Shore spat takes gloss off Shine

New Zealand's biggest domestic violence agency has adopted a new name to shine a ray of hope into what former Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright once called the country's "dark secrets".

Preventing Violence in the Home - which this week absorbed the Safer Families Foundation, which ran the North Shore women's refuge - was yesterday rebranded "Safer Homes In New Zealand Everyday", or "Shine".

"Our name has always been a bit of a mouthful," said executive director Jane Drumm.

"We started off as the Domestic Violence Centre. Then we were doing something about [violence] by 'preventing' it.

"Now I just think it's a really good name for a grim time. This is a very grim issue and we are living in grim times."

The takeover remains controversial on the North Shore, where the community raised money to build a respite house for women moving on from the local women's refuge.

The Safer Families Foundation has been wound up and its assets handed over to the larger body.

Safer Families chairwoman Athina Tsoulis said last month that fewer women were now coming into the refuge and respite house because of more supportive public attitudes and services. These helped women to leave abusive relationships more safely.

Ms Drumm said the respite house was rented out until February to give Shine time to consult and consider options for it.

"As far as the refuge goes, yes, there has been a general decline in demand for refuges with different options available. But we are still often hunting for a place for someone, so I'm not anticipating that the need for it will disappear," she said.

Shine had employed all five fulltime staff from Safer Families, but had made one part-time person redundant.

Carol Ryan, manager of Raeburn House and a spokeswoman for concerned North Shore groups, said agencies involved with family violence services on the Shore had worked collaboratively but had not been consulted over the decision to wind up Safer Families.

"My phone has been running hot this afternoon. Everyone said, 'We are really disappointed this has happened without there being a transparent process'," she said. "This is a field where trust is a huge principle, and that is what has been lacking in this process."

Ms Drumm said Shine would continue to work collaboratively with the North Shore network.

"They seem to have a good way of dealing with things. Why would we upset something that is good?" she asked.

Community groups faced uncertain times in the recession and the new merged entity would hold contracts for crisis advocacy, education, children's programmes and men's anti-violence courses as well as, now, a refuge.

www.2shine.org.nz