We are so proud to see champion for change and much loved member of the Family Works/Tauawhi whanau Vic Tamati recognised with a NZ Order of Merit for his tireless work to raise awareness and encourage Safe Men.
Details of Vic’s work and NZ Order of Merit are below:
TAMATI, Mr Vic Henery
For services to the prevention of family violence
Mr Vic Tamati has been a family violence-free campaigner with the award-winning, internationally acclaimed ‘It’s Not OK’ campaign since 2008.
In 2012 Mr Tamati founded Safe Man Safe Family Incorporated, an organisation operating under the statement ‘if there be no perpetrators, there will be no victims’. His dedication to male perpetrators of family violence challenges men throughout New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific to ‘uncover, discover and recover from all forms of lifestyle violence’.
He has openly shared his life story with the aim of disrupting the status quo on what it means to be a violence-free, safe man.
He has worked to break through social barriers and patriarchal values to illustrate that men like him can seek help and change. Mr Tamati’s work is recognised to have directly influenced the choices men are making for themselves and their families, underpinning his vision for a violence-free Aotearoa.