Whānau Āwhina Plunket Far North Clinical Leader, Shantel Naera, says she’s been asked this question several times!
Her newest addition is now eleven months old – and yes, Shantel is also a Plunket mum herself.
“Like any māmā, I want the best for my son and look forward to seeing his growth at each Well Child appointment. It’s reassuring knowing I have Plunket’s support if we need it.
“Being on the receiving end is another way I can experience first-hand the impact of our work, instead of just talking about what we do for whānau and what our service should look like.”
There is currently only one Plunket nurse in the Far North and they’re working part-time, so Shantel will often visit whānau and complete their Well Child Check herself to help support her team.
Support for whānau in the Far North may look different for some. Shantel says we have kaiāwhina (qualified Māori community health workers) visiting whānau who will then connect in with a Plunket nurse virtually.
“Sadly, the Northland region is facing a nursing shortage, so we are actively recruiting for nurses keen to join our Plunket whānau,” says Shantel.
“Working for Plunket opens up a world of opportunity and is a chance to ensure tamariki across Aotearoa New Zealand thrive. It’s a family-friendly organisation that supports its people to reach their full potential.”
Māmā of two, Shantel completed her nursing training in Te Tai Tokerau (Northland). When a role opened up with Plunket, she jumped at the chance to follow her passion of working with pēpi and whānau.
“Initially a Plunket nurse, I’m now a Clinical Leader and have been able to progress in my career quite quickly. I absolutely love what I do and have been with Plunket for seven years now.
“Every day was so different as a Plunket nurse, and I was privileged to visit people’s homes and support their little ones. Now, as a Clinical Leader, I have the honour of leading and supporting our amazing nurses and kaiāwhina, as well as working with community stakeholders to see how we can continue to improve our services.”
Caring for whānau in a place she is proud to call home is what drives Shantel each day.
“I whakapapa to Hokianga and Muriwhenua, and grew up in the Far North where many of my own whānau reside. I love my community and care about their health and wellbeing. They are my people and I want to see them succeed.”
Like many other communities, some whānau experience challenging times. Unfortunately, this can mean attending Well Child appointments isn’t always a priority and extra support may be needed. That’s when Shantel is happy to step in to support whānau.
“One time I had a home visit scheduled with a māmā who lived 45 minutes from town with no vehicle. She wanted to cancel as she no longer had someone to pick up her grocery order as previously arranged, so was feeling stressed and trying to find a solution.
“I was able to solve that for her by picking up the groceries on my way and still completing the appointment. It was something so small for me to do, but which had such a big impact for her. It was incredibly rewarding and really shows the difference we can make.”
A familiar face in her community, Shantel says she loves seeing the whānau she supports while out and about.
“I’ve made so many special friendships and have had tamariki referring to me as ‘Aunty’ or their parents excitedly telling me about their whānau and what they are achieving. It’s just the best feeling having these connections.”