BFHI Documents
The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is part of the Baby Friendly Aotearoa Programme. The BFHI criteria for Aotearoa New Zealand are based on the UNICEF/WHO Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative: Revised and Updated 2018. The global assessment tool forms the basis of the audit and accreditation procedure for all countries. In Aotearoa New Zealand amendments and clarifications to the accreditation documents have been made and the format of the documents differ.
The 2023 BFHI documents for Aotearoa New Zealand are presented in six parts.
Throughout the documents there are research findings to support the BFHI programme. A comprehensive list of resources and research articles can be found in Part 4: Breastfeeding Resources for Aotearoa New Zealand.
If you have any questions, please contact NZBA's Baby Friendly Advisor: [email protected]
BFHI Documents 2023
Part 1: Background and Implementation of Baby Friendly in Aotearoa New Zealand
Part 3A: Background Information for BFHI Audit
Part 3B: Pre-Audit Questionnaire
Part 4: Breastfeeding Resources for Aotearoa New Zealand
Part 5: Self-Assessment Survey
Part 6: Audit Questions Outline for Staff
National Breastfeeding Policy introduced January 2025
The National Breastfeeding Policy brings a consistent approach across services and will help to limit costs associated with developing one policy per service.
The National Breastfeeding Policy must be accompanied by local breastfeeding/infant feeding guidelines in accordance with the 2023 BFHI Resource Documents. This national breastfeeding policy must be read in conjunction with each service’s unique breastfeeding/infant feeding guidelines as these outline the processes in place within the service to meet the standards set by the "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding".
The National Breastfeeding Policy, along with a service’s local breastfeeding/infant feeding guidelines, is to be used by all maternity services starting in January 2025 while acknowledging that there will be a transition period for services to implement and utilise this national policy.
BFHI National Breastfeeding Policy - January 2025