Fiona Ross appointed Director, Family Violence and Sexual Violence Joint Venture

Fiona Ross has been appointed to the role of Director, Family Violence and Sexual Violence Joint Venture.

Fiona Ross is currently Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary Strategy, Performance and Engagement at Treasury.

The role of the Joint Venture is to lead and coordinate a whole-of-government response to family violence and sexual violence. The Director leads the business unit that supports the Joint Venture to deliver its work programme.

The Director of the Joint Venture will report to the Board of the Joint Venture. The Board is made up of the Chief Executives who currently sit on the Social Wellbeing Board (Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Oranga Tamariki - Ministry for Children, Health, Te Puni Kōkiri, Social Development, Education and Justice) with the addition of Police, ACC and Corrections.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister of Justice (Domestic and Sexual Violence) Jan Logie is the Lead Minister for the whole-of-government response to family violence and sexual violence. This work is supported by a Ministerial group comprising Justice, Social Development, Children, Māori Development and Senior ministers.

The Cabinet Social Wellbeing Committee has overall Ministerial oversight for the joint venture and the integrated, whole-of-government work programme.

Interim Māori advisory group Te Rōpū is working with government Ministers and the Joint Venture on developing a national strategy and action plan, and on informing enduring arrangements for Māori involvement in the government’s work in this area.

Announcing Fiona Ross' appointment, chair of the Social Wellbeing Board’s joint venture and State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes said:

"The joint venture is a new way of working for government which has huge potential to prevent family and sexual violence and improve outcomes for victims, perpetrators, whānau and families. I have every confidence that Ms Ross has the experience to make the most of this opportunity to make a real difference to New Zealanders’ lives."

Ms Ross will take up on the role on 29 April 2019.

For more information see the Ministry of Justice Q&A on the Joint Venture (October 2018) and our previous stories:

New government "joint venture" approach to addressing family and sexual violence

Cabinet papers released on new joint venture approach to addressing family and sexual violence

Members of Te Rōpū Māori advisory group announced

Media

Fiona Ross to head family and sexual violence joint venture, Voxy, 28.03.2019

Fiona Ross to head family and sexual violence joint venture, Law Society News, 28.03.2019

New steps in improving our response to family violence, Under-Secretary to the Minister of Justice (Domestic and Sexual Violence) Jan Logie, Speech to the Auckland Branch of the NZ Law Society, 25 March 2019, 25.03.2019