Te Huringa ō Te Ao service aspirations and underpinning principles

The framework is the foundation of Te Huringa ō Te Ao. It’s based on evidence, research, sector engagement, and the voices of tāne and men. It sets out seven service aspirations and 10 underpinning principles.

Te Huringa ō Te Ao services look different in every community. But they all align with the evidence-based framework. Providers regularly reflect on these aspirations and principles to bring the kaupapa to life.

The principles are aligned to the Family Violence Capability Frameworks. These have been developed by the Executive Board for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence.

Service aspirations

Services must align to these evidence-based focus areas to support whānau-led outcomes.

Supporting whānau wellbeing

Tāne and men are supported in line with the needs and aspirations of those directly harmed by violence. Whānau and family are part of an intergenerational approach that strengthens collective wellbeing.

Safe and healthy masculinity

Tāne and men experience forms of positive masculinity. Tāne and men understand the impact of harmful gender norms and gender-based violence on themselves and others. Tāne and men are supported to live safely and to keep others safe.

Responsibility and accountability

Tāne and men are supported to understand the impact of violence on themselves, their whānau and family, and their wider community. Tāne and men are supported to recognise what’s required to change and to maintain positive changes.

Supporting tāne and men as fathers

Tāne and men are supported to be positive role models within their whānau and family. This creates safe, loving environments where children can thrive.

Supporting healing and connection with whānau

Tāne and men understand the impact of historical trauma and intergenerational cycles of violence. Tāne and men are supported to heal and restore connection with their whānau, family, and whakapapa.

Healthy relationships

Tāne and men are supported to maintain strong, healthy and safe relationships for the wellbeing of themselves and their whānau and family.

Strengthening cultural identity, language and whakapapa

Tāne and men are supported to strengthen their sense of identity within their whānau, hapū, iwi, and te ao Māori. Men from Pacific, ethnic and other cultural backgrounds are supported to grow their respective identities, language and lineage.

Underpinning principles

Services must commit to and apply these principles at all levels of their organisation.

Enacting Te Tiriti in practice

Honour Māori as tangata whenua and recognise the obligations of both Māori and Tangata Tiriti as partners under Te Tiriti. This means acknowledging the harm caused by breaches of Te Tiriti, and challenging unfair structures and barriers that contribute to violence. Support and advocate for the active protection of mātauranga Māori, strengthen partnerships that uphold Māori interests and aspirations, and enable the full participation of Māori in decisions about their health and wellbeing.

Whānau-led and whānau-centred

Recognise the importance of whānau and family by valuing and involving their perspectives. Actively place whānau and family as decision-makers in service design. Centre whānau voice to guide ongoing improvement. Place the diverse needs of whānau and family at the heart of the change journey for tāne and men, supporting collective healing for whānau as a whole and as individuals.

Take an intersectional approach

Acknowledge the layers of systemic inequity that often overlap and worsen experiences for tāne and men. These might include discrimination, oppression and marginalisation linked to gender, impacts of colonisation, religion, sexuality, race, class, culture, education, and immigration status. This understanding supports holistic responses for users of violence, tailored to meet the unique needs of tāne, men, their whānau and family.

Skilled specialised workforce to effect change

Build a workforce with a sound understanding of the dynamics of family violence. Recognise the needs of men using violence, and apply expertise to assess and support tāne to make positive changes. Ensure the workforce is skilled and specialised, meeting the enhanced level of the Family Violence Entry to Expert Capability Framework.

Free and accessible services

Offer services that are free, accessible, inclusive, and easy to find and reach. Make services available in different places and formats that best suit tāne and their whānau. Design services so they can be accessed without barriers, responding to the diverse needs of tāne, men, and their whānau.

Actively addresses collusion (condoning or encouraging abuse)

Challenge and address the manipulation of professionals and whānau or family by tāne and men. This includes not encouraging or ignoring victim-blaming, not downplaying the seriousness of abuse, and not limiting the need to hold users of violence to account.

Continuous improvement through evaluation and reflective learning

Establish systems and processes to regularly evaluate services, reflect on practice, and assess effectiveness. Use this to improve skills and achieve better outcomes for tāne, men, and their whānau and family. Gather insights and feedback, learn with tāne and whānau, and adapt over time. This supports the wider system to learn what works best for whānau through regular ako and collective learning.

Culturally, spiritually, and physically safe and responsive

Protect, uphold, and reflect the cultural, spiritual, and physical wellbeing of tāne and men. Respond to nuances within cultures, and recognise and challenge when perceived cultural norms become unsafe. Ensure services are spiritually respectful and physically safe, creating spaces where tāne, men, and their whānau can participate with trust and dignity.

Prioritise safety and wellbeing of whānau impacted by violence

Deliver support that prioritises the safety, needs, wellbeing, and aspirations of the people impacted by violence and abuse, including children. Respond in ways that protect those impacted, while minimising further harm. Deliver proactive responses for tāne and men, supporting them to make positive change to strengthen the safety of whānau and restore whānau wellbeing.

Collaboration and integration with specialist services, iwi and hapū

Work with specialist services, iwi and hapū to deliver safe, coordinated responses that support the wellbeing of whānau and family. Build strong and enduring relationships at all levels of the organisation across practice, management and governance. Working together creates stronger, more joined-up responses that better meet the needs of communities.

“Be bold (MSD)! Please don't invest more public funds in an outdated model that fails to recognise the complexity and needs of families experiencing violence. We can’t continue to push the responsibility on women to take action to become safe.”– Family violence provider feedback