The Pacific Island Community in New Zealand: Domestic Violence and Access to Justice

Abstract

A brief introduction is provided to the 1995 New Zealand Domestic Violence Act, which came into force July 1,1996. This Act was designed to provide better protection to the victims of family violence. The research reported here examines whether it provides increased safety for Pacific Island women living in Christchurch, New Zealand. The data include formal interviews with 76 people and participant-observation at a battered women's shelter and at an organization facilitating programs for violent men. It was found that for many Pacific Island women, access to rights legislated by the Domestic Violence Act were affected by gender, language, religion, and family structure, among other factors.