Ōtepoti Dunedin is the birthplace of Whānau Āwhina Plunket so it’s really special to be opening a new community hub in the city tomorrow, cementing our services for generations of children to come.
Plunket had its beginnings in Karitane more than 117 years ago, with the birth of first Plunket baby, Thomas Rangiwahia Mutu Ellison (Tommy) in 1906.
Respected midwives and healers Mere Harper and Ria Tikini, both of Kāi Tahu and Kāti Huirapa descent, helped deliver Tommy.
They often worked closely with their friend and neighbour, health reformer Dr Frederic Truby King, to care for the ill in their community.
When Tommy became unwell, Mere and Ria worked with Dr King and his wife Isabella to restore him back to health. Tommy thrived under their care and returned home to his whānau a well child.
Baby Tommy’s Kāi Tahu and Kāti Huirapa descendants still live in the area today and continue to support our work.
Whānau Āwhina Plunket is now Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest health and wellbeing support service for tamariki - seeing three-quarters of all new babies across Aotearoa New Zealand, including nearly six out of 10 Māori pēpi.
Seventy-one percent of babies born in the Dunedin City region are currently enrolled with Plunket - that’s 700 new babies every year. The wider Dunedin team has 4415 tamariki under five on its books, supporting them and their whānau to get the best start in life through Well Child Tamariki Ora appointments, additional services and community support.
For generations, Plunket nurses and the wider team have walked alongside Dunedin whānau raising their tamariki.
We are committed to continue this path and the opening this week of our new South Dunedin community hub celebrates our history here and future proofs our services for another 100 years of Dunedin babies to come.
Our new centre is called Kotahitaka, meaning unity and togetherness. This reflects Whānau Āwhina Plunket’s approach to all our mahi - to work with Dunedin’s families and young children to support them in the ways that work best for them.
Kotahitaka is designed as a community hub for whānau with tamariki under five. Plunket nurses, kaiāwhina and community Karitane health workers, and community services such as playgroups, antenatal classes, injury prevention and volunteer home-visiting services will all be under one roof.
It is easily accessible and features four spacious clinic rooms and areas for community groups.
There is space for like-minded community providers who share our vision of supporting whānau in the crucial early years, so tamariki get the best start in life.
Kotahitaka reflects our goal to deliver accessible and equitable health outcomes and improved wellbeing, with pēpi, tamariki and whānau at the heart of the design and delivery of all our services.
Building relationships is critical to what we do, as this means whānau feel comfortable sharing additional challenges they are facing.
It is about building trust so we can bring in other providers and connect whānau to additional services in their communities.
As an organisation, Whānau Āwhina Plunket is also working to address the gaps and challenges in the current health system - one example is our new pilot to enable our nurses to deliver childhood immunisations to help address low immunisation rates in areas of greatest need. The health system is under a lot of pressure, and we hope this will help, as well as support whānau.
While Plunket must constantly adapt and change to meet new needs, that dedication to the wellbeing of babies and mothers in Karitane more than 117 years ago remains at the heart of our purpose.
Plunket is a charity and our new centre is only possible thanks to the generosity of all those who have advised and supported us.
Together with our supporters, we warmly invite Dunedin residents to come and see what we can offer you and your whānau at our community open day. Kotahitaka, at 97 King Edward St, South Dunedin, is open to the public from 2-4pm tomorrow.
• Fiona Kingsford is chief executive of Whānau Āwhina Plunket.
