By Sarah McMillan/cvnznews.com
Being sexually abused is devastating enough. Now hundreds of survivors face a second injury: the loss of the counselling that helps them survive and rebuild.
The Ministry of Social Development will end contracts with more than a dozen specialist sexual‑violence services in June, cutting about $1.7 million and redirecting the money into a prevention programme — a move providers say abandons people already harmed.
Survivors and frontline agencies warn the change will force clinics to turn people away and leave no clear place to refer them. Alice*, a migrant who says she was abused overseas, told reporters the Wellington Rape Crisis clinic has been central to her recovery because ACC did not cover her care; she fears being “kicked out of the system” when the contract ends on 1 July.
HELP Auckland estimates the cuts will mean roughly 150 fewer people receive counselling each year. Executive director Kathryn McPhillips said a six‑month extension gave groups time to seek other funding, but philanthropic support has been limited and short‑term. “We are turning more people away and the real problem with that is there’s nowhere to refer them to,” she said.
The Ministry says the funding will instead back a Sexual Violence Prevention initiative from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, aimed at training parents and caregivers to spot warning signs. Spokesperson Mark Henderson said MSD still spends about $42.7m a year on specialist sexual‑violence work and that the contracts being cut represent roughly 4 percent of that total.
Sector leaders accept prevention is important, but argue it cannot replace response services. “To stop intergenerational harm you must do the work with people who perpetrate it and the people who are hurt by it,” McPhillips said. Kyla Rayner of Wellington Rape Crisis warned the cuts could set the sector back decades and leave survivors and their children more vulnerable.
As the election approaches, providers say they will watch which parties pledge to restore funding. For survivors like Alice, the immediate fear is simple and urgent: without counselling, the trauma that follows abuse will be left untreated and the cycle of harm may continue. *Names changed.
