Every year, around 50 pēpi die from SUDI in Aotearoa. Māori babies are still the most affected, with rates far higher than for non-Māori. For more than a decade, the P.E.P.E. framework has provided a strong evidence base for safe sleep, but whānau told us it often felt clinical, disconnected, and not reflective of their real life.
In response, Hāpai worked alongside whānau through regional wānanga in Northland, Auckland, Tauranga and Gisborne to co-design messaging that feels practical, loving, and culturally grounded. The result is Foundations for Safe Sleep – four connected pillars that reflect real whānau life:
The Four Foundations for Safe Sleep
Face Up, Face Clear
Sleep pēpi on their back for every sleep, with nothing near their face like toys, loose blankets, cords or pillows.
Flat & Firm
Pēpi are safest in their own flat, firm bed with firm sides, like a wahakura, cot, or bassinet.
Free
Pēpi is safest and well when they are in an environment that supports breastfeeding and is smoke, vape, alcohol, drug and harm-free.
Fathers & Family
Everyone in the whānau helps keep pēpi safe while they sleep and supports them to stay well.
“Our aim was to create messaging that came from, and connected with whānau,” says Fay Selby-Law, National SUDI Lead. “It’s about practical care without fear or judgement. We want parents and caregivers to feel supported and confident, not shamed.”
The refreshed messaging takes a harm-reduction approach, less directive and recognising that support and information work better than prohibition.
“Safe sleep starts long before bedtime,” says Selby-Law, “It begins in pregnancy with knowledge for Mum and the whānau, connection, and shared responsibility, not just rules.”
For more information and resources, visit: www.sudinationalcoordination.co.nz
