Study on Kiwi kids' well-being marks 15-year milestone

In 2009, University of Auckland researchers launched the largest and most diverse longitudinal study of child development in Aotearoa, with the aim of improving outcomes for children and families. Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) follows the lives of more than 6,000 children and their main caregiver from before birth, gathering information across areas including health, education, family function, culture, and identity to document their lived reality at various stages of life.

The study, which recently released findings from its 15-year data wave, was created to fill a crucial gap in New Zealand’s existing research pool, says GUiNZ research director Sarah-Jane Paine. 

“We know in New Zealand that the Dunedin Study has contributed immensely to scientific understanding of child and youth development. It was time for a contemporary study that reflects the demographic realities of New Zealand now, with a particular focus on both ethnic diversity and socio-economic diversity in the population.”

Researchers recruited a diverse group of New Zealanders with strong representation of Māori, Pacific and Asian peoples. Data collection began with expecting parents, allowing the team to analyse the impact of the pregnancy environment on a child’s life.

“How does that influence and shape child wellbeing, and what does that mean for their life course trajectory?” asks Sarah-Jane.

“We collected data from both parents, and later from schoolteachers and the children themselves once they turned eight, then again at 12 and 15 so we have a multi-layered, multi-year source of information about what makes a good life for kids in Aotearoa.”

The study’s findings are released in regular reports and have informed wide-ranging policy areas from home health and safety to healthy eating guidelines. In 2016, the government mandated fire alarm installation in rental properties after GUiNZ data showed that only one in four rentals had working smoke alarms.

Similarly, in 2023 a new policy mandated the fortification of bread-making flour with folic acid as a result of GUiNZ research. Data revealed that nine out of ten pregnant women were taking insufficient amounts of the vitamin, which is important for combatting the risk of birth defects, during pregnancy.

Another key impact of the research has been its influence on increases in paid parental leave, which was extended from 14 to 18 weeks across 2015 and 2016 and is now 26 weeks.

Working with government policymakers is an important focus for GUiNZ, ensuring researchers understand the key priorities for New Zealand and how evidence from the study can support policy that helps young people and their families thrive.

“These priorities inform the questions we ask and the scientific understanding. We recently reported on educational outcomes for 15-year-olds and worked with policymakers to refine our questions to ensure reporting was relevant to work being done in the Ministry of Education,” says Sarah-Jane.

“We have a positive, productive relationship with the people who have the power to make change.”

More broadly, GUiNZ has gathered over 100 million data points which reveal valuable insights about the key challenges facing many young New Zealanders. These include health, with 14 percent of the cohort meeting the criteria for being overweight or obese at the age of four; housing instability, with almost half of all families living in rental accommodation when their child was born; and deprivation, with one in five 12-year-olds experiencing material hardship at some point in their lives.

A positive finding was a steady uptake in the use of Te Reo Māori among young people, with 12 percent of participants able to understand some Te Reo and ten percent able to regularly speak the language by the age of four-and-a half.

The recent 15-year data release highlights the importance of friendships for teenagers, revealing 84 percent have good friends and 38 percent are encouraged by friends to talk about difficulties. Data also found that four in ten young people consistently enjoy school, and the majority plan to pursue further study or training after graduating.

GUiNZ recently celebrated its 15-year milestone with an event that brought the study’s participants together for the first time. The event was held at Eden Park as part of the University’s three-year strategic partnership with the Eden Park Trust.

“This was a chance to bring everyone together as a collective, not for research, but to acknowledge the value participants are contributing to Aotearoa,” says Sarah-Jane.

“We can’t generate the type of impact we hope without the generosity of our participants. They are giving, they are future-focused, they are altruistic.”

The study is also made possible through vital funding. Initial government funding enabled its establishment, and GUiNZ is now further supported by philanthropic donors including the Estate of Joan H Woolford, the Freemasons Lodge Discovery No. 501, Douglas Charitable Trust through the endowed Dean’s Fellowship, and the Estate of Phyllis R Schlinker.

“Philanthropic funding will be a critical part of the future of Growing Up in New Zealand, providing the opportunity to be ambitious in terms of impact and research,” says Sarah-Jane.

“Our ability to innovate will grow with this support.”

The researchers will release findings from the 17-year data collection from May 2027 and hope to follow participants until they turn 21 to assess the impact of childhood experiences as they transition into adulthood.