Funding boost for NZ childhood study
The Government has announced almost $2 million for the Growing Up In New Zealand study, letting researchers interview more families and collect better data.
Yesterday, Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said the country’s largest longitudinal study would receive more than $1.9m.
Growing Up In New Zealand is a study of child development and what it’s like to grow up in 21stcentury New Zealand.
A lack of funding had seen the sample size drop from about 6800 families, to 2000 families.
The funding boost meant the 6800 families who had been part of the study since it began could now be invited to participate in the current round of data collection, Sepuloni said.
One of the study’s unique characteristics was its diversity, and restoring the original sample size would allow for more detailed analysis of different ethnic groups, such as Ma¯ori and Pacific peoples, she said.
A third of the cohort children were born to at least one parent who did not grow up in New Zealand, and where at least one parent was multilingual.
‘‘Our decision to restore funding also comes at a critical point in the project, where for the first time the study is hearing from the children themselves.
‘‘This Government wants New Zealand to be the best place in the world to be a child. Hearing the voice of children will be a powerful contribution to Government policy-makers’ and service providers’ understanding of how to best meet the needs of diverse New Zealand families and children.’’
The study’s child participants were now aged 8 and interviewers were in the field for the eight-year data-collection wave. About 2000 child interviews had been completed and, with the new funding, interviews now would continue throughout 2018.
Findings from the Growing Up In New Zealand study, and further research using anonymised data from the study, would help inform which services could give Kiwi children the best start in life, Sepuloni said.