The Church has commended the Ministry of Justice on its discussion paper "Strengthening New Zealand's legislative response to family violence", which invited submissions on how to improve the country's family violence laws.
In our response to the discussion paper, the Church supports calls from Presbyterian Support New Zealand and New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) for more resources to be allocated to strategies that prevent family violence. Our submission also emphasises that being kept safe from physical violence is a fundamental human right, saying: "The existing NZ domestic violence legislation is designed to respond to violence that has already occurred, rather that providing a human rights and protection focus which would promote a stronger emphasis on prevention and early intervention." Read the Church's submission