{"id":487499,"date":"2026-06-20T20:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T20:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/487499\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T20:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T20:30:08","slug":"two-thirds-of-hawkes-bay-people-affected-by-family-violence-survey-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/487499\/","title":{"rendered":"Two-thirds of Hawke\u2019s Bay people affected by family violence, survey finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI guess it\u2019s trauma bonding because, when you go through something like that, you just click instantly. We were there to support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, fear of judgment had almost stopped her from seeking help.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeaps of women still, to this day, won\u2019t reach out because they feel like it\u2019s their fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her experience was one of many reflected in the results of a stark new Hawke\u2019s Bay survey.<\/p>\n

It revealed 66% of people in the region had either experienced family violence themselves, or knew someone close to them who had.<\/p>\n

Commissioned by Family VIP Services and conducted independently by SIL Research between October 2025 and February 2026, the survey found emotional abuse and coercive control were reported even more commonly than physical violence.<\/p>\n

Shame and stigma were identified as the biggest barriers to getting help, followed by fear of losing children or housing, fear of not being believed, and lack of trust in services.<\/p>\n

Family VIP services business manager Julie Hart said the findings reflected what frontline workers across Hawke\u2019s Bay were seeing every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamily violence is often far more complex and hidden than people realise.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoercive control, emotional abuse, intimidation and fear can exist long before physical violence occurs, and many people still don\u2019t recognise those behaviours for what they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

The survey suggested common warning signs included emotional and psychological changes, isolation and restricted contact, fearful, controlled or manipulative behaviour, verbal abuse, intimidation, and financial abuse or dependence. <\/p>\n

Hart said many people also believed seeking help automatically meant leaving immediately, losing custody of children, or having nowhere safe to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the biggest things we hear is fear of what happens next.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople worry about losing housing, financial stability, or how they will support their children. <\/p>\n

\u201cOften they don\u2019t realise support can start with a conversation, safety planning, advocacy, or simply understanding their options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another Hawke\u2019s Bay victim said she sought help after violence escalated in a long-term relationship she had been in since she was a teenager.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have five beautiful children, but then alcohol got involved, drugs got involved, and violence started.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was reluctant to seek support from her family, fearing judgment at a time when she was already dealing with trauma.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s Refuge advocates helped her access clothing and food grants, and guided her through the practical steps of starting again. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen me and my babies arrived, we were scared,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were just so supportive, made me feel so comfortable and not judged.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe just asked me what support I needed, and I told her. We sat down, wrote everything down, and she just said that we\u2019ll tick it off one by one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman wanted others experiencing family violence to know help was available. <\/p>\n

\u201cFind the strength and make that call for you and your babies,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe women here at the Women\u2019s Refuge are just amazing. They are just like my new little family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Family VIP Services provides confidential support, safety planning, advocacy, practical assistance, referrals and emergency safe house accommodation for women and children in Hastings and Napier.<\/p>\n

How to get help<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in danger now:<\/p>\n

Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you.Run outside and head for where there are other people. Scream for help so your neighbours can hear you.Take the children with you. Don\u2019t stop to get anything else.If you are being abused, remember it\u2019s not your fault. Violence is never okay.<\/p>\n

Where to go for help or more information<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s Refuge<\/a>: Crisis line – 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 (available 24\/7)Shine<\/a>: Helpline – 0508 744 633 (available 24\/7)It\u2019s Not OK<\/a>: Family violence information line – 0800 456 450Shakti<\/a>: Specialist services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and children.Crisis line – 0800 742 584 (available 24\/7)Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga:<\/a> National Network of Family Violence ServicesWhite Ribbon<\/a>: Aiming to eliminate men\u2019s violence towards women.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI guess it\u2019s trauma bonding because, when you go through something like that, you just click instantly. We…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":487500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[41110,1561,3595,2109,11424,1976,111,43,139,69,1118,384,8822,100624,13118],"class_list":["post-487499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-affected","tag-bay","tag-by","tag-family","tag-finds","tag-hawkes","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-of","tag-people","tag-survey","tag-twothirds","tag-violence"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/487500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}