The aim of this report is to provide an evaluation of the objectives and aims of the Domestic Violence Act (1995). In 1998, the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Courts commissioned a scoping study to identify issues and data sources prior to a full evaluation of the Act. The scoping study informs the present report. The process evaluation included a range of data, including: statistics from the Department of Courts Domestic Violence Act National Database, Ministry of Justice and New Zealand Police offences; court file applications; national survey to Family Court Judges, coordinators and lawyers; interviews with legal personnel, programme providers, community groups, Domestic Violence Act applicants, respondents, and domestic violence victims; and lastly, best practice case studies. Interviews were also conducted with a number of informants in positions at a national level. The authors discuss the barriers to accessing the Act, processes for creating protection orders, responses to police enforcement, and participation in programmes. Other issues discussed in the report are views of the Act, safety, training, paperwork and interagency relationships. Lastly, the report presents the authors' suggested improvements to the Act, including service of documents, linking protected persons with programmes, exchange of information with the District Court, and following up respondent programme attendance.

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