Maternal suicide, perinatal deaths and non-family homicides have all been included in a new report to try and get a full picture of violence against women and children in New Zealand.

This is the ninth report on gender based violence for the National Mortality Review Committee.

Dr Nicola Atwool, the chair of the Family Violence Death Review expert group, told Nine to Noon, that the reports have traditionally looked at family harm deaths, but in this report they were looking at the broader issue of femicide.

She said little was known about some of these areas, including when women were killed by a non-family member, maternal suicide, and perinatal death.

Maternal suicide is death while pregnant or within a year of giving birth.

Perinatal death is the death of a baby during pregnancy or within 42 days after birth.

Dr Atwool said there was a clear correlation with family harm for both maternal suicide and perinatal death.

In the case of maternal suicide, Atwool said 63 percent of the women had recorded cases of family harm. But she said that was likely to be an undercount, because people often did not disclose family harm at the time it was happening.

The report shows there were 41 cases of maternal suicide between 2006 and 2023, and of these, 26 (63 percent) had a police-reported family harm.

Atwool said the report found that appropriate interventions during the period of pregnancy and after a baby is born could significantly reduce the number of lives lost.

This was one of the areas they would be investigating further with other agencies.

Dr Atwool said she also noted the ongoing inequities for wāhine and kōtiro Māori (Māori women and girls), compared with non-Māori.

"We identified inequities in the rates of family violence homicide for wāhine and kōtiro Māori compared with non-Māori women and girls between 2018 and 2022. Had these inequities not existed, there would be approximately 25 more wāhine and kōtiro Māori alive today."

NZ Police data showed that of the 1169 homicides in New Zealand between 2007 and 2022, 34 percent of victims were women, and more than half of those women (58 percent) had a family relationship to the offender.

Dr Atwool said that despite a range of programme and efforts to address family violence there had been no significant decline in the number of homicides against women.

"There are fluctuations, but no significant downward trend."

The full report can be found here.

Where to get help:

• Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason

• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends
• Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202
• Samaritans: 0800 726 666
• Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email [email protected]
• What's Up: 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787. This is free counselling for 5 to 19-year-olds
• Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 or text 832. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, and English.
• Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254
• Healthline: 0800 611 116
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
• OUTLine: 0800 688 5463
• Aoake te Rā bereaved by suicide service: or call 0800 000 053

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

Sexual Violence

• NZ Police.

• Victim Support 0800 842 846.
• Rape Crisis: 0800 88 33 00.
• Rape Prevention Education.
• Empowerment Trust.
• HELP (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): 04 801 6655.
• Safe to talk: 0800 044 334.
• Tautoko Tāne Male Survivors Aotearoa.
• Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) 022 344 0496.

Family Violence

• Women's Refuge: 0800 733 843.
• It's Not OK 0800 456 450.
• Shine: 0508 744 633.
• Victim Support: 0800 842 846.
• HELP Call 24/7 (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): 04 801 6655.
• The National Network of Family Violence Services NZ has information on specialist family violence agencies.

-RNZ