Plunket vs Karitane
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=20840
Printed Date: 11 October 2025 at 5:31am
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Topic: Plunket vs Karitane
Posted By: MummyFreckle
Subject: Plunket vs Karitane
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 3:32pm
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Can someone explain to me why some people get to see both Plunket and Karitane nurses? 2 of my friends with babies the same age as Oli, both have regular visits with a Karitane nurse (I should add that they both live really close to me as well...) but I have never seen one or ever been told about them. Am I missing out on something I should be getting?
------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Replies:
Posted By: BugTeeny
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 3:34pm
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Perhaps call your Plunket?
I thought it was normal to have monthly Karitane visits? So you should be getting them... ------------- 
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Posted By: sally belly
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 3:46pm
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I was confused by this at first too Sam. What happens with our local Plunket is that we see the Plunket nurse every 2nd time & the Karitane nurse the other time. Does that make sense? From memory I've seen the K nurse 3x. The first time she came to my house & the rest of the times she's given a talk/video session to a small group of Mums with similarly aged bubs. She doesn't appear do individual check-ups etc. -------------    
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Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 3:46pm
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Monthly!
I find it weird too as have never been offered a Karitane visit. There are 7 of us in our plunket coffee group and 5 have had karitane vists and 2 of us (me being one of them) haven't. They got a Karitane appt between there 5 month and 8/9 month check with Plunket and have all made an appt for one at 11/12 months with the Karitane nurse so before the next plunket check at 13 months. -------------  
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 3:47pm
We don't have karitane visits either. Daniel has a plunket appt next week but the last appt with anyone was 6 months ago! 
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Posted By: Daizy
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 3:47pm
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For Keira I have only ever had to Keratine visits. I really dont understand the difference? ------------- 
 
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Posted By: sally belly
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 3:50pm
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I'm not entirely sure of the difference either but I don't think K nurses are as highly trained as P nurses.
I remember being at the Family Centre ages ago & I asked to weigh & measure Liam & the K nurse said she couldn't really help me work out his length on those baby-measuring devices because she wasn't "allowed" (I can't remember her exact words but you get the idea). -------------
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Posted By: sally belly
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 3:51pm
Gosh, that doesn't sound right does it Stacey  -------------
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kebakat wrote:Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 3:58pm
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Yeah because Plunket do a 8-9 month check and then a 13 month check so if you had your appt dead on 8 months and your next appt is at the end of 13 months then it would be 6 months!
That will be what ours is too. Shouldn't they really all be the same since its a nation wide thing! -------------
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Posted By: Mum_mum
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 4:00pm
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Hey for my curiosity - what is a Karitane nurse? ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
 Angel baby - May 2008
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Posted By: sally belly
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 4:00pm
Very true Peanut. My 5am start is beginning to catch up on me  -------------
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Posted By: peachy
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 4:10pm
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We have both Karitane and Plunket visits. My first Karitane visit was an individual one at my home and now the visit is a "coffe group" type visit with babies all the same age and we each chat to the Kartiane nurse as a group and of couse we can ask questions and we bounce ideas off each other.
I asked why we have both and the Karitane nurse said that Karitane looks after the nutrition side of things, eg gives advice on when to start solids and what food you should be offering the different stages. She also told me that they are NOT registered nurses and do not have the same qualifications as a Plunket nurse. Correct me if I am wrong please, but I am just going off what she told me when I asked! I am the only one in my coffee group of 8 people that have been lucky enough to be allocated a Karitane nurse, some of the girls are not even lucky enough to see Plunket at all ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: james
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 4:14pm
we had both upto james was 2 i,m still not sure why i lkied my karatane nurse much ,more ------------- <a href="http://lilypie.com"><img src="http://b4.lilypie.com/nLJ5p13.png" alt="Lilypie 4th Birthday Ticker" border="0" /></a> |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 4:15pm
| Yeah he last saw them at 9 months and he will be going for his 15 month check next week.. so 6 months. I could have taken him into the family centre to weigh him in between but I didn't see the point, hes growing |
Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 4:20pm
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Peachy, that sounds right to me. My Plunket nurse referred to the K Nurse as a "community health worker" - maybe more like a nurse assistant with lots of practical experience, but not formal nursing training. ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: BuzzyBee
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 5:33pm
| We have seen a Karitane nurse twice in the past....I understand the difference between karitane and plunket nurse is that PLUNKET are registered nurses and they do the milestone checks, and you only see a Karitane nurse in between those milestone checks IF you are having any feeding or sleeping issues that you wish to discuss.... |
Posted By: Kels
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 6:50pm
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Yep that is right Karitane workers arent nurses at all. They are community worker who work with plunket nurses. Plunket nurses have set time frames and appt to see families. These are caled core visits, then the Karitane workers can do "additional" visits that families are entitled too. The amount of visits you are entitled to depends on, what deprivation area you live in, If you are a first time parent. As a baby gets older the plunket nurse is contracted to see them less eg, 5mth, 9mth, 15mth. I book my Karitane to visit inbetween times. If I feel that the family need more input from me I will book the additional appt with me as a Karitane health worker has no clinical experience to deal with some things. I have a karitane health worker and a Kaiawhina worker which is the same as a Karitane worker jsut a different title and she sees all the maori families in the ares. She does see other cultures too but she is predominately for maori. Sorry I did try to simplify it for you all. I hope you arent all confused now lol ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
Busy mum to Miss 15yrs, Miss 10yrs and Master 4yrs |
Posted By: susieq
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 6:52pm
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Karitane Nurses also have a different training to what I had in my day, when I trained as a karitane nurse in Auckland where we are having a karitane reunion at Labour weekend we spent 12 months of training in the hospital in various wards, a prem unit, a general ward, a toddlers ward, a mothercraft unit, the babies in the prem, general and toddlers ward were there usually for sleeping or feeding issues to be fixed up without their mothers and the mums in the mothercraft unit were there with there babies to sort out similar issues as they were generally breastfeeding.
