By Rhonda Bartle

Who wants to be a Plunket Nurse?

Even as late as 1975, the image of the traditional military-type Plunket nurse prevailed. It was one of a childless woman in flat shoes who took to dispensing strict no-nonsense mothering advice though she had no children of her own.

Turner didn't fit the picture, then or now.  A tall, elegant woman, real warmth and humour shows in her eyes.  'I thought they were all old maids and a pretty boring lot, really,' she laughs.

When she found herself at a nurses' meeting at Otago Hospital, complaining loudly about her job, a group of Plunket Nurses suggested she join their team.  It was her mother as much as anything that made her decide the idea was worth checking out.  'Take a risk. Get out there.  That was my mother.  I rocked up to Plunket head office in Dunedin and said I'd like to be a Plunket nurse.'

She began a four month training course, hoping she'd be accepted by Plunket once she finished.  Today it's the other way round and nurses do hands-on training after they've been accepted.  It's a much improved system Turner says, as it puts a clinical aspect into training, offering practical work right from the start.

Her vision of a Plunket Nurse very quickly evaporated to be replaced with an entirely superior picture. 'Some of them were very happy with very happy lives. Very gutsy, very independent, very strong women.' 

Instead of the trusty bicycle, these nurses drove cars and wore casual clothes to replace the rigid uniformed look.  Only their motto, 'To help the mothers and save the babies' remained unchallenged.

From two wheels to four: Maria Turner and the modern Plunket transport.

Turner has since risen through Plunket ranks to become top dog in Taranaki.  As Clinical Leader, her role is to make sure services are in place for families who need them.  She handles the recruitment and selection of nurses, as well as education.

Following general trends in health services, Taranaki is no longer a stand-alone area but attached to Wanganui and Manawatu, a move that provides better resources for the staff.  There are currently 6 full-time nurse equivalents in Taranaki

Ironically, it was a bad experience with Plunket when her own children were born that drives Turner today.  'It was the luck of the draw really,' she says philosophically. In less enlightened times, the messages from the organisation were perhaps stronger than those of the clients and often overrode them. 

Things are different now.  Nurses fill many more roles than simply that of in-house educators. They are no longer the grumpy headmistress that new mothers strive to please. A more sympathetic approach means they often sit down and simply listen. Empathy is at the top of Turner's list of requirements. 

When it comes to Plunket as an employer, she can't speak highly enough.  Plunket created a valid workplace for women, and remains a 'fantastic' employer that offers study leave and flexible working contracts. 

'I love Plunket.,' she says.  'It's given me huge opportunities, much more than I could have imagined.  I had a year off for study.  Once I had my children I came back to work for one day, then two, then three days a week.'

Plunket receives Government funding. A few years ago, in a sound move, headquarters shifted to Wellington to be closer to the political movers and shakers and to work with them as needed.  Funding will continue because Turner suspects mothers are more vulnerable now than ever before.

'They're expected to be Superwoman and the social support from earlier years is gone,' she says.  'I try to balance things, say don't do everything, but underneath, there's this perception that you cope, it's what it means to be a New Zealand woman.  Women here are still often put into traditional roles alongside new ones.'

Along with the more traditional aspects of mothercare comes an enlightened attitude to post natal depression, the supply of infant car seats and a 24hr phone helpline.

The public view that Plunket is being systematically phased out is wrong.  'I helped out on a Christmas parade a while ago,' says Turner, 'collecting with a bucket, and there was quite a lot of concern out there, but really, we're doing better than we ever have.'

There might be no more elite matriarchal patrons in their pearls and fur stoles, but people from all walks of life continue to give their time and support for free.

Plunket House, Powderham Street, New Plymouth

So where will Plunket be in five or ten years?  Still going strong, Turner reckons. Plunket will continue to employ 'Today's kind of woman,' and use a collaborative approach to deliver good mothering help and skills, adapting to suit current needs.

Plunket has always been about supporting families, and even today, nearly a century after it began that support is still firmly in place.   Turner beams her ready smile and says it all.  'There's still an expectation that you can rely on a Plunket nurse.'