Prevention That Begins With the People, Not Just the Policy
Aotearoa has invested heavily in strategies to reduce sexual harm and family violence. There are action plans, funding initiatives, training programmes, and service providers doing critical work across the motu. And yet, the rates of harm remain unacceptably high.
At Hikitia!, we’ve asked ourselves the hard question: If the systems are in place, why isn’t the harm decreasing?
The answer, in part, is that systems alone cannot create safety. Systems are important—but they are not the starting point. People are. Relationships are. Culture is.
For too long, prevention has been designed in boardrooms and rolled out in one-size-fits-all formats, often missing the nuances of community life. What works in one school or rohe may not translate to another. What looks good on paper may land flat—or even do harm—if it isn’t grounded in local tikanga, lived experience, and the context of daily life.
At Hikitia!, we’ve flipped the script. We begin with listening. Before we offer solutions, we learn what’s already happening. We ask, “What does safety look like here?” “Who is trusted?” “What histories shape how people engage with systems?”
From this foundation, we co-create. That might mean adapting resources, shifting timelines, or changing our role entirely. It’s not about being the expert—it’s about being a partner. A Tiriti partner, a prevention partner, and a community ally.
This approach is slower. It’s more relational than procedural. But the results are stronger, deeper, and more sustainable. When prevention is designed with—not for—communities, it has a far greater chance of taking root.
We’re also committed to transforming the systems themselves. That means advocating for more flexible funding, Tiriti-led frameworks, and collaborative leadership models. Systems need to change—not just in what they deliver, but in how they relate to the people they’re meant to serve.
Because real prevention can’t be top-down. It must be community-led, culturally grounded, and driven by values, not outputs.