Useful Links - Family Dispute Resolution Centre

Here are some links to support organisations that could assist you and your family. If you believe another organisation should be listed here, please email us.

Resources for elders and their loved ones

Aginginplace.org
A resource hub about the specific aspects of aging in place. Aginginplace.org provides informative guides to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions about their homes, finances, health, activities of daily living, and independent living.
Aginginplace.org

Super Seniors Elder Abuse Response Service (EARS)
A free and confidential 24/7 help-line, 0800 32 668 65 (0800 EA NOT OK). Calls will be answered by registered nurses who will direct callers to elder abuse specialist service providers in their region.
Super Seniors EARS

Family support services in your community

Auckland Women’s Centre
The Auckland Women’s Centre offers the support of a women-only environment, promoting empowerment and wellbeing for all women. Free, non-judgemental information, support and advice, affordable counselling and support services. Courses in personal growth, separation, assertiveness, self-defence etc. A single mums positive parenting project, support for women questioning their sexual orientation and a wonderful Women’s Library.
awc.org.nz

Alzheimers New Zealand
Alzheimers New Zealand assists and supports people with Alzheimers disease or a related dementia, as well as their carers, families and health professionals.
alzheimers.org.nz

Age Concern
Age Concern is a charitable organisation dedicated solely to people over 65. They promote dignity, wellbeing, equity and respect and provide expert information and support services in response to older people’s needs.
ageconcern.org.nz

Choice Not Chance – (preventing problem gambling)
This organisations offers a helpline and face-to-face counselling services for those concerned with their own gambling, or someone else’s.
http://choicenotchance.org.nz/
Free 24 hour telephone support – 0800 654 655

Citizens Advice Bureau
The Citizens Advice Bureau (‘CAB’) is an organisation providing free, confidential information and advice about any query or problem, staffed by trained volunteers. You can get advice online through instant chat, or find and contact a local office on their comprehensive website.
http://www.cab.org.nz

Family Planning Association (FPA)
FPA help with your sexual and reproductive health. They can offer you health information, clinical services, education, training and research. They work with people of any gender, age, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Find a local clinic on their website, and view plenty of useful resources, information and tools.
http://www.familyplanning.org.nz/

Family Support Services (Ministry of Social Development)
This government website contains a wealth of information in regards to support services for families, including an online directory.
http://www.familyservices.govt.nz/directory/

IHC (Supporting people with intellectual disabilities)
IHC supports people with intellectual disabilities, and their families and carers. The organisation has an extensive collection of information on intellectual disability, including legal and ethical issues. It also has an advocacy team who can advise on legal issues involving people with disabilities.
http://www.ihc.org.nz/

Kidz Need Dadz
Strengthening father-child relationships through support, education and fun.
https://www.kidzneeddadz.org.nz/

Lifeline Auckland
Lifeline is a telephone counselling service that provides 24 hours a day, 7 days a week counselling and support, for any emotional issues people may be facing in life. They also offer face-to-face counselling services in many areas of NZ, as well as educational services.
www.lifeline.org.nz/
Helpline 0800 543 354 for 24/7 support

Māori Women’s Welfare League
Te Ropu Wahine Maori Toko i te Ora (referred to as Maori Women’s Welfare League Inc or MWWL), arose out of a desire on the part of Maori women throughout New Zealand for an organisation that would be a potent force in facilitating positive outcomes for Maori people through enabling and empowering Maori women and whanau. Among many other community and political activities, the organisation runs a parenting programme for under five-year-olds.
www.mwwl.org.nz
04 473 6451

New Zealand Association of Counsellors
NZAC, the New Zealand Association of Counsellors / Te Roopu Kaiwhiriwhi o Aotearoa is the national professional association that acts for and with counsellors to monitor and improve the service they provide. You can search their site for comprehensive listings of all members.
www.nzac.org.nz/

Parent Help (Helpline)
This parenting helpline is available 9am to 11pm – seven days a week, catering for all parenting issues from the smallest problem to the most serious issue of child abuse. The helpline is affiliated to Jigsaw (see link on this page), and is an approved Child, Youth and Family Services provider.
www.parenthelp.org.nz
0800 568 856 – 9am to 11pm

Parent to Parent (managing children with disabilities, health impairments or special needs)
A national support and information network for parents of children with disabilities, health impairments or special needs.
www.parent2parent.org.nz
0508 236 236

Presbyterian Support
Presbyterian Support is made up of seven regional organisations. Its core activities concentrate on assisting youth in need, children and families, and elderly people through residential and community services. Three regions also offer services for people with physical disabilities, and one operates a hospice for terminally ill people and their families. This website provides access to the regional organisations.
https://ps.org.nz/

Raeburn House
Raeburn House is a primary mental health provider / community development organisation with a focus on mental wellbeing, community wellbeing, and diversity.
raeburnhouse.org.nz

Raising Grandchildren
Online support for grandparents raising children in NZ.
http://www.raisinggrandchildren.org.nz/

Salvation Army
The Salvation Army have a long history in NZ of providing welfare (food parcels/furniture/clothing), education and employment training, home care, and accommodation for people with a range of needs. They also provide early childhood education centres, pre-school groups and youth programmes. “The Sally’s” are made up of full-time officers and employees, along with soldiers (church members) who volunteer their skills and expertise, provide our social and church-based services.
salvationarmy.org.nz

Specialist services dealing with family abuse, violence and neglect

Jigsaw Family Services
The diverse group of independent, community-based social service agencies that make up the Jigsaw network advocate against all forms of child abuse, neglect, and family violence, and provide support to families so they can raise their children in safe and nurturing ways.

