Hello! Welcome to Wintersweet. We are a support service for older people who continue to live independently in the Whangarei district.
Our business came to life through these principles:
Live your Best Life Always
Relish the Little Moments
Give More than you Receive
Be Adventurous!
These principles guide us in all we do when helping older people. Life can be a joy! It can also be tremendously effortful. We are here to help let the joy loose by nurturing independence and encouraging the sense of adventure that makes life so exhilarating.
Team Leader: Alison Grove
Alison was born in the UK and came to New Zealand in 2001. She has experience in social services, mental health and addictions, education and training, as well as a long career in management.
A committed lifelong learner, Alison is currently studying for a degree in Māori Studies and is competent in te reo Māori me ona tikanga. In the past, Alison has studied professional writing; mental health and addictions; sales and marketing and, way back at the outset from school, hospitality management.
Why Wintersweet?
Our business is named after a tender shrub that flowers in winter on spare, bare branches. The plant’s official name is Chimonanthus praecox.
Chimonanthus often goes unnoticed until its tiny, vivid yellow flowers bloom. The timing of those blooms in late winter make it one of the first to be seen after a dormant time of year.
The blooming of Wintersweet is a vivid sign of life and renewal when many plants struggle to stay active. It is the perfect representation of our business that is all about helping people to renew and refresh their lives to continue to bloom in our later years.
