Mothers and children from across the region will join thousands of Kiwi mums and children at locations across the country to kick off the 2016 World Breastfeeding Week celebrations.
They will be joined by over 30,000 mums and children in other parts of the world taking part in the annual Big Latch On to celebrate, support and promote breastfeeding, organised by Women's Health Action.
The Rotorua event will be at the Rotorua Arts Village on Friday August 5 from 10am to 12pm. Local host is community lactation consultant Amy Wray who is encouraging local mums and their family, whanau, and friends to join the event. There will be activities and giveaways there too.
"The Big Latch On is successful because it operates at a grass roots level. There are hundreds of venues throughout the country, but each event is unique, designed by members of the community, to suit the needs of the community" said Ms Wray.
The Taupo event is being held at Taupo Parents Centre at 20 AC Baths Avenue. The event will run from 10am to 11am with morning tea provided. There will also be spot prizes and a raffle draw.
Now in its 12th year the Big Latch On aims are to reduce some of the most common barriers to breastfeeding continuation. The Big Latch On is an inclusive event, providing an opportunity for women to make new friends, connect with support in their community, and feel more confident about breastfeeding (particularly in public).
The Big Latch On is part of World Breastfeeding Week, a global initiative to protect, promote and support breastfeeding, which has numerous short and long term benefits for both children and women.
Last year 1646 women and their children came together and breastfed in venues across New Zealand, with an additional 180 participating online through the #BrelfieNZ campaign, giving a total of 1826 latches.
Women who are unable to make it to a venue can take part virtually via #BrelfieNZ, flooding Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with gorgeous and diverse breastfeeding selfies - Check out www.biglatchon.org.nz for more information about national events.
