New Zealand Breastfeeding Alliance - NZBA

12/06/2026

This status report presents a global assessment of the extent to which countries have implemented the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions through national legal measures. This year’s report shows some progress in implementing the Code into law, but monitoring and enforcement provisions remain inadequate. This report shows that adoption of the Code has a strong association with breastfeeding rates.
https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/dfa5d911-cae2-42c3-90d0-6e5d4b15438b/content

10/06/2026

Catch up on our June news!

 Haere Rā, Carmen This month, the NZBA bids farewell to our Advisor Māori, Carmen Timu-Parata, after ten years of mahi with the organisation. Over the past decade, Carmen has been a passionate and steadfast advocate for strengthening the bicultural capacity and competency of both NZBA and the Bab...

01/06/2026

Congratulations to our Board member, Dr Yvonne LeFort on her King's Birthday Honour, Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Yvonne has been a general practitioner for more than 35 years, and has pioneered and developed the practice of Breastfeeding Medicine in New Zealand.

Yvonne is Medical Director of Milford Breastfeeding Clinic and an internationally recognised expert in Breastfeeding Medicine and infant tongue-tie. She has held national and international leadership roles, including co-founding the Breastfeeding Medicine Association of Aotearoa and serving as a Fellow and Board member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.

Yvonne is a respected educator, mentor, and advisor who contributes to breastfeeding policy, professional training, and family support across New Zealand.

Ngā mihi ki a koe mō tō tūranga kaiārahi!

26/05/2026

Improving how whānau are supported to make decisions about donor human milk in hospitals across Aotearoa.

A multidisciplinary research team led by Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University Senior Lecturer Dr Ying Jin has completed a major Health Research Council (HRC) Health Delivery Activation Project aimed at improving how whānau are supported to make decisions about donor human milk in hospitals ac...

20/05/2026

Breastfeeding protects the health of māmā too!
Photo: Naera Ohia Photography

18/05/2026

Love seeing this connection and collaboration with our members, New Zealand Lactation Consultants Association and Turuki Health Care

We are all striving for strong whānau-led breastfeeding pathways.

18/05/2026

Every year on May 19, World Day of Human Milk Donation is celebrated, to raise global awareness about the vital importance of donating human milk.

Each year, an estimated 13 million babies are born preterm – that’s 1 in 10 worldwide. For these vulnerable newborns, access to safe, donated human milk can be life-saving. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends donor human milk – especially for low birth weight infants– when a mother’s own milk is insufficient, unavailable, or contraindicated.

Source: Global foundation for the care of newborn infants.

13/05/2026

Pānui time!

How babies work: sleep, eat, thrive I was privileged to be among the five Kiwis who attended the How Babies Work: Sleep, Eat, Thrive conference in Brisbane, Australia. It was wonderful to attend an in-person conference and connect with professionals beyond the motu. The keynote speaker was Helen Bal...

05/05/2026

International Day of the Midwife, 5 May 2026
Today we celebrate midwives — walking alongside wāhine, pēpi and whānau through pregnancy, birth and the early days of parenting.
The 2026 theme, 'One Million More Midwives', reminds us how deeply midwifery matters.
Midwives play a vital role in infant feeding support: protecting skin-to-skin, supporting early attachment, guiding antenatal expressing, recognising when extra help is needed, and keeping whānau informed, confident and centered in their choices
In Canterbury, our breastfeeding policy and Baby Friendly principles remind us that supporting infant feeding is everyone’s responsibility — but midwives are often right there at the beginning, turning policy into compassionate, practical care.
To every midwife supporting feeding, bonding, recovery and confidence: Thank You!
Your care changes beginnings
Ngā mihi nui 🤍

29/04/2026

Amazing news! Breastfeeding protects the health of māmā too!
Photo: Naera Ohia Photography