Growing Up in New Zealand

Every child’s story is made up of many interwoven threads.
Growing Up in New Zealand collects information across six domains of children’s lives: family and whānau, health and wellbeing, education, societal context, psychosocial and cognitive development, and culture and identity.
Woven through these are four cross-cutting population themes, Māori, Pacific, Asian and European, helping ensure the study reflects the diverse experiences of tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Inspired by the weaving of a kete, our study framework recognises that no part of a young person’s life exists in isolation. Domain and theme experts work alongside one another so the evidence we gather reflects the complexity of children’s real lives.

At every data collection, participants add new threads to this picture, helping build a richer understanding of childhood and what supports young people to thrive.

As Dr Claire Achmad prepares to finish her term as Mana Mokopuna Children’s Commissioner, we offer our heartfelt thanks for her exceptional service to the children and young people of Aotearoa New Zealand.
 
Yesterday, our Research Director, Professor Sarah-Jane Paine, and Cohort Relationship Manager, Karleen Edmonds, were privileged to join others in celebrating Claire and the significant contribution she has made through her advocacy, leadership and tireless championing of the rights, interests and wellbeing of all young people.
 
Claire’s commitment to listening to young people and using evidence to inform better decision-making has seen her draw on findings from Growing Up in New Zealand throughout her time as Children’s Commissioner.
 
Claire, thank you for your warmth, your connection with our study families and your unwavering belief in the power of young people’s voices to create meaningful, system-level change. 💙🙏✨

Over the past few weeks, our research team has brought together 18 policy and agency partners for a series of forums to help shape our Now We Are 17 reporting, due for release next year.

The discussions explored six key topics: justice, mental health and wellbeing, digital behaviours, culture and identity, education, and housing, helping ensure our research is robust, relevant, and useful for policy, practice, and communities.

These forums are one part of the rigorous process behind the study, reflecting the collaboration and careful planning that goes into developing research that can inform policy, practice, and communities.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed, and to our Research Fellows Emma Brown, Jess Parr, Rebecca Mackenzie (pictured left to right), Ben Fletcher, and Denise Neumann for leading this work.