Who are we?

We are New Zealand’s national provider of restorative justice for harmful sexual behaviour and sexual violence. We work with people of all backgrounds and walks of life – no matter who they are, where they live, or what the circumstances of their personal experience of harm.

We also sometimes assist with restorative approaches to sorting out what happened, when it might not yet be clear that someone is accountable for causing harm through their sexual behaviour.

Restore

History

  • Project Restore was founded in 2005. It was inspired by the research of Dr Shirley Jülich and what victims/survivors were asking for in response to the dissatisfactions they experienced around processes and outcomes inherent in the criminal justice system.
  • From early beginnings based in and alongside the Auckland Sexual Abuse HELP organisation and other organisations involved in responding to sexual violence, the founders worked to establish a very specialised offering, pulled together some funds and their own "sweat equity" to develop a thoroughly tested protocol that is truly survivor centric.
  • Dr Jülich, Kathryn McPhillips, Jennifer Annan, Fiona Landon and others shaped restorative justice processes that are recognised internationally as best practice. Project Restore empowers all participants to move forward with a greater sense of mana.

Impact

  • 94% of adults who are victims of harmful sexual behaviour don’t report to the police.
  • Many survivors feel unable to secure a ‘sense of justice’ from a system that places those that have caused the harm at the centre and can often cause further harm due to the processes of the court system.

    Using a specialist, tailored restorative approach we work with survivors, those that may have caused the harm, whānau + family, workplaces and wider communities. Our approach is centred around the needs of the victim/survivor of harmful sexual behaviour or sexual violence.

  • Project Restore works closely with both survivors and those that have caused the harm to progress a meaningful healing process. When a need for accountability is clear, we carefully navigate a dialogue about what justice could look like.

Our Mission

We restore a sense of humanity, justice and dignity, when sexual harm may have occurred. We believe that the experience of restorative interaction and making amends has the power to model compassionate behaviour which can break wider cycles of sexual harm, hurt and violence now and for future generations. We provide a Kiwi made world class survivor centred restorative approach to “putting things right” where sexual harm or violence may have occurred.

Our Vision

That Aotearoa New Zealand is free from cycles of violence.

Our Values

  • Collaboration
  • Generosity
  • Manaakitanga
  • Respect
  • Responsibility

Privacy

We ask you to tell us about yourself so that we can provide a quality service to assist in your Restorative Justice journey. However, if we ask you things you don’t want to talk about, you can choose not to. All information we collect is dealt with in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 (which you can read at: www.privacy.org.nz).

When we talk, we will record notes from our discussion to help with our provision of services to you. If you are referred from the Court. It is our practice to audio record Restorative Justice conferences, to assist us in writing the reports required by the Court. You will see this report before it is submitted to check for accuracy.

Project Restore NZ keeps separate files for each person, with some common information kept about the case. The files also contain communications with other service providers. These files are kept in a secure cloud based case management system. Electronic information is protected by passwords and firewalls.

You are entitled to access the information we have about you and ask us to correct anything you disagree with. Whether you are a current or past client of Project Restore NZ, upon showing identification you can request that a copy of your notes be provided to your or be sent to someone else.

We can also be required by statutory agencies to provide information to them under certain circumstances. We would let you know about any such requirements.

Phone: 09 308 9712
Email: info@projectrestore.nz 

Confidentiality

Our notes and anything you tell us are confidential between you and Project Restore NZ. There are, however, a few exceptions to this which we will discuss in detail if you should wish to engage with our service.

We always deal with confidential information in accordance with the statutory requirements.

Complaints

If you feel dissatisfied with an aspect of the service you receive at Project Restore or feel like your rights are not being upheld, please let your Specialist or one of the Management Team know. Our complaints procedure and the relevant forms can be requested from our head office, or you can share your complaint via email, in a letter or over the phone.

We aim to provide the highest level of service possible, so will do our best to resolve your concerns and improve where we can.

If you need help making a complaint, there is a free advocacy service available through the Health and Disability commission: 0800 11 22 33 www.advocacy.org.nz