Lay summary
Antenatal care plays a significant role in maternal and new born infant health. Despite free antenatal care in Aotearoa, there are disparities in outcomes for Māori women and infants compared with non-Māori. Māori women are more likely to give birth to a baby who will die in their first year of life, are more likely to be hospitalised, and suffer from avoidable perinatal death compared to babies born to Pākehā mothers. Poor access and engagement with antenatal care has been attributed to inequitable infant health outcomes. To date there has been little research undertaken to explore Māori womens’ experiences of antenatal care in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), particularly with Māori women over 18 years of age. This qualitative, kaupapa Māori study proposes to fill these gaps by providing a comprehensive description of Māori womens’ experiences of antenatal care within Tāmaki Makaurau to inform service improvements and decrease current inequities of care.