This investigation utilised a Kaupapa Māori research approach, an approach that seeks to work from a Māori foundation to discover positive outcomes for the collectives of whānau, hapū and iwi (family, sub-tribal and tribal groupings) and for Māori more generally. The study was conducted in a deprived urban neighbourhood in New Zealand and explored what barriers, facilitators, attitudes and beliefs influence the way Māori and Samoan grandparents feed their grandchildren. Semi-structured interviews were held with 7 grandparents (5 Māori, 2 Samoan) living in an Auckland suburb that had a high level of socioeconomic deprivation and ethnic diversity. Each participant had provided ≥5 meals per week over the previous 3 months to grandchildren aged under 2 years. Four key themes were identified: (i) grandparents’ understanding of optimal feeding practices; (ii) economic and material factors; (iii) previous experiences and customary norms; and (iv) social support and societal pressure. Grandparents’ complementary feeding practices in caring for infant grandchildren were influenced by upstream structural elements, including government policies related to welfare and pensions, employment, income and cultural knowledge.
