The Support Victims Deserve: Why We’re Changing How We Work
Across the world, victims of crime and traumatic events wake to changed lives in an instant. Whether it’s a burglary, assault, or the sudden loss of a loved one, that moment of impact cuts across communities.
It reminds us of the shared mission for victim support organisations across the globe: ensuring victims get the support they need, when they need it most.
We believe every person in New Zealand harmed by crime deserves access to free, confidential and practical support – a belief that began 38 years ago with one volunteer and still drives our purpose today.
But like many victim support organisations, we are responding to new realities: increased demand, rising complexity, and a need for more sustainable service delivery. Since 2018, demand for our services has grown by 37%. To meet this, we must continue to evolve.
Manaaki Tāngata | Victim Support is making two big shifts this year. The first is that from 1 July 2025, we will move to a fully staff-based model.
At the same time, we are also stepping back from providing suicide bereavement support, allowing other specialist services to take the lead.
Both changes are grounded by the same aim: delivering the best possible support to victims of crime.
We are immensely proud of our volunteer legacy. Volunteers have played an important role in helping us deliver frontline support, changing countless lives for the better. We are deeply grateful for their dedication, compassion and service.
But the reality is that formal volunteering is declining across New Zealand. It has become increasingly difficult to sustain a volunteer programme at this scale.
Today, over 85% of support is already delivered by our trained staff. By moving to a fully staff-based workforce, we’re increasing consistency and accountability, all of which are key to supporting people in crisis. It also means we can reinvest in new frontline roles, boosting our reach across the country.
We have also made the deliberate decision not to renew our suicide postvention contract when it ends in June 2025.
We didn’t step into this space lightly when we helped fill this support gap – and we don’t step away from it lightly either. Our team has made a real difference supporting people bereaved by suicide.
As specialist suicide postvention services in New Zealand grow and focus squarely on the distinct needs of suicide loss, we’re confident there are now providers better equipped to deliver support unique to suicide grief. We are working closely with the new provider to ensure a safe and compassionate handover for our current clients.
To be clear, this is not about doing less. It’s about focusing on what we do best – continuing to evolve so victims of crime get the absolute best support.
While New Zealand may seem like an isolated island on the edge of the world map, we know that other support organisations across the world are navigating similar pressures: the need to strengthen services models, adapt legacy systems, respond to rising need, and stay true to victim-centric values.
We’re building an even stronger, more sustainable service to manage demand. One that reflects the changing world we live in, and the growing needs of those we support.
Our role is to make sure that when something goes wrong, the right support is there – timely, compassionate, and free of charge.
That’s why we’re changing how we work. Not to scale back, but to move forward and serve our community even better.
