Family harm prevention the focus of expo
Published on 23 April 2021
How to help ourselves or others experiencing family harm is the focus of an expo next week, supported by Whanganui District Council.
“Connecting for Community Action: Working Together to Prevent Family Harm” will be held on Wednesday, 28 April and Thursday, 29 April 2021 at the UCOL Atrium in Rutland Street.
The expo is a joint initiative between Safer Whanganui, Family Violence Intervention Network and Age Concern.
Lauren Tamehana from Safer Whanganui says the expo came about after the Integrated Recovery Team – a collective of organisations that was formed in Whanganui as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic – conducted a series of interviews with people across the Whanganui District Health Board rohe.
“What the team found was that most people were unsure of the services offered around family harm, so we could see there was a need for this,” Lauren Tamehana says.
“Following on from those discussions there was collaboration with community services to pull the expo together.”
The first day of the expo will be for the providers to network. On the second day the expo will be open to the public. People can chat to the providers, and there will be speakers on the hour every hour, giving a short talk about their perspectives on family harm.
Speakers include Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall, Whanganui MP Steph Lewis, Russell Simpson from the Whanganui District Health Board and Mahanga Williams from Mana Man.
Jo Hodder from Family Violence Intervention Network, which is hosted by Jigsaw Whanganui, says anyone can attend the expo for themselves, or for someone in their community.
“You might know someone who is in a situation that just doesn’t seem right. At the expo you’ll be able to find out what services are available to help,” Jo Hodder says.
Michelle Malcolm from Age Concern says 1 in 10 people older people in New Zealand experience abuse.
“It is important people know where to go for support,” she says.
Providers at the expo include Te Oranganui, Tupoho, Police Family Harm Team (FLOW), Women’s Refuge, Plunket, Age Concern, Safe and Free and many others.
The family harm expo will be open to the public at the UCOL Atrium, Rutland Street, Whanganui, on Thursday, 29 April 2021, from 10.00am to 3.00pm.