Most parents want to be someone their child enjoys spending time with, and someone they can turn to when life gets hard. We want laughter, openness and connection, but we also need to provide limits that keep our children safe. Being the ‘fun parent’ and being a safe boundary holder are not competing roles. Children ...
Our children’s friendships can bring enormous joy and plenty of worry. We want them to feel included, choose supportive friends and know what to do when relationships become difficult. Yet we can’t manage every interaction for them. Our role is to help create the conditions in which healthy friendships can grow, while gradually giving our ...
Have you ever felt as though you’ve finally worked out what your child needs, only for everything to change? Just as we become comfortable with one age and stage, our child moves into the next. They may need more independence, communicate differently or react in ways we weren’t expecting. Our instinct can be to guide ...
Your teenager is spending more time in their room. They’ve stopped seeing a friend they used to spend every weekend with. They’re sleeping more, or hardly sleeping at all. Perhaps they’re more irritable, anxious or withdrawn. Some of these changes can be part of navigating the teenage years. But you know this young person, and ...
Parenting teenagers, and pre-teen takes stamina. As children grow, they need us differently: sometimes more intensely, sometimes more distantly, and often both in the same day. Here are ways to keep your energy topped up. Prioritise Your Sleep (Yes, Yours!) We often emphasise sleep for young people, but how often do we take our own ...
This article is shared with permission from Tepou.co.nz Youth Mental Health First Aid instructor says adults have ‘duty of care’ to support the mental health of young people With almost 30 years’ experience working as a registered school guidance counsellor, Karyn Munro has a deep passion for the wellbeing of young people. But she has ...
Why toxic masculinity is a concern, how it can impact your child, and what you can do about it Teen boys don’t wake up one day and decide, “Ah yes, today I’ll download some misogyny.” It’s usually quieter than that. A clip here. A “self-improvement” reel there. An algorithm that keeps feeding the same flavour ...
Parenting our tamariki can often feel like a private sport – no crowd, no rulebook, and somehow you’re meant to “just know!” What happens at home often stays there. The tough chats, screen battles, worry, and the late night-second-guessing usually stay behind closed doors. But this silence costs us: we lose support, perspective, the power ...
By Dr Lucy Hone “I’m struggling so much with my daughter leaving for college. I never appreciated how awful this would be, and I don’t feel I can talk to others about it without sounding ridiculous.” Over the years, I’ve had many parents write to me with words just like these. One even confessed, “I ...
The Upper Clutha Wānaka Whānau Survey 2026 is about understanding what life is really like for rangatahi and their whānau in our community. This survey will help agency partners, caregivers, and locals better understand what’s going on for our youth, including learning, belonging, and where support networks are already working well. By taking a strengths-based ...
If you’re a caregiver / parent, or working with teens, attending this evening is a must! Path Wānaka Ara Ki Wānaka in collaboration with Te Kura o Tititea Mount Aspiring College, and Kāhu Youth Trust is proud to host this presentation by researcher Dr Kris Taylor. Dr Kris Taylor will provide a crash course for ...
The Parent Whānau Support Group is returning for Term 4, 2026. Parenting teens in today’s world can feel like a whole new job, and it’s easy to wonder if you’re doing it ‘right’. This supportive group offers a calm, judgement-free space to connect with other parents and caregivers, share experiences, and pick up practical tools ...
Anonymous – Parent lived experience Hosting teens in Wānaka over New Year is a mix of magic and mayhem. Following on from last week’s blog, here’s a practical framework sharing one Wānaka family’s lived experience of hosting teens over the New Year period. Communication Start talking early on. This family contacted every parent, agreed to ...
Anonymous – Parent lived experience If you’ve ever had teens staying in Wānaka over New Year, you’ll know it’s a world of its own. Between the crowds, the late nights, and the energy that comes with the season, it can feel both exciting and daunting. One local family hosted groups of boys from Years 11–13 ...
New Year in Wānaka was the highlight of my teens. It was the trip everyone talked about all year, a summer holiday with your closest mates and half your school year in one place. For me, it was also a chance to step away from home and enjoy a bit of freedom: sunny days, boating, ...
People often ask me how to talk to children about death and support them in their grieving. It’s one of the hardest conversations we’ll ever have, and yet avoiding it does more harm than good. At some point I noticed that talking to kids and young people about death and grief bears distinct similarities to ...
As we get closer to the end of the school year, I start to think about the summer ahead and what it will be like for our young people. Many will have a summer job, some might pick up more responsibilities around the home – like looking after younger siblings – while others will be looking forward ...
Are you concerned about alcohol harm in communities and its impact on children’s health and wellbeing? Join University of Otago Wellington researcher Professor Louise Signal to see the latest findings from innovative studies where 12-year-olds used wearable cameras and online screen capture to record their daily exposure to alcohol products and marketing. See what children ...
If you have a teen about to sit exams, share this with them – it’s full of practical, science-based tips to make studying less stressful and more effective. If you’ve ever sat down to study and found yourself reorganising your desk, making snacks, or suddenly very interested in the family cat, you’re not alone. Studying ...
Author: Dr Lucy Hone For over a decade, Monday mornings have meant early alarms, kids yawning into their Weet-Bix, frantic searches for school shoes and ties, a quick peck on the cheek – out the door they go and off to school. They’ve been happy times. Not serene or still – plenty of shouting, squabbling ...
We often think of happiness as the reward we get after everything’s sorted. But science shows that small moments of positive emotion – like joy, amusement or gratitude – help us cope better and perform better. They’re not just a result of wellbeing – they’re a tool to build it. Research shows that dialling up ...
Real Talk with Ali McCormick Parenting teens can feel like navigating a minefield, even on your best day. That’s why Path Wānaka’s Whānau Support Group is designed a little differently. It’s not a lecture or a textbook course. It’s a space for real conversations, real coaching, and real change. At the heart of it all ...
What Parents Took Away from the Night Last Thursday, more than 200 parents, caregivers and teachers filled the Lake Wānaka Centre to hear Rob Cope share the hard truths about keeping our kids safe online. The impact was evident. Parents left with practical strategies, renewed determination, and the relief of knowing they’re not facing this ...
Mount Aspiring College Nicola Jacobsen joined Jack on Radio Wānaka to talk about Our Kids Online – a vital community event that took place on Thursday 11 September 2025. In this short interview, Nicola shares why it’s so important for parents, grandparents, whānau and anyone supporting young people to understand the online risks our kids ...
