A longitudinal study of kiwi children from before birth into adulthood.

Welcome to Growing Up in New Zealand

Growing Up in New Zealand is a longitudinal study that provides an up-to-date, population relevant picture of what it is like to be a child growing up in New Zealand in the 21st century. Approximately 7,000 children and their families are taking part in a study that aims to provide a complete picture of the pathways that lead to successful and equitable child development, therefore improving outcomes for all children - now and into the future.

Our First Report

Our first report: Before we are born, was released 25 November, 2010. The revealing first findings come from interviews with both parents undertaken before the babies were born.

Of greatest salience from these first findings is the increasing diversity of our families, and their children, who will become our adult New Zealanders in less than two decades. Despite the diversity of the parents of the Growing Up in New Zealand children, most parents share common aspirations for their children to grow up happy, healthy and well-educated.

Study Progress

The 2-year data collection wave is now underway after significant planning and consultation with policy makers. This data collection wave will continue until June 2012 and is the first time our interviewers are interacting directly with the children in the study.

Further analysis of the data in the antenatal report is progressing and we anticipate a number of academic papers being published over the course of the year. Another significant update is that researchers may apply to work with the Growing Up in New Zealand antenatal data set from early 2012. More details about this process are available on this website.