Memo
To:
Rena Hona, General Manager, Māori Partnerships and
Programmes
CC:
Heni Turner, Manager, E Tū Whānau
From:
Sheetal Samy, Senior Advisor, Ethnic Communities Violence
Prevention
Date:
25 March 2024
Security level: Unclassified
Ethnic Communities Violence Prevention Innovation
Fund – Funding Recommendations
Action:
For Approval
Purpose
This memo seeks your approval of the successful Ethnic Communities Innovation
Fund recipients.
The Innovation Fund is a key component in understanding
the prevention of violence in ethnically diverse communities
The Ethnic Communities Innovation Fund (Innovation Fund) aims to promote the
safety and wellbeing of ethnic people by supporting community-driven initiatives
for preventing family and sexual violence. The funding enables the community to
develop and deliver solutions and activities within their local and cultural
contexts.
The Innovation Fund is a critical aspect of the Ethnic Communities Violence
Prevention (ECVP) programme and will allow for development of an expanded
evidence base that aims to better inform long-term sustainable funding for
prevention initiatives and activities specifically for ethnically diverse
communities.
Manaaki tangata, manaaki whānau
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent
Details of the Innovation Fund were made publicly available through a wide
range of MSD and other agency communications channels, including via Te Puna
Aonui and the Ministry for Ethnic Communities newsletters.
The funds have clear aims and processes to determine
impact
This is a conditional grant fund, as successful applicants are required to deliver
their initiative under one or more of the three focus areas below:
1. Developing and testing activities with change-ready ethnic communities and
providers throughout the country.
2. Building our collective knowledge and insights into ethnic communities,
generated by, and for, ethnic communities.
3. Establishment and development of ethnic-specific services and support to
grow the capability and capacity of the sector.
Successful applicants will provide short monthly reports during the delivery
period of their initiative, and a final report at the end of the 12-month delivery
period.
The monthly, and final, reports will contribute to and expand the evidence base
for prevention in ethnically diverse communities. They will allow MSD to gather
data to understand the impact of prevention in specific regions and ethnic groups
across Aotearoa New Zealand.
A robust selection process was followed to identify
recipients for the Innovation Fund
The team worked closely with MSD’s legal and contracting teams to ensure a
robust selection process was followed to determine the most suitable Innovation
Fund recipients.
A pre-evaluation was carried out by Shazia Gazi (ECVP Team Leader) and Sally
Clarkson (Former Refugee and Migrant – E Tū Whānau – Team Leader) to
determine eligibility.
Following the pre-evaluation, the eligible applications were reviewed, assessed
and deliberated by a panel of experts. The voting members of the panel
included:
• Joe Lim (Senior Advisor, ECVP Team)
• Samira Ghoreishi (Senior Advisor, ECVP Team)
• Jenny Janif (Senior Advisor, Former Refugee and Migrant team - E Tū
Whānau)
• Cristy Trewartha (community mobilisation expert)
• Sripriya Somasekar (FVSV in ethnic communities expert).
2
Non-voting members included: Sheetal Samy (Senior Advisor, ECVP Team) as
the chair, and Ngahuia Wright (ECVP Team Admin) as the minute-taker.
The expert panel considered the following when choosing the successful
applicants:
• ethnic diversity
• regional spread across the country
• support for different age groups
• rurality
• types of initiatives
• the ability of the initiative to build evidence and learning about family and
sexual violence prevention in ethnically diverse communities.
The panel met from 7-9 February 2024 in Wellington to assess the applications.
Twenty-five projects – at a total of $1,065,000 – were identified for funding.
The panel’s recommendations regarding the organisations to receive the funding
are attached, along with a brief summary of each project.
Recommendation
It is recommended that you:
agree to fund 25 projects under the Ethnic Communities Violence Prevention
Innovation Fund, at a total of $1,065,000 – as recommended and advised by the
expert evaluation panel.
Agree / Disagree
26 March 2024
Rena Hona
Date
General Manager
Māori, Communities and Partnerships
3
Organisation/Provider
Initiative description
Focus area/s Community served
Region
Funding
amount
1
ACOFI Auckland – African Develop research studies and activities as well as educational and training programmes, 1 and 2
African community
Auckland
$45,000
communities forum
which address cultural norms, communication styles and barriers to seeking help. These
activities are tailored to a range of groups, specifically suited to the cultural context and
set-up of the African community in Auckland.
2
Acorn Autism Charitable
Develop a new programme specifically for South Asian families, which will include
1 and 3
Neurodiverse South
Auckland
$40,000
Asian Communities
Trust
individual parent training and group parent training workshops. This aims to reduce the
stigma of autism in the community, social isolation and abusive parenting practices,
which may be related to having a disabled child and being a migrant with different
cultural practices related to parenting.
3
Adhikaar Aotearoa
Research initiative that will identify ethnic LGBTQIA+ FVSV survivors, mapping their
1, 2 and 3
LGBQTIA+ ethnic
All of New
$45,000
communities across
Zealand
experiences of violence as a visual output. Demographic data will be shared to add a
NZ
critical layer, offering a spatial context to vulnerabilities by examining intersections with
ethnicity, class, caste, neurodiversity, disability, and immigration status.
