Counselling Services Centre

26/05/2026

Thank you to Auckland Women's Centre and everyone involved in creating stalking response guides. This includes a Kaupapa Māori guide for whānau Māori experiencing stalking and coercive control.

These guides share clear, practical information about stalking behaviours, safety, and support options.

Everyone has the right to live free from fear, control, and stalking harm.

community guide to responding to stalking

26/05/2026

Stalking is now a crime in Aotearoa New Zealand.

It’s not about one message or one encounter. It’s when someone keeps going after you’ve made it clear you want it to stop, or when their behaviour starts making you feel unsafe in your own life.

It can look like repeated contact, showing up where you are, watching or tracking you, or using other people or online tools to get to you. It can also include damage to your belongings, your relationships, your reputation, or someone pretending to be you online.

You don’t have to prove how it’s affecting you for it to matter.

If this is happening, you don’t have to deal with it on your own. Support is available with us: 09 277 9324 admin@cscnz.org.nz

If you are in immediate danger, call 111

22/05/2026

Huge congratulations to Debbs Murray on her appointment as chair of the new Family Violence and Sexual Violence Ministerial Advisory Group.

Debbs has been a strong advocate and leader in this space for many years, and we are so thrilled to see her knowledge, experience, and commitment recognised in this way.

It is encouraging to see frontline voices and lived experience helping shape the future direction of prevention and response across Aotearoa.

Wishing Debbs and the wider advisory group all the very best for this important work.

A new advisory group has been created to bring lived experience and frontline leadership knowledge to the government’s decision-making and strategic direction around preventing family violence and sexual violence.

15/05/2026

Today our team stands together in support of Pink Shirt Day, a reminder that everyone deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued at work, school, and in our communities.

Bullying has no place in the spaces where people are trying to learn, heal, and grow. At CSC we see daily the impact it has on tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau, and we know how important it is to create environments grounded in aroha and respect.

Wearing pink is a simple act, but the message behind it matters: kindness is not optional. It is something we choose, practice, and protect.

We are proud of our kaimahi for showing up in support today.

15/05/2026

⭐We’re on the lookout for a star to join our team.

Communications Officer
Part-time · Auckland-based

This role will support us to share the stories behind our mahi and the people we support, as we mark 40 years of service in the community.

If you’re passionate about storytelling and community impact, take a look.

If you enjoy crafting meaningful stories and bringing heart and clarity to communications that centre survivors, we’d love to hear from you.

Creative communications role with purpose, flexibility and real community impact.

14/05/2026

So important to create spaces where voices are heard and experiences can inspire healing and prevention. If you have a story to share, consider presenting at this year’s conference.

12/05/2026

A big thank you to Four Winds Foundation for supporting counselling at CSC.

This funding helps us continue providing trauma-informed counselling to people in our community impacted by sexual harm, family violence, and other trauma.

Pictured is Marlize, one of our fabulous counsellors supporting clients on their healing journey.

Thank you for helping make this support possible.

10/05/2026

As R**e Awareness Week comes to a close, we want to acknowledge every survivor living with the impact of sexual harm, whether that experience is recent or from many years ago.

Awareness is not just about one week of campaigns or conversations. It is also about how we listen, how we respond, and whether people feel safe enough to reach out for support.

We are also thankful to the many organisations, advocates, educators, and survivors across Aotearoa who continue to speak up, support others, and challenge the attitudes that allow sexual violence to persist.

If you or someone you know needs support, our team is here.

CALL 24/7: 09 277 9324 | cscnz.org.nz

**eAwarenessWeek

08/05/2026

During R**e Awareness Week, we want to acknowledge that sexual violence is not always what people expect it to look like.

Many experiences of harm do not fit the stereotypes people see in movies, headlines, or public conversations. That can leave survivors questioning whether what happened to them “counts”, or whether they will be believed if they speak about it.

Sexual violence can involve coercion, pressure, manipulation, abuse of authority, grooming, or someone being unable to consent.

Awareness also means challenging the assumptions and stereotypes that keep people silent.

CALL 24/7: 09 277 9324 | cscnz.org.nz

**eAwarenessWeek

07/05/2026

During R**e Awareness Week, it’s worth naming a couple of the myths that still get in the way of understanding sexual harm.

Myth: “They would have reported it if it happened.”
Reality: Reporting is rarely simple. People weigh up safety, relationships, fear of not being believed, and the impact of speaking up. Many never feel it is safe to report.

Myth: “It’s usually a stranger.”
Reality: In most cases, the person is known to the victim. That can make it even more complex and harder to name.

These misunderstandings don’t just sit in the background. They affect how people respond, and whether someone feels able to reach out for support.

If someone discloses to you, your first job is to listen and believe them.

CALL 24/7: 09 277 9324 | cscnz.org.nz

**eAwarenessWeek

04/05/2026

A new New Zealand documentary, Stalked, is currently screening on Sky Open and streaming on NEON.

Fronted by mental health advocate Jazz Thornton, it follows three women whose lives were profoundly affected by stalking. It shows how behaviours that may seem small or “harmless” at first can escalate into something much more serious.

The series highlights the gap that has existed in New Zealand law, with stalking only now being recognised as a specific criminal offence.

It’s not an easy watch, but it’s an important one.

**eAwarenessWeek

When content creator and mental health advocate Jazz Thornton receives obsessive messages from a stranger overseas, she assumes it’s another stan, a very ent...