Dame Cindy chose to celebrate International Women's Day by helping to launch an innovative new health initiative in Porirua – a Hapu Māmā Hub for pregnant women and babies, operated in a partnership between Ngāti Toa and the National Centre for Women's Health Research Aotearoa – Te Tātai Hauora o Hine. Programmes of care will be informed by research findings with the goal of improving health outcomes for Māori and Pasifika women and their babies. After being welcomed at a pōwhiri at Takapūwāhia Marae, Dame Cindy visited the Hub for the blessing of the building, Te Puna Wairua, and a tour of its facilities.
