Julie Gibbs is hopeful a future without family violence is possible for New Zealand.
On May 15, the former Rotorua Hospital worker starts her new job as manager of Te Wāhi Whakaora Rotorua and District Women’s Refuge, leading a team committed to supporting silenced wāhine (women) and helping educate families across Aotearoa.
On average, New Zealand Police attend one episode of family harm every four minutes, and the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey has estimated two-thirds of family violence goes unreported.
Gibbs told the Rotorua Daily Post she believed it was only when Aotearoa fronted the tough conversations about domestic violence that “we will be able to understand it and deal with it”.
“We need to understand what it is and how it happens and we need to heal from this.
“We need our children to grow [up] in a safe community ... Let’s hear our little ones laugh.”
After her time working for Te Whatu Ora - Health NZ, she was “excited” to continue working with the Rotorua healthcare community to address the problem.
“If we can get into homes and use our connections within our community, then I think we’ve got a good chance of [hopefully] stamping this out.
“She knows Rotorua well and understands the nature of family violence.”
He said family violence was not limited to people experiencing poverty or a certain group of the population.
“What it comes back to, I guess, is the most powerful people and a lot of the time that is us, men.
“It’s not that they don’t know another way of behaving. They [often] don’t abuse bosses or colleagues or the rugby team.”
Russell-Jones said there were many great initiatives and programmes happening in Rotorua and the rest of the country, where people were standing up and doing things differently.
He believed sometimes women may feel afraid or ashamed or think, “I’m not important enough”.
“We know that is a hard step for almost all the women who come into our service to make that initial call, but we encourage anyone experiencing family violence to reach out even if it is just for a confidential non-judgmental chat.”
At the pōwhiri, refuge community supporter Mike Keefe said the work the Rotorua team did was challenging but its successes were rewarding.
Keefe said he looked at the refuge from a preventative point of view: “If you can save two people out of 10, that’s a 20 per cent crime reduction and that’s huge.”
Where to go for help or more information:
• Women’s Refuge: Free national crisis line operates 24/7 - 0800 refuge or 0800 733 843; www.womensrefuge.org.nz
• Shine, free national helpline 9am-11pm every day - 0508 744 633; www.2shine.org.nz
• Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and middle eastern women and their children. Crisis line 24/7 0800 742 584