Netsafe, Ignite Aotearoa and Datacom are piloting a new digital harm support pathway for New Zealanders, connecting incident response with clinical care for the first time
Over the past 18 months, Netsafe has seen a 45% year-on-year increase in the need for counselling support for people experiencing high-impact online harms
The pilot will run until January 2027 or until 100 people have accessed support, with outcomes tracked to build the case for a permanent, funded service
With rates of digital harm increasing across Aotearoa, access to appropriate support for people affected is becoming increasingly important.
Together with funding assistance from Datacom, online safety organisation Netsafe New Zealand and digital wellbeing platform Ignite Aotearoa are piloting a new digital harm support pathway.
The pilot will provide wraparound support to New Zealanders experiencing online abuse, where there has previously been disconnect between incident resolution and psychological care.
Delivered through Ignite’s smart booking platform and network of clinical professionals, Netsafe will offer eligible clients access to up to three support sessions, providing a referral link to those who choose to engage with the service.
Believed to be a New Zealand first, the initiative represents a shift towards a more holistic approach to online safety in an effort to create better outcomes for people affected.
Over the past 18 months, Netsafe has seen a 45 percent year on year increase in the need for counselling support for people experiencing high-impact online harms.
During this period, 53,691 reports were received – an average of around 2,237 per month – with approximately 16,800 relating to sextortion, image-based abuse, and technology-facilitated harm.
Growth is most pronounced in technology-facilitated trauma, including harassment, threats, and stalking, which has nearly doubled, while image-based abuse shows steady growth and sextortion remains consistently high.
On average, 200 people per month require access to additional counselling support across these areas.
New Zealand Managing Director at Datacom, Peter Nelson, says it's important that services evolve alongside technology to meet the needs of the community.
“The increase in online harm affecting New Zealanders is confronting and something we should all be paying attention to. As a technology company operating in Aotearoa, we have a role to play in making sure the support available keeps pace with the challenges people are facing online.”
He says the pilot is an important step towards joining up the response to online harm, so people aren't left to deal with the impact on their own.
Datacom also supports digital safety initiatives in Australia, partnering with ThinkUKnow, an education programme led by the Australian Federal Police that helps prevent online child exploitation.
Netsafe has helped New Zealanders stay safe online for over 25 years, acting as the primary entry point for incident response, advice and harm mitigation.
Its role is deliberately non-clinical, whilst Ignite, part of Ka Puta Ka Ora Emerge Aotearoa, makes mental health and wellbeing support accessible, flexible and proactive by connecting people with vetted professionals who can help.
To make the pilot possible, 16 Ignite providers volunteered for specialist digital harm training to so they are better equipped to work with people experiencing it.
Netsafe also put its helpline team through additional training on the new support pathway, covering client eligibility, referral processes, the client journey and supporting system updates. The referral journey has also undergone thorough end-to-end testing. New systems, reporting fields and evaluation measures are now in place so the impact of the pilot can be accurately and effectively analysed.
Outcomes will be tracked to measure improvements in participants’ wellbeing, confidence and ability to manage digital harm, with the results to be used to build the case for a permanent, funded and scaled service.
Behind the statistics are real people dealing with real consequences. Online abuse in its various forms can cause lasting psychological harm, and the impact often extends well beyond the initial incident.
For many people, finding the right support is a challenge in itself. Social stigma can make it difficult to seek help and those who do may struggle to find providers with the right experience.
“We want this pilot to tell us whether joining those two pieces of specialised support together leads to better outcomes for victims,” says Netsafe CEO Brent Carey.
“The scale of need is sobering. We have to think not only about the platforms getting harmful content down or resolving an incident, but about the person who is left behind.”
Sarina Finucane, Director of Ignite Aotearoa says it's about helping affected individuals move straight from reporting the harm to accessing support.
“This partnership means people don’t have to go looking for the right kind of help at the moment they are least equipped to search for it – no GP referral waitlist or finding the money for private counselling.”
The initial pilot will run until January 2027, or until 100 people have accessed support through the programme, whichever occurs first. Nelson says the priority is understanding whether the pilot delivers better outcomes for the people who use it.
"If the results show this approach works, we want to help make the case for it to continue and grow."
