Family Violence Prevention

If you are in immediate danger, please call 111, call 105 for a non-emergency.

For free, confidential help, call:
AVIVA – 0800 2848 2699
Victim Support – 0800 842 846
Safe to Talk – 0800 044 334        
Women’s Refuge – 0800 733 843

Waimakariri District Council is a partner in the Violence Free North Canterbury Network. We provide coordination and support for this group.

Violence Free North Canterbury is a collaboration of agencies who aim to eradicate family violence in North Canterbury. It will do this by influencing positive social change within the community about family violence issues and empowering the community to send the message that family violence is unacceptable.

Violence Free North Canterbury was previously called North Canterbury Family Violence Network. It has been in existence since the mid-1990s. Meetings are held bi-monthly in February, April, June, August, October and December on the third Thursday of the month.

There are three components to the family violence prevention project work:

  • Raising community awareness of the issue and need for change
  • Providing community education opportunities
  • Increasing professional capability

  • Coordination and support for the Violence Free North Canterbury Network
  • Facilitation of White Ribbon Day initiatives at high schools, with local business and in local media
  • Facilitation of Professional Development for people working in and with the community on how to recognise and respond appropriately where there is evidence of abuse
  • Facilitation of Community Awareness raising around positive communication and what constitutes safe relationships

From Curiosity to Concern Workshop, September 2025

Violence Free North Canterbury, supported by Council, hosted STOP and Taima Korero to present a day-long workshop on the current digital landscape facing tamariki and rangatahi in our community and how to support them to prevent sexual harm in our communities. The event was attended by over 40 professionals across North Canterbury, who provided feedback on how valuable and relevant the day’s information was to their work.

Stronger Communities Conference, June 2025

The network helped to support the 2025 Stronger Communities Conference. This 2-day workshop created an opportunity for professionals from across the district to connect and network with one another, as well as receive training in areas of family violence, mental health, neurodiversity, and more.

VFNC Community Quiz Night Fundraiser 2025

The Network hosted a community awareness and fundraising Quiz Night & Silent Auction to share about the state of family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand and raise funds for the work of Violence Free North Canterbury. The night was a great success, raising over $2000.


Bringing AI Closer to Violence Prevention Webinar, May 2025

Violence Free North Canterbury collaborated with Rhiana Spring, from Spring ACT to deliver a 90-minute online workshop focused on leveraging AI for violence prevention. Over 75 experts attended from across New Zealand.

The workshop featured Sophia, an AI-driven chatbot that assists survivors of domestic violence by helping them gather evidence of abuse, understand their legal rights, and explore available options for support in their communities.

The response to the workshop was enthusiastic. The session created a valuable opportunity for our district's support organisations to connect with other experts from across the country and engage with one another on an important topic. The session demonstrated our district's leadership in addressing critical social issues and showcased our ability to gather stakeholders to build capacity and capability within communities.

Resources:

Family Violence referral/support agencies leaflet

For further information contact:


Email: community@wmk.govt.nz

Last reviewed date: 06 Nov 2025