In 2026 we celebrate 50 years of supporting caregivers!
For 50 years, Caring Families Aotearoa has stood alongside whānau and foster carers, offering support, guidance, and hope to those caring for children and young people. This year, we’re proud to celebrate five decades of dedication and resilience.
To mark this incredible milestone, we’ll be hosting mini hui (conferences) across the motu (country) at the end of the year—bringing our community together to connect, reflect and plan.
Throughout 2026, we’ll also share special giveaways and surprises as a way to thank you for being part of our journey.
Here’s to 50 years of caring, and to the future we’ll build together.
50th Roadshow
From September to late October join some of the Caring Families Aotearoa team as we travel around the country, to 7 different locations, holding a one day celebratory hui for our caregiver members.
We will let you know when tickets will be available, but we hope you can join us in:
- Auckland – North Shore
- Auckland South
- Rotorua
- Wellington
- Christchurch
- Dunedin
50th Competitions
From the end of April through to late August, caregivers who enter a special 50th Competition will go in the draw to win a luxury 50th Celebration Gift Bundle. We will give away five each month.
Each bag will contain:
- Some luxurious L’Oreal products,
- Our special 50th promotional products
- and a $50 grocery voucher.
Keep an eye out on our Caring Families Aotearoa National Facebook page and your emails for news about the competition!
50th recollections
It’s been a privilege to speak with caregivers, former staff members and others involved in the care sector who have made a special connection with our organisation over the years.
Click below to read the first story in our 50th anniversary recollection series.
Share your memories with us!
Have you got a story, any photos, or reflections to share with us about your caregiving journey, if so, we’d love to hear from you. Click the button below, fill out the form, and we will get back to you.
We may also use your contribution as part of a research project that will culminate in the publication of a commemorative book to celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2026.
Thank you for helping us to acknowledge this historic event!
Re-visit some of our amazing Conference speakers from over the years
We have been extremely fortunate to host many outstanding speakers at our conferences over the years, and we are excited to share some of their presentations with you.
Second up on our journey down memory lane from our conferences, is Jill Worrall. You can find out more about Jill, her involvement with Caring Families Aotearoa and her fostering journey by reading more about her and watching her presentation at the 2017 Chrsitchurch Conference.
This page will be updated throughout the year with additional presentations from past conferences.
Dr Jill Worrall is a retired Senior Lecturer at Massey University and has been Journal Editor, Education Officer, vice Chair and Chairperson of the New Zealand Foster Care Federation. She was raised for the first half of her life in kinship care, a foster parent for seventeen years, a foster care social worker, an agency Manager and CEO, and a trainer and researcher in foster and kinship care.
PLEASE CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO ACCESS THE PRESENATION.
Who Am I? Understanding and Promoting Resilience in Foster and Kinship Care . Dr Jill Worrall
Despite Jill’s presentation being recorded in 2017, so much of what she discusses is highly relevant today. Touching on her foster care journey as a child and then becoming a foster carer, she elaborates on how can we, as foster carers and social workers, help the children in our care to be resilient, well-functioning adults?
Click the image below to view the PowerPoint presentation from Brandon Mock, who spoke at our 2024 Christchurch Conference-Picking Up the PACE.
At our 2024 Christchurch Conference – Picking Up the PACE, Brandon Mock shared how weaving PACE into everyday parenting can support caregivers to create a calm, connected emotional atmosphere. By staying playful, accepting, curious, and empathetic, caregivers are able to stand alongside tamariki as trusted partners while they learn what safe care feels like.