EQC and Plunket team up to help new parents receive preparedness info
New or soon-to-be parents around New Zealand will start receiving helpful quake safety tips and information as part of the Earthquake Commission’s growing partnership with Whānau Āwhina Plunket.
The new brochure – Quake Safety for Young Children(external link) – is now being delivered to parents during health and wellbeing checks in homes, and through Plunket parenting courses.
It is expected that 14,000 families will receive the publication over the next 12 months.
EQC Public Education Manager Hamish Armstrong says New Zealand is a place where we all live with some kind of natural hazard risk, so it’s a good idea to understand how you can reduce the risk within your home for your whānau.
The focus of the new brochure is on the messages that are most relevant for parents, particularly those who may have recently welcomed a baby.
“We know there are loads of things that new parents need to think about, so we were very aware about adding more onto their plate.
“That’s why we’ve made the new brochure as brief and easy to follow as possible, with a primary focus on quick and easy actions that will make children’s bedrooms safer. This is especially important for babies, who aren’t able to protect themselves through Drop, Cover, Hold actions,” Armstrong says.
While our preparedness messages are the focus, EQC also worked with NEMA to incorporate a page around how to prepare and care for babies in an emergency.
Plunket also utilised their relationship with the Ministry of Health so content on feeding babies in an emergency was included.
The brochure as well as more information for parents can be found on our Nurseries and Children’s Rooms page.
