Hon Carmel Sepuloni

Minister for Social Development

3 July 2018 PĀNUI PĀPĀHO
MEDIA STATEMENT
$750,000 for children and family research

The Minister for Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni, has announced the successful Children and Families Research Fund proposals and the launch of new funding round

Each year the Government awards $750,000 in research funding to support further analysis of the information gathered by the Growing Up in New Zealandlongitudinal study.

“Growing Up in New Zealand collects information from around 6,800 families to help inform our understanding of what’s happening for children growing up in 21st Century New Zealand,” said Social Development Minister, Carmel Sepuloni.

“Already this year, the Government has restored more than $1.9 million of funding to the Growing Up in New Zealand study so that all study families have the opportunity to participate in the current round of data collection.

“As well as boosting the funding for data collection, we want to encourage deeper investigation of that data and draw on the information being gathered so that government policies can be shaped to better meet the needs of children and families in New Zealand today, and in the future.

“Today we open the third round of funding, and I encourage academics, public and private researchers and non-government organisations to shape up proposals that will help build knowledge to support our diverse society.

Applications for funding must be received by the Ministry of Social Development by Friday 31 August.

“I am also pleased to announce the successful proposals from the second round of funding. These five research projects from academic institutes will provide further evidence to support high-quality policy design and decision-making,” said Carmel Sepuloni.

The research proposals awarded funding this year:

• He Ara ki nga Rautaki e Ora tonu ai te Reo Maori: Pathways to Maori language Retention and Revitalisation. Led by Professor Te Kani Kingi, Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi.

• Strengthening children’s relational competencies: Identifying key factors that impact on emotional and social resilience from pre-birth to 4.5years. Led by Associate Professor Jayne White, University of Waikato.

• Prevalence, persistence and change in pre-schoolers’ self-control: What promotes hinders and protects against low levels of self-control. Led by Associate Professor Susan Morton, University of Auckland.

• Early learning environments in Aotearoa/ New Zealand: Child, parent, home and early childhoods education factors that promote early literacy. Led by Dr Kane Meissel, University of Auckland, and Professor Elaine Reese, University of Otago.

• How does participation in early childhood education affect child health and development? Led by Associate Professor Scott Duncan, Auckland University of Technology.

Background information:

• Growing Up in New Zealand data used in these research projects has been anonymised so that individual participants cannot be identified and all access is protected by a data access protocol.

• Reports of completed research will be made publically available on the Ministry of Social Development’s website so the findings can be used across the social sector.

• Growing Up in New Zealand is the largest longitudinal study of child development in New Zealand. It is led by the University of Auckland. Find out more about the study at www.growingup.co.nz

• More information about the fund is available athttps://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/work-programmes/research/children-and-families-research-fund.html

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