They have no place to go to ask for help. We give them a voice."

However, communication and development director Holly Carrington said the unpredictable patchwork of funding was still a concern.

"Shine has struggled over these 10 years to raise funds to run the service in a limited area, mostly central Auckland. It relies heavily on private donations and grants, corporate sponsors, as well as short-term government grants."

Ms Carrington said the service is in the last year of a three-year contract with The Todd Foundation; the philanthropist family dispenses $75,000 per year, and Carrington worries for child victims if this and other funding dries up in 2014.

Recent figures from The Campaign for Action on Family Violence - known more commonly as the "Are You Okay" campaign - showed an estimated 75,000 children and young people aged under 17 were in family violence situations attended by police each year.

Officers are called to around 200 of these every day - one every seven minutes.

KIDshine safety plans sometimes include an oldest child taking younger siblings into a remote room and closing the door "until it's over".

Police call in KidShine volunteers just after they take "the perpetrator" away. The event signals the first of four sessions each affected child gets, designed to reduce their trauma and restore the often shredded bond with mothers.

Other noteworthy donations this month were $25,000 from cosmetic company Avon who've chosen Shine as a partner in their anti-domestic violence Empowerment programme, and a pledge from The Warriors to raise funds for KIDshine in future.