Lay summary
Sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) rates in Aotearoa (New Zealand) are concerningly high (approximately 44 babies die in the first year of life) (Ministry of Health, 2022), and the burden falls predominately on whānau Māori (Māori families) (Ministry of Health, 2022). Wahakura have been developed as a Māori solution to preventing SUDI through providing a culturally meaningful safe sleep space enabling co-sleeping, which supports protective factors such as increasing attachment and breastfeeding. Māori weavers and community groups have begun teaching whānau to weave their own wahakura as a means of reclaiming matauranga. This project collaborates across national SUDI prevention coordination and local community initiatives to explore the experiences of whānau, weavers and health professionals of wahakura wānanga with a focus on the impact of determining hauora during pregnancy, birthing and parenting.