Shakti Community Council

What Shakti Community Council does

Shakti Community Council (legally operating as Shakti Women's Refuge Trust) is a New Zealand–based charitable nonprofit founded in 1995 that delivers culturally specialist domestic and family violence intervention and prevention services to migrant and refugee women and their children from Asian, African, and Middle Eastern backgrounds. The organisation describes itself as Aotearoa New Zealand's leading ethnic specialist service in this field and explicitly delivers services 'by ethnic women, for ethnic women,' drawing on expertise accumulated across more than 42 ethnic languages.

The core service portfolio comprises six integrated offerings: a national 24/7 toll-free multilingual crisis line (0800SHAKTI), five culturally appropriate safehouses providing emergency housing, advocacy support for navigating Work and Income (WINZ), healthcare, transport, and housing systems, free counselling delivered through a partnership with Shakti Community Council Inc. (including MOJ-approved Safety Programme Services), a life skills and employment readiness programme run with the Sustainable Development Education, Training and Advisory Trust, and a 72-week Community Risk Management Programme supporting long-term reintegration. The underlying technology stack is not applicable — operations are human-delivered social services rather than a software platform.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating; all services are provided free of charge to survivors, and there is no pricing model, commercial GTM motion, or equity funding. Distribution is through direct crisis line access, physical safehouses, referral partnerships with social services, healthcare providers, and government agencies, and brand awareness via Instagram and an email newsletter. The organisation employs approximately 24 staff, is headquartered in Auckland, and celebrated its 30th anniversary at a national event held at Parliament on 22 October 2025.

Name

Shakti Community Council

Legal name

Shakti Women's Refuge Trust

Website

https://shaktiinternational.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shakti Community Council (Shakti Women's Refuge Trust) is a New Zealand nonprofit founded in 1995 that provides culturally specialist domestic violence crisis support, safe housing, advocacy, counselling, and reintegration services to migrant and refugee women from Asian, African, and Middle Eastern backgrounds, funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Violence and Family Crisis Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Child and Youth Services (624110), Temporary Shelters (624221)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI)

Keywords

• Domestic violence services
• Crisis intervention support
• Refugee women's services
• Ethnic community support
• Family violence prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: Shakti Women's Refuge Trust operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations and charitable grants. Services are provided free of charge to survivors of domestic violence.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Shakti Community Council (operating as Shakti Women's Refuge Trust) provides free, culturally specialist domestic and family violence intervention and prevention services to migrant and refugee women from Asian, African, and Middle Eastern backgrounds and their children in Aotearoa New Zealand. Core deliverables include a 24/7 multilingual crisis line, five culturally appropriate safehouses, advocacy navigation through New Zealand systems (WINZ, healthcare, transport, housing), free counselling including MOJ-approved Safety Programme Services, life skills and employment readiness programmes, and a 72-week community reintegration programme.

Product overview

Shakti Women's Refuge Trust operates as a non-profit social services organization offering a suite of culturally specialist domestic and family violence intervention and prevention services. The organization provides an integrated service portfolio centered on crisis support, safe housing, advocacy, counselling, and community reintegration programmes. Core offerings include a 24/7 multilingual crisis line, five culturally appropriate safehouses, advocacy navigation services, free counselling (including MOJ-approved Safety Programme Services), a life skills programme, and a 72-week community risk management programme. All services are delivered by ethnic women for ethnic women, supporting families from over 42 ethnic language backgrounds including Chinese, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Malay, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Burmese, Korean, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Iranian, Iraqi, and African communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 24/7 Crisis Line National toll-free confidential 24/7 support service for migrant and refugee women facing domestic violence, provided in several Asian, Middle Eastern and African languages besides English. Available via 0800SHAKTI (0800742584).
• Safe Housing (Safehouses) Five culturally appropriate safehouses across Aotearoa New Zealand that respect and accommodate diverse cultures and religions, creating a safe and affirming environment for women and children escaping domestic violence.
• Advocacy Support Assists clients in navigating essential services such as WINZ (Work and Income), healthcare, transport, and housing. Helps clients understand and access New Zealand's systems, laws, and policies with confidence.
• Counselling Services Free counselling sessions delivered by professionals who understand the layered impact of domestic violence within ethnic communities. Includes MOJ-approved Safety Programme Services for women and children.
• Life Skills Programme Free programmes that help clients gain NZ-based work experience, become job-ready, understand local laws and rights, develop CVs, and learn English. Delivered in partnership with the Sustainable Development Education, Training and Advisory Trust.
• Community Risk Management Programme A 72-week programme designed to support clients in reintegrating into the community with greater confidence and safety, building long-term resilience and independence.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Shakti Community Council Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShakti Women's Refuge Trust partners with Shakti Community Council Inc. to deliver free counselling sessions through professionals who understand the layered impact of domestic violence within ethnic communities.
• Sustainable Development Education, Training and Advisory TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver free life skills and employment programmes that help clients gain NZ-based work experience, become job-ready, understand local laws and rights, develop CVs, and learn English.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/shakti.nz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shakti-community-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shakti Community Council