Wellington, Dec 12 (IANS): High lifetime prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) is present across all ethnic groups in New Zealand, according to a study published on Tuesday.

More than half of all women surveyed reported IPV, said the study by the University of Auckland, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

Substantial ethnic disparities exist in IPV rates, with almost two-thirds of Maori women and over 60 per cent NZ European women having experienced any form of IPV in their lifetime, Xinhua news agency reported citing the study.

The data was collected from more than 1,400 women who had ever been in a partnership.

IPV includes physical, sexual, and psychological intimate partner violence, controlling behaviors, and economic abuse, it said.

The study looked at rates based on ethnicity, finding that 55.8 per cent of all New Zealand women report any form of IPV.

The authors call for wider prevention and intervention services that are culturally responsive and attuned to the needs of communities that bear the greatest burden.