Truby King, then superintendent of Seacliff Asylum, began studying paediatrics and child welfare when his adopted baby daughter Mary was making no progress.

He formed the belief that by providing support services to parents, the society could ensure children were fed on a nutritious diet, reducing child mortality rates.

King subsequently trained Joanna McKinnon in his methods of baby care and she went out into the Seacliff community to support local mothers.

At the same time in 1906, two respected Kāi Tahu and Kāti Huirapa midwives and healers, Mere Harper and Ria Tikini, delivered Thomas Rangiwahia Mutu Ellison.

His older brother had died as a baby, so when Thomas also became ill the midwives brought him to Mere's friend Truby King.

[3] King held the meeting which led to the founding of the society on 14 May 1907, in Dunedin, with the motivation to 'help the mothers and save the babies'.

King also used the extensive networks established by Mere Harper and Ria Tikini, as well as their decades of experience and the traditional knowledge they held, to develop the society.

In these tours he was highly successful in attracting support for the society, partly because he exaggerated the effect on infant mortality rates.

Special training schemes have been initiated for Māori Health Workers to give culturally appropriate guidance where necessary, and Plunket is also seeing an increase in the number of Pacific Island families enrolling.