Latest news with #Henaghan
Newsroom
3 days ago
- Newsroom
NZ's multi-billion-dollar hidden epidemic
Every four minutes, New Zealand Police are called to a family harm incident. That's up to 400 call-outs every single day. It's a staggering and disturbing figure in a country that prides itself on kindness, community, and whānau. Yet, behind too many closed doors, the silent war rages, leaving victims bruised, broken, and often voiceless. Today The Detail looks at the alarming rate of domestic violence in New Zealand, and potential solutions, speaking to Auckland University professor of law Mark Henaghan, who was on the Family Violence Death Review committee for nearly decade, and Emma Powell, CEO of Te Puna Aonui, which has launched the Government's action plan to eliminate domestic and sexual violence. 'I would probably use the words hidden epidemic, basically,' says Henaghan. 'Nearly 50 percent of our murder cases involve family violence. 'We only really detect … about 20 percent [of domestic violence incidents], so there's a whole lot … that doesn't get to the surface.' He says something needs to be done, and immediately. New Zealand's rates of domestic and family violence are among the highest in the OECD. On average, 13 females and 10 males are killed every year. Māori women are particularly at risk – more likely to be killed by a partner and less likely to seek help. The financial cost to the country, Henaghan says, is huge. 'They reckon it's worth, like to the country … between $8 to $10 billion, probably more … in terms of time off work, and how people suffer from it so they can't be productive, how children get into difficulty because all the costs of it, the medical costs, and all the rest of it, are massive. 'But they're never talked about much in any political campaign, I think it's because … we don't want to know about it. 'We do need to hear about it; we need to have our eyes wide open to the realities of it.' Powell, who is also a key member of the Executive Board for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence, tells The Detail, 'if you look at the numbers, the rates are stubbornly high', but she says the Government is taking action to address the crisis. Late last year, it launched part two of Te Aorerekura – the National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence – a 25-year strategy designed to achieve intergenerational change. Part one was introduced in 2021. Powell says over the next few years they're keying in on good investment and commissioning, how effective funding is, freeing up frontline workers to get them into the community and more productive places, getting into the regions, intervening earlier, focusing more on children, confronting perpetrators, and building an information sharing platform. 'I really believe that the only way forward is doing things as collectives, and that's tough, it is hard, hard stuff to do, but it's really important,' says Powell. 'I think taken together and executed really well in a community, we should start to see a real shift.' Last week, the Government announced that, as part of the action plan, more training to help staff support in family and sexual violence responses would be rolled out across frontline services, with the goal of reaching 10,000 workers in the next two years. Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour says, 'this will ensure victim-survivors receive best practice support, and will empower staff to safely recognise, refer, and respond to family and sexual violence. 'This training is an important part of our response to family and sexual violence. 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.' Powell says while change can be slow, a recent experience in Rotorua provides proof that it is starting to happen. 'I was spending time on the ground with a multi-agency collaboration … and I was talking to one of the leads there and she was telling me about just a story – stories that they are starting to see more and more – where 'she has left him', and we don't count that, we don't count that in government as an indicator of success. 'But they are seeing more and more that women are feeling empowered, supported, and safe to actually leave very violent and difficult situations. And so, there are lives being changed by the work that we are doing.' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
Otago Daily Times
06-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Judging on graft and careening while LOL
Civis is intrigued by ethical dilemmas, such as those faced by Logan Park High School and the "misappropriated" $365,000 (including GST and associated costs). Sadly, such conundrums are almost always shadowed by loss and misfortune. Behind them likely lie stories of falls from grace, hurt and pain. But they are informative, offering insights into a world that's neither black nor white. The pros and cons are difficult to balance. Put simply, Logan Park's quandary is a case of pragmatism versus principle. By not going to the police and instead focusing on recovering all the money, the school plumped for pragmatism. Who can blame the school's board and senior management? Recovering such a large amount of money serves the school's immediate education focus. It preserves those resources for future use. The matter doesn't drag on, distracting and disrupting school authorities in time and effort. From a practical standpoint, the school's approach was efficient. Respected law professor Mark Henaghan said retrieving the money was the most important thing for the school. That priority would have been first on their mind before seeking justice. Prof Henaghan said a trial could be time-consuming and unpredictable. Even the police might have been relieved to avoid the cost and complications in the absence of an official complaint. Left out, however, are broader public interests. The failure to prosecute weakens deterrence, sending the wrong signals to others who might be similarly tempted. Because public funds are at stake, shouldn't there also be a transparent legal process? What about punishment? Recovery trumped retribution. Crucially, the guilty party has avoided public scrutiny. Other organisations could unknowingly employ the same person, potentially suffering the same fate. Such circumstances have arisen in Dunedin business circles. Companies can avoid hassles, costs and reputational damage by discreetly parting ways with guilty parties. Also, is there a moral imperative to report such crimes because they are inherently wrong? Are Logan Park and the police setting poor ethical precedents? Are they remaining true to what should be their ethos, their principles? You be the judge. ★★★ Here's another in the changing meaning of words sequence. Alan Edwards, of Dunedin, has noted the Otago Daily Times using "careen" or "careened" when referring to an out-of-control car. But he says his Chambers Dictionary (1998) limits the word to ships or boats, especially when placing them on their sides, usually for cleaning or painting. Alan suspects the modern "misuse" stems from confusion with "career", which his dictionary defines as "to gallop; to rush wildly; to move or run rapidly", from the Latin carraria — a carriage-road. A blog on says that "careen" once meant to turn (a ship) on its side for cleaning or repairs, as well as to lurch or sway, especially when in motion. But in modern usage, careen has come to mean to move fast, especially in an uncontrolled way, making it synonymous with career. "Searching the web, we find much opposition to this change, and the supposed misuse of careen seems to peeve many people. But it's a lost cause. In current news and blog writing that is searchable online, we find zero instances of careen used in the old senses, versus hundreds of examples of the word used in the new way. "So while each of us is free to preserve the old meanings in our own writing, most of the English-speaking world has moved on (with rare exceptions in nautical contexts)." ★★★ A teenager has warned Civis about the dangers of using emojis in ignorance. One of the "laughing so hard until you cry" emojis was mistakenly sent in an attempt to express empathy after misfortune. It reminded Civis of someone back in the day who misinterpreted text-speak, using "LOL" to mean "lots of love" instead of "laughing out loud". civis@
