New Zealand Community's Welfare and Well-Being, Childhood Development Programmes Impress Minister

KUCHING (Sarawak), Sept 21 (Bernama) -- Sarawak state Welfare, Community Well-Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Fatimah Abdullah says she is impressed with New Zealand community’s welfare and well-being as well as its childhood development programmes and set-up. Fatimah, who is on a working visit to Christchurch, New Zealand, will be looking at New Zealand as the model for childhood development in Sarawak for her ministry. While there she visited Aviva Family Violence Service in Christchurch and met with its chief executive officer Nicola Woodward and Gwenda Kendew, the centre’s operation manager. She said the centre works with youth, women and men, helps individuals and families to become and stay free of violence. “The centre provides compassionate support, therapeutic services and guidance to at-risk children and family. “They also provide services for children, youth, women, men, sexual assault support, microfinance and residential services. Their aim is to empower families and communities to enable homes to become violence free,” Fatimah told Bernama from Auckland Thursday. She also led her delegation to visit Christchurch City Council and was welcomed by the deputy mayor of Christchurch Andrew Turner besides being briefed on the council’s policies and plans on children, elderly, family; and community welfare and well-being. They also made a visit to Ryman Charles Upham Retirement Village at Oxford Road, Rangiora, Christchurch, which has over 30 years' experience in retirement living and rest-home care. “There are 31 retirement villages throughout New Zealand to provide the residents with a first class choice in their retirement. “The village provides a range of retirement living and care options including independent townhouses and apartments, serviced apartments; and a care centre providing the very best of rest-home, hospital and dementia level care,” she said, adding that the minimum age to be a resident at these villages is 70 years of age. They also visited Karanga Mai Early Learning Centre, an early learning centre attached to a Teen Parent Unit at Kaiapoi High School which focused on the well-being of teen parents and their children.The centre is the winner of Prime Minister’s Educational Award 2016. From there, they visited Christchurch Community Well-being North Canterbury Trust and Waimakariri Council, which is the winner of the 2016 Professional and Technical Services Award and provides free support services to the families and communities. Fatimah said she also had a meeting with Education Ministry of New Zealand and had discussion on early childhood education, childhood development and children with learning and behavioural difficulties. “We also made a study visit to early childhood Centre, BestStart Education and Day Care Centre, Auckland, New Zealand. “New Zealand is the largest providers of early childhood education with 183 centres in the North Island and 60 in the South Island together with nurseries, preschools, kindergarten, Montessori and home-based childcare services nationwide,” she said. While there Fatimah also held a ‘meet-and-greet session’ and hosted a dinner for Sarawak students from the University of Auckland and with Sarawakians living and working in Auckland. --BERNAMA