The Shine Story
Founded in 1990, Shine is New Zealand’s leading specialist domestic violence service provider.
Shine is an acronym that stands for Safer Homes in New Zealand Everyday. This name – and our aims in addressing the scourge of domestic violence – are hopeful, positive and optimistic. We want people to feel that there is some light shining on a terrible problem in New Zealand and that some brightness is ahead.
Shine provides a range of effective, practical and innovative services to achieve our mission to stop domestic violence in New Zealand. We directly help thousands of adult and child victims every year to become safe and stay safe through our frontline services, and we indirectly help thousands more through our professional training programmes; Shine RESPOND in communities, the DVFREE programme in workplaces, and our health sector partnerships.
Shine works closely with a number of Government agencies, community organisations and businesses to achieve our goals more effectively, from the NZ Police and Oranga Tamariki to Auckland District Health Board and other DHBs, Community Probation, Homecare Medical, and many more.
Shine has been honoured by the Patronage of Dame Silvia Cartwright PCNZM, DBE, QSO since 1998.
Part of the PSN Family
In July 2016, Shine is a part of Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN), alongside Family Works Northern and Enliven Northern, and more recently Lifeline Aotearoa. PSN delivers social services to build strong families and help anyone struggling with age, disability or injury to enjoy a better, happier, healthier life. With over 1000 staff in 28 service centres, PSN primarily works in communities throughout the upper North Island from Whangarei to Turangi. PSN, together with six other regional Presbyterian Support organisations, make up Presbyterian Support New Zealand. PSN was historically part of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, and became an independent charitable trust in 1954. These days, PSN clients, staff, and volunteers are from a range of religious and cultural backgrounds.
Shine’s vision is Safer Homes in New Zealand Everyday.
Our values are:
Integrity / Rangatiratanga
The koru unfolds – symbolising honesty, transparency and accountability
Excellence / Manaakitanga
The koru reaches towards the light – striving for growth and better outcomes
Innovation / Whakatupuranga
The koru adapts to its environment – symbolising creativity and openness to new ideas
Optimism / Whakapono
The koru symbolises hope, growth and encouragement for the future
Unity / Kotahitanga
The koru’s strength depends on sun and water – many elements working as one – symbolising the need for us to work as one team
Our mission is to stop domestic abuse in New Zealand
How we accomplish our mission:
Support / Tautoko victims to be safe and perpetrators to change
Learn / Akoranga from our clients, research and others
Act / Whakamahia to implement change
Reflect / Maumahara on our experience and develop our practice
Share / Mahitahi what we learn with others
Shine History
Shine was founded in 1990, and since then has grown to become a leading New Zealand specialist domestic abuse service provider.
Shine is honoured to have the former Governor-General, Dame Silvia Cartwright PCNZM, DBE, QSO as our Patron since 1998.
We were originally called Central Woman’s Refuge when this entity was formed by the National Collective of Independent Women’s Refuges in 1990. We were established to manage an Auckland region-wide crisis line, but in 1993 we became an independent organisation. Throughout the 1990s, our primary function was to run a crisis telephone service for the Auckland region. In the last half of the 1990s, we began to provide a 24 hour callout and advocacy service in response to police and hospital referrals in Auckland, and shortly after, began a men’s stopping violence programme, called No Excuses.
Following the year 2000, a much more expansive vision of what was possible and an opportunistic approach led to rapid growth. Shine services established during this time included KIDshine, Shine safe@home, DVFREE (workplace programme), many of our professional training programmes, and our work in the health sector – including a partnership with the Auckland District Health Board and providing family violence training nationally for District Health Boards and midwives. Also during this time, our Helpline became a national, tollfree, professionally staffed service, run in partnership with Lifeline and Youthline.
Our agency has gone through a number of name changes. In the early days, we were known as the Domestic Violence Centre, then SAFTINET (Safer Auckland Families through Intervention Network), then back to Domestic Violence Centre, and later the name was changed to Preventing Violence in the Home.
In 2009, Safer Families Foundation on Auckland’s North Shore merged with Preventing Violence in the Home. Established in 1985 and formerly known as North Shore Women’s Refuge, Safer Families Foundation had a similar philosophy and similar services. At the time of this merger in 2009, we changed our name to Shine – Safer Homes in New Zealand Everyday – a name which also expresses our number one goal.
In July 2016, Shine became a service division of Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN), alongside Family Works and Enliven, and Lifeline. PSN delivers social services to build strong families and help anyone struggling with age, disability or injury to enjoy a better, happier, healthier life. With almost 1000 staff in 25 service centres, PSN services are delivered in communities throughout the upper North Island from Whangarei to Turangi. PSN, together with six other autonomous Presbyterian Support regional organisations, makes up Presbyterian Support New Zealand. PSN was part of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, until 1954 when it became an independent charitable trust. These days, PSN clients, staff, and volunteers are from a range of religious and cultural backgrounds.