Read what we got up to in July 2023 – June 2024. You can find out about our work and impact on the two biggest issues for women and girls in New Zealand – poverty and family violence, and the issues that stem from those.
Our Year in Review reflects on the work we’ve done to reduce harm while providing people with new opportunities. It also looks at our efforts to drive and support system change to help stop harm before it happens and reduce the impact of harm where is has occurred.
Evaluation of Good Shepherd NZ specialist Economic Harm Support Service.
Good Shepherd NZ’s specialist Economic Harm Support Service was developed and piloted for 12 months from November 2021. It aimed to:
identify and provide the most appropriate support for people affected by economic harm
establish whether there is a demand for such support
identify improvements that could be made to financial, government and other services to reduce damage caused by economic harm
identify actions that could prevent economic harm occurring in the first place.
This evaluation of the first 12 months includes qualitative and quantitative data. It includes case file data, assessment notes, monthly reports on debt levels and types of support provided and stakeholder interviews.
Read our submission advocating to ensure our clients and their financial wellbeing have been considered in the proposed Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA) buy now, pay later (BNPL) amendments.
We are concerned that the $600 threshold has only been considered from a commercial perspective, not a social or ethical one.
Most people who approach us for financial support have several BNPL accounts in use, and they are often used to purchase essential items in the short term. It creates longer-term issues when several payments become due at the same time, and the lack of affordability checks from some services leads to missed payments and subsequent penalties.
Excluding people borrowing less than $600 ensures the most vulnerable New Zealanders, who have very few alternatives to purchase essential items, have none of the protections provided to people who will be borrowing more than $600.
The convenience and value of BNPL for middle-income New Zealanders, who have alternative credit options such as mortgages, personal loans and credit cards, is based on a business model that is subsidised by people in hardship continuing to pay significant default fees.
The harm that is caused by unmanageable debt was the reason affordability assessments were strengthened by the Government in recent years, and these regulations should be extended to BNPL and other new forms of credit where harm can be caused by financial penalties being imposed on consumers.
Read what we got up to in July 2021 – June 2022 and discover how we supported more people across Aotearoa New Zealand than ever.
Our Year in Review reflects on a record volume of enquiries into our financial wellbeing programmes and the work that was prioritised to continue to grow and adapt to meet the emerging needs of the women and whānau of Aotearoa.
Key international developments in response to economic abuse over 12 – 18 months across six participating countries: Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
This report outlines key international developments in response to economic abuse over 12 – 18 months across six participating countries: Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
It highlights the actions governments, corporations and other community organisations are taking to make a difference for victim-survivors of this lesser-known form of family violence.
This snapshot underlines a shift to support better outcomes for New Zealanders experiencing economic harm.
A lack of financial independence, and dealing with the impact of economic harm, are cited as key reasons people stay in violent relationships or are unable to overcome the enduring effects of abuse and establish a life free from family violence.
Family violence is pervasive and deeply damaging to whānau and communities across Aotearoa. It is one of our greatest shames accounting for more than 40% of a frontline police officer’s time and affecting one in two New Zealand women over the course of their lifetime.
With statistics like these, it is not possible for one part of our community to effect change by itself – it requires a societal shift driven by collaboration across businesses, government, social services and others. Tackling economic harm is a critical component of this shift, and there are steps we can take towards this in our roles as employers, policymakers and providers of goods and services for New Zealanders.
This snapshot includes the type of work and progress being made, and the role organisations and individuals can play in eliminating family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand.
A brief insight into the issues observed in the first six-months of our Economic Harm Support Service pilot.
This Good Shepherd New Zealand interim report provides a brief insight into the issues observed in the first six months of our Economic Harm Support Service pilot. It includes:
Areas where we believe our clients are affected by the unintended consequences of government and financial sector policies and processes.
Suggested actions to improve outcomes for victims of economic harm.
Letter: Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA) changes
8 March 2022
In this joint letter with FinCap, Christians Against Poverty, Ngā Tāngata Microfinance and more, we call on MPs to support changes to the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA) to help protect whānau from spiral debt.
