From Plunket Chief Executive Amanda Malu: Kia ora, I hope you and your whānau are doing okay, as we enter into day two of our nation-wide lockdown. As promised I wanted to keep you all updated on what Plunket’s doing to ensure we can continue to protect you and your whānau during this time. The move to alert level 4 has meant that we have had to suspend all of our usual face-to-face services - but we've been working hard to innovate and offer alternative ways to support our Kiwi whānau.

We're going to be sharing lots of different resources and activities to help you entertain your little ones at home over the next four weeks while we're all in lockdown, so keep an eye on our website and the Plunket New Zealand Facebook page[https://www. facebook. com/PlunketNZ].

Following the Government’s announcement that New Zealand has raised its COVID-19 Alert level to Level 3, and within 48 hours will raise to Level 4, effectively immediately Plunket will suspend all its face to face services to ensure New Zealand whānau and tamariki remain safe. Plunket Chief Executive Amanda Malu says Plunket has had to make some difficult decisions in a short period of time, but despite having to stop face to face services Plunket remains committed to supporting New Zealand whānau more than ever. “We are currently working on a number of alternative ways of delivering our services to ensure no one feels isolated or alone and to be sure that whānau have support and access to Plunket’s support when they need it most,” Ms Malu says.

Tamariki and whānau are at the heart of everything we do, and ensuring the health and safety of our children, families and communities is our primary concern. Due to the latest developments, we’ve decided to *temporarily close all of our clinics, play groups, and parenting groups from Monday 23 March 2020*. Taking this step will help to reduce the risk of infection and protect families.