For more than 25 years Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga/National Network of Family Violence Services has been at the forefront of efforts to stop family violence in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Our specialist family violence organisations work with victim/survivors, people who perpetrate violence and with tamariki/children, whānau and families, communities, iwi and hapu to provide powerful prevention campaigns and accessible and safe intervention, healing and recovery services when violence occurs.

Our bi-annual National Family Violence Conference brings together front-line family violence specialists, advocates, researchers and academics, policymakers as well as public servants across ten government ministries, ranging from justice, corrections and policing, health and education, and social well-being and development.

The Conference provides opportunities to expand and consolidate networks, share efforts to research and address issues occurring within the family violence prevention and response systems and to identify emerging trends, facilitating best practice and skills\knowledge development.

Our last conference sold out and attracted more than 300 delegates across both Aotearoa/New Zealand and Australia. This year we have booked the newly opened and beautifully appointed Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre in downtown Te Whanganui a Tara/Wellington.

The Conference Themes

Our 2024 Conference title is Te Pūtake – a te reo Māori kupu/word meaning to originate, cause, reason, origin, source. It reflects the broader themes of the Conference in terms of a focus on evidence-based prevention and intervention activities which consider the causes of family violence in Aotearoa/New Zealand, as well as Te Kupenga’s Call to Action to focus resources and attention on the source of violence (that is, those who perpetrate it) to increase safety and prevent ongoing harm.

Our Conference whakatauki is Taku ahi tūtata, taku mata kikoha, literally translated as “When my fire is close, the point of my weapon is sharp”. It captures the idea that when we are passionate about and truly invested in the work of preventing and addressing family violence, our focus and the tools and practices we use are at their best and most effective.

Find out more

To keep up to date about Te Pūtake, including announcements about keynote speakers and programme development, access the Conference website at https://nnfvs.org.nz/conference/.