A group of Maori mothers are reviving traditional weaving techniques in a bid to keep their mokopuna safe.
They're achieving this by weaving sleeping baskets called wahakura, which have proven critical in reducing the number of cases of SUDI - sudden unexpected death of an infant.
"Between 2009 to 2011 we lost 13 babies in the Bay of Plenty from SUDI, we lost three one year, four the next year, and six the following year so it was important that we try to mitigate that," Raewyn Lucas from the Bay of Plenty DHB said.
Parents sharing a bed with their baby is one of the major risks of SUDI.
"If mum wants to sleep with her baby then when the baby is placed in the wahakura and sleeps next to her in the bed the baby is close by so she can be responsive.
"But the wahakura actually provides a protective designated space for baby to sleep and there's less risk of suffocation," Ms Lucas said.
The wahakura is an old tradition that has only been revived in recent years, but if its growing popularity is anything to go by it will stick around for a lot longer now.
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