Sisterhood in Service: Pacific leaders take ‘Jammie Army’ across NZ to fight winter cold

Dame Valerie Adams is expanding her “Jammie Army” beyond Auckland for the first time as Pacific health leaders warn that rising winter costs and poor housing are still leaving many children at risk of illness.

Best known as one of New Zealand’s most successful athletes, a four-time Olympic medallist and multiple world champion in shot put, Adams has since turned her focus to community and child health campaigns.

The Middlemore Foundation’s Jammies for June campaign will now reach New Zealand’s capital this year, partnering with the Wellington Hospitals Foundation to deliver 25,000 pairs of pyjamas this winter.

Adams, the campaign’s national ambassador, says the need is being felt across the country.

“Keeping kids warm and healthy is something every family in New Zealand cares about. Whether you're in South Auckland or Wellington, this winter is going to be tough for our little ones,” she said in a statement.

With power prices expected to rise by around eight per cent this winter, more families are facing hard choices between heating their homes and buying warm clothing for their children.

Dame Teuila Percival, a leading paediatrician and campaigner, says Pacific children continue to be hit hardest by winter illness linked to housing.

“Winter comes every year, and every year we see children living in cold, damp homes, suffering from preventable illness,” Percival said in a statement.

“Warm pyjamas help, but so does investment in housing and preventative health like the Healthy Homes Initiative.”

Health data shows the scale of the issue. In 2022, Pacific people had respiratory hospitalisation rates 2.4 times higher than non-Māori, non-Pacific, non-Asian groups.

In 2023, 38.5 per cent of Pacific children were living in crowded homes, the highest rate for any ethnic group in the country.

Meanwhile, the Electricity Authority estimates most households are facing average power bill increases of around eight per cent, adding further pressure to already stretched budgets.

Andrew Millar, the Authority’s General Manager Retail and Consumer, says even small increases can add up.

“On average, if your monthly power bill was $200, this latest increase could add another $16 a month,” he says in a statement.

One in five households in Counties Manukau, where Middlemore Foundation is based, is overcrowded. Photo/File

Winter cold sets in for some families

For families already dealing with housing and health pressures, winter can make daily life harder.

Zeb, a 22-month-old supported through Kidz First services, has Down Syndrome and multiple health conditions, including heart complications and hearing loss.

His mother says keeping him warm is a constant concern. “When he was a newborn, his temperature was consistently low. Even in the hospital, staff were constantly checking it because he ran a cold,” she says in a statement.

At home in Pukekohe, the family lives in an uninsulated house without curtains. “Keeping Zeb warm and comfortable is a big deal, especially when you have a baby who’s more vulnerable,” she says. “The added support of jammies just lifts that off our shoulders.”

Margi Mellsop, Middlemore Foundation chief executive, says the campaign shows the ongoing gap in housing and health outcomes, especially for Pacific families in South Auckland.

Watch Margi Mellsop's full interview below.

Since launching in 2011, Jammies for June has distributed more than 130,000 pairs of pyjamas through hospitals, schools, and community groups.

Mellsop says the campaign is simple, but the need behind it is not. “Jammies on their own aren't going to fix a cold, damp home,” she tells William Terite on Pacific Mornings. “But it’s a tangible way people can help for a relatively small cost.”

Funds raised this year will also support hospital upgrades through the Kidz First Refresh project as the foundation continues to focus on reducing health inequalities for Pacific families.

For more on the Jammies for June campaign, click here.