From the desk of Chloe Wright

Kia ora, Talofa, Greetings all,

It can be an awkward moment when people ask the question that seems to define one’s worth, “What do you do?”. Although it thrills me to use most of my time in ‘what I do’, I dream of a better time in society where all adults may feel empowered and all children are nurtured to dream. I dream of parents and teachers asking our children “How are you going to make a positive difference in the world?” rather than, “What are you going to do/be?” We cannot define people by what they ‘do’, only know them by what they dream.   

As people have begun to slip out of the dream world of holiday time, imaginations of the ‘creatives’ are running riot and the opportunities for new ventures have been flooding in - lullabies re-written to reflect security, attachment, love; stories and accompanying music in English and te reo Māori to help teach the generations. There is a burgeoning renaissance upon us of language, literacy, music, and a rumbling desire to create an inclusive society. COVID-19 brought about a reset in so many minds and as our Government strives to keep us safe from the ravages of this illness, we in turn can give thanks for the freedoms this land offers us. 

We have many issues to address. Poverty, housing, family support, environmental initiatives. We all have differing ideas of how that might look but what we most need is a dose of reality and common sense in decision-making from those handed that responsibility. Too much hui and not enough do-ey. 

Having a ‘think’ about the future for Aotearoa simply means a pause before action. ‘Let’s do this’ has a time limit and I am somewhat underwhelmed by the slow march of feet of concrete to more healthy communities and empowered people. 

So we continue our campaign with Mothers Matter to ensure mothers get the support they deserve and have a right to through antenatal, birth, and postnatal care. Why is it that still many are unaware of their legal right to at least 48 hours postnatal care for a non-intervention birth and 72 hours for a C-section birth? It is not good enough to be told there is no point in telling them that there is not enough room, or staff. It is not good enough that women leave before breastfeeding is established for those who want this. It is not good enough that so many women suffer lifelong major physical, emotional, psychological, problems by not having pelvic floor examinations at regular intervals. It is not good enough that, notwithstanding successive governments eroding the care for mothers, the current Government is still having a ‘think’ (or maybe not), on what to do about this. The science on foetal brain development is clear; a stressed woman along with the use of harmful substances can impact on children’s brain development. It is simply not good enough. 

All our work in this area is to demonstrate the need for change, but it falls on deaf ears. It is not good enough. All our conversations and research go back to providing the best start for parents to be supported so they may nurture their children. We know the lifelong impact of generational withdrawal from safe parenting. The people of Aotearoa want the downward spiral to stop, but without laying bare the wound, it cannot be healed. Too many lives are lived in sorrow, too many lives end too soon. It is not good enough.

I am not sorry to be saying this. I would only be sorry if Mothers Matter gave up on the fight for meaningful action. Small acts of kindness may be big in another’s life but caring with action is what creates possibilities. 

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world.
 For, indeed, that’s all who ever have” – Margaret Mead 

Arohanui, 

Chloe Wright ❤️
Founder/Chief Executive – Wright Family Foundation

Chloe Wright, ONZM

Congratulations to our Founder and CEO Chloe Wright who was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the New Year Honours for her services to philanthropy, education and health!
 
The honour recognises Chloe’s work with the Foundation, including her co-founding of BestStart Educare with husband Wayne Wright, the establishment of Birthing Centre, and her patronage of SuperGrans Aotearoa, WriteMark Plain English Awards Trust, Kids’ Lit Quiz, and the New Zealand Spelling Bee.

We’re sure you’ll agree she’s a very deserving recipient!

Milk Bank gaining momentum in Palmerston North

A milk bank has been established to collect and distribute donated breastmilk for vulnerable babies in the MidCentral district, supported by the Wright Family Foundation.

Whāngai Ora Milk Bank is working out of the Te Papaioea Birthing Centre kitchen and is awaiting delivery of a pasteuriser from overseas before a formal public launch. It is the first milk bank in the North Island, with two others in Christchurch.

Donations of breastmilk from screened, tested donors are processed for babies requiring supplemental feeding, if they don’t have full access to their own mother’s milk.

“This means that new parents who need to supplement their baby’s feeds, but do not wish to use formula to do so, do not have to find their own suitable donor when they are under stress and have a fragile newborn to look after,” says Coordinator Jacquie Nutt.

Ten donors have been tested and nearly 20 litres of pasteurised milk has been donated to seven recipients, including an older baby who was born prematurely and has ongoing health issues.

Her grateful parents had the following to say about the milk bank:
 

Phoebe McLeod is one of the first recipients of donor milk from the Whāngai Ora Milk Bank.

“I don’t know what I’d do without the Milk Bank! Our Phoebe was born at 25 weeks, just 525g! We were in Wellington with her for 7 months. Among other things she got NEC [an intestinal disease] and now has only 1/3 of her intestines. It’s imperative she gets breast milk – I’ve been pumping for 9 months but my supply just isn’t what it used to be and our girl is high needs with 9 meds per day and on home oxygen. It’s so reassuring to know the milk has been tested and pasteurized – Phoebe can’t afford to get CMV or MRSA... they would be detrimental to her. If it weren’t for the milk bank Phoebe would have to be given a very unpalatable formula through her NG tube – donor milk allows her to work on her oral feeding skills. Thank you!”

