Le Va’s Atu-Mai team shares its approach at sexual violence conference

Le Va’s Atu-Mai team has come home from the TOAH-NNEST National Sexual Violence Conference 2026 in Wellington with stronger connections.

The team joined organisations and professionals from across Aotearoa. Over two days, people working in sexual violence prevention held talanoa, swapped experiences and considered how the sector can work together more.

People in this field sometimes need to come together to “recharge, recalibrate and refocus”, said Le Va, describing the main takeaway for its team.

The conference theme

The theme was Kahupō to Toiora, guided by the Poutama model. Le Va says the model recognises that healing is a journey taken one step at a time. The journey looks different for everyone, and it takes courage, patience and resilience.

What the team shared

The Atu-Mai team shared about its Nurturing our Children workshop. Le Va describes the workshop as support for Pacific parents, caregivers and communities to become more aware of child sexual abuse and strengthen protective behaviours.

It also aims to build the knowledge and confidence needed to keep children safe. Le Va says sharing its approach reinforced the importance of culturally grounded prevention.

Organisations at the conference exchanged knowledge and contacts. These new connections are meant to support future collaboration.

Le Va says the team returned to its communities energised, with “a renewed commitment to working alongside others”.

About Atu-Mai

Le Va has pioneered Atu-Mai since 2018. It describes the programme as Aotearoa’s first national Pasifika violence primary prevention programme.

The programme name is based on a Cook Islands proverb about love given and love received. Le Va says this connects to the Pasifika cultural value of reciprocity.

Atu-Mai first targeted family violence. In 2023, Le Va shifted its focus to preventing sexual violence and working towards stopping child sexual abuse.

In partnership with ACC, the Atu-Mai team works with community leaders and organisations. It gives them training and resources to help prevent violence in their communities, using an eight-pillar systems approach.

Online learning modules are available on the Atu-Mai eLearning website. People who want more information about Atu-Mai can contact the team by email.

Anyone who needs to talk to someone about family violence, sexual harm or child sexual abuse can visit the Violence prevention support page on the Le Va website.