WAVES Trust's History

WAVES began in 1993, to support the victims of Family Violence to have a voice within the District Court. This led to the development of Victim Advisors in all courts throughout New Zealand.  In Waitakere the role has further developed into the Independent Victim Service, where local victim agencies could take the role of Family Violence Court appointed Victim Advisors.

While WAVES retains a keen interest in the operation and issues of the Family Violence Court and other systems such as FVIARS (the Family Violence Inter-Agency Response System), WAVES has, over the years, undertaken various other roles, such as training for family support workers, prevention work, working with the under 5’s and advocacy for the family violence sector.

Since the inception of Te Rito: The New Zealand Family Violence Prevention Strategy, WAVES has been a support agency for the network of Family Violence providers in Waitakere. Our membership includes the lead Family Violence providers as well as central government agencies and allied support services.

Our role these days is in advocacy, training and development for the sector, prevention, research and information, opportunities for the sector to meet and network and share best practice and ideas from New Zealand and overseas. Much of our work in recent years has been to provide opportunities for our network to comment and effect change; usually via submission processes, on legislation and policy that affects our client group.

We have a significant partnership with Auckland Council that stems from our close alliance with the Waitakere City Council and its Mayoral Taskforce on Family Violence. Now renamed the Waitakere Taskforce on Family Violence, WAVES represents its community on the steering group, while WAVES membership are the advisory group members, alongside the Maori Roopu, Tatai Atawhai.

WAVES is now embracing new ways or working including Whanau Ora and continues to offer a space to broker collaborative practice and opportunities to work together for better outcomes for clients and a safer Waitakere for our families.