Blog Layout
The Hiku Iwi Submission Sale and Supply of Alcohol Community Participation Amendment Bill
March 9, 2023

Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust carry Te Hiku o Te Ika Whānau Voice into the Justice Committee Whare

On the 1st of March 2023, Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust CEO Carol Berghan alongside Whiria Te Muka Kaiwhakapā Erena Hodgkinson carried the pou of lifting Te Hiku o Te Ika whānau voice into the Justice Committee oral submission process as they look to amend the ‘Sale and Supply of Alcohol’ bill.

 

“We have called our submission 5F in a can and we want to unpack that for you.. 5F is a family harm investigation and report filed by Police following a 111 call for whānau harm. Alcohol features in a quarter of all 5F (reports) in Te Hiku. Our submission is based on alcohol harm and reported family violence in Te Hiku”.

- CEO of Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust, Carol Berghan.

 


What’s the official process?

Bills are proposals to make a new law or to change an existing one. Only Parliament can pass a bill. Each bill goes through several stages, giving MPs and the public the chance to have their say.

 

What is the bill amendment aiming to do?

This bill aims to improve communities' ability to influence alcohol regulation in their area by making targeted changes to the alcohol licensing process provided for in the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

 

Alcohol is consistently the leading pressure point for reported family violence in Te Hiku o Te Ika. Reported alcohol-related family violence incidents have increased steadily from 247 incidents in 2018 to 344 in 2022. Notably, of all whānau harm happening in Te Hiku only 25% is reported through the official 111 Police pathways – the rest remains largely unreported.

 

Our data (Pātaka o Whiria Te Muka) shows that alcohol is consistently the largest recorded trigger of family violence reported to New Zealand Police, in Te Hiku. In 2018, 25 percent of the 976 family violence incidents reported to us showed alcohol as a contributing factor. This impacted 611 people, including 126 tamariki under the age of 16.

 

In 2022, 23% of the 1502 family violence incidents reported to us showed alcohol as a contributing factor. This impacted 729 people, including 114 tamariki under the age of 16.

 

We have collected insights into the supply of alcohol in Te Hiku and its impact on our whānau – What we know is…

 

  • There is an over-supply of existing alcohol licenses in Te Hiku

The land area for Te Hiku is estimated at 3502 square kilometers. At our last count, there were 14 Club-Licenses, 23 Off-Licenses, 3 Temporary Off-Licenses, and 19 On-Licenses currently active in Te Hiku. There were also records of 18 Special Licenses having been issued for events held throughout Te Hiku over the past year or so.


  • Public engagement in the alcohol licensing process is minimal

The Far North District Council notifies the public of alcohol license applications and renewals on its website. It will also communicate this information on the proposed premises itself. A minimal level of public engagement means that affected communities aren’t notified about any applications and renewals unless they proactively seek out the information themselves.


  • There is no existing Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) in the Far North District

Having no Local Alcohol Policy in our District means that there is limited opportunity for our whānau and communities to engage with a significant tool in the reduction and prevention of alcohol-related harm.


“Some weeks we get none and some weeks we get smashed. For instance, on Sunday, I call it our domie day because all the whānau wake up after they’ve been on the booze with no kai, and just end up having big rarus with each other. And we just get hammered.” - Kaimahi


What Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust and Whiria Te Muka support of the amendment bill…


  • New section 83: Recommencing the development of a local alcohol policy.

There is a connection between the abandonment of Far North District Council’s Local Alcohol Policy and the increase in alcohol-related reported family harm in Te Hiku since 2018. We think it is reasonable that our local alcohol policy includes accountability mechanisms that require alcohol licensees to report back to the communities they serve.


  • Section 102, clause 10 and section 128, clause 11: objections to applications and renewals of alcohol licenses.

The widespread dynamics and geographical spread in Te Hiku mean that we support that any person may object because alcohol harm does not discriminate. We recommend that the geographic criteria are removed and environmental criteria for people to object are written into the Act, like the Resource Management Act.


“It takes us, if we’re lucky, 15 days to go to all our community saying please can you just sign this...and if they live outside 500m of the proposed site, they’re not allowed in there. They’re not allowed a part of it.” - Te Hiku Whānau

 

  • New section 203A, clause 14: licensing committees must establish appropriate procedures.

Te Hiku whānau struggle with the process of raising objections and speaking at hearings - particularly when cross-examined by industry legal executives. We recommend all tri-agencies involved in the alcohol licensing process offer face-to-face training and upskilling to whānau in written and oral submissions.

