​Self defence to the rescue for Onehunga women

Free self-defence classes will be held for women in the Onehunga area to combat an indecent assault offender still on the loose.

Onehunga town manager, Amanda Kinzett, said a “flurry” of indecent attacks in the area had left women feeling unsafe.

“I wanted to give women the opportunity to feel empowered about their situation,” said Ms Kinzett.

She hopes teaching the skill will see an end to the string of indecent assaults in the area.

“If women are more aware of their surroundings we have less chance of this guy using women as his playground,” she said.

More than 60 Onehunga women of all ages have signed up to the classes, she said.

Research released yesterday by the Women’s Self Defence Network Wāhine Toa [WSDN] detailed the success of self defence courses run by the network’s female teachers.

More than 2700 girls and 115 women took part in WSDN’s research project last year.

Chairperson Alison Broad said the research found that women and girls did put into practice what they learned from classes, but she said the core of the issue lay in New Zealand culture - and that needed to change.

“Our rates of violence are appallingly high; it’s a major national problem,” she said.

“The attitudes around violence need to change to the extent that people wouldn’t dream of doing this stuff to women.”

Joe Tuilua, the man who is to teach the Onehunga workshops, said female self defence instructors might be more in tune with female students but there was an advantage to having a male instructor.

Male instructors understood the level of aggression and physicality of male attackers, enabling them to simulate an attack, he said.

The free self defence classes will be held at the Onehunga Community Centre on Monday and Tuesday from 5.30pm-7pm.