WELLINGTON, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), a New Zealand state insurance agency, will invest a further 1.7 million NZ dollars (1.1 million U.S. dollars) over the next three years to support the expansion of family violence intervention, Minister for ACC Iain Lees-Galloway said on Thursday.

Gandhi Nivas is an early intervention service that provides emergency accommodation and counselling for perpetrators of family violence, Lees-Galloway said in a statement. It also provides services and referrals that help keep victims safe.

ACC invested 1.32 million NZ dollars (868,593 million U.S. dollars) in the Gandhi Nivas service in December 2016 to enable a full wrap-around service around the perpetrator, victim and family, he said.

"Gandhi Nivas provides counselling to help people examine the consequences of their actions. It challenges people to accept responsibility, and helps them to change their behavior," the minister said, adding Gandhi Nivas' early intervention approach to family violence aligns to ACC's violence prevention strategy to reduce harm caused by violence at home.

"This early intervention approach places the victim first. Most importantly, it allows the victim to remain in the family home," he said.