New Zealand is fortunate to have a deluge of data being collected that will examine the development of children from birth to adulthood, “to understand ‘what works’ for our children and families and to consider pathways of development across multiple domains of influence.”
The research is called Growing up in New Zealand and will look at the various factors that influence a child’s development, as well as the outcomes for those children as they grow.
Seven thousand New Zealanders from Auckland and Waikato will be tracked as they grow from birth to 21 years old.
The first report on the children born between April 2009 and March 2010 is called Before We are Born. It examines the conditions under which children are born, their maternal lifestyles, and what the parents intend for their care and upkeep.
This information joins another comprehensive data set that is already in existence in New Zealand. Called, Christchurch Health and Development Study, and has the potential to be very valuable as it is collected over the next two decades.
