WHAKAMOEARIKI

Improving sleep and wellbeing in pēpi and whānau

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The WHAKAMOEARIKI Study

Whakamoeariki is a Māori-led, kaupapa Māori-aligned randomised study centred on Māori women and their whānau. The study provides intervention resources (audio, video, and written content) to pregnant women and caregivers of infants, with a focus on cultural safety, accessibility, and equity. Eligible participants include those pregnant (≥22 weeks) or caring for an infant aged 0–11 months and living in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Primary Outcome:
To improve infant sleep and whānau wellbeing through a kaupapa Māori-aligned intervention delivered via a mobile-first web platform.

Background

  • Kaupapa Māori-informed intervention designed and led with cultural safety and community expectations at the forefront.

  • Focuses on improving infant sleep and whānau wellbeing — addressing sleep health across different populations and life stages compared to REST's adolescent focus.

  • Accessibility and data equity are core design principles; downloadable content is required so participants in areas with limited bandwidth can access resources offline.

  • The trial is promoted through university and Māori Health networks and delivered on a shared integrated database platform alongside the REST trial.

Study design

  • Simple RCT (intervention vs control) with a 2:1 allocation ratio (intervention:control).

  • Planned sample size of ~300 participants, after allowing for clustering/contamination and drop-out.

  • Intervention participants receive immediate access to ~30 resources (audio, video, written; ~5–7 GB); control participants receive access only after completing their 6-month questionnaire.

  • Questionnaire timepoints: Screening → Baseline → 6 weeks (intervention group only, resources feedback) → 6 months.

  • Study duration: 6 months per participant.

  • Randomisation stratified by pregnancy status (pregnant vs not pregnant), using variable block randomisation.

Key connections

  • University of Otago. Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre, Dunedin School of Medicine

  • Māori Health Networks (recruitment and promotion)

Spiral project team

Principal investigators

  • Professor Rachael Taylor — Director, Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre; Karitane Chair in Early Childhood Obesity; Deputy Dean, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago. Primary Investigator and primary contact.

“It is an incredibly agile environment. Whatever comes my way - I jump on it and deal with it”

Spiral’s contribution

Our Spiral Product Owner for the WHAKAMOEARIKI study is Amanda Daley

As a Product Owner at Spiral, Amanda oversees software development used in clinical trials. She thrives on solving complex problems and brings a logical mindset to building smarter, streamlined digital platforms.

Meet Amanda