Gandhi Nivas marks 10 years of tackling family harm in Auckland

Gandhi Nivas, a community-led initiative addressing family harm in South Auckland, marked its 10th anniversary with a special event hosted by New Zealand Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro in Auckland on Monday.

The milestone celebration follows a similar event held at Parliament last month that was hosted by Ethnic Communities' Minister Mark Mitchell, Social Development Minister Lousie Upston and Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Minister Karen Chhour.

Kiro praised Gandhi Nivas for its transformative approach to tackling family harm.

"I'm delighted to celebrate the success of this community-led initiative," Kiro said.

"You have shown that it is possible to rehabilitate offenders and to achieve long-term change in behaviour and help heal their families."

Kiro said such interventions were key to breaking the cycle of domestic violence and ensuring that vulnerable individuals were protected.

"I welcome every intervention that can break the silence and the cycle of domestic violence and to protect our families," she said.

Founded in December 2014 by Ranjna Patel, Gandhi Nivas provides counselling and housing for men bound by police safety orders who cannot return home.

By focusing on rehabilitation, the initiative aims to address family violence at its root cause.

Currently, there are three Gandhi Nivas houses operating in Auckland, offering round-the-clock assessments, counselling and comprehensive support to clients, victims and children.

The organization's approach to family violence intervention involves engaging offenders in their rehabilitation.

"I feel in a gentle way, we have shaken New Zealand," Patel said, reflecting on Gandhi Nivas' past 10 years.

"Our innovative programme took a fresh approach to family care by removing the perpetrator from the home instead of the victim and providing temporary accommodation and counselling," she said.

Patel underscored the importance of having services available at the times when they were most needed.

"Most services in New Zealand operate Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, but most incidents happen in the evenings and on weekends," Patel said. "That's when we get most of our intakes."

The effectiveness of Gandhi Nivas has been extensively studied by Massey University researchers.

Between 2014 and 2024, nine studies have been conducted, providing crucial insight into the program's impact.

One such study, covering a five-year period from 1 January 2014 found that Gandhi Nivas prevented nearly 60 percent of men participating in the program from reoffending.

A 2021 ImpactLab GoodMeasure report highlighted the initiative's economic and social benefits, revealing that every dollar spent on Gandhi Nivas generated $12.80 in social value by supporting families.

Further research in 2022 found that Gandhi Nivas' holistic response to family harm, mental health challenges and substance abuse crises significantly increased the likelihood of individuals accepting specialist support when they might otherwise refuse it.

"My journey working in family harm started in 2014 when Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo presented some data to the Counties Manukau Police South Asian Advisory Board," Patel said.

She said the data revealed some alarming statistics.

Nearly 30 percent of women killed in family harm incidents that year were Indian, 1 in 3 women experienced abuse and police responded to a domestic incident every four minutes, yet only 12 percent of victims sought help.

Patel took a moment to recognize key individuals who played a key role in the formation and success of Gandhi Nivas, including retired Deputy Commissioner John Tims, Assistant Commissioner Tusha Penny, Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo, Acting Superintendent Sunny Patel, Inspector Wati Chaplow and Senior Sergeant Sharon Price.

She also expressed gratitude to her team and organizations such as Sahaayta counselling services and Massey University for their ongoing support.

"Everyone in this room has supported us along the way," Patel said.