Budget 2023 funding for family violence and sexual violence

Mon 15 May 2023

The Government has announced funding in Budget 2023 responding to family violence and sexual violence.

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Budget 2023 family violence and sexual violence funding

Marama Davidson, Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and Sexual Violence, and Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Minister for Disability Issues, announced in a pre-budget statement that Budget 2023 will include $73.48 million for family violence and sexual violence.

The funding aligns with Te Aorerekura priorities, spread across three main focus areas: learning and monitoring, increasing equity by addressing key service gaps and enabling community leadership. Just over half of the funding is allocated to initiatives for tangata whenua, disabled people and children and young people.

Te Puna Aonui has published a one page summary of the Budget 2023 funding for family violence and sexual violence. It outlines the following:

Building a monitoring, evaluation and learning function ($3.994 million over 4 years)
Kaupapa Māori specialist sexual violence services for whānau ($8.603 million over 3 years)
Safeguarding adults at risk and disabled people from violence and abuse ($6.110 million over 4 years)
Accessible family violence and sexual violence services for disabled people ($3.419m million over 2 years)
Child advocates to support children in Women’s Refuges ($5.997 million over 4 years)
Family dispute resolution – child participation cost pressure ($5.334 million over 4 years)
Court support for tamariki and rangatahi witnesses in sexual violence proceedings ($7.049 million over 4 years)
Family violence help portal ($10.055 million over 4 years)
Improved access to family violence programmes in court and the community ($20.089 million over 4 years in Vote Courts and $0.909 million over 4 years in Vote Corrections)
Enabling a multi-disciplinary family harm approach in Counties Manukau ($1.920 million over 2 years)

For more information see the Te Puna Aonui full Summary of Initiatives for Budget 2023 and Budget investments 2023 on the Te Puna Aonui resources webpage.

Update:

The Ministry of Social Development has also published Budget 2023 factsheets which provide more details. There are factsheets for several of the family and sexual violence initiatives including

The Government will announce Budget 2023 on 18 May 2023.

Related news

The 2023 Annual Te Aorerekura Hui is taking place on 14 June 2023. The theme is Ako tahi: Learning together. The event will be in-person in Wellington and online. The Te Puna Aonui website says "The Hui is focused on how we are learning together and monitoring progress. It will bring together tangata whenua leaders, specialists from the family violence and sexual violence sectors, people from across our communities, with government officials and Ministers." Visit the Te Puna Aonui webite to see the programme and register for the Hui. For questions, contact Te Puna Aonui at TeAorerekuraHui@tepunaaonui.govt.nz.

In April 2023 Justice Minister Kiritapu Allan announced work related to improving the justice system response for victims of family violence and sexual violence. Minister Allan's statement highlighted the Government's plans to introduce a bill before the election that would address sexual violence against children, litigation abuse in family proceedings and giving greater choice to victims of sexual violence around name suppression decisions. She also noted that the Government will launch 3 pilot programmes in mid-2023:

"...to improve safety and help navigate the court system for victims of serious crime; strengthen support for child victims of sexual violence; and ensure victim’s views are provided in bail decisions."

The statement also noted that further funding would be provided for Victim Support and the Victims Assistance Scheme. The statement noted that funding for these measures would come from Budget 2022. It also noted that "Today's measures form the first tranche of the three-year work programme to develop a Victims Operating Model" that was announced in Budget 2022. See the related media below for responses from advocates and more information.

Update: The cabinet paper Better Outcomes for Victims: Work programme was proactively released.

Cash boost in Budget to help stamp out family and sexual violence, The Post, 15.05.2023

Kaupapa Māori approaches to safety and wellbeing important in progress to eliminate violence - Davidson, Te Ao Māori News, 13.05.2023

Disability Rights Commissioner appointed, Ministry of Justice media release, 12.05.2023

Prudence Walker unveiled as new Disability Rights Commissioner, Stuff, 12.05.2023

New Disability Rights Commissioner welcomed, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata | Human Rights Commission media release, 12.05.2023

Corrections takes on family violence strategy, Waatea News, 09.05.2023 (also listen to the Waatea News interview with Minister Marama Davidson)

There may be unintended consequences following the litigation abuse law change, The Press, 29.04.2023

An abuser filed 100 court claims against his ex-wife. The Government is going to change the law to stop perpetrators like him, Stuff, 21.04.2023

Chief Victims Advisor ‘delighted’ with plans to boost safety and support for victims, Chief Victims Advisory media release, 21.04.2023

New Bill seeks to strengthen sex abuse victims' rights within justice system, RNZ, 21.04.2023

Video: Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, Justice Minister Kiri Allan speak to media after announcement, Newshub, 21.04.2023