June 2024 Central North Caregiver News

Well, here we are in the first week of the Winter month.  It’s officially stew and soup season for us in our whare (home) and the kids love it!  Our favourite is my homemade chicken soup, and it is so easy to make.

Here is the recipe:

1 Onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 stalks of celery, 2 carrots, 3-4 small potatoes cut into chunks, chicken breast (diced, or any chicken of your choice). You can add any veges you like, I often grate kumara into ours.

Sauté onions and garlic for 5 mins, sprinkle with salt (brings out the moisture and allows onions to cook faster), add pepper, carrots, celery, and cook for another 5mins.  Remove and set aside. Brown chicken over medium to high heat.  Add veges back into the pan/pot, add 2 cups of chicken stock and 1 cup of water and add potato. Here I will add any other veges.  Bring to the boil and then simmer for 1 – 1.5 hours.  Serve with garlic bread or any other bread you may like.  Delicious!

Also don’t forget this is the season where our tamariki and rangatahi pick up all the viruses going around.  Remind everyone about the washing of hands and coughing into our elbows.  In our whare we like putting Vicks on after our showers in the evening which helps with stuffed noses and is a lovely scent.  Don’t forget about the famous lemon and honey warm drinks, helpful for soothing sore throats and fighting bad bacteria.  I have had a couple of caregivers talk about the worry of winter, the illnesses, and the cold.  If in doubt, remember to seek professional advice especially if an illness is lingering for too long.

Also, as we know, the winter season can bring about some difficult times for us as caregivers, and for our tamariki and rangatahi as well.  Please do not hesitate to give me a call or come into my office – whether it is ideas, suggestions, advocacy, or a listening ear you need, I’m here!

Training

Our new training calendar is hot off the press.  We enjoy the opportunity to deliver these workshops to you whether it be face to face or online. See what training is happening in the Central North this June.

Our online Ako Ngatahi Session Reactive Children – Understanding the Volcano on the 17th of June at 11.00am – 12.00pm will be delivered by me so please REGISTER HERE.

Another online session I will be delivering will be Family Dynamics – Torn Loyalties on the 18th and 20th of June from 10.00am – 11.30am. REGISTER HERE.

EVENTS

This month is also a celebration of Matariki (The Māori New Year).  What an exciting time for all New Zealanders.  This holiday is totally unique to New Zealand and is now an official holiday.  It is ours and we celebrate it by coming together with our loved ones, remembering those dear to us that have passed on, celebrating the present and how lucky we are to be here, and then finally by looking forward and making plans for our future.  This year we are fortunate to be able to put on an event in our region to celebrate.

MATARIKI CELEBRATION AND WAKA EXPERIENCE

WHEN: Saturday 6th of July 2024

WHERE: Te Ao Marama, Ohinemutu, ROTORUA

TIME:  9.00am – 2.30pm

In partnership with VOYCE Whakarongo Mai, we are thrilled to offer you a memorable day to acknowledge and celebrate our caregiving whānau.

In groups, you will switch between Matariki activities and workshops, tailored for both children and caregivers and have a chance to experience traditional Māori culture and history in the unique setting of a Waka.  This event will allow you to partake in a culturally enriching Waka experience, delivered by an experienced organisation who are experts in their field.  We will all come together to share a delicious hāngī.

This is a day not to be missed, secure your spot now!

support

Join one of our support groups this month! At our Tauranga support group I will be providing therapeutic parenting nuggets of wisdom from our Ako Ngātahi training workshop around challenging behaviours. At our Rotorua group, we are lucky to be joined by a guest speaker who has extensive knowledge of Neuro-behavioural disorders and challenging behaviours.

Tauranga Support Group

• Date and time:  Friday 7th of June, 10:30am-12:30pm
• Where: 56 Eighteenth Ave
• Topic: Ako Ngātahi session will be presented in person by your Regional Coordinator

Rotorua Support Group

• Date: Friday 21st of June, 10:00am-12:00pm
• Where: 1192 Pukuatua Street, Rotorua
• Topic: We have an amazing guest speaker who will be presenting on Reframing Challenging Behaviours

Heather Jeffcote is an experienced caregiver of 15 years and is the facilitator of the Rotorua FASD-CAN Support Group.  Heather has studied and obtained knowledge specifically about Neuro-behavioural disorders and challenging behaviours.

I look forward to either seeing you or hearing from you.  Take care of yourself!

Noho ora mai rā, nā Chris 😊 (Look after yourself, from Chris)