What is The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative?

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is an international programme launched by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF to promote optimal care of mothers and babies by practicing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and complying with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.

Since the launch of BFHI in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1999, 72 of 73 or 98.6% of maternity services are BFHI accredited.

The New Zealand Breastfeeding Alliance (NZBA) is funded by the Ministry of Health to manage the Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) programme. BFHI is a quality assurance measure that ensures that maternity services offer evidence-based, quality care to support whānau on their infant feeding journeys. In Aotearoa, the BFHI has been adapted for our unique health system, which includes a maternity care system supported by Lead Maternity Carers (LMCs), as well as commitment to Te Tiriti ō Waitangi and the Pae Ora framework.