4
African Community
Develop an initiative engaging diverse demographics within the African community in
1 and 3
African Community
Wellington
$45,000
Council Wellington
Wellington by collaborating with community mobilisers, leaders, and professionals for
activities such as community conversations, door-to-door discussions, training,
multimedia campaigns, and community events implementing diverse prevention
initiatives and advocating for action against family and sexual violence.
5
Auckland Tamil
Develop culturally sensitive prevention strategies rooted in Tamil culture and traditions
1
Tamil Community
Auckland
$45,000
Association
by implementing educational workshops, seminars and support groups tailored to
address family and sexual violence issues within the Tamil community. These will focus
on addressing gender inequality and other forms of systemic discrimination. This will be
whilst establishing language-specific helplines, counselling services and support groups
dedicated to aiding victims within the Tamil community.
6
Bhartiya Samaj Lower
Deliver 12 family violence and sexual violence awareness workshops over the course of
3
South Asian and
Wellington and
$24,000
Southeast Asian
Manawatu
North Island
12 months, evenly distributed between Wellington and Manawatu. These workshops, led
Senior Citizens
by qualified experts and supported by volunteers, are designed to enlighten South Asian
and Southeast Asian senior citizens about the various forms of abuse they may
encounter, often perpetrated by their own families. The objective is to provide a
framework on integrating linguistically and culturally appropriate strategies and values
to reinforce respectful relationships in ethnic families.
7
Burmese Rohingya
Ruáingga (Rohingya) Wellbeing and Safety Project will be a new initiative with the main 1
Burmese Rohingya
Auckland and
$45,000
Community
Blenheim
Welfare Organisation
objective of working with Rohingya community members (youth, adults (males and
Manaaki tangata, manaaki whānau
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent
females), elders, community leaders and faith leaders on awareness raising on child sex
abuse, family and sexual violence.
8
CNSST Foundation
CNSST propose a new initiative – the Asian Community Family Harmony Awareness Hub 1
East Asian Migrant
Auckland
$45,000
Community
(the Hub) focusing on culturally and linguistically appropriate information/awareness
education and service navigation for family and sexual violence prevention in East Asian
communities.
9
Cultural Conversations
Building off the concept brought to life with funding from MSD’s Te Korowai Whetu
1
Local ethnic
Nelson
$45,000
Community in Nelson
Social Cohesion fund, delivering workshops with external partners on digital/financial
literacy, tutoring to support social enterprise development, monthly care/connect
sessions for women, and monthly Te Reo Māori sessions for the ethnic communities in
Nelson. This will also include group social cohesion trips into Nelson/Tasman locations,
shared cultural cooking/meal exchange evenings and hosting a monthly stall at the local
Nelson Arts Market.
10
Diversity Counselling New Developing and testing child sexual abuse prevention approaches in two targeted Asian
1
Chinese and Indian
Waikato
$45,000
Community
Zealand
communities – Chinese and Indian. This initiative will continue work in understanding
parental/caregiver views on child sexual abuse and prevention across many ethnic
communities. Community mobilisers will be upskilled to engage with a minimum of 15-
20 families from either community to understand their expectations and perceptions
regarding the protective and risk factors relating to child sexual abuse prevention. The
information gathered will identify common themes and be used as a resource to raise
awareness and design workshops for these communities.
11
Ethnic Rainbow Alliance
Develop a Rainbow competency workshop module to be delivered to diverse ethnic
3
All ethnic
Auckland
$35,000
communities
communities. The workshop will support ethnic communities and ethnic community
organisations to build Rainbow responsive capability, attitudes and practice with a wider
aim of identifying and challenging enablers of sexual and family violence.
12
Family Action
Develop a programme for caregivers of children who have been sexually harmed within
2
All ethnic
Auckland
$45,000
communities
the ethnic community. The programme aims to support families to make informed
decisions regarding the steps they take through the legal system by increasing
understanding of: impacts of sexual harm on children and caregivers; how to respond to
disclosures; coping strategies and resources for support; and how to navigate the New
Zealand legal systems and processes.
13
The Fatimah Foundation
Pathway to Peace (Salaam) aims to support ethnically diverse Muslim men seeking to
1
Muslim men
Auckland
$45,000
discontinue the use of violence. This initiative encourages collective community
ownership of solutions, support and resources, reflecting a commitment to shared
responsibility, by encouraging individuals to proactively contribute to the development
of community-driven solutions, fostering mutual support and cultivating a shared sense
of purpose.
5
14
Iranian Women in NZ
Develop a community-focused programme with the aim of strengthening factors that
1
Iranian and Afghan
Auckland
$43,000
Community
provide protection from domestic violence, through raising awareness about gender
norms and roles, fostering a healthy family relationship, creating community connection
and social support, and providing parenting and care support.
15
Migrant Action Trust-
Developing research to understand ethnic parents’ perceptions of and responses to their 3
LGBQTIA+ from the
Auckland and
$45,000
Middle Easter, Latin
Wellington
Ethnic Communities
LGBTQIA+ children, in an effort to determine what support is needed for families to
American and African
Advocacy and Research
provide homes and spaces where LGBTQIA+ children feel safe, accepted and welcomed
community
Unit (MAT-ECARU)
by the family, extended family and community.
16
Migrante Aotearoa
Develop a series of workshops, group therapy sessions and community hui addressing
1 and 3
Filipino Community
Auckland,
$45,000
Wellington and
the mental health needs and family wellbeing of Filipino communities. Addressing the
Christchurch
stigma of asking for help, which aims to reduce the risk of worker exploitation, isolation,
family and sexual violence, and the impacts of intergenerational trauma. Also, to
support access to healing and mental health, and social services, to increase protective
factors for wellbeing and healthy relationships in the Filipino community.
17
Rotorua Multicultural
Working in collaboration with a specialist family violence organisation – Family Focus
1
All Ethnic
Rotorua
$44,000
communities in
Centre
Rotorua – to raise awareness of family violence in ethnic communities through social
Rotorua
media. Local champions will be identified and trained to work in their ethnic
communities to prevent and respond to family violence, under the supervision of
qualified Family Focus Rotorua staff.
18
Sahaayta
Delivering a social change programme for women, men, children and youth in South
3
South Asian
Auckland
$45,000
Community
Asian communities in Auckland, which takes a prevention and early intervention focus
that aims for a community-led response to issues that impact them the most.
Workshops will focus on dating violence for youth, spirituality, developing understanding
of the historical, cultural, and social contexts that have contributed towards family
violence, and increased awareness of prevention.
19
Shakti Community
Initiating an educational outreach programme comprising of an online campaign of
1 and 3
Middle Eastern and
Otago/Southland $45,000
Indian refugee and
Council
curated content, information materials, and culturally-specialist information sessions
migrant communities
around gender and family violence within ethnic minorities. This initiative acknowledges
the distinctive challenges experienced by women, youth and gender minorities within
diverse migrant and refugee ethnic communities.
6
20
Shama Ethnic Women’s
Continue delivering and expanding the Community Prevention Programme, which
3
Muslim youth in
Waikato and
$45,000
Hamilton, the Korean Oamaru
Trust
focuses on training community groups on best practices to prevent sexual violence, and
community and ethnic
supports them to develop a project that works for their community in a way that is
parents of youth
relevant for them.
Developing work with
Multi-ethnic youth in
the Bay of Plenty,
Multi-ethnic group in
Whangarei and Latin
American Women in
Queenstown
21
Stopping Violence
The initiative contributes to enabling people to help themselves, and promote
1
Former refugees,
Dunedin
$35,000
Māori, Pacific,
Dunedin
community wellbeing and address disadvantage, encouraging people to take personal
Ukrainian, Pakistani,
responsibility for addressing family violence, and providing the means to develop
Syrian, African &
healthy relationships. Part of the initiative is to educate and introduce ethnic
South American
communities to the services available, and encourage them to form collaborations and
seek support from existing services.
22
Southland Help Rape and This initiative aims to better understand the needs, issues and support gaps in the rural 1
The immigrant dairy
Southland
$45,000
farm community/rural
Abuse Crisis Support
ethnic communities of Southland/Murihiku. The initiative includes developing sustainable
ethnic communities
Centre
prevention activities and therapeutic services based on community involvement and
learning. Also, forming a community advisory group, developing awareness raising
campaigns, co-designing prevention activities and education materials that integrate
traditional cultural practices, as well as establishing an ethnic-focused sexual harm
support service within Southland Help.
23
Tairawhiti Multicultural
Workshops for women, youth and men to understand their views on family violence
1
All of ethnic
Gisborne
$45,000
community in
Council
prevention in Gisborne, as well as identify protective factors that can be put in targeted
Gisborne
campaigns going forward, to ensure communities are kept safe. Initiate an ambassador
programme using community champions, including youth, who will promote a ‘safer
whānau, safer community’ philosophy.
Then, using the knowledge gained, develop a video ‘for migrants by migrants’ that is in
different languages outlining the importance of family violence/sexual violence
prevention, and the role of individuals and communities in this work.
24
Tautoko Mai Sexual Harm Developing and testing prevention activities through direct empowerment of community 1
All of ethnic
Tauranga
$34,000
community in
Support Services Trust
members, strengthening collaboration between multiple external stakeholders, and
Tauranga
improving communication lines between organisations and community members –
whilst establishing and developing ethnic specific services through one-on-one and
group discussions with participants to raise awareness of family and/or sexual violence.
25
Wellbeing Charitable
A series of targeted workshops tailored to the specific needs of each ethnic group,
1 and 3
Somali, Afghani,
Auckland
$45,000
Rohingya, Thai,
Trust
focusing on capability building, community development and mobilisation to address
Pakistani, Fiji Indian,
family and sexual violence. Also, to launch comprehensive campaigns that raise
7
awareness about pertinent issues within these communities and promote healthy
Taiwanese and Māori,
relationships. Alongside, to develop strategic organisational and service plans that
communities
extend beyond the scope of this initiative. These plans will lay the groundwork for future
implementation, seeking sustainable funding avenues for continued support and growth.
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