Two of New Zealand's leading child health and parenting organisations have redefined their existing Memorandum of Understanding to support each other in improving parenting skills and child health for New Zealand families.

While Plunket and Parents Centres NZ will continue to maintain their independence, today they restated their existing commitment to further collaborate in their working relationship which will further assist parents to better access the range of services they offer. This will be achieved by the redefinition and signing of the existing Memorandum of Understanding developed and put in place by Viv Gurrey, Chief Executive Officer of Parents Centres NZ Inc and Kaye Crowther, previous Plunket President some 5 years ago.

Plunket's New Zealand President, Carol Becker welcomes the enhanced agreement:

"Our organisations have a combined experience of 160 years in parenting and child health. Children and parents will be the winners in this closer working relationship established with Parents Centres," she says.

Parents Centres Chief Executive, Viv Gurrey, and Plunket Chief Executive, Jenny Prince, say the relationship will continue to deliver greater benefits in the provision of parenting information to the wider community and the enhanced form of the agreement will allow flexible and robust collaboration at the grass roots level of the community where it is most important. Respective teams, volunteers and members of both organisations will be able to access a variety of services across New Zealand collectively such as information, advice, parent education, support and training.

"Together we will work to co-ordinate services to gain maximum advantage for parents, many of whom are shared clients of Parents Centres and Plunket," says Viv Gurrey.

"While we both have our own independent contractual relationships with service funders which will continue, we are confident that the continued strength of the Plunket and Parents Centres relationship will be welcomed by parents throughout New Zealand," she says. "It makes sense to enhance not replicate services and allow our respective organisations to thrive in the interests of the communities we serve."