It’s Not OK gets thumbs up

It’s Not OK gets thumbs up

The Families Commission and Ministry of Social Development (MSD) received the supreme award at the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand (IPANZ) Gen-i Public Sector Excellence Awards on Friday night.

The 'It's Not OK' Campaign for Action on Family Violence won the category for Public Sector Communications and the overall Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Service, which is judged from the winners of all the other categories.

Launched by IPANZ and Gen-i in 2008, the awards celebrate excellence within the public sector and highlight initiatives making a positive difference to local communities.

“This award recognises that the campaign has given people the language and confidence to mobilise for change,” says Families Commission Chief Executive Paul Curry. “It’s Not Ok is now part of the Kiwi vernacular and people understand that it is OK to ask for help”.

Mr Curry said the award highlights the success of a long-term programme to change attitudes and behaviours. It uses a diverse range of mediums to get the message through. These range from the highly visible “It’s Not OK” television advertising series, through to actions such as supporting sports teams to build a violence-free culture, arranging for the inclusion of anti-violence messages in popular television programmes, and working with a variety of agencies and communities to support anti-violence initiatives.

“Violence is one of the most serious family and community issues in New Zealand,” Mr Curry said. “This award will be an inspiration to all those people who are helping to tackle the problem.

“We would like to thank our partners in MSD, The Taskforce for Action on Family Violence - particularly the Maori Reference Group and Pacific Advisory Group - our NGO partners, the community groups who have mobilised activities throughout the country, the individual practitioners, counsellors, support agency workers, police, advocates, and so on, who support family and whanau through change. Many of these people and organisations have been selflessly dedicating themselves to this kaupapa for decades.”

Mr Curry said that the judges of the awards noted that the campaign’s success in motivating people to action was a factor.

“One in five people who recalled the campaign took some action as a result, and six out of ten say they have influenced someone else's behaviour. This is significant change, but does not mean we can rest on our laurels. Family violence has once again been identified as the single most important social issue for New Zealanders. A recent survey showed 86% of respondents would like to see increased effort put into reducing family violence.

“The next phase of the It’s Not OK campaign will place the emphasis on giving and receiving help with the phrase ‘Its OK to ask for help’. We know that most perpetrators never receive professional services. They prefer to reach out to someone they trust, like a family member or friend. The campaign will encourage the friends and family to ‘be there’ for their whanau or mate Not to shame or judge them, but to offer whatever help they need to leave violence behind and change.”

ENDS

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