A new ground-breaking parenting series, titled “Raising Children in New Zealand”, is set to launch in June on TVNZ 7 and will be given out free to all new parents on DVD from later in the year.

Based on research that confirms the crucial importance of the first three years, Raising Children in New Zealand combines the knowledge and expertise of New Zealand’s key child-focussed agencies to create a comprehensive multi-platform audio-visual resource for parents and caregivers.

Raising Children is a joint initiative between Barnardos, Plunket, SKIP (the Family and Community Services arm of The Ministry of Social Development), TVNZ 7 and the Lion Foundation. The ten-part half hour series, as well as over 40 short episodes, will provide a valuable source of practical information covering everything from breastfeeding, postnatal distress and how becoming a parent changes your life, to toilet training, coping with ear infections, parenting styles and encouraging good behaviour.

A free DVD of the series will also be distributed to all new parents through Plunket and Barnardos and episodes will be available to view online on TVNZ Ondemand and on a new Raising Children website which will provide additional information and links to other useful websites.

Featuring 18 core families, each of the 10 half-hour episodes will also be fronted by a well-known New Zealander and will focus on a particular age and stage of the first three years. These celebrity parents include actress Monique Bree (Kirby on Go Girls), sports presenter and former Silver Ferns’ captain Bernice Mene, All Black Cory Jane, TV presenter Sonia Gray and actor Kiel McNaughton (Scotty on Shortland Street).

Raising Children is the brainchild of producer Jude Dobson, who has been producing parenting TV shows for the past nine years. Inspiration came from an Australian resource which has been available to Australian parents since 2007.

“There has been a real need in New Zealand for a show like this,” says Barnardos Chief Executive, Murray Edridge. “It puts parenting in the spotlight and highlights what a hugely important job raising children is. “The first three years last forever. Getting it right is hugely important – for our children, for families and for society in general,” he says.