About us

Welcome to Power to Protect (P2P), Aotearoa New Zealand's national programme aimed to prevent and protect the shaking of baby (pēpi) and children (tamariki).

The programme began in 2010 as a response to the high rates of 'shaken baby syndrome' in this country. It was inspired by North American research suggesting the number of injured pēpi could be halved simply by educating parents and caregivers about the danger of shaking and how to cope with crying.

Since 2012, a single nurse co-ordinator based in Starship Child Health has toured the country, teaching and supporting frontline health professionals to provide this education to parents and caregivers in the first few weeks of a baby's life. Many families have found this useful, and some have later reported that it helped save a child from harm.

However it is also clear that many families do not receive this education, and among those who do, not all find it helpful. Too many babies still come to harm, and it is likely that simple education in the first weeks of a baby's life is not enough. Messages must reach men as well as women, and be embedded in a comprehensive community led network of practical support. Understanding and responding appropriately and safely to a crying baby, knowing how to seek help and being willing and able to give help, must become part of our family and community DNA and our everyday conversations. "It takes a village to raise a child" is profoundly true, and that village must be consistently available before, during and after birth (including the middle of the night).

In 2021 the Ministry of Health funded the Power to Protect Integration Project to work with community partners to "re-message the message" into te ao Māori and for Pacific communities, dads and other communities, aiming to empower and support all adults in the community to share the responsibility of keeping babies safe.

In June 2022, the Integration Project Steering Committee (SC) agreed and directed that the project would be led by Whānau Māori, with Pacific SC members also developing resources for Pacific Communities. A P2P Whakamana Te Tangata (“empower the people”) kaupapa was designed by Whānau Māori to focus on education, resouces, and community. The aim was to “impart a strength-based message that enhances the cultural connection and self esteem of Tāne Māori as guardians, protectors and givers of knowledge to the next generation.” The pieces of work were to be innovative and culturally appropriate. And so "Tau Ai Te Ira" ("TATI") was born.

In addition, TAKI (Pacific Village) members mobilised to develop Pacific resources to meaningfully engage with Pacific communities, relevant in their own spaces. The team worked towards grounding all outcomes in Pacific values and beliefs.

The Integration Project also benefited from the representation of fathers’ groups on the Steering Committee. They contributed insights from their combined experiences and knowledge, including those from Mana Mātua Great Fathers.

Whānau Māori and the Starship Health Digital teams have worked together in developing the new Power to Protect website and social media platforms. Their creative collaboration provided new ways to streamline the new messaging through digital mediums. The new P2P website anchors resources for training health professionals alongside community resources and links to support services.