Abstract
An infant arriving early disrupts the birth imaginary of whanau (family collectives) and situates them in unfamiliar health environments that may not be culturally safe. Regaining a sense of familiarity enables whanau to cope with their unexpected preterm trajectory. He Tamariki Kokoti Tau: Babies Born Prematurely was the first Kaupapa Maori prospective qualitative longitudinal study to explore these trajectories, walking alongside whanau from birth to first birthday. This interpretative phenomenological analysis explores the final 'first birthday' interviews with 16 whanau. Concerns that had been raw in early days of neonatal intensive care carried over - frustrating whanau yet strengthening their resolve to support each other. Whanau described how they enacted resilience together, with their whanau collective including health practitioner champions who became 'like whanau' by virtue of their culturally responsive care. While pepi (infants) continued to experience health issues, whanau felt hopeful for the year ahead. They expressed love, joy, and pride for their pepi as the centre of their whanau. Whanau are experts of their pepi, and healthcare champions who recognise this and promote whanau tino-rangatiratanga (autonomy) make a world of difference. Health services can learn from these whanau, about how to better support preterm care pathways for Maori.