“The Homegrown Heroes campaign is a wonderful acknowledgement for the role parents and caregivers play in the development of our pēpi and tamariki. This will be a platform for parents to share each other’s stories, gain strength and encouragement, as well as ideas. It is so important we acknowledge our homegrown heroes, especially now as we navigate our way through a pandemic and the struggles many of our whānau are facing,” said Mrs Malu.
These iconic brands have such a remarkable history, enduring ever-changing social and economic climates. There are fascinating facts around how these organisations were founded and the people responsible.
The Dunedin mill was established during the southern gold-rush of the 1860s by Henry Harraway and remains on the same site today. Henry and his wife Catherine had 21 children, with 11 of the sons providing the membership base of the family’s own cricket team – “The Harraways XI”. Over this 153-year journey, Harraways is proud to have helped fuel Kiwis through world wars, recessions and now pandemics. Having a ready supply of nutritious oats in the pantry certainly provides security and familiarity during uncertain times.
Whānau Āwhina Plunket began in the small coastal Dunedin town of Karitāne at the turn of the twentieth century, when two local Māori midwives and healers, Mere Harper and Ria Tikini took an ailing newborn to their neighbour Dr Truby King for help restoring the baby to health. That was the first Plunket baby and a year later, the Karitāne Home for Babies opened in Dunedin, starting the organisation that would become Whānau Āwhina Plunket. Lady Victoria Plunket, mother-of-eight, and wife of Lord Plunket (New Zealand’s Governor-General from 1904-1910), gave her name and patronage to the Society. Whānau Āwhina Plunket CEO, Amanda Malu, is a direct descendant of Mere Harper.
From February 2021, you will be able to nominate Homegrown Heroes by visiting harraways.co.nz/hero or get in touch with us @harrawaysNZ or @PlunketNZ – we look forward to hearing your stories!
