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March 24, 2023 at 11:12 AM

RNZ: Love Better: Relationship break-up support campaign launches

The government has launched campaign to help young people navigate break-ups with the long-term aim of preventing family violence, believed to be the first of its kind.

Love Better is a programme run by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) with support from Youthline, and offers a text, phone or email contact with advice specifically for young people going through a relationship breakup.

Funded by $6.4 million over three years through previously announced allocations, although just a fraction of that was going towards Youthline directly. 

The campaign followed 2022 research by Kantar which found 62 percent of people aged 16 to 24 had been through a break-up, with 72 percent of reporting harm or having done harm.

Youthline chief executive Shae Ronald said relationship issues were one of the top reasons young people contacted the helpline, and the initiative and the research behind it was groundbreaking. 

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Stuff: Majority of young people experience coercive control in relationships: survey

Worrying new data shows the majority of teenagers and young adults have experienced incidents of coercive controlling behaviour in a relationship, a pattern of behaviours highly correlated with domestic harm and even homicide.

The data from an online survey conducted by Kantar, the first of its kind, showed nine out of 10 people aged 16 to 24 reported harmful behaviour in a relationship. This ranged from incidents such as being humiliated in front of others, isolated from friends or family, being fearful of making their partner angry, to “physical” arguments.

When the relationship ended, they reported harmful behaviour ranging from depression and anxiety, to excessive drinking and drug use, while 7% reported stalking and 3% experienced revenge porn.

“There is quite range, none of which is positive or healthy,” Associate Social Development Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan said.

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1 News: Govt launches campaign to support young people in break-ups

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Newshub: Government launches new $6 million 'Love Better' family harm prevention campaign

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1 News: I wanted to hurt those who killed my son Moko - but violence won’t help

As Jordon Rangitoheriri went to identify the body of his three-year-old son, Moko, he had one thought in his mind: kill the people who did this.

Content warning: This story contains references to child abuse and violence.

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Stuff: 'Hardest decision of our lives': Foster parents return Moana to state care

The couple caring for “Moana” – a traumatised young girl placed with them five years ago – say they can no longer deal with the ongoing legal battle for her care and have made the painful call to return her to Oranga Tamariki.

The couple, known as the Smiths, came to their decision after a High Court decision that went in their favour was appealed by Moana’s birth mother, who wants Moana placed in the care of a Wellington family – the Taipa family – who are also caring for Moana’s brother.

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NZ Herald: Youth offending escalating, sexual violence committed by young people on the rise

The number of youths charged with sexual offending jumped by more than 25 per cent last year, with police bringing the largest number of youth sexual violence prosecutions than at any point in the past decade.

The full picture of overall offending during 2022 is now clear, after the Ministry of Justice today published the latest crime reporting data.

Those figures show 202 people aged 17 or under were charged with sexual assault or related offences in 2022 - rising from 159 the year prior, a 26 per cent jump.

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Stuff: 'My sister did not deserve this': No justice for Wellington student killed by ex

Warning: Some images in this story may be distressing.

Rangana Wimalasiri​ is always happy to get phone calls from New Zealand.

They remind her of sister Apsara, who would often call her in Sri Lanka from Wellington – where Apsara lived while studying for a doctorate at Victoria University’s School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies.

Apsara would always urge her younger sister to speak English, but Rangana would always laugh her off. There would be other times to practise, she would say.

Apsara Wimalasiri died in April last year,​ aged 33, during what was supposed to be a quick trip home to Sri Lanka to visit family. Her death sent ripples through the capital’s academic and Sri Lankan communities.

At the time, it was believed Apsara was killed by her ex-husband. Now Rangana, who was with Apsara in her last moments, has confirmed this as true. She has come forward to share her sister’s story.

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NZ Herald: Sexual abuse survivor did not have earning potential when abused from age 2, says ACC

WARNING: This story discusses distressing content, including child sexual abuse.

ACC is challenging a court decision to grant compensation for lost potential earnings to a woman who was sexually abused from the age of 2.

The woman, now aged in her 50s, has name suppression and is referred to as TN.

She first inquired in 2018 about lost potential earning compensation for mental injuries from abuse she suffered at the hands of family members during her childhood and teenage years.

That was declined in the District Court, but TN successfully took her claim to the High Court last year.

The Accident Compensation Corporation [ACC] today challenged TN’s claim in the Court of Appeal in Wellington.

They believe, based on the definitions set out in the Accident Compensation Act, TN doesn’t qualify for potential earning compensation because she did not seek treatment for mental injuries from the abuse before she turned 18.

A potential earner as defined by the Act is someone who suffered a personal injury before turning 18.

The case itself is complicated, and lawyers involved say it has “anomalies” that may need to be addressed by Parliament.

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Stuff: Protection order and 15 police call-outs before violent man murdered his partner

A man who admitted murdering his partner by setting the family home on fire was responsible for 15 domestic violence call-outs in the years before the murder and defied a protection order.

Poi Tinei, aged 51, admitted murdering Teao Ida Wiki​ when he appeared at the High Court at Auckland earlier in March.

Court documents released to Stuff on Wednesday said Tinei subjected Wiki​ to repeated violence during their on-again-off-again relationship that lasted three years.

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NZ Herald: Judge tells sex offender ‘you were at fault’ after he tried to blame the victim

Warning: This article discusses sexual assault and may be distressing.

Ashlin Gnida-White’s attempts to dismiss and minimise an indecent assault of a woman were immediately rejected by a judge during his sentencing.

Gnida-White appeared before Judge Jonathan Krebs in the Whanganui District Court on Monday for sentencing after he previously pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a female, male assaults female and speaking threateningly.

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