Posts in “Family Violence” category

Petition delivered on bringing back Tiriti-led, inclusive Relationships & Sexuality Education

On 24 April 2026, Auckland Women’s Centre sent the letter below to the Minister of Education, Erica Stanford – along with the names of the 3,532 people who signed our petition, and cc’d in opposition spokespeople. Our 2025 submission on the previous draft of relationships and sexuality education can be found here (PDF).  Hon. Erica ...

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Posted: April 30, 2026Categories: ,

Comedian shines light on government attacks on violence prevention in schools

AWC Media release 25 March 2026 A comedian with a history of supporting expert-led relationships education is supporting calls from Auckland Women’s Centre and others for the government to stop attacking a key tool for the prevention of bullying and violence credited as life-saving. Comedian Michèle A’Court has joined with experts in education, health and ...

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2026 Relationships & Sex/Sexuality Education Submission Guide

Have you signed and shared our petition? Please do so now! The National-led government’s proposed replacement for Relationships & Sexuality Education (RSE) for Years 0-9 is currently out for consultation (as part of the proposed Health & PE Curriculum) until Fri 24 April 2026 – and quite frankly, it’s terrible. The government’s proposal for Relationships ...

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Safety Coalition calls for an Inquiry into the Family Court’s response to the Phillips case

On 29 September, Auckland Women’s Centre’s advocacy manager Leonie Morris – in her capacity as chair for the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children – wrote to the Chief Justice requesting an Inquiry into the Tom Phillips Case and Family Court Response. “The Coalition for Action on the Safety of Women and Children… ...

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Posted: October 14, 2025Categories: ,

Response to the Crown’s disestablishment of Te Pūkotahitanga

Public Statement of the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children re the Crown’s disestablishment of Te Pūkotahitanga, a Māori partnership body for the elimination of family violence and sexual violence 2 July for immediate release The following can be attributed to Leonie Morris, the Chair for the Coalition for the Safety of Women ...

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Posted: July 2, 2025Categories: ,

Silencing Our Most Marginalised Women By Stripping Away Their Voting Rights

By Awatea Mita (justice scholar and kaiwhakatuhono for Aotearoa Free From Stalking) Aotearoa New Zealand often touts a strong history of supporting women’s rights, taking great pride in being the first country to grant women the right to vote in 1893. However, we have regressed, and it might come as a revelation to some that ...

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Posted: May 14, 2025Categories: , , ,

AWC joins wave of criticism of transphobic education proposals

Media release, 1 May 2025 Auckland Women’s Centre is the latest in a growing number of organisations expressing serious concerns regarding the draft Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) Framework for schools. Leonie Morris, Project Lead for the Centre’s Aotearoa Free From Stalking campaign described the draft framework as “a significant failure in supporting the diverse ...

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Your opportunity to push back on cruel & dangerous “education”

Update 14 May: You can read our submission on the RSE guidelines here. April 2025 The government is attempting to impose its extremist transphobic, racist, colonial and misogynistic views on the next generation via wholesale changes to education about relationships & sexuality. You can let them know what they’re doing is unacceptable. The sensitive and ...

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Letter to Minister Stanford – RSE Guidelines

Update 9 May 2025: We received a reply from the Minister – note it is dated 9 May, while mentioning an opportunity to give feedback on the draft RSE framework which closed on… 9 May. The Minister’s response is here (in non-accessible form, with non-live links, as it was sent to us). We already knew ...

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Aotearoa Free From Stalking Submission Guide

Let’s make the new anti-stalking law as good as possible Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui! We want a law to help survivors and whānau, and prevent stalking – this submission guide advises on how you can help. Submissions and Parliament’s informal anonymous survey are now open on the Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment ...

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Posted: January 29, 2025Categories: , ,