Sharing Light and Love this Holiday Season
As the holidays approach, we recognise that this time of year can be especially difficult for many, particularly those facing family violence, grief, or financial hardship. The current economic pressures, both in New Zealand and globally, along with the uncertainty in many parts of the world, are making life even more challenging for many families.
In 2023-2024, we saw an 18% increase in referrals compared to the previous year, with 608 cases, most of them related to family harm. These numbers reflect just a part of the complex and emotional struggles people face in our community. Since 1987, Women’s Support Motueka has been offering vital support through crisis intervention, counselling and advocacy to women and their families during tough times.
As in previous years, we encourage everyone to plan ahead to ease the pressures of the holiday season, especially for separated families or those managing access arrangements with children. Here are some tips to help bring a sense of calm and joy:
- Focus on the children’s wellbeing. Help them create memories filled with love and kindness.
- Stay true to what Christmas means to you. It’s easy to get swept up in the hype, but staying grounded in what truly matters to you can make the season more meaningful.
- Be kind to yourself. Take time to relax and connect with nature when you can.
- Stick to a budget. Spend only what you can afford, ensuring essentials like bills are covered first.
- Plan family arrangements in advance and give children time with both parents when shared custody is involved.
- Talk to someone you trust if the idea of Christmas feels overwhelming.
- Be mindful with alcohol and keep hydrated by drinking water.
- Step away if tensions rise. Let everyone take a breather and calm down before things escalate.
- If you are worried about your safety or that of your children, please call 111 for immediate assistance.
This year, thanks to the wonderful generosity of the Kindness Collective, we won’t need toy donations. However, we still need your support. Supermarket, petrol, pharmacy, and The Warehouse vouchers are particularly helpful for the families we support and will bring relief to those struggling.
You can donate via our new platform on our website – www.wsm.org.nz/support-us/ or directly to our bank account: 03-0693-0132531-00. Please send your contact details to admin@wsm.org.nz so we can issue you a tax-deductible receipt.
We wish everyone in our community a safe and happy holiday season. From all of us at Women’s Support Motueka.
Women’s Support Motueka is a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping women and their families stay safe, well, and empowered to reach their full potential. We specialise in supporting those affected by family violence, offering compassionate advocacy, counselling, and crisis response.
Our services are tailored to meet the needs of all women, regardless of ethnicity, income, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or ability. Every service we provide is free, confidential, and without judgement.
Our office will close at 2pm on Monday, 23 December 2024, and reopen on Monday, 6 January 2025. We wish everyone a safe, peaceful holiday season.
For more information, email admin@wsm.org.nz, or call us on 03 528 8161. You can also find us at Motueka Community House, Decks Reserve.