Back in 1995, John Grubner made the local newspaper for being New Zealand’s very first “HIPPY dad” tutor. The local community paper said at the time, “Mr Grubner is a rare breed as a HIPPY tutor because it is usually mums who are recruited from parents who have been through the programme...” Read more
Marissa was 18 when she had her first baby. Shy and lacking confidence, she thought her working life was over. Until she started her son on the HIPPY programme and her confidence began to grow... Read more
Group meetings – or ‘whānau hui’ – are an important part of HIPPY, helping build connections and combat isolation. Kaikohe Coordinator, Emily Rogers, recently took her HIPPY whānau to a local drop-in centre/pregnancy hub and did a very cool enrichment activity making DIY deodorant... Read more
Back in 1997, Kelston cluster school principals met to discuss how they might better engage with local families and support parents. HIPPY became the catalyst that helped empower and engage the Kelston community... Read more
Professor Avima Lombard was HIPPY’s original founder back in 1969, in Israel. When she passed away in 2008, Dame Lesley Max wrote a piece in appreciation of Professor Lombard, giving us a glimpse into the legacy she created for us in New Zealand.... Read more
Great Potentials has partnered with HIPPY Australia to pilot a structured Tutor Development system, "Pathways to Possibilities" launching early in 2021... Read more
When mother-of-three, MaryAnne Schwenke started on the HIPPY programme, she discovered skills she didn't know she had and set out to achieve her dream of becoming a teacher... Read more
Introducing our brand new HIPPY Coordinator for Henderson South, Christine Wang, who started her new role in the middle of lockdown, but didn't let that hold her back from diving right in, and letting her community know all about HIPPY... Read more
In this series, we are dipping into the archives to share inspiring HIPPY stories from years gone by. Here is the story of Marietta Ulugia, our HIPPY Coordinator in Otara from 2009-2011 - living proof of the success of HIPPY. Read more
Through play children solve problems, test out ideas and explore their imaginations. HIPPY helps parents create a fun learning environment at home where creativity is unleashed, bodies get moving and children develop a life-long love of learning... Read more
Maiyah, a former "HIPPY child", is an 8-year-old girl from Hornby in Christchurch. Since she was five years old, Maiyah has been baking and selling cupcakes to raise money to help the homeless in her city. She’s just a young girl, but she’s making a huge difference... Read more
Tai is a mother-of-four who had struggled with literacy herself and when she started with HIPPY none of her four pre-school children were engaged in ECE. She says that HIPPY has made the difference for her family... Read more