New Zealand gets its first milk bank

The first milk bank has opened in New Zealand at Christchurch's neonatal intensive care unit, serving 800 babies a year. The milk bank will initially serve only high risk infants, but NICU pediatrician Dr. Maggie Meeks says with further funding milk could be provided to babies needing donor human milk on the maternity unit, and in the community. Meanwhile, families needing milk benefit from New Zealand's very active milksharing communities, Human Milk 4 Human Babies - New Zealand Aotearoa, Piripoho Aotearoa (formerly Eats on Feets), and Mothers Milk NZ, which is also working to raise funds for a milk bank in Auckland.

Human milk bank opens in New ZealandWednesday, 12 February, 2014 - 09:12Christchurch’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has officially opened the first hospital-based pasteurised human milk bank in New Zealand.
Dr Maggie Meeks, NICU pediatrician, says this is a significant achievement after years of planning and working closely with stakeholders towards the goal of pasteurising mothers’ excess milk for the benefit of other babies in the NICU. ... link to full story