Find out about the different kinds of parenting education programmes Plunket offer up and down the country.
Whirihia
Whirihia is a free, two-day wānanga designed to empower, enrich and support hapū māmā and whānau to learn the stages of haputanga (pregnancy), whakawhānau (birth), parenting support, home safety, CPR and water safety.
Whirihia is really hands-on and interactive (you’ll make a clay ipu whenua for the umbilical cord/placenta), and there’s lots of shared kōrero between the kaiārahi and whānau.
The Whirihia team also offers a follow-on course:
- Tamariki CPR – a two-hour training session on how to offer life-saving CPR to pēpi, and what to do in a medical emergency (some courses also include smoking cessation support)
This is also free.
Whirihia is a new service for Plunket, and courses are currently only available in and around Hamilton.
Read more here – or simply jump straight to enrolling in Whirhia here.
Pregnancy and Parenting Education Programme (PPE)
These free interactive classes are shaped to give you the information you want and need for pregnancy, labour and life as a new parent in a supportive, non-judgemental environment.
PPE follows the Ministry of Health’s recommendations for pregnancy and parenting education, and each class is run by qualified facilitators.
Topics covered include:
- labour and birth
- stages of labour
- choices during and after birth
- pain relief options
- infant feeding, and
- newborn care.
The PPE course is offered in the Canterbury, West Coast, Southern and South Canterbury district health board areas – and both evening and weekend classes are available to make things as easy as possible for you to fit them it into your schedule.
Antenatal Classes
Plunket offers several antenatal parenting classes across the North Island (as well as the 'Pregnancy and parenting education programme' in the South Island)
These courses are a fantastic way to meet other expectant parents and to get practical advice and support on birth and the early days of parenting.
Some of these classes have a cost associated with them.
Search your area to see if we have an antenatal class available near you.