Whānau Āwhina Plunket
Being a Kiwi we all know and love Plunket for being there to support parents and their children as they develop in the first five years of their life. This iconic organisation is undergoing a shift in its direction to keep up with New Zealand’s ever-changing environment. AMG Group has worked with media to share Plunket’s rich heritage and the changes happening over the next four years.
Now called Whānau Āwhina Plunket, it remains dedicated to making the difference of a lifetime for tamariki in the first 1000 days It is Aotearoa’s largest support service for the health and wellbeing of tamariki under-five and their whānau.
During this rebrand, researchers found interesting facts concerning Plunket’s true beginnings. Mere Harper and Ria Tikini, two Maori midwives and healers, helped deliver the first Plunket baby, Tommy Mutu in 1906, nurturing him back to health with Dr Truby King. These midwives were instrumental in the formation of what is now Whānau Āwhina Plunket, yet their legacy has been buried in the history books. Whānau Āwhina Plunket asked AMG Group to help share the untold story of the Invisible Wahine. Not only were these two midwives important to Plunket’s beginnings, one of these midwives happened to be a direct descendant of Amanda Malu, Whānau Āwhina Plunket’s CEO, who is responsible for the major changes within the organisation. Amanda was unaware of this fact, and is very passionate about sharing this untold story.
Whānau Āwhina Plunket is also on a journey to ensure equitable health outcomes for all whānau Maori, Pacific and other ethnic groups who make up New Zealand by 2025.
To acknowledge their commitment for change Whānau Āwhina Plunket leaders went back to Puketeraki Marae in Karitane, the place where the organisation first began in 1907, to understand how they can support pro-equity through their own work. During this three-day Noho, a line was drawn in the sand for Whānau Āwhina Plunket to step up and ‘own’ its past, so they can change the future.
AMG Group pitched these stories to both local and national media resulting in a multi-media campaign delivered to over 1,797,066 consumers across television, print, radio and digital media. The exposure created talkability around both the untold history of Whānau Āwhina Plunket and the significant shift in the delivery of the organisation’s services to better meet the needs of whanau across Aotearoa.
Dunk It For Plunket
As New Zealand’s largest provider of support services for the health and wellbeing of families,
Whānau Āwhina Plunket is in constant need of fundraising assistance to help with the many programmes it delivers parents such as online breast feeding support; music groups and much more. Not to mention the ongoing upgrade of technology it requires to be able to keep these programmes running.
AMG Group supported Whānau Āwhina Plunket with two of its fundraising events this year – Dunk it for Plunket and The Ultimate Soiree – gaining awareness and sales for both events.
The Dunk it for Plunket fundraiser happened across the month of August encouraging Kiwis nationwide to get together for morning tea with friends, whanau, or the office and help raise funds for Whānau Āwhina Plunket. Those who agreed to host a morning tea registered online asking riends and family to pay a donation to Plunket. In return, the host received a free box of goodies including tea; coffee; biscuits; a Plunket tea towel and a mug to help with the morning tea. This was an effective fundraiser for Whānau Āwhina Plunket as many parents are only too happy to participate! Funds raised directly went to Plunket nurses to upgrade their technology so they can better service families all over New Zealand.
To gain attention for Dunk it for Plunket AMG was able to negotiate editorial exposure across multiple media platforms in the lead up to August, including a breakfast interview on TV3’s AM Show and interviews across national radio stations. The Dunk it for Plunket boxes were also sent to targeted media for instance social media exposure. All 500 Dunk it for Plunket boxes sold out well before the start of August!
The Ultimate Soiree
AMG Group assisted with a first-time event for Whānau Āwhina Plunket - The Ultimate Soiree. This was a gala held in the Public Trust Hall in Wellington. The evening was packed full of gourmet food; cocktails; champagne and live bands. There was even an acrobat performing and a live auction with items from sporting greats to a car up for grabs!
Whānau Āwhina Plunket, in partnership with Robert Walters, hosted this event with funds raised upgrading technology for Plunket frontline staff.
AMG Group assisted with the look and feel of the invitation as well as arranged for a high-profile host to run the proceedings. Media exposure was gained across multiple platforms. Not only did a range of social media influencers promote The Ultimate Soiree, the event was also featured across Today FM and Newstalk ZB over a two-month period.
When it came to the auction, AMG assisted with targeting organisations to donate desirable auction items. As a result, the event was a huge success with excellent feedback from those who attended and $72,000 monies raised from this one event!
