Protecting hapū māmā and pēpi from vaccine-preventable diseases
Our vision is to ensure that all hapū māmā (pregnant woman/person), and importantly their pēpi (babies), across Aotearoa will be protected from preventable diseases such as whooping cough and the flu. We believe that maternal vaccination is the first immunisation event for pēpi, and that having useful conversations in pregnancy can also facilitate timely vaccination of pēpi in early life.
Our mahi involves building tools and resources to help support hapū māmā to be vaccinated. In 2024, we are working with hapū māmā and health professionals from around Aotearoa New Zealand to identify and co-design culturally appropriate tools and resources to increase maternal vaccination uptake and protect the health of māmā, pēpi, and communities.
Ethical approval for this project has been granted by the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee (Health), reference H23/113.
Preventing severe infection
Vaccination against pertussis (whooping cough) and influenza (flu) during pregnancy is important because it protects hapū māmā and their pēpi from severe infection with these diseases.
The flu can cause serious problems for both māmā when hapū and pēpi when they are born, increasing the risk of being so sick they need to go to hospital. Pēpi whose māmā had the flu when they were hapū are more likely to have a low birth weight or be born prematurely. Whooping cough can be very serious for very young pēpi with many pēpi requiring hospitalisation. Whooping cough can lead to long term health consequences and sometimes death.
The whooping cough and flu vaccines are safe, effective, and free for hapū māmā in Aotearoa New Zealand. However, vaccination coverage in this country is low, with less than half of all hapū māmā being vaccinated to protect them and pēpi from whooping cough and flu. Furthermore, wāhine Māori and pregnant Pacific people are less likely to be immunised than people from other ethnic backgrounds.
There are many reasons why people are not able to be vaccinated or choose to not get vaccinated while they are hapū. These include not knowing about the availability of the vaccines or not having vaccines recommended to them, potential costs involved in going to services to be vaccinated, and not having a trusting relationship with a healthcare provider. There is a clear need to identify and develop tools and resources to help support hapū māmā to be vaccinated.
Our values
Our Kaupapa Māori research methodology is underpinned by Māori values. We have developed Te Whariki o te Pūnaha Hauora as a framework for improving health outcomes for Māori and addressing health inequities through interventions and sustainable changes across multiple levels:
This framework includes:
- System-level changes
- Individual and whānau-level changes
- Health service-level changes
These are strengthened by Kaupapa Māori values:
- Whānau ora: recognising that the wellbeing of pēpi occurs within the context of a healthy whānau
- Whakapapa: Protecting each generation within a whānau and ensuring pēpi are healthy and well
- Manaakitanga: Ensuring that health services provide access to immunisations and support whānau ora
- Tino rangatiratanga: Whānau are empowered to make decisions about their own health and wellbeing
Te Whariki o te Pūnaha Hauora
Our team
Our expertise includes: Kaupapa Māori methodologies, qualitative and quantitative research methods, epidemiology, geospatial analysis and clinical experience in paediatric infectious diseases, public health medicine, pharmacy practice and midwifery.
We have experience in research in vaccination, including coverage and equity for maternal and childhood vaccinations; knowledge and decision making around vaccination among Māori and Pacific women; and creating geospatial maps of vaccination coverage in Aotearoa New Zealand:
Maternal immunisation coverage in Aotearoa
Research team
Visit our staff profiles for detailed expertise and relevant publications:
- Dr Amber Young
- Associate Professor Esther Willing
- Dr Gabrielle McDonald
- Dr Matthew Hobbs
- Dr Lukas Marek
- Dr Pauline Dawson
- Professor Peter McIntyre
Information for participants
Hapū māma participants
We are recruiting hapū māmā from two North Island communities with help from:
Health professional participants
We are recruiting practicing health professionals from around Aotearoa who care for hapū māmā to take part in our study.
Participation involves a one-hour kōrero with two members of our research team about ways to increase maternal vaccine coverage. If you are a currently practicing midwife, GP, practice nurse, pharmacist, kaiāwhina, immunisation coordinator, or an employee at an Iwi-Maori partnership board or at a Māori or Pacific health provider, and you are interested in participating, contact us: