OCTOBER 2025 Central North Caregiver News
Christie McGiven
Central North Regional Coordinator
Ph: 0800 693 323
Mob: 027 501 0393
The last month has been a busy one, I have had the unexpected treat of spending some time in Ōtorohanga and enjoying some early morning sunrises and the ‘peace and quiet’ that comes with leaving the city. If you live in and around the Waipā district and would like to meet up sometime in the next month, please get in touch to tee up a time to catch up.
Email me here centralnorth@caringfamilies.org.nz
In September, we got to celebrate 50 years of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori! I watched some of the Ngā Manu Kōrero oratory competitions which was so amazing to see rangatahi Māori showcasing their love of te ao Māori and their skills in speaking te reo Māori.
The Good in the Hood Z Energy campaign finished on Sunday 21 September, a special thanks to Z Browns Road (Manurewa), Z Huntly and Z Pūtaruru for supporting Caring Families Aotearoa as one of their chosen charities. I had the opportunity to pop in to say hi to the team at Z Pūtaruru on my way to the Social Services Providers Whakamanawa Conference in Rotorua to promote Caring Families Aotearoa. It was lovely to connect with a range of people committed to supporting tamariki and their families at the conference. I was excited to listen to a couple of speakers exploring informal whānau/kinship care across Aotearoa and hear discussions about the unique aspects of kinship care and its need for recognition and support in Aotearoa going forward.
training
I was chatting to one of our wonderful caregiver members who said they were having so many “light bulb”/realisation moments while working through our self-directed course – ‘Why Therapeutic Parenting’. If you’re wondering why we think therapeutic care is so important, this online training topic is a great starting point.
Also in October we launch our next self -directed online course ‘Developmental and Historical Trauma.’
Developmental trauma arises from ongoing childhood experiences like abuse or neglect, disrupting healthy growth and leading to lasting emotional and psychological challenges. Historical trauma is the collective emotional and psychological damage experienced by a group over generations due to significant historical events like colonisation, slavery, war or genocide.
To register for this course in-take for Ocotber, and other online self-directed training, click below.
EVENTS
Family Fun Days
Registrations for Family Fun Days 2025 are now open!
Don’t delay – registrations close three weeks before each event so we can be sure your tickets arrive in plenty of time. We have heard that for some events tickets are nearly sold out so get in quick!
We have events in the following locations:
- 6th December – Rotorua, Rotorua Aquatic Centre
- 7th December – Hamilton, Waterworld
- 20th December – Pukekohe/Manukau, Massey Park Aquatic Centre
Click below to find out more and register.
support
We have the following active support groups around the region:
Hamilton Support Group
Next meeting: Wednesday 8 October at 10am
Venue: Punnet Café (in the Garden Shed outdoor meeting room), 337 Newell Road, Tamahere 3283.
RSVP: Vanessa (available via text on 022 641 7763)
Rotorua Support Group
Next meeting: Wednesday 15 October, 10am – 12pm
Venue: 21 Sala Street, Rotorua
RSVP: Lena on 027 253 0115
Don’t forget our Private Regional Facebook Groups can be an avenue for support and connection. You can ask quetions here, or find out about any events, support groups, or information on the latest Caring Families Aotearoa self-directed training courses.
Regional Coordinator Support
If you need someone to talk to feel free to connect with me, you can call/text me on 027 501 0393 or reach out via email to centralnorth@caringfamilies.org.nz
My hours of work are 9am – 5pm (Monday to Thursday) and 9am-2:30pm (Friday).
I look forward to hearing from you.
Tiaki i a koutou anō, look after yourselves!
Christie