Hayley Guinness from Stepping Stones Therapy and I were genuinely encouraged by the strong interest and thoughtful engagement from the Wānaka community at our recent presentation on eating disorders, early signs, influences and community support. It was wonderful to see parents, educators, health professionals, and community members coming together for such an open and caring ...
Every year on 31 May, Aotearoa marks World Smokefree Day – a day that’s all about supporting people to quit smoking and celebrating the benefits of living smokefree. It’s part of World Smokefree May, a nationwide campaign that reminds us: quitting is always worth another try, and you don’t have to do it alone. Quitting ...
In a lot of young people, dedication is something we actively encourage. Showing up to training, being disciplined, pushing through discomfort – these are often seen as strengths. And in many ways, they are. But sometimes, what starts as commitment can quietly shift into something more rigid and harder to step back from. We often ...
One of the most common things we hear from parents and caregivers is something like: “I could see things weren’t right, but I didn’t know if I should be worried yet.” That space can be really hard. Nothing feels obvious enough to act on, and you question yourself if perhaps you’re being over-cautious, but something ...
A round-up of Dr Lucy Hone’s Keynote & Q&A Community Evening Last week, 330 people filled the Lake Wānaka Centre to hear Dr Lucy Hone speak on Thriving Through Challenges and Change: Lessons from science and life. The full house reflected both the relevance of the topic and the strong appetite in our community for ...
Over the past year I’ve spent a lot of time working with rural communities – running talks, facilitating workshops, sitting with people over cups of tea in community halls. Again and again, some version of the same question finds its way to me. “How many times do you have to be knocked down and be ...
Do our character strengths change over time? Recently someone wrote to me after hearing an interview I did on The Imperfects podcast. Years ago she had completed a strengths assessment which she reported as ‘life-changing’, but now wanted to know if our strengths change over time. Should she repeat the survey? Before I answer her ...
Author: Dr Lucy Hone At a recent workshop, a man pulled me aside and shared his worries about his children. He’d lost his wife, and amid everything he was carrying, was consumed with concerns for them. Were they really okay? How would he know? Why weren’t they opening up to him? Was that normal? Were ...
How do we show our sons what healthy masculinity looks like, and start the conversation at home? There is a lot of noise around boys right now. Some of it is all volume and no wisdom. Dr Justin Coulson’s latest work cuts through that. His new book, Boys: Building Strong Young Men from the Inside ...
On Thursday, 12 March Dr Kris Taylor will be presenting ‘Talking Masculinities: Why toxic masculinity is a concern, how it can impact your child/teen, and what you can do about it.’ Over the last few years, a wave of grown men has built big online businesses ‘coaching‘ boys and young men, from ‘dating and fitness’ to ...
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 ...
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 3, 2026, (dates coming soon). 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
