Hon Louise Upston
Minister for Social Development and Employment

The Government is investing $16.8 million over the next four years to extend the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) Longitudinal Study.

GUiNZ is New Zealand’s largest longitudinal study of child health and wellbeing and has followed the lives of more than 6000 children born in 2009 and 2010, and their families. The study is led by the University of Auckland.

“The study’s work to date has been valuable for helping design services and policies to improve the lives of New Zealand families, and I want to see this work continue,” Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says.

“Our Government is focused on delivering better public services that support young people into work, reduce long-term benefit dependency, and lift our children out of poverty.

“The age of the young people participating in the GUiNZ study, who are now transitioning into adulthood, means it is uniquely placed to produce robust evidence that will help guide policy in these areas.

“It has been agreed the university will link GUiNZ data with other research databases to maximise the study’s impact. I expect the data they produce will be of great interest to the new Social Investment Agency.

“It’s important that this study remains sustainable long-term, and I’m pleased the University of Auckland has committed to broadening its funding base for GUiNZ so the Government does not remain the sole funder.”

More information on the Growing Up in New Zealand study can be found here

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