Our History

A prelude to the establishment of the Māori SIDS team goes back to 1987 when New Zealand had one of the highest SIDS rates in the developed world.  In 1987-1990, the nationwide control study of the causes of SIDS was carried out – the New Zealand Cot Death Study.  At that time the SIDS rate was 12.9 per 1000 births, approximately 230 deaths per year.  The findings of this study identified 4 risk factors that accounted for 82% of all SIDS mortality and were postulated as being modifiable risk factors.  Additional research identified the relationship between maternal smoking and the incidence of SIDS.  It identified bedsharing as a risk factor but only if associated with maternal smoking.  These findings informed the development of key health messages that underpinned the national SIDS prevention campaign that commenced in 1991.

Significant reminders of the national SIDS prevention campaign include the promotion of the “Back to Sleep” message and “Red Nose Days”.  Many New Zealand mothers heeded the advice and changed the sleep position of their babies accordingly.  As a result, the rates of SIDS reduced by almost 50%.  This was a great outcome enjoyed by non-Māori New Zealanders.  Unfortunately, the rates of Māori babies dying did not reduce significantly.  Māori mothers had heard the “back to sleep” message as they were putting their babies to sleep on their back.  Therefore, Māori mums had taken note of the message but the delivery and the deliverers did not entirely work for them.

A separate Maori SIDS Prevention Programme, funded by the government started in 1994 in recognition of the need for appropriate, effective measures for Maori – the first Māori SIDS team

• Dr Carol Everard, who coordinated the NZ Cot Death Study.

• Dr David Tipene-Leach, who was medical doctor and academic located at the University of Auckland.

• Riripeti Haretuku, Māori Community Health Worker and Clinical Educator.

The number one strategy was to inform the Māori community, as well as conduct further research on the SIDS issue among Māori whānau and communities.  The team travelled the length and breadth of the country armed with the latest evidence.  They encountered an overwhelming outpouring of unresolved grief as kuia, koroua, whaea and matua publicly confessed and expressed the loss they carried from having experienced the death of a child.  For many, it had been a secret and never spoken about.

At this point, there is a significant addition to the Māori SIDS focus. In addressing life and asserting efforts to prolong life, the Māori SIDS programme turned to support whānau at the time of death.  As a result, became forceful advocates for the sensitising of infant death scene protocols and the Coronial Investigation which involved working closely with professional agents to demystify the roles and responsibilities of authorities such as coroners, police, and pathologists.

To increase coverage and direct engagement with communities throughout the country a Regional Coordination model was implemented.  Māori Regional Coordinators were employed to continue to develop and implement the Māori SIDS programme at a local level.  Key competencies for these roles included being community based, fluency in te reo Māori and knowledge of tikanga, able to deliver the programme in Māori settings, use language and concepts familiar to Māori, and to develop appropriate resources.

The Māori SIDS programme developed into a multi-faceted, Kaupapa Māori based programme.  Features of the programme included:

• Health Promotion;
• the training of key people on the coalface who directly interact with whānau including community and health workers, police, Plunket, midwives, health professionals and social services;
• to addressing systemic issues such as the accurate collection of ethnic data, where Māori SIDS established a clearing house for SIDS statistics and information – the precursor to the national child and youth mortality collection.

“Publish or perish” was a famous catch-cry.  There exists an accurate record that documents the developmental process of the programme, research findings, recommendations and the Māori community experience of SIDS.  All of which are used to inform Māori SIDS communications, education and training programmes, and advice.

At all levels of influence, strategic alliances were formed to reorient health and community services to be responsive to the needs of Māori.  And as a result of the efforts of many people, over a number of years working together Māori SIDS deaths reduced.

Until 2001 onwards a flat-lining of the stats started to occur.  By 2005, a plateau in the SIDS rates became evident - from year to year a status quo is apparent, that if the programme did not continue to evolve and be relevant to the current realities that at least 30 Māori babies would continue to die each year.  That even though the statistics were lower, there still existed a significant disparity for Māori babies.

Since the inception of Māori SIDS, the health sector has undergone significant restructuring.  New organisations and people now exist in the field such as, Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) and Family Start providers.  Māori SIDS needed to adapt in order to capitalise on the benefits and implications of these developments.  Health and wellbeing of children is dependant upon many factors which fall outside the domain of the health sector primarily the determinants of poverty.  Māori SIDS needed to evolve in order to ably involve other sectors in the development of multi-sectoral strategies.

In 2007, major restructuring was instigated.  The regional model was replaced with a national model.  The last three years of operation have seen Māori SIDS undergo major restructuring.  New capacity and capabilities into the Māori SIDS programme.  A dedicated research portfolio has been established that will build upon research work done previously, be responsive to Māori research needs and continue to gather evidence for interventions and solutions to reduce SIDS/SUDI.  Pivotal to transitioning is an efficient communications strategy that will effectively promote Māori SIDS / SUDI information and targeted messages to specific audiences.  The quality delivery of SIDS/SUDI competencies relevant to the role and contribution of specific workforces is a goal for education and training settings.  Māori SIDS continues to plan new, innovative and effective ways to further reduce SIDS/SUDI deaths.