Available Data

Growing Up in New Zealand is this country’s largest longitudinal study of child development.

We visit our 6,000 participants and their families every three or four years and plan to do so until the study children are at least 21-years of age.

We gather information across six inter-connected domains:

  • Health and wellbeing
  • Psychosocial and cognitive development
  • Education
  • Family/whānau
  • Culture and identity
  • Societal context and neighbourhood environment

We have collected information from the cohort families – mothers, fathers and children at the numerous milestones.

In the table below you will find details of the following:

  • Our data collection waves (DCW)
  • The methodology used at each DCW
  • The questionnaires used at each DCW
  • The Data Dictionaries for each DCW
  • Data Release User Guides.

You can also find all Data Dictionaries in one searchable file here.

You might also like to view the research projects currently underway or completed using Growing Up in New Zealand data and the completed study reports here. You can find out more about accessing Growing Up in New Zealand data here.

Data Collection Wave (DCW)
Methodology
DCW questionnaires
Data Dictionaries
User Guides
Covid-19 Health, Wellbeing and Education data sets
  • 11/12 year online questionnaire with child
Eight-year data sets (DCW8)
  • 8 year face-to-face interview with the child
  • 8 year face-to-face interview with the mother
  • 8 year direct observations of the child
  • 8 year developmental and anthropometric assessments of the child
Transition to school data sets (DCW6)
  • 72-month online questionnaire
Two-year data sets (DCW2)
  • 2-year face-to-face interview with child’s mother
  • 45-month phone call
  • 2-year direct observations of child
  • 2-year developmental and anthropometric assessments of the child
  • 54-month developmental and anthropometric assessments of the child
Perinatal
  • Derived after linkage to perinatal health records
Child aged 6 weeks
  • Phone call to collect age-appropriate developmental information