after the 12 months in the hospital we did four months in peoples homes |
Posted By: jaycee
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 7:22pm
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I am the only one in my coffee group of 8 people that have been lucky enough to be allocated a Karitane nurse, some of the girls are not even lucky enough to see Plunket at all [/QUOTE]
They can't see a Plunket nurse ???- I thought that EVERYONE was entitled and encouraged to see Plunket. When I had Amy I almost had the impression that it was compulsory - I didn't grow up in NZ so i had never really heard much about Plunket before I became a mum!! -------------   
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 7:31pm
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The only time I've ever seen a Karitane nurse is when I've been to Family Centre, but I've got one coming to see me in a few weeks just to weigh lil miss in between Plunket visits. Apparent't Family Centre aren't running drop-in weigh days anymore due to funding cutbacks so the only way to get bubs weighed in between visits is by the Karitane nurse. That's what my Plunket nurse told me, I have no idea how accurate it is. Sounds ridiculous coz drop in weighs don't take long and you don't even really need help with them most of the time. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: sally belly
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 8:05pm
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I suspect the K nurse that I've seen covers the entire North Shore as friends who live miles away from me see the same lady... Man, she must be one busy lady . So what with lack of funding etc etc I guess it's not surprising some people aren't allocated one. -------------
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Posted By: MummyFreckle
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 8:59pm
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Thanks ladies... I now feel really ripped off that we havent seen one. I could use some advise on sleeping and solids, and am really confused as to why my friend who lives in the suburb next door to me gets to see one and I dont. Who do I ring or ask?
------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: AnnC
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 9:03pm
I am pretty sure Kels has explained it here - I have only had plunket visits although with Rhylz at 13 months I had a visit from another nruse - think it was a kaitine - I actually texted kels if it was normal as I thought whose this? LOL ------------- Ann 
Also Mum to Josh (15) and Brooke (10) |
Posted By: MummyFreckle
Date Posted: 11 September 2008 at 9:24pm
I get what Kels is saying, I am just not sure what the difference is between my friend down the road and me is. Ie why does she get visits and I dont? Thats what is confusing me!
------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: gemsmum
Date Posted: 12 September 2008 at 7:28am
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Sim Sam, as a first time parent you should get some Karitane/additional input. Call your Plunket Nurse and ask her.
------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: susieq
Date Posted: 12 September 2008 at 8:41am
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And the lack of funding is why they closed the Karitane hospitals 30 years ago in October and then opened the Family Centres and there seems to be lack of funding for them even.
They so need those old Karitane hospitals now, if they had one Emma that would have been the sort of place the gremlins could have gone to in the toddlers ward to sort out sleeping issues and they could have sorted some of the younger bubbas out too with feeding sleeping The Karitane hospitals were open 24/7 and the family centres unfortunatley during the day only, I know pleanty of ex karitanes who would love to see the Karitane Hospitals again and who would love to work in that type of situation There were Karitane hospitals in Dunedin, Invercargill, Christchurch, Wanganui, Wellington and Auckland It really irks alot of Karitanes who trained as nurses in the hospitals that they were closed to funding lack |
Posted By: MissAngel
Date Posted: 12 September 2008 at 8:46am
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We saw the plunket lady once and a Karitane nurse once.
I dont go to plunket anymore as they were horribly rude to me on the phone when I missed an appointment when Thomas was in hospital.. Sorry, but I really had other things to think about and too bad that I didnt ring up and cancel :o I'm just gonna do the GP visits instead. ------------- Alex, Thomas and Lily http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: aussiegirl
Date Posted: 12 September 2008 at 10:06am
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I've been really lucky that my Plunket nurse visited me 3 times (up to hayley was 8 weeks old) and the Karitane nurse has visited me twice. I think my Plunket nurse got the K nurse to come as I am a first time mum and was having a bad day when she visited me!
The K nurse has talked to me about sleeping, wrapping and routines etc. A really good service! Thats a shame you havent had a good experience with plunket MissAngel. Mine so far has been very positive, so much in fact I am going to do some volunteering with them in the future. SimSam, definitely ring Plunket and see what the story is. Good luck!  ------------- Mum to Hayley **30.6.08
http://lilypie.com"> 
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