100 years of Plunket
Plunket was established in Dunedin on May 14, 1907. Founded by Frederic Truby King, Plunket (now the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society) was established with a view to lowering the infant mortality rate and providing care and information to ‘help the mothers and save the babies’.
Nutritional information and education and support for mothers was the core of the Plunket philosophy, the society was originally called the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children.
In 1908, the Karitane Home for Babies opened in Dunedin, taking the babies and children under two years who were not treated under the general hospital system.
The movement quickly gathered pace and Lady Victoria Plunket, wife of the then Governor General Lord William Plunket, and mother of eight, became the patron of the society.
The Plunket trained nurses became a vital line of support for mothers and babies throughout New Zealand.
As society changed in the twentieth century, so did Plunket services, with a shift towards partnering parents for care, the introduction of the car sear rental scheme in 1981, services more tailored to the needs of Māori, and a free telephone service in 1994.
In the twenty-first century, most Plunket services remain free and the organisation “works within communities throughout New Zealand with parents and families to improve the health and development of children under five.” 1
Plunket works with mothers and families from pregnancy until a child is ready for school. Services that Plunket provide include car seat rentals, family centres, PlunketLine a phone based information service as well as in-home visits and toy libraries.
The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society will celebrate its centenary in Dunedin from 13 to 16 May 2007.
Footnotes
1. Royal New Zealand Plunket Society, Member Services page, accessed 9 May 2007.
We recommend: parenting resources
Browse the resources in our libraries:
- Books on the history of Plunket and infant care in New Zealand
- More Parenting information and support
Browse online resources:
- Biography of Frederic Truby King, founder of Plunket, from the NZ Dictionary of Biography
- The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society
- More parenting web sites
- Christchurch City Libraries’ page for families
- Parenting courses listed in our Community Information Christchurch database, CINCH