 

“We have corporations running and controlling communities because they have the lawyers. They’re set up to promote their product. So, they even beat councils. They have the process and the power of law because they have more money. They can just out-money you and determine how much alcohol flows into any given community. So, that’s not the power of the people. That’s the power of the corporate.” - Te Hiku Whānau

 

  • Section 205 (5): hearing procedures

All hearings for the Far North District Council are held at the Kaikohe and Kerikeri Service Centres. Neither locations are accessible to Te Hiku-based whānau. We recommend that all District Licensing Authority hearings are held face-to-face at all functional service centres within a local territorial authority's area.

 

In the Far North District Council area, for example, this would include Kaitāia, Kaeo, Paihia, Hokianga, Rāwene and Kawakawa – all of which provide good reach for rurally located whanau to attend within a reasonable distance.

 

  • Regulation 18: Appeals against an element of a Provisional Local Alcohol Policy

We have learnt in the Far North how repeat appeals against a Provisional Local Alcohol Policy results in the erosion of whānau efficacy to the local policies that impact their daily lives. We also understand that the ability under the regulations to appeal is not working as intended. It is causing unnecessary delays and preventing territorial authorities from adopting LAPs at all.

 

“I’ve been following the Auckland LAP process, but that’s been held up in Court for years now because the alcohol industry has money to drag it out and know that the Council doesn’t have the same kind of money to spend on lawyers and court fees. So, it’s looking like the LAP will not be coming into effect in Auckland.”  - Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust Kaimahi



Our final key calls to action:


  1. Resources need to be made available to local territorial authorities to enable them to do the job that communities expect them to do.
  2. All agencies are totally clear on their accountability to support the local territorial authorities in the development and monitoring of their local alcohol policies.
  3. We create enough space within the Bill to provide for locally-led solutions that communities can participate
  4. and own.
  5. There is a socio-economic win-win. We just need to get the guard rails right and in place to meet all interests
  6. of our communities.
  7. We make sure that there is public reporting at the local and regional levels on the impact of the supply and sale of alcohol so that communities can be empowered to put the right solutions in play.

 

Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust understands that the amendments are designed to improve the communities’ ability to influence alcohol regulation. The Te Hiku o Te Ika Iwi – Crown Social Development and Wellbeing Accord places us in partnership with Crown agencies and mandates us to seek Mana Tangata for Te Hiku whānau.

 

Our role is to represent the voice of our Te Hiku whānau, hapū, Iwi, and communities whose voices have long struggled to be heard. Our Te Hiku voices have told us, and we have lifted that voice into the right space. 

 

We want to see this Bill work as intended and we support the intention of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Community Participation) Amendment Bill.

 

 

Ngā mihi mahana,

Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust

 

 

Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei hea te komako e kō e? 

Uia mai te pātai - he aha te mea nui ō te ao? 

Māku e kī atu – he tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. 

 

 

Ngahuru Media Release

February 6, 2023
Ngahuru Media Release

Te Tai Tokerau Maori Business Awards

December 13, 2022
2023 Tai tokerau Māori Business Awards

Te Whare Whakahōnore i ngā Rakahinonga Wāhine o Aotearoa

August 1, 2022
Rhonda Kita, Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust Chairman inducted into Hall of Fame

"Top district court judge visits Kaitaia to consult on new justice model".

By Hannah Te hiku Staff • June 17, 2022
Top district court judge visits Kaitaia to consult on new justice model.

Climate Change Engagement

March 23, 2022
Climate Change Engagement. "Ministry for the Environment's climate change work programme is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to a changing climate. Ministry for the Environment are holding workshops to engage with Māori on climate change adaptation and the distinct issues this raises for Māori in relation to natural resources, the environment, and Māori land".

Unprecedented

December 22, 2021
Unprecedented. This is the kupu that has been traipsing circles through my mind since the government announced the lifting of the border that has been surrounding Auckland for what seems like aeons. For us in Te Hiku ō Te Ika, the act of holding our breath has become an art form. We have felt the longing for our loved ones barricaded in by our mutual enemy. Just like the yearning of Ranginui for his whaiāipō Papatūānuku, we have shed tears. We have felt the deep absence in each other’s lives.

