Welcome to our Women & Whānau area. In addition to introducing you to our Forum for Women & Whānau, here we provide information about clinical trials - what they are and why they are important. We provide participant stories, where you can read what mothers and parents had to say about participating in clinical trials research. We also tell you about ways you can become involved with clinical trials research.
Forum for Women & Whānau

This Forum was established in 2019. It aims to provide an accessible space for women and whānau to interact, comment and engage with clinical trials research and the Network’s activities. It aims to have a wide, diverse and inclusive membership reflective of the backgrounds, experience, ethnicity and geography of New Zealanders. It is open to everyone.
The Forum allows mothers and parents to share stories about clinical trials experience; provides information about the value of participation in clinical trials; information about current clinical trials; results of recent clinical trials; and offers opportunities for everyone to contribute to Network activities such as research prioritisation and trial development workshops.
The Forum operates via a Facebook page - we would love to see you there. We also publish quarterly newsletters that are made available across New Zealand hospitals in waiting rooms and whānau rooms.
What are clinical trials?
Clinical trials are research studies involving people who use healthcare services, which compare a new or different type of treatment, or new method of care, with the best treatment or care currently available. They test whether the new or different treatment is safe, effective and any better than what already exists. No matter how promising a new treatment may appear during tests in a laboratory or in a small study, it must go through clinical trials before its benefits and risks can really be known. Clinical trials that take place in New Zealand for mothers and babies have all been approved on the basis that they are safe. Any care provided in a clinical trial will be at least as good as standard care.
Why are clinical trials important for mothers and babies?
Clinical trials recruiting pregnant women and babies are important as they facilitate continual improvements in the care provided to mothers and babies. Clinical trials provide evidence to inform us of the best care that should be provided. The more clinical trials available for New Zealand mothers and babies, the better and more consistent care that midwives, nurses and doctors can provide to New Zealand mothers and babies.
For participants, clinical trials are beneficial in a number of ways. For example:
- Often, the treatment being tested is not available any other way than as part of a clinical trial. So, clinical trials provide more choice of care.
- Being part of a clinical trial can be highly rewarding and having the support of a clinical trials team who are guiding you and observing your participation can be a great motivation.
- Clinical trials require comprehensive care. Although current care is of a high standard, researchers looking after you in a clinical trial are particularly attentive!
- There is evidence that those who participate in clinical trials have better general outcomes than those who don’t participate.
What clinical trials for pregnant women and babies are available in New Zealand?
There are a number of clinical trials actively recruiting pregnant women and babies across New Zealand. You may want to speak with your healthcare provider to see if they are aware of any trials that may be suitable for you or your baby. Clinical trials promoted and supported by the ON TRACK Network are trials led by clinicians and academic researchers (i.e. non pharmaceutical sponsored) that are recruiting participants across multiple hospitals. If you are interested in finding what clinical trials are supported by the ON TRACK Network take a look at our clinical trials page. Another useful place to look is the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), an online registry of clinical trials being undertaken in New Zealand and Australia. All clinical trials are registered with a registry such as ANZCTR and you can use the search function to find clinical trials using key words. We also feature New Zealand multicentre clinical trials recruiting pregnant women and babies in our regular newsletters.
