Space for breastfeeding
Auckland mothers still need spaces to breastfeed in the city.
The Big Latch On event was held on August 5 at the Aotea Centre and organiser Jacqui Arnold has deemed it a success.
Fifteen mums, one dad and one grandmother attended the morning tea organised by Plunket and Auckland Council.
Arnold says the majority of mums who attended the event were migrants who lived within a short bus ride or walking distance of the Aotea Centre.
‘‘The city needs to start sharing the space with families,’’ she says.
Arnold says as more and more apartments are being built in the city the number of families with young children will increase.
Earlier in 2016 Arnold led a project sponsored by Plunket and SKIP which found the mothers living in the inner city feeling isolated.
One of the key findings of the project was there was nowhere to go for mothers to feed their babies.
Kevin Marriott, manager of community places at Auckland Council, says it is looking at continuing to support family-friendly spaces in the city and evolving to meet the needs of young parents.
He says there will be a focus on children and young people and providing a supportive environment for breastfeeding is consistent with this.