Freephone: 0508 326 459
Family Violence Information Line: 0800 456 450

National Network of Stopping Violence Services
This is a network or ‘he kupenga’ of 42 independent community-based organisations that run violence and abuse prevention programmes.
www.nnsvs.org.nz

North Harbour Living Without Violence
This is a community organisation based in Auckland, offering perpetrators of violence education programmes, and offering victims of abuse and/or violence support and education, and helping children and teenagers who have experienced abuse and/or violence to deal with the effects of this violence in healthy ways.
www.livingwithoutviolence.org.nz/
(09) 489 3770

Shine
Shine stands for ‘Safer Homes in New Zealand Everyday Incorporated’. They provide rapid response, wrap-around safety and support for people at risk of further domestic abuse (helpline, safe home, victim advocacy). They also provide support for victims, and education programmes.
www.2shine.org.nz
Confidential Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0508 744 633 – 9am – 11pm, 7 days a week

Victim Support
Victim Support relies on volunteer workers to provide crisis intervention and support to victims of crime, accident and emergency. Their website provides information and contact information for local Victim Support offices.
http://www.victimsupport.org.nz/
0800 VICTIM (0800 865 868)

Violence Research Centre – Te Awatea
This Centre is part of The University of Canterbury. Their website aims to provide access to a wide range of research on ‘violence’, it also provides information about training and education opportunities for professional groups and communities that assist and support victims and provide rehabilitative services for offenders.
http://www.vrc.canterbury.ac.nz/

Women’s Refuge
This website provides information about the Refuge services available in New Zealand as well as resources and information for battered women and children.
https://www.womensrefuge.org.nz/
0800 REFUGE (0800 733 843)

Support services for alcohol and drug dependency

Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experiences of strength and hope with each other, so they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. They offer counselling, meetings, support for families, and support in prisons.
www.aa.org.nz
Helpline: 0800 229 6757

Al-Anon Family Groups NZ
Al-Anon helps families of alcoholics. They practice The Twelve Steps of AA, give comfort to families of alcoholics, and offer understanding and encouragement to the alcoholic.
al-anon.org.nz
Freephone: 0508 425 2666

Community Alcohol and Drug Services (CADS) – Auckland
CADS offer a range of free services, funded through the Waitemata District Health Board, to anybody in the Auckland region wanting to solve an alcohol or drug related question, issue or problem, or are concerned about or affected by someone else’s use. The confidential service aims to help reduce the harm caused by alcohol or drug use, and offers individual and group counselling and an intensive outpatient programme (CADS Mt Eden).
http://www.cads.org.nz/
09 845-1818

Drug and Alcohol Helpline
This helpline is an information, referral and intervention service. The helpline aims to offer you free confidential information, insight and support on any problem, issue or query you have about your own or someone else’s drinking or drug taking.
https://alcoholdrughelp.org.nz/
0800 787 797

Narcotics Anonymous
NA offers recovery from the effects of addiction through working a 12-step programme, including regular attendance at group meetings. The group atmosphere provides help from peers and offers an ongoing support network for addicts who wish to pursue and maintain a drug free lifestyle.
www.nzna.org

Support services for children and youth

Barnardos
Barnardos provide care, support, education and learning opportunities for children, young people, family and whanau across the country.
www.barnardos.org.nz
0800 BARNARDOS (0800 227 627)

Kidsline
This is a telephone counselling service for all kids up to 14 years of age, operates from 4pm to 6pm Monday through to Friday. When kids ring they will speak to a Kidsline Buddy – a specially trained teenage telephone counsellor. The service is provided by Lifeline NZ.
http://www.kidsline.org.nz/
0800 54 37 54 – 4pm to 6pm Monday to Friday

YouthLaw
YouthLaw Tino Rangatiratanga Taitamariki is a free community law centre for children and young people nationwide. It provides free legal services to anyone aged under 25, who are unable to access legal help elsewhere, or those acting on their behalf.
http://www.youthlaw.co.nz/
0800 UTHLAW
0800 884 529

Youthline
Youthline provide a helpline for youth that runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can also provide face-to-face counselling and support services in some areas of the country.
www.youthline.co.nz/
Free phone 0800 37 66 33 for 24/7 support
Free TXT 234 between 8am and midnight

What’s Up (Barnardos)
This helpline is for children up to 18 years of age, who want to chat to a counsellor over the phone for free, from 1 pm – 11 pm daily.
www.whatsup.co.nz
0800 WHATS UP (0800 942 8787) – Available 1 pm – 11 pm daily.

Legal support

Auckland District Law Society
Auckland District Law Society administers the legal profession for the Auckland district which covers the area from Thames/Coromandel to North Cape and includes metropolitan Auckland. They can point you in the right direction of looking for legal representation.
http://www.adls.org.nz/

Community Law Centres
Community Law Centres throughout NZ have lawyers and advocates volunteering their time to offer free initial legal help so you can deal with your legal problem quickly. Their site provides information about their services and where Courts are located. It also has a list of publications and educational resources.
http://www.communitylaw.org.nz/

New Zealand Law Society
The New Zealand Law Society is a professional association which represents all practising lawyers in New Zealand.
http://www.lawsociety.org.nz/

New Zealand Law Society – Family Law Section
The New Zealand Family Law Section was established to enable members to promote their common interest in family law and to act in matters affecting family law and family lawyers in New Zealand. The Section’s main objectives are to act as a strong proactive lobby group advancing the interests of families and children; initiate discussion of family law issues; raise the profile and image of family lawyers and the work they do; and counter some of the misconceptions the public have about lawyers generally. They also offer a section on their website about Family Disputes Resolution (FDR).
http://www.familylaw.org.nz/