Whiria Te Muka investment in whānau harm reduction and prevention pays off four-fold

December 12, 2021
DATE: Friday December 10 2021 MEDIA RELEASE: For immediate release Whiria Te Muka investment in whānau harm reduction and prevention pays off four-fold Almost four years into the work and the Crown-Te Hiku Iwi investment in reducing and preventing whānau harm in Te Hiku is firmly in the green. A recent Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis has concluded that for every $1 invested in Whiria Te Muka, there is a $4.07 return. The findings have also affirmed that every incident of reported whānau harm in Te Hiku costs $61,627 to stakeholders. Whiria Te Muka is the NZ Police-Te Hiku Iwi partnership that was launched in 2017 to support whānau experiencing harm to move towards Mana Tangata. The analysis was completed by Business and Economic and Research Limited (BERL) and evaluated the long-term outcomes of Whiria Te Muka, including the reduction and prevention of whānau harm, a strong Crown-Iwi partnership and Mana Tangata or Mana Whānui.  Whiria Te Muka worked on 976 reported incidents in 2018, 1390 in 2019, 1631 in 2020 and 975 to August 31 this year. Although reported family harm has increased, 896 whānau have moved from high to low risk. “We have seen more whānau building confidence to ring 111 before the harm escalates. We expect numbers of whānau harm will continue to rise as our communities build more trust in NZ Police and the 111 system,” says Whiria Te Muka Iwi Co-Director Callie Corrigan. Northland Police District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill agrees that the report demonstrates that the work that Whiria Te Muka is doing is having a significant impact on whānau harm in Te Hiku. “Whilst the return on investment is extremely good, what is potentially equally as important is what we’re hearing from whānau who have been through family harm where Whiria Te Muka have assisted their transition into a place of safety. For many they have lived with family harm in their household for many years, and finally they are getting the resources and ability to be able to manage their lives in the absence of harm,” he says. Te Rarawa Chairman and Whiria Te Muka Leader Haami Piripi says the opportunities for iwi development and a prevention focus have emerged as opportunities. “This encourages more participation by another genre of stakeholders who can make a tremendous difference to the current scenario of reactionary responses by going back down the pipeline to cognitive and behavioural understanding about prevention,” he says. He adds that Te Hiku Iwi need to better understand the nature of whānau harm in Far North communities and the Whiria Te Muka evaluation has provided indicators for how well it is doing and how far there is to go. “This is so cutting edge from my point of view as a social scientist and I think it’s great. But I’m also an an Iwi leader with responsibilities and obligations to love and protect every one of them. We’ve all got a story about whānau harm and it just spreads insidiously right through the community. Ending violence in our home is what drives me,” he says. The report also looked at how the Crown-Iwi partnership is working by rating a number of critical success factors. Overall, the report concluded that Whiria Te Muka is in a unique and strong position to affect systemic change and better support people experiencing whānau harm in Te Hiku. Callie says the BERL result provides Whiria Te Muka with a whāriki or foundation to start measuring the strength of partnership. “Partnership is hard. You don’t just have a strong relationship overnight. But this helps us understand the areas we’re doing really well in, while also highlighting the areas we need to improve upon. We look forward to identifying how we can start strengthening those,” she says. The report was completed by analysing interviews with frontline Iwi and Police staff and management, as well as reviewing the unique quantitative and qualitative data that is held by Whiria Te Muka. BERL chief economist Hillmarè Schulze says a SROI model is a method for measuring values that are not traditionally reflected in a financial statement – including cultural, social, economic and environmental values. “It can identify how effectively a programme uses its capital and other resources to create value for the community. The overall objective of an SROI analysis is to measure social return on investment by documenting and evaluating the impacts of social change,” she says. However, Hillmarè adds that Whiria Te Muka cannot take credit for all of the change in whānau lives. “We know the Whiria Te Muka team is amazing, but they can’t claim to be responsible for all the impact. We know that there is a whole community of other agencies looking to reduce whānau harm. Collectively, the agencies contribute to reducing whānau harm,” she says. Callie says the report starts to provide Whiria Te Muka with the financial benefit of partnership and the financial value of cultural capital, which is often undermined in system change. ENDS For more information: Whiria Te Muka Kaiwhakapā Erena Hodgkinson erena@tehikuiwi.com 022 403 6122

Alcohol consumption leading contributor to family violence in Te Hiku during Level 4 lockdown

