Five years into Awhi Ngā Mātua, we’re proud of the community we’ve built and the range of information, advice and resources that parents and carers have shared.

It’s important that Awhi continues to provide meaningful support to whānau across Aotearoa, and with this in mind, we wanted to let you know about some changes we’re making.

What you told us

Back in April, we opened a survey asking for feedback and suggestions. Thank you to all those who shared your thoughts – it was enormously helpful in identifying a few key points:

• As parents and carers, you’re short on time, and would prefer our articles are kept short and visual. We are revising our content with this in mind.
• You’re especially keen for information on funding and support, followed by practical resources, and the chance to connect with other parents.
• A number of people asked for parent meet-ups, both online and in person, so we will look for opportunities to bring you together. Watch this space…
• Many of you didn’t know about our website, which is an evidence-based knowledge hub for parents and a great, free resource (we reckon!)
• Many members of the Awhi community don't feel optimistic about the current state of things, but we want Awhi to be a place that provides hope and joy, as well as support. We are looking at ways to bring more of this attitude to you.

Changes to our team

We're seeking your stories.

We know that everyone’s situation is unique, and we also know the importance of sharing a broad range of opinions when it comes to parenting intellectually disabled, neurodivergent and medically fragile tamariki.

If you’d like to share your own tips and advice for other parents, please email hello@awhingamatua.org.nz

We’re also exploring different ways parents can continue to guide and advise us as Awhi Ngā Mātua grows and evolves, not just through articles, but also through our kaitiaki (our parent governance group of sorts).

Finally, we're saying ka kite to Emily Writes, who after four years with Awhi Ngā Mātua, has decided to step down in light of changes to her whānau needs.

Emily’s tireless advocacy and championing of parents, carers and other support staff has made a difference to so many people’s lives. Through Awhi, she has helped give voice to some of Aotearoa’s most vulnerable and we thank her for all the support and guidance she gave our community. It’s been a privilege to have her working with us, and we know she’ll remain one of Awhi’s biggest supporters.

Website refresh

We’re making some changes to our website to make it a more user-friendly experience, and to make it easier for you to find relevant content.

We're also introducing a Parent Tick. This icon that will appear on articles that have been reviewed by third parties, to help us make sure the information is suitable for parents. At Awhi, we pride ourselves on being a helpful support and resource for parents, and the Parent Tick is another way to help ensure we keep parents at the centre of our mahi.

Click here to learn more about how the Parent Tick will work.

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To make sure you don’t miss any updates, and to be the first to hear about any new articles and information we publish, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter here.

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That’s all for now! We hope you’re as excited as we are about this new direction for Awhi, and we firmly believe these changes will put us in the best position to support and empower our community of parents.

If you have any questions or feedback, or want to be involved, please email hello@awhingamatua.org.nz