Town clock blushes purple

Gisborne town clock last year.

GISBORNE’S town clock will line up with prominent international landmarks next Tuesday by lighting up in purple to highlight World Prematurity Day.

This is the second year New Zealand has taken part in the ‘‘Lighting Up Purple’’ campaign, which is designed to raise awareness of the 15 million babies born prematurely worldwide each year.

Garrett Blair, Gisborne District Council’s team leader of community and recreation facilities said the Council was happy to support such a great cause.

Among the other buildings turning purple across New Zealand are Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre, the Christchurch International Airport Terminal and Control Tower, the Oamaru Opera House and the town clocks in Blenheim and New Plymouth.

Past international participants include the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls and the Trevi Fountain in Rome, famous for tourists throwing coins into it.

Every year over 150 babies pass through the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) in Gisborne Hospital. These babies are either born premature, or require additional care because of complications or illness. Intensive care may be required for very early babies or those with serious health problems. If this is the case, babies are transferred to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Waikato Hospital.

A premature baby is born every 90 minutes on average in New Zealand. That’s more than 5,000 or 10 percent of all babies each year who have to go through a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU).

In addition to premature babies, sick full-term babies are cared for in neonatal units. The complications these babies face are often only apparent once the baby is born.

The Neonatal Trust, which supports families of premature and sick full-term babies across New Zealand is heading New Zealand’s lighting up campaign.

“The charity works to support neonatal families as they make their journey through a neonatal unit, the transition home and onwards,” said Neil O’Styke, the trusts’s executive director.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support we receive and the willingness of these incredible landmarks to get involved"

Many New Zealanders are personally affected, or have friends and family who have experienced premature births or had a sick baby require specialist care.

“It’s an issue which affects a significant amount of our population, and we are excited to see the New Zealand community get behind our campaign,” said Mr O‘Styke.