September 3, 2021
MEDIA RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 3 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Alcohol consumption leading contributor to family violence in Te Hiku during Level 4 lockdown Harmful alcohol consumption continues to be the leading trigger of reported family violence in Te Hiku since Level 4 lockdown. From August 18 to August 31, there were 62 reported incidents of whānau harm reported through 111 that came through Whiria Te Muka. Whiria Te Muka is a Te Hiku Iwi-NZ Police partnership that works to prevent and reduce family violence in Te Hiku while striving for Mana Tangata. Out of those 62 incidents, 18 were triggered by harmful alcohol consumption. Out of those 18 incidents, eight were triaged as high risk according to the measure used by frontline police at the time of reporting the incident. High triage family incidents can include threats of serious harm, sexual violence, strangulation, people wanted for arrest or arrested, serious psychological harm, repeat reported incidents, serious physical injuries, weapons and/or fear for personal safety. Alcohol Prevention Harm Officer Constable Rasau Kalivati believes the sale of alcohol hasn’t been restricted as much this lockdown as compared to last lockdown. "We know alcohol is a factor that exacerbates family harm. Alert level restrictions can add pressure to families, which in turn can prompt people to drink more alcohol and potentially hurt those close to them. Police are here to help, no matter the alert level. If you are in danger or fear for your safety, dial 111,” he says. There are 24 premises in Te Hiku that hold current off-licences issued by the Far North District Council. Of those, three are now selling alcohol remotely online using contactless delivery, and a further eight are continuing to sell alcohol as part of their usual grocery trade. Te Hiku Iwi Development CEO Carol Berghan says: “The fact that the sale of alcohol remotely is permitted by the Far North District Council without restrictions is hugely concerning to our iwi. What we are now seeing as a result are unacceptable and preventable reports of family violence.” Te Rarawa chairman Haami Piripi says the nature of social drinking during periods of lockdown changes drastically due to the restrictions to personal movement and what he describes as cabin fever. “It’s an uncertain time. There are so many conspiracy theories and so much misinformation out there, and the fact is that the use of alcohol is predictable because it’s the path of least resistance. I think people are probably thinking it’s a bit of a holiday, and what do you do on a Friday or Saturday? It’s a similar sort of thing, but it only brings further pressure and financial burdens,” he says. Although a believer in moderation, he says Māori in particular have an opportunity to exercise abstinence from heavy drinking during lockdown. “To have the mana to be able to say ‘no’? There’s mana right there. That in itself is the sort of thing that Māori men in particular need to have in our lives, otherwise we don’t feel fulfilled. Kua nawhe. That’s enough,” he says. Aside from lockdown periods, Whiria Te Muka data shows that alcohol is usually the largest recorded trigger of family violence. In the six months between Jan 1 and Jun 30 2020, it attributed to the 20% of all reported whānau harm in that time. Only 24% of all family violence is reported via 111.

Whiria Te Muka - Help from family violence

August 25, 2021
MEDIA RELEASE: August 24 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Reach out for help from family violence from the safety of your bubble Te Hiku whānau who are experiencing family violence in their bubble during COVID-19 Level 4 lockdown can still reach out for immediate help online with their safety and confidentiality safeguarded. When phoning 111 isn’t an option for women and people who identify as women requiring help in time of family violence crises, Whiria Te Muka is urging them to access help online via the Shielded Site icon. The Shielded Site icon is on major sites across Aotearoa-New Zealand, normally located at the bottom of the web page. A place of refuge, the icon allows kaimamae, or people who receive family violence, to request support without leaving a digital footprint. Designed by NZ Women’s Refuge, the icon is a tool for women and people who identify as women who are experiencing whānau harm to reach out for help, without fear of it showing up in their browser history or an abusive partner seeing it. It is a simple icon that can sit on any website and launch a powerful resource to help reduce and prevent family violence. When users click the icon, they are taken to a shielded portal through which they will be put in contact with Women’s Refuge. There, they can find out how to make a plan to get out of a dangerous situation, learn how to stay safe online and get answers to questions about what comes after they have reached out for help. Websites that currently support the Shielded Site icon include Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust, Women’s Refuge New Zealand, The Warehouse, Countdown Supermarkets, NZ Post, Inland Revenue NZ and the Ministry of Social Development NZ. More information is located at https://shielded.co.nz . Whiria Te Muka is a partnership initiative between the NZ Police and Te Hiku Iwi that aims to reduce and prevent family violence in Te Hiku while striving for mana tangata. In the meantime, Te Hiku whānau experiencing family violence can still access support via the following numbers: · If it is an emergency and the situation requires immediate assistance, phone 111 . · NZ WOMEN’S REFUGE (0800 733 843 ): Provides information, support and advice for women experiencing family violence, as well as help in a crisis. · HEY BRO ( 0800 439 276 ) - 24hour, 7-day support line for men who feel they’re going to harm a whānau member or loved one. · SHINE ( 0508 744 633 ) - Offers helpline, advocacy, refuges, Kidshine and safety programmes. · LIFELINE ( 0800 543 354 ) - 24-hour, 7-day confidential support by qualified counsellors and trained volunteers. · YOUTHLINE ( 0800 376 633 ) - Provides mental health-related counselling, mentoring and advice for young people. ENDS

The Year in Review: A Word from our CEO, Carol Berghan

By Chala Chase • December 31, 2020
As the final report for 2020, we leave this year on a high.
Show More
Share by: