Seven years dedicated to strengthening prevention and building a healthier Aotearoa

Catch up on latest news, events, resources and research in the Baby Friendly space.

This article explores the development and impact of the Māmā Aroha App

LLLNZ summarises its year in review - April 2023 to March 2024

Infant nutrition is crucial for health, but New Zealand's decision to opt out of proposed joint Australia/NZ infant formula marketing standards undermines efforts to protect infant wellbeing.

This document (updated in 2024) provides advice for health practitioners on vitamin D and sun exposure in pregnancy and infancy.

The Ministry of Health has released a media statement on this topic.

It's worth a look. Find Aotearoa New Zealand under the Western Pacific Region.

The Liggins Institute has a Health Research Project Grant to develop Aotearoa Nutrition Guidelines for Preterm Babies

To provide the best start in life, businesses, companies and places of work need to be on board with breastfeeding.

The Paediatric Society of New Zealand (PSNZ), the New Zealand Breastfeeding Alliance (NZBA), and the New Zealand College of Midwives (NZCOM) have joined forces to advocate for workplace support for breastfeeding parents in honour of World Breastfeeding Week.

The first indigenous breastfeeding App, Māmā Aroha, was launched on 2 August 2021. By July 2023 the App had been downloaded nearly 15,000 times, almost entirely from Aotearoa and mostly from mobile devices (905).

The Maternal Mental Health Service in New Zealand stocktake report released in 2021 noted several key findings.

Links to the Lancet 2023 Breastfeeding series and recent Australasia & Pacific launch.

After several enquiries, we are sharing information on Infant Feeding in Emergencies.

Introducing Kahu Taurima, a joint programme between Te Aka Whai Ora and Te Whatu Ora. The programme aims to transform maternity and early years services, from conception to five years old, for all people across Aotearoa.

Preterm and LBW infants have a 2- to 10-fold higher risk of mortality than infants born at term and with normal birth weight. Despite substantial progress over the last 10 years, the survival, health, growth and neurodevelopment of preterm and LBW infants remains concerning in many countries. Reasons include the complexities of caring for these vulnerable infants and preventing complications.

The MSD report on Child Poverty 2022 was launched last month. The data showed there are still too many children in New Zealand locked into poverty.

Sharing inter-generational knowledge in maternal and child wellbeing

As people across the globe celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, Nutrition International and Alive & Thrive are pleased to announce a comprehensive update to the Cost of Not Breastfeeding Tool, with data for virtually every country around the world, a new easy-to-use dashboard and a feature that explores what would happen if a country’s breastfeeding rates increased.

New Zealand Breastfeeding Alliance (NZBA), the NZ College of Midwives and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand have joined forces to remind New Zealanders that successful breastfeeding involves the whole whānau.

Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) is the leading cause of preventable mortality in New Zealand infants. Māori and Pacific infants have consistently higher rates of SUDI compared to non-Māori and non-Pacific infants. The Ministry commissioned research in 2020 to better understand the reasons behind the number of babies dying from SUDI and identify improvements to the Ministry-led National SUDI Prevention Programme (NSPP). The NSPP is the latest iteration of SUDI-prevention initiatives.

The publication includes 60 recommendations to help shape a positive postnatal experience, including guidelines for breastfeeding counseling to aid attachment and positioning as breastfeeding is established.

Ngā Wānanga o Hine Kōpū is a kaupapa Māori birth and parenting programme reframing how to tautoko wāhine hapū and their whānau. Ataria Sharman met three wāhine hapū at the Whangārei wānanga.

Guidance for Waitaha midwives in their support of Infant Feeding (Ūkaipotanga)

New Zealand Breastfeeding Alliance (NZBA), the NZ College of Midwives and the Paediatric Society have joined forces to remind New Zealanders that breastfeeding should be a shared responsibility.

The Government commissioned a review of Well Child Tamariki Ora in late 2018 in response to concerns about equity of access, outcomes for tamariki and whānau, and the financial sustainability of the programme. The Review was carried out during 2019/20 with input from Māori, DHBs, Well Child Tamariki Ora providers and Government agencies. A report on the Review was considered by the Government in April 2021.

The 20 district health boards which run services for individual areas around the country will be replaced by one new body, Health NZ, which will instead plan services for the whole population. Health NZ will have four regional divisions but also district offices. It will delegate authority to local levels so regional services have a say in what they need and how they work. There will also be a new Māori Health Authority, sitting alongside that, to both set policies for Māori health and to decide and fund those who will deliver services. The new Māori Health Authority will have the power to directly commission health services for Māori.

Advice for breastfeeding mothers about the current COVID-19 vaccine and whether it is safe for themselves and their babies has been unveiled. The advice, in the form of an infographic, was today launched by the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA), the New Zealand Breastfeeding Alliance (NZBA) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG).

Urgent action needed to address ongoing inequity in maternity sector

TAS spoke with programme providers directly, and has outlined the theory for improving breastfeeding rates, how the programme is implemented and how it works for Māori. Information is also provided on how users can access the service as well as any data supporting its effectiveness.

A roadmap to action: 2020 and beyond.

This publication provides Ministry of Health’s recommendations on reducing the risk of food-related choking in early learning services such as early childhood education services, ngā kōhanga reo and certificated playgroups.

New Zealand Aotearoa’s Guidance on Contraception is intended for use by health professionals who provide contraception and contraceptive advice to individuals.

The Ministry of Health has updated the Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand Adults to include advice for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

This Ministry of Health guidance provides the health sector with clear, concise and consistent evidence-based information on the identification, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of tongue-tie in New Zealand.

Implementation of the Ten Steps in facilities caring for populations of small, sick and preterm newborns can dramatically increase breastfeeding rates. Facilities ensuring adherence to evidence-based recommendations on maternity and newborn care can substantially improve the health and well-being of both mothers and infants, globally.

Whakamaua: Māori Health Action Plan 2020-2025 is the implementation plan for He Korowai Oranga, New Zealand’s Māori Health Strategy – it will help us achieve better health outcomes for Māori by setting the government’s direction for Māori health advancement over the next five years.

Breastfeeding is key to the comprehensive development of children, their mothers and society.

This report provides updated information on the status of implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions (“the Code”) in countries.

This publication presents data from the National Maternity Collection, and is the latest release in the Report on Maternity series. It provides annual health statistics about women giving birth, their pregnancy and childbirth experience and the characteristics of live-born babies in New Zealand.

Rapua Te Aronga-a-Hine is the first comprehensive literature review of the Māori midwifery workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Te Hiringa Hauora has been asked to develop messages and work with others to reach out to soon-to-be and new parents to provide information and support on looking after mental health and wellbeing during COVID-19.

The UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative has received a number of queries regarding best practice for infant feeding on neonatal units during the Covid-19 outbreak.

This editorial summarises the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the justification for the elimination strategy adopted by New Zealand, and some of the actions required to maximise the chances of success.

COVID-19 ADVICE FOR MĀORI Nau mai, haere mai! ​ Here you will find information and resources specifically for Māori about the COVID-19 pandemic. This information has been developed by leading Māori medical experts for whānau Māori.

COVID-19 Breastfeeding advice for pregnant women or those who have recently given birth.

Pregnant women do not appear to be more susceptible to the consequences of coronavirus than the general population and there is no evidence that the virus can pass to a baby during pregnancy.

UNICEF provides practical information on COVID-19 and what parents should know.

Within the first few hours after birth, most healthy newborns will instinctively move to their mother’s breast and attach on their own. This video shows early breastfeeding initiation through the journeys of 3 newborns and ways to ensure the success of this vital practice for any new mother and baby.

Saturday 15 February - Sunday 22 March Breastfeeding advocates from around the world are supporting NZLCA in providing current research, evidence-based information, ideas and case studies. 21+ hours of pre-recorded sessions are available to watch any time over 5 weeks.

Accredited educational programmes for health professionals

eCALD's vision is to enhance culturally and linguistically diverse cultural competence through the provision of courses and resources for the New Zealand health workforce, for better client/patient outcomes and experience.