Rotorua grandparents Lena and Phil Stirrup have raised their 13-year-old granddaughter Keira since she was 1. They received the Excellence in Foster Care award on March 6. Photo / Dianna Thomson
Rotorua couple Lena and Phil Stirrup have raised their 13-year-old granddaughter Keira since she was a baby, becoming leading supporters for other local caregivers in the process. Their efforts have been recognised with New Zealand’s highest accolade for caregiving for vulnerable children.
Lena and Phil Stirrup were aged 52 and 59 when they took their 1-year-old granddaughter Keira into their care.
The Rotorua couple, who have four children, 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, were empty-nesters at the time, and thought their child-rearing days were behind them.
They did not hesitate, however, to put their hands up when Keira could no longer live with her biological parents.
Lena told the Rotorua Daily Post bringing a baby home was a “huge change” and they had to adjust.
“There were dynamics within the family at that time, but I think we just put one foot in front of the other and just did what we had to.”
There was a “grieving process” for their former lives. Lena had started a nursing diploma, and continued studying full time between daycare runs.
Keira arrived in her new home with a condition that caused her to withdraw for short periods, but Lena said she adjusted well to her new environment.
They had to “step up” for Keira’s education, as learning difficulties emerged.
When she was 8, she could not read and hated maths, “but she memorised things”, Lena said.
Her grandparents supported her through diagnoses of dyslexia and its numbers equivalent, dyscalculia.
Lena said Keira also had autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Irlen syndrome – a perception processing disorder.
Keira attends Rotorua Girls’ High School, where she has additional wraparound learning support, and also receives private home tutoring specialised for people with learning disabilities.
Lena said her reading achievements were now “out of this world”. She was also good at art.
Keira had grown “immensely” and adapted “quite well” as a teenager.
She had regular visits with her biological parents and siblings.
Lena graduated with her diploma in 2014 and retired from nursing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said she and Phil would not change anything about their decision to take Keira in.
Lena joined charitable trust Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and became a committee member, before becoming involved with Caring Families Aotearoa in 2019.
She and Phil volunteered as regional committee members for Caring Families Aotearoa for five years, helping to organise caregiver connection events in their area.
They ran a support group for Rotorua caregivers and planned to set up a group of experienced caregivers who could share their knowledge with others.
“I’ve just been very proactive in a lot of organisations that are helping with … raising other people’s children,” Lena said.
She and Phil were also Kids in Need co-ordinators.
On March 6, the Stirrups received an Excellence in Foster Care award, presented by Minister for Children Karen Chhour and Caring Families Aotearoa chief executive Linda Surtees at a ceremony at Parliament in Wellington.
They were one of 10 caregiving couples or individuals selected by Caring Families Aotearoa and its partners for going “above and beyond” to provide a safe and therapeutic home for children in care, a statement from the organisation said.
Lena said she and Phil were the only recipients from Rotorua, and it was “epic” to receive the award.
“But the feeling was like, why us? There were so many other people that were well deserving. But we saw what we had done over the years for our moko [grandchild] and our community, so we did take it humbly.
“It just was uplifting and it just made me feel like I needed to strive further to make sure that … carers have support.”
Lena said their kaupapa was to “carry on and be the people we are and just do what is needed for our community”.
“We feel very honoured and very privileged to be part of the carers’ lives and to watch their tamariki flourish and nurture.”
Surtees said Lena and Phil were “extraordinary people”.
“[They] inspire us – and all care agencies – to continue striving to provide the support caregivers need to help heal our tamariki and give them the future they deserve."
Kids in Need Waikato co-founder Linda Roil said it was “amazing” for the Stirrups to be acknowledged for their work.
“We were foster carers too and … sometimes you don’t feel appreciated at all.”
Roil said she met the Stirrups at a Caring Families Aotearoa conference, and Kids in Need had supported them with their granddaughter.
“When we were looking for a co-ordinator for Rotorua, they were the first people I thought of. They’ve got the heart.”
Roil said the couple distributed Kids In Need care packages in Rotorua for her, and ran a monthly coffee group for caregivers and grandparents raising grandchildren.
“I can’t think of any better facilitators for that than them.”
The charitable trust was seeking funding for its recent expansion to Rotorua, Roil said.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.