Author(s): Jim Sullivan

NZ Education & Health | Secondhand

PLUNKET - the very word is a New Zealand icon. This book tells the story of the first hundred years of the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society, from 1907 when the infant death rate was appallingly high through to 2007. Along the way skirmishes with the Department of Health, the politicians and even, in the early days, the medical profession, have all been part of Plunket's battleground. Through all this, Plunket has readily adapted to the need for change and nurses and volunteers have continued to care for over 90% of New Zealand infants. Plunket volunteers have created an organisation in which nurses and mothers are the controllers of their own destiny and a legacy for all New Zealanders, almost all of whom can make the claim, "I was a Plunket baby!" The text is detailed and includes extracts from official documents and personal recollections, along with a wealth of illustrations to portray this dramatic century. First published may 2007.

VG