Victim Support
Free, nationwide support for people affected by crime, suicide and traumatic events.
We are here for you, 24/7.
We provide tailored immediate and short-term emotional support, practical assistance, information, referrals to other agencies plus support through the criminal justice system and coronial process.
Manaaki Tāngata | Victim Support helps people affected by crime, suicide and traumatic events in every corner of Aotearoa New Zealand.
We are an independent charity providing free and confidential 24/7 support – it doesn’t matter if the crime has been reported or how long ago it happened.
Anyone can find themselves a victim of crime or affected by suicide or a traumatic event. These events can impact people in many ways – emotionally, physically, financially, socially and psychologically.
No one has to cope alone, which is why Manaaki Tāngata | Victim Support is here to provide emotional and practical support, information, advocacy, and support to navigate the justice system and coronial process.
Manaaki Tāngata | Victim Support provides free support across Aotearoa New Zealand to:
People directly affected by crime, suicide and traumatic events
Members of their family or whānau
Witnesses of an incident or the first person on the scene
Support people helping a friend or family or whānau member through the justice process
Although we are unable to support under 16s, we can provide information to help you support children and young people.
According to the Victim Rights Act, a victim is anyone who has an offence committed by another person against them, and a person, who, as a result of a crime, suffers property loss/damage, physical injury, or emotional harm.
Victims can also be family or whānau members, dependants and witnesses. We recognise some people see themselves as survivors, not victims. Because we also support people after some non-criminal events such as suicide and traumatic events, we often refer to the people we support as "clients".
A traumatic event is an event that involves actual or threatened violence or accidental death or injury, including road trauma, fatal/serious injury accidents, fire and missing persons.
Life can feel like it’s been turned upside down after crime, suicide or traumatic event. We support you to feel informed, empowered, safe and able to cope with the impact. This is how we can help:
We’re someone independent who you can talk to. We listen without judgement, and support you to identify ways to cope.
We’ll work with you to develop a support plan, access financial assistance for the Victims Assistance Scheme if you're eligible, link you with community resources, and advocate on your behalf.
We’ll help you understand what happens next, how to access resources, understand your rights, and support you make informed choices.
We’ll guide you with safety planning for you and your family or whānau, your house and your property.
We’ll help you understand the justice system, including Victim Impact Statements and Victim Notification Register applications. We may support you at key moments during court, parole hearings, coronial process, restorative justice, and family group conference events, including support with travel and attendance, if eligible.
We'll help you connect with other local support services and counselling, when appropriate.
All situations are different, so our support is tailored for you. We may support you in-person or remotely, such as over the phone, or a combination or both, through trained staff and volunteers.
We work with you to identify your needs, create a support plan, and empower you to make your own choices.
Our support is centred around you and your needs, is responsive to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, your cultural needs, diversity, and is sensitive to any trauma you are experiencing.
Timely and early support is an important step in helping people cope after crime, suicide and traumatic events. That's why we're available 24/7.
If we are not the right agency to support you, we can direct you to other resources and community or iwi agencies.
When you call our friendly Contact Service staff will ask you for contact information and some basic details about your situation so they can connect you with the support you need. They will then arrange for a Support Worker in your area to get in touch with you.
Our Support Workers and volunteers come from all walks of life, just like the people we support. What makes our people special is that they are not counsellors or social workers. They are everyday people who have been highly trained to meet victims’ needs with both heart and professionalism.
Your Support Worker or volunteer can help you where and when you need it - it may be immediate crisis support or regular check-ins during your recovery. This could be in your home, at a police station or other safe place, or over the phone. They can provide support for you individually, or as a family or group.
Our clients tell us it makes a difference having someone outside their own network, who is non-clinical yet knowledgeable, empathetic yet practical, and who understands the journey through crime, suicide and traumatic events.
To live up to our promises, we are guided by the Victims Code of Rights.
To be available 24/7 to help you as you deal with the aftermath of crime, trauma, and loss. To make sure you get the help that you need to be safe, to heal, and to participate in the justice system.
We’re here to help you make informed, supported, and empowered decisions, not to make decisions for you.
Everything you tell us is confidential, unless we think there’s a risk to your immediate physical safety, or the immediate safety of someone else.
We’ll do all we can to make sure that you are safe, at the time of crisis and afterwards.
If we say we’ll do something with or for you, we will do it.
If we give you information or advice about your situation, we’ll make sure it’s helpful, neutral, clear, up to date, and accurate. If there is information we don’t know, we will do our best to find out or navigate you to the appropriate agency or service provider.
We’ll always respect you, your family, whānau, and friends, what’s important to you, your culture, beliefs, identity, and values. We will not judge you. We will support you.
You do not have to pay anything to use our services.
Boundaries help to keep everyone safe and respected.
