Season's greetings to everyone. Our last newsletter for the year is a little shorter than usual. It focuses on news and resources for the summer holiday season.    

News, views, and happenings in brief: 

• Now is the time to have your say on the Family Court Proceedings Reform Bill.  Submissions close 13 February 2013. For background information and more, click here.
• More than 40 leaders from New Zealand faith communities have released a joint statement on family violence. The faith leaders commit their communities to 6 actions to eliminate family violence.
• New Zealand and Australian Federal Police have signed an agreement to work to reduce family violence in the Pacific, working with the Micronesian police services through the Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme (PPDVP).
• Also in the Pacific, our thoughts are with the people of Samoa, Wallis and Futuna and Fiji, dealing with the damage and loss caused by Cyclone Evan. 
• Closer to home families continue to live with the aftermath of the West Auckland tornado earlier this month and Canterbury earthquakes. Click here for publications that discuss the impact of natural disasters on domestic violence and how agencies can respond to reduce the impact.  

Read on for more resources, news and events.

Our office will close on Thursday 20 December, reopening on Monday 7 January 2013.

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me Te Tau Hou.

 The NZFVC team
@ Tamaki Innovation Campus
The University of Auckland 

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US national taskforce releases report on children exposed to violence - 13 Dec, 2012
The US Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence... 

 
Community family violence campaigns around the country - 13 Dec, 2012
A new page on the It's not OK website captures some of the many local family...

 
Lawyers question temporary appointment of Principal Family Court Judge - 13 Dec, 2012
The Government's appointment of a temporary Principal Family Court Judge has... 

Expert Advisory Group: Child poverty can be reduced - 12 Dec, 2012
The Children's Commissioner's Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child...  

Number of child deaths from assault has stayed same for over a decade - 11 Dec, 2012
The 2012 Children's Social Monitor Update reports that the number of child...     

Collins: Better Public Services approach working - 11 Dec, 2012
Justice Minister Judith Collins has released the first results against the...     

- 10 Dec, 2012
More than 40 leaders from New Zealand faith communities have released a joint... 

Submissions called on Family Court reform legislation - 6 Dec, 2012
Submissions have been called on the Government's Family Court reform... 

NZ joins Global Alliance against online child sexual abuse - 6 Dec, 2012
Justice Minister Judith Collins has attended the Ministerial launch of the...

- 6 Dec, 2012
An Expert Advisory Group on Information Security has been set up to oversee the...

 
More than half of serious assaults on women occur in the home - 6 Dec, 2012
A New Zealand study of serious, non-fatal assaults resulting in hospitalisation... 

International expert says girls' crime wave "doesn't exist" - 6 Dec, 2012
An international expert says the media is incresingly portraying girls as... 

Ngā Pae historical trauma research seminar - video presentations available - 6 Dec, 2012
Video of a recent Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga seminar on historical trauma... 

Apology for Auckland Family Court delays - 5 Dec, 2012
Stuff reports that Justice secretary Andrew Bridgman apologised about the... 

Four new indigenous research projects announced - 5 Dec, 2012
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand's Indigenous Centre of Research... 

Whānau Ora research website launched - 5 Dec, 2012
A new Whānau Ora research website has been launched to showcase toolkits,... 

Family Court Proceedings Reform Bill passes first reading - 4 Dec, 2012
Legislation to implement the Government's Family Court reforms has passed its... 

Family Court reform legislation introduced into Parliament - 4 Dec, 2012
Judith Collins has introduced legislation on the Government's Family Court...      

Judith Collins proposes new type of restraining order - 2 Dec, 2012
Justice Minister Judith Collins has proposed a new type of restraining order to... 

ODARA tool reveals high levels of risk - 1 Dec, 2012
Police data on the first three months of using the ODARA (Ontario Domestic...