WHANAUNGATANGA  SURVEY CLOSES 11.59PM TONIGHT

The NZPFU is urging members who participated in the 2023 Whanaungatanga Wellness Survey to make sure they participate in the follow-up survey which closes at 11.59pm tonight.

It is imperative that we have a high participation rate so that we can continue to learn and maximise those learnings about the wellness of our members, and the impact of organisational stress and exposures to trauma continue to have,  including whether any recent interventions have made a difference.

The AUT send a reminder email to all those eligible to participate that have yet to participate this morning.   That email would have come from lmackay@aut.ac.nz.  We urge all members to check their email inboxes for this reminder email.  It would have been sent to the email addresss you used for the 2023 survey so check all your email addresses.

We ask all Officers, Leaders and Managers put this survey on SMS, work tasks or discuss it with staff today to ensure there is a high response rate. 

How do you participate?

• Only those that participated in the March 2023 survey will receive the March 2024 survey.  Because this survey measures against last year’s, if you did not complete the survey last year you will be unable to take part. 
• The survey has been sent by email and will have the subject ‘2024 Whanaungatanga Wellbeing Survey’ and is run using the Qualtrics platform. It will be sent from Lisa Mackay, AUT Project Supervisor lmackay@aut.ac.nz  
• A reminder email will be sent from Lisa Mackay, AUT Project Supervisor lmackay@aut.ac.nz today to those eligible to participate but are yet to participate!
• Please check your email inboxes for the email.  If it is not in your inbox check your “focused”, “other” and “junk” email boxes. 
• It takes around 30 minutes to complete and it can be completed at work or home. You can also stop part way through and finish it later.  
• Some of the survey questions ask about sensitive topics such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and exposure to potentially traumatic events. People can skip any questions that they do not wish to answer and support is always available for people if they need to talk about their mental health.   
• Survey respondents in the pilot region Te Hiku will be asked some additional questions to measure the effectiveness of the interventions that have been developed after the first survey and piloted in the region.  
• It also gives us an important comparison between our pilot region Te Hiku (where the interventions have been piloted) and the rest of the country. 
• As with the first survey, once the researchers have analysed the findings the results will be shared.  
• If you have any questions email whanaungatangapgm@fireandemergency.nz 

Due to the very high participation in the March 2023 survey we now have internationally accepted credible and robust evidence on the impact of the role and FENZ as an organisation has on the wellbeing of our members.  But that was just the start – it is just as important to have the same high participation in March 2024 so that comparative analysis can be made. This evidence will form part of the discussions of the evolution of the pilot in Te Hiku to the wider organisation.

This is ground-breaking research as it is the first study that canvassed the state of mental health but also the organisational stressors that impact and harm firefighters, call centre dispatchers and all others that work for FENZ.  The Whanaungatanga Programme is an important programme of work and is one of 15 international projects funded by the Movember Foundation in an endeavour to develop evidence-based mental ill-health and suicide prevention programmes for veterans and first responders.  

In unity,
Wattie Watson
National Secretary