April 23, 2024
Plunket Line 50 years of awhina
Whānau Awhina – Plunket Line – is celebrating 30 years of telephone advice to parents and caregivers.
Over that time it has tame more than two and a half million calls, and average of about 300 a day.
Plunket nurse and advisor Ripeka Mokaraka does night shifts helping anxious whānau – and says that’s when many ethnic groups – including Maori – choose to call in.
“At night, the ethnic makeup of callers can vary. I find that there may be a number of English-as-a-second-language callers. I might receive approximately 3 to 5 calls from Maori callers,” she says.
Ripeka Mokaraka says more men now call the helpline, often in support of their partners.
.