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Brain development in the early years is child's play

“Henry-Steven look at me. Where are your ears?” says Louise. The three-year-old who was previously rushing outside to get his rugby ball, lost over the fence, pulls at one of his ears and looks up at his mum.

Plunket celebrates 110 years of supporting families

Plunket/Whānau Āwhina staff and volunteers are being joined by direct descendants of the first ‘Plunket baby’ from Kāti Huirapa whānau today, in a hikoi to mark 110 years of Plunket.
Around 30 Plunket staff and volunteers are making a symbolic journey from Puketeraki Marae to Karitane, birthplace of Plunket and home of its founder Sir Truby King, joined by whānau from Kāti Huirapa and school children from Karitane School. The hikoi marks 110 years of the first Karitane hospital opening its doors, and celebrates the local staff and volunteers today and over Plunket’s history for supporting the health and wellbeing of generations of local whānau and tamariki.

Top tips for moving on from nappies

Last night we had our first Facebook chat of the year, answering your questions about moving on from nappies. Following on from this we thought it would be good to share with you our top toilet training tips!
1. Watch for signs that your child is ready and let them lead the pace.

It takes a village to raise a child

You can read the latest blog post by Plunket Chief Executive on The Spinoff Parents - after a week of speculation about one couple's potential parenting choices, we suggest a harder question: if it takes a village, what kind of a village do we want to be, for all new parents raising young children in today’s New Zealand?
Read the article here: https://thespinoff. co. nz/parenting/26-01-2018/new-zealand-is-a-village-lets-make-it-the-kind-that-helps-raise-the-child/ .

Proposal for changes to Plunket's central region

Plunket is consulting with staff on a proposal for change relating to our administrative, leadership, community services functions and structure in our central region. The consultation is only a proposal at this stage – a proposal is by no means a decision and there is still some way to go before decisions are made. We’d like to reassure families that they can continue to use our services as they would usually.

Plunket’s top tips for keeping kids safe this summer

Summer is all about fun, family, friends and this year, wind, torrential rain and sun! It’s also a time when sunburn and accidents are all too common. The top tips below have been put together to assist you keep your children safe while you’re making the most of the remaining summer months. Sometimes we forget that babies and young children have little understanding of the risks associated with their actions –their brains just don’t get it yet! It’s up to the adults to support, guide and be ready to protect when needed.

Boost for nursing leadership as Plunket appoints first Chief Nurse

Plunket has appointed Jane O’Malley as its first Chief Nurse, a key appointment to support progress towards delivery of its new strategy and strengthen its focus on nursing leadership. Jane O’Malley will join the Plunket leadership team from her current role as Chief Nursing Officer for the Ministry of Health. “We are delighted to have someone of Jane’s calibre join our team at this important stage of Plunket’s journey.

Plunket welcomes Government investment in reducing child poverty

Plunket welcomes the Government’s Families Package as a positive step towards reducing child poverty and giving the welfare of New Zealand tamariki the priority it deserves. “It is encouraging to see that the Government is taking action in its first 100 days to help make the difference of a lifetime in our tamariki’s first 1000 days,” said Plunket’s Chief Strategy and Performance Officer, Radha Balakrishnan. Plunket nurses see 9 in 10 babies born in New Zealand, and sees first-hand the impact of poverty and poor housing on young families, with more and more whānau struggling to make ends meet: “The results are poor child health, stressed families and poorer outcomes for children – especially for our Māori and Pacific communities who bear the brunt of this burden on our children,” said Radha Balakrishnan.

Over 1000 Plunket volunteers help make the difference of a lifetime in the first 1000 days

Plunket is paying tribute to over 1000 volunteers in communities across New Zealand on International Volunteer Day. International Volunteer Day is an annual United Nations-led initiative that recognises the contribution volunteers make in our communities both locally and globally. This year the theme is 'Volunteers Act First.

Immunisation the best protection against whooping cough

Plunket is encouraging mums, pregnant women and those trying to get pregnant to check they are immunised from whooping cough, to protect themselves and their children. The Ministry of Heath today declared a national outbreak of whooping cough, as a total of 1,315 cases have been reported since the beginning of 2017. “Immunisation is a free, proven way that parents can protect their children against serious diseases, including whooping cough.