Ten thousand frontline workers have been trained in family violence and sexual violence prevention in the past 18 months, six months ahead of the Government’s target date, Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour, has announced.
During 2025 and 2026, the workers – mainly within NZ Police, Oranga Tamariki, Department of Corrections, Ministry of Justice and ACC – have completed training aligned to the family violence workforce capability frameworks, said Minister Chhour.
“I am proud of our progress against the second Te Aorerekura Action Plan, it shows the benefits of a multi-agency response and the dedication of government departments to best supporting victim/survivors,” she said.
“This training is critical for our agencies’ frontline workforces to have the skills and knowledge they need to recognise, respond and refer when people are experiencing family violence or sexual violence.
“We have set bold goals that will tangibly help victim/survivors of family and sexual violence.”
Other progress against the Action Plan includes:
- The Ministry of Justice has delivered training to over 800 members of its court-related workforce. Ongoing training is expected to reach up to 500 people per year;
- The Department of Corrections has given essential-level family violence training to more than 4,700 of its staff;
- In 2024, Police redesigned the course for new recruits to include two weeks’ family violence training. Over 550 Police recruits received training in that first year, and over 850 recruits are expected to receive training by the end of 2026.
