Plunket Family Centre in Manurewa

The Plunket Family Centre in Manurewa gives families a place to spend a day with a qualified Plunket nurse and a Karitane nurse to help with various newborn, infant and toddler issues such as sleep, breast feeding, starting solids, behaviour etc. For some that come to the Plunket Family Centre Manurewa it is because mum isn't coping with baby and the Plunket Family Centre Manurewa is the last hope. Often doctors, midwives and Plunket nurses refer families to this centre for this personalised and one-on-one help.There is no other service available like this where a mother can take her baby and get help for a full day 9-3pm.

The reason for this petition is the Plunket Family Centre Manurewa have reduced their centre hours from 4 days a week to only 2 days a week. This is of great concern as families won't be able to get help when they need it most. Plunket argue that they are not reducing the hours as the nurses will spend 2 days "on the road" and 2 days in the Centre, which provides greater access to more families, but this is short sighted. The 2 "days on the road" won't differ from any regular Plunket Well Child visits, therefore providing the same service all families already have access to.

We would like to see the Plunket Family Centre Manurewa's hours changed back to 4 days a week.