No whānau in Aotearoa should end up facing serious stress, losing their most valuable belongings or going without kai because a lender is collecting on a loan that was always going to be unaffordable.
This open letter to New Zealand’s MPs backs safe lending laws that bring financial wellbeing to our communities and asks all parties to support the 2021 reform of the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA).
Read the joint letter calling on MPs to support changes to the CCCFA
Snapshot: Family violence and economic harm statistics
NZ’s family violence events are on the increase and children are present at the majority of incidents the NZ Police respond to.
Family violence statistics
In New Zealand, it is estimated that only 33% of family violence cases are reported. (1)
On average, police attend a family violence episode every four minutes. (1)
67% of family violence episodes still remain unreported. (1)
Nearly half of all homicides and reported violent crimes are related to family violence. (2)
Family violence events have increased 60% over the past five years and are predicted to increase by a further 35% by 2025. (3)
In 2020 and 2021, there were 155,338 family harm incidences which accounted for 16% of all police frontline activity. (1)
Children are present at nearly two-thirds of all family violence incidents police respond to. If this increase continues police anticipate their response to time will almost half – from four minutes to two and a half minutes by 2025. (1)
Below is a breakdown of family violence statistics based on gender, age, ethnicity, disability and employment.
Gender
Research suggests that one in three (33%) of New Zealand women have experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. (4)
When psychological abuse is added (where economic harm sits), it increases to one in two (55%). (4)
One in eight men reported being victims of family violence. (5)
Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults experience intimate partner physical and sexual violence more than twice as often as other New Zealanders. (6)
Age
Compared with other New Zealanders, adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 have the highest rates of intimate partner violence.(7)
One in three (29%) young people reported being hit or harmed by a partner and up to 60% of high school students are recorded as having been in an emotionally or physically abusive relationship. (7)
21% per cent of women who stayed in the refuge were also under 20 (15- 19 years). (8)
One in ten elderly experience family violence and 70% of those who experience harm are women. (9)
Evidence suggests that psychological abuse is the most common form of elder abuse and financial abuse is next most frequent, accounting for more than 50% of the recorded incidences. (10)
Ethnicity
Research suggests that some groups are at higher risks than others of experiencing family violence.
Physical and sexual IPV affects one in two (58%) of Māori women over a lifetime. When other forms of violence are included, this could be as high as 80%. (11)
Physical and sexual IPV affects one in three (34%) of European women over a lifetime and one in three (32%) of Pacific women. (12)
Asian women report a lower lifetime prevalence of one in ten (11.5%), but advocates believe there are lower rates of reporting in Asian Communities. (4)
Disability
Disabled people experience higher rates of both partner violence and non-partner violence. (13)
Employment
Family violence costs NZ employers at least $368 million annually. (14)
Of women who experienced family violence over the period of a year, 19% indicated that the abuse continued at work. (15)
Economic harm statistics
There is limited data in New Zealand relating specifically to economic harm as a form of family violence.
Research in 2021 by Associate Professor Janet Fanslow showed an increase in the lifetime prevalence of controlling behaviours towards women and double the rates of economic abuse from a male partner. From 4.5% in 2003 to 8.9% in 2019. (4)
When we look at NZ’s family violence prevalence figures alongside international economic harm research, it is estimated that economic harm would be a significant part of our family violence statistics. This is backed up by anecdotal reports from our own and others’ experience working directly with clients in the family violence sector.
International economic harm research
In Australia, women who experienced IPV, nearly all (99%) of them also experienced economic harm, including financial control and exploitation.(16)
In the UK, 95% of women who experience domestic abuse also report experiencing economic harm.(17)
In the USA, one in four women experiences family violence. Nearly all those cases include financial abuse. “In 99% of these cases, financial abuse is one of the main reasons victims can’t leave and remain in the abusive relationships.” (18)
In the USA, up to 99% of family violence victims experience economic harm during an abusive relationship, with finances often being cited as the biggest barrier to leaving an abusive relationship. (19)