– Kirsty and Drew McLeod

Playing games to develop life skills

Wright Family Foundation, BestStart Educare and Emotional Regulation Aotearoa New Zealand (ERANZ) are involved in a large-scale research partnership which will see 1500 children from 160 BestStart centres around New Zealand participate in the ENGAGE programme in 2021.

ENGAGE (Enhancing Neuro-behavioural Gains with the Aid of Games and Exercise) was developed by Dr Dione Healey from the University of Otago and involves playing a selection of familiar children’s games for up to 30 minutes a day to develop the emotional, cognitive and behavioural skills that children need to thrive at school and lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

Check out this story on The Project about the programme.

Restoring our oceans

Wright Family Foundation is proud to support the Young Ocean Explorers 21 Day Challenge starting 15 February which will see thousands of students simultaneously take part in a guided inquiry on how to restore our oceans, and in particular the Hauraki Gulf, in the lead-up to the America's Cup finals.

More than 800 classes from Year 1-8 throughout New Zealand have signed up for the challenge which will see them spend 90 minutes or more each day over 21 days taking part in lessons developed by a team of teachers and Young Ocean Explorers creator Steve Hathaway.

“Over the 21 days classes will learn about what the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park – Tīkapa Moana - is, significant species, the environmental issues it is facing, and hear ‘hope stories’ about people making a difference,” says Steve.

“We wanted to create a resource that was easy to use, highly engaging for students, and covered the entire curriculum, including te reo Māori and digital literacy.” 

The America’s Cup provided a perfect opportunity to highlight the wonders of the marine park, which is a little-known natural taonga (treasure) in New Zealand, says Steve. “It’s a great untold story.”

Learn more about the 21 Day Challenge here and the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park here.

All-girls team CSNS Phoenix is one of seven New Zealand teams that will compete in the Vex Robotics World Championship in May.

Seven NZ teams to compete in World Robotics Champs

Seven New Zealand teams will compete in the first ever remote-only Vex Robotics World Championship in May.

The teams qualified for the international event at the VEX IQ Challenge National Championship held in Palmerston North in December, supported by the Wright Family Foundation.

National Manager of Kiwibots New Zealand, Janet Van, says the event was “buzzing” with 55 teams competing, including five teams from kura kaupapa Māori (Māori language immersion schools).

Competitors had to show resilience, as well as skills in engineering design, building, strategy, coding prowess and problem-solving to come out on top.

Guest judges from Rocos brought Spot, the Boston Dynamics robot, along to the event, which proved to be a real hit.

“Seeing Spot jump, dance and run was an incredible privilege for all our attendees. It’s not often you get to see such a famous robot,” says Janet.

The teams who qualified for the World Championship were CSNS Phoenix, CSNS Braniacs and CSNS VEXBots from College Street Normal School, Lynfield College Team V, and independent teams NakiBots and TopCat. Special invites were also extended to Lynfield College Team Y and Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School.


Spot the robot dog was a crowd-pleaser at the VEX IQ Challenge National Championship.

The buzz of New Zealand Spelling Bee is back   

New Zealand Spelling Bee is back for 2021 after being cancelled last year due to COVID-19.

Students in Years 9 and 10 will start learning the 2021 spelling list from March, sit the test mid-year and work their way through the semi-finals to culminate in the national final later in the year.

Programme Director Janet Lucas says the tremendous change wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has been reflected in our vocabulary.

Words such as quarantine, epidemiology, bubble, isolation, community spread, transmission, incubation period, asymptomatic, ventilator and virus have become part of our lives after an unprecedented year.

This shows how English is a language that can rapidly adapt, says Janet.

“Our ability to wrestle with these words shows just how much language changes and the important role it plays to help us understand events around us.” 

Janet is thrilled that New Zealand Spelling Bee will be back this year. An online spelling bee was put together with Education Perfect so students could still learn new words and participate in a spelling bee, but she says it wasn’t the same.

“I really missed meeting all the students and the drama and excitement that comes with the spelling bee competition.”

Janet says New Zealand Spelling Bee appreciates the ongoing passion and support of its Patron, Chloe Wright, and the Wright Family Foundation, and will continue its commitment to literacy now and in the future.

Inaugural Wright-Murray Residency for Speculative Fiction Writers recipient, Matt Norman, met with local authors in Tauranga last year as part of the residency.
Writing residency open for applications  

 The Wright-Murray Residency for Speculative Fiction Writers is once again seeking applications from New Zealand writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Now in its second year, the residency, co-founded by Wright Family Foundation CEO Chloe Wright and award-winning author Lee Murray, offers the winning writer a week’s accommodation at a country estate in the Bay of Plenty, a $1000 stipend to cover expenses, and 10 hours of mentorship or peer support to develop their writing project.

Recipient of the inaugural award, Christchurch author Matt Norman, says the mentorship helped to hone his skills and assist in developing his novel, Dark Days.

Lee says the residency is open to speculative writers of short stories, novels, and poetry, and emerging writers are especially encouraged to apply. “Opportunities like this can be a huge boost to a writer’s career, not just in terms of confidence, but also offering practical, actionable support.”

Matt agrees: “I’m appreciative of the Wright-Murray Residency for offering recognition to New Zealand speculative fiction writers like me. I hope my experience serves as an inspiration to other writers. If my work can make a difference, so can yours.”

Quote of the day

“The creative adult is the child who survived.”

Ursula Leguin