By Times Team
Copyright times
BestStart early education centres across New Zealand have raised $91,000 to support Whānau Āwhina Plunket, thanks to their 2025 BestStart Butterfly Appeal.
And BestStart Howick raised $2,043, the highest of all centres nationwide.
The money helps Plunket deliver free community services for families, including home visits, new parent groups and parenting programmes.
“This is the 10th year BestStart have supported us with this amazing appeal and they generated a record-breaking total this year,” Whānau Āwhina Plunket chief executive Fiona Kingsford says.
“We’re so grateful for their efforts. All sorts of fun activities for tamariki go into the BestStart Butterly Appeal fundraiser from face-painting to teddy bear picnics and more, and we truly appreciate it.”
Over the past decade, BestStart centres around the country have raised $483,000 to support Whānau Āwhina Plunket’s community services, Kingsford says.
“BestStart and Plunket are both committed to making a positive difference in the lives of tamariki and their whānau.
“Our butterfly logo symbolises growth, care and transformation – values shared by both organisations.”
Each BestStart Howick team member cooked a dish from a different culture, and they held a Friday takeaway night for local families.
“We are so happy to be this year’s top fundraiser, as it so aptly matches with our philosophy of ‘Bringing communities together from the heart’,” centre manager Philomena Lobo says.
“This time it was bringing communities together through delicious food.”
Whānau Āwhina Plunket is New Zealand’s largest health and well-being support service for children, seeing 290,000 under-fives in 2024.
About three-quarters of newborns are enrolled with Whānau Āwhina Plunket each year.
Its nurses provide clinical assessments, and along with Kaiāwhina and Community Karitāne, support families through home and clinic visits, as well as PlunketLine (0800 933 922), a free 24/7 telephone advice service for parents.
Its website, www.plunket.org.nz, is one of the country’s most widely read digital child health resources, with 1.8 million visits each year.
