WELLfed

10/10/2026

Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week next week, we’d love to share something pretty special.

Our Pēpi me Māmā pilot began in February this year, creating a safe, welcoming and judgement-free space for hāpū and new māmā to learn, share kai, spend time with their pēpi and connect with other mums at the same stage of life.

And what has grown from these groups has been beautiful.

Alongside all the practical learning, we’ve watched friendships form, confidence grow and genuine connections develop between mums who understand each other’s lives in a way others sometimes can’t.

As the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week reminds us, belonging matters. Having somewhere you feel safe, welcomed and understood matters too.

We’ll let our Pēpi me Māmā learners tell you the rest.

A huge thank you to Health New Zealand, Mental Health Foundation and Lottery Grants Board for helping make this pilot possible.



Creative by VML

30/09/2026

Ngā mihi nui New World Whitby for organising this generous collection!
♥️♥️♥️

❤️ The date is here! Our New World Whitby Community Drive is happening on Saturday 17 October, 11am–1pm.

We’ll be outside at:
📍 Whitby Collegiate
📍 Discovery School
📍 Adventure School
📍 Endeavour Park
📍 Postgate School

Have a look through your pantry and cupboards for non-perishable food, toiletries, baby clothes or blankets you’d like to donate. Everything collected will support WELLfed and The Nest Collective. We can’t wait to see you there! 🚐

22/09/2026

How good is this..

Our lovely Maggie spoke to RNZ reporter Anya Fielding about when Painga Project brought Celia, its optometry bus, to WELLfed, and Maggie decided to give the free eye testing a go.

She’d never had her eyes tested before. And it turned out there was a lot she’d been missing.

Maggie discovered she needed to wear glasses all the time. Since getting them, the debilitating migraines she’d been living with have disappeared, she can drive confidently at night again, and, in her words:

“My vision is like high definition.”

Maggie was one of 60 people seen by the team on Celia that day. Forty needed follow-up testing.

We’re so grateful to the Painga Project for bringing eye care directly into our community, and to Maggie for sharing her story so openly.

Listen to Maggie's story here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2019052952/adults-putting-off-getting-eyes-checked-due-to-costs

Read the full story here:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/health/1511111/it-changed-my-whole-life-free-tests-glasses-offered-after-survey-finds-eye-care-inaccessible

21/09/2026

Congratulations Graduates | WELLfed presents our September 2026 class graduates! As we say at every graduation "it's not goodbye, it's what's next". We are so very proud of you and excited to see what your next steps include. 🙂

18/09/2026

Every week is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori at WELLfed, but this time, we get to be extra loud about it, because not only are we celebrating our te reo Māori and te ao Māori, it's also graduation week!

While it's a bittersweet moment farewelling our learners, we say at every graduation, "it's not goodbye, it's what's next!"

Mā te wā, graduates!

11/09/2026

Thank you to New Zealand Food Network & Kiwi Community Assistance for the treats for WELLfed learners this term.

This week we have been adding coconut milk and frozen fish fillets to the packs our learners took home after class. It goes with the bag of fresh produce (a mix of rescued produce, kai grown in the WELLfed garden, and basics we purchased) to help households enjoy more food at home.

These packs help stretch the grocery budget, make it easier to cook nutritious meals, and support whānau. Ngā mihi nui to NZ Food Network and KCA for helping make good kai more accessible.

03/09/2026

🍋 We need lemons! 🍋 Do you have a lemon tree bursting with fruit? Or a few extra lemons to spare? We’d love to put them to good use in our cooking classes next week.

📍Drop off at WELLfed HQ (54 Hampshire Street, Cannons Creek) Mon-Fri 9am to 4pm, or with one of our team members.