Te Whakaruruhau Maori Women’s Refuge first opened in 1986 through the efforts of a group of local Maori women, to save lives and reduce the harm caused by domestic violence. In those early years, the service provided a 24 hour crisis response team and safe housing. Te Whakaruruhau safe housing has grown from a one bedroom flat into four safe houses across Hamilton City. In 30 years our service has transformed into one which involves the whole family. We believe that working with the whole family is a way of creating long-term change with domestic violence. This is why, where possible, we work with men who are committed to change as well as your extended family if you want us to. The vision of Te Whakaruruhau was first created and has been vigorously maintained by two strong, passionate and committed Maori women - Ariana Simpson and Ruahine Albert. These two women have worked tirelessly over the years to bring about an awareness of the issues for Maori Women living with violence. They have fought hard to provide a local and national response to domestic violence in Maori whanau. They continue to challenge a system that refuses to hold perpetrators accountable for their behaviours and abusive actions towards their families. Ruahine and Ariana along with many others have been relentless in their efforts to transform New Zealand's legal and social systems to respond proactively to victims of domestic violence.