Data helps Whānau Āwhina Plunket support children and their families Ka āwhinatia a Whānau Āwhina Plunket e ngā raraunga kia tautokona ngā tamariki me ō rātou whānau
Census data is used by Whānau Āwhina Plunket (Plunket) to help source funding for its free nationwide support services. Plunket is a charity and New Zealand’s largest support service for the health and wellbeing of children under five and their families.
“Plunket reaches about 85% of newborn babies each year, and as a charity we rely on the generosity of funders including trusts, grant organisations, partnerships, and donations to help keep our services going,” says Lisa Hawes, Plunket’s Regional Grants Specialist.
“As a national entity, Plunket needs to speak to national trends. Census data enables us to provide estimates for birth rates, deprivation levels, ethnicity, and population changes. We are often asked by funders to speak to these parameters so having a consistent data source is essential.”
Identifying communities that require more support is crucial to what Plunket does. It uses census data, its own data collection through electronic Plunket health records, and anecdotal evidence from frontline staff to better support families and their children to thrive.
One of the programmes that has benefitted from Plunket using data is the Pasifika Beatz Music Toolkit, which saw the release of 100 fun, upbeat, and interactive kids’ songs integrating 10 different Pacific languages for the whole family to sing along to.
At its heart, Pasifika Beatz provides culturally appropriate and effective learning through music for young Pacific learners, with the aim to build a strong cultural connection to their heritage. An extremely positive outcome since the launch of Pasifika Beatz is the diversity of families reached through the programme.
“We have received some amazing feedback from parents who are part of the Pakistani, Arabic, Māori, and Rainbow communities, who have told us how engaging the programme was for them and their children. They really embraced the opportunity to learn more about the cultures and languages represented through Pasifika Beatz,” says Lisa.
“It’s always so great to see our young children and families learning and growing together. Without the data or the support from those Plunket collaborated with, we may not have been able to see programmes like Pasifika Beatz come to fruition and adding value to many families across New Zealand.”
Learn more about Whānau Āwhina Plunket
Access Pasifika Beatz and download the free learning resources