Made available on the NZFVC website with the permission of the author (27/2/2014). Copyright remains with the author.

Aim: This dissertation aimed to conduct a preliminary assessment of prevention, response and referral pathways for cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) at a New Zealand university.
Methods: Study Design: The study was exploratory in nature, and used a qualitative methodology. Setting: The setting of the study was the University of Auckland (UoA), a large urban university with six campuses, and a total student population of 40 784 people. Participants: Participants were recruited purposively on the basis of their roles as key respondents to IPV and SV in the UoA student body. Recruitment yielded two Women’s Rights Officers, seven counsellors, the Manager of Security Services, and three Heads of Halls (of Residence), with a total number of twelve participants. Data collection: Qualitative data were collected through one paired semi-structured interview, two individual semi-structured interviews, and one focus group with seven participants. Conversations were conducted for approximately one hour, electronically recorded, and transcribed. Data Analysis: Qualitative data was coded and analysed using the General Inductive Approach, producing a final total of 5 main themes, with 18 subthemes.
Results: The present study indicates that a small number of student IPV and SV cases are presented to key respondents; however, each of these cases have a large impact in terms of time and resources. Prevention efforts are occurring at the university, but are limited in focus, occurring sporadically and independently of each other; are limited in reach, with only small proportions of the student population accessing these services; and limited in content, with the main focus of educational approaches being the provision of SV information to potential victims. Immediate responses to IPV and SV at the university are more developed. However, levels of identification and screening appear to be restricted, suggesting that further development of existing services is required. Finally, referral and maintenance responses to IPV and SV exist at the university, and are generally perceived as adequate, with further development of these services being potentially outside of the expertise and jurisdiction of the university.
Conclusion: Further research is required to ascertain levels of actual need for responses to IPV and SV in the UoA student body. Currently, the foundations for adequate prevention and response pathways exist. However, more investment is required from the university in terms of funding and commitment to develop these further. Development of these services would be consistent with international efforts to address IPV and SV in university student populations, and would contribute to the prevention of high profile cases of IPV and SV at the university, as well as an improvement in the academic and social environments of students. (Author's abstract)