Research by a Victoria University student has shown that Maori women are twice as likely to be victim to intimate partner violence (IPV) as non-Maori.

Fleur McLaren spent a year as part of her Masters’ thesis investigating what groups were more likely to be victim to intimate partner violence in a lifetime.

Analysing data from the New Zealand National Survey of Crime and Victimisation Survey 2001, McLaren found that, among other predictors such as gender and socio economic groupings, ethnicity was significant in explaining victimisation.

Strong predictors for IPV over a lifetime included Maori, people aged 25–29 years, females, solo parents, over-crowded households, those on social welfare benefits, and those divorced and separated.

“This study will be the first to capture New Zealand specific data on the dynamics that exist in young adult intimate relationships and the pathways that lead to a healthy or violent relationship,” McLaren said.

In April a group of American human rights experts suggested that a reference to the Treaty of Waitangi should be included in the Domestic Violence Act 1995.

Members of the Leitner Centre for International Law and Justice, the group also criticised the New Zealand government for “particularly failing Maori women”.

McLaren is currently developing her proposal for a PhD in Criminology.