Police Director Calls Family Violence Response System Outdated

Rachael Douglas, the Waikato District Director for the Integrated Safety Response at the New Zealand Police, stated on social media that the current system used to handle family violence cases is no longer fit for purpose. Douglas posted the assessment on LinkedIn, linking to a report that detailed the government's decision to pause a major digital initiative.

The government halted Project Whetū, an integrated case management platform, last year. Officials cited a lack of a practicable or sustainable method to fund, host, and operate the proposed platform. Approximately $2 million had already been spent on the project before it was shelved. The system was originally designed to support timely multi-agency responses and alert staff to high-risk situations involving family violence.

Douglas argued that the existing infrastructure does not easily support genuine multi-agency collaboration or coordinated case management. She noted that the current setup fails to ensure timely information sharing or keep the voice of families central to decision-making. Douglas described the effort required to make the system function as significant, stating that staff spend valuable time working around system limitations rather than supporting families directly.

In the Waikato district, police have adopted an evidence-based approach to improve risk and threat assessment. Douglas said this transformation challenges longstanding ways of working and strengthens the ability to identify serious harm. However, she believed the current system does not adequately support these improvements. Staff often develop additional processes and put in extra work to make good practice possible, according to Douglas.

Douglas emphasized that delays matter in family violence response. She stated that time spent navigating system limitations is time that could be spent supporting families. She expressed pride in the commitment of her team but argued that the system should not force workers to rely on personal determination to compensate for tools that have not kept pace with the work.

Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour said the technology component of the project is on pause, but non-technical elements of the best practice operating model continue to progress. This includes the high-risk protocol and information sharing guidance. Chhour stated that the decision to pause Project Whetū has not resulted in any reduction to frontline services.

Chhour added that the decision will be reviewed in the future. If a practical way to host and operate the platform can be found, the technology component could be resumed, subject to directives from the government Chief Digital Officer. Police have been approached for comment on the matter.

Ginny Andersen, Labour’s police spokesperson, described the decision to pause the project as an absolute shocker. Andersen said the government is scrapping a project designed to help agencies identify people at risk of family violence. She noted that officials warned vital information cannot easily be shared without the system, creating a risk that people may fall through the cracks.