Access to Growing Up in New Zealand data is governed by a Data Access Protocol to ensure that only qualified researchers access the information and to safeguard the privacy of study participants and their families.  

Everyone who wants to use Growing Up in New Zealand data needs to make a formal Data Access Application. The process is outlined below.

1. Check that your research proposal meets our criteria for use

View key resources including:

• Data Access Protocol
• Data access workshops
• Data User Guides, Data Dictionaries, and Questionnaires

Please note that the Principal Investigator (PI) needs to be based at and affiliated with a research institution that is located in Aotearoa New Zealand as a prerequisite to ensure Kaitiakitanga is upheld when using GUiNZ data.

2. Submit a Data Access Application

If you have any queries about the form or what is required, you can contact our Data Access Co-ordinator.

If you’re an independent researcher, you can download a data application form here.

Once you have completed the Data Access Application form, sign it and send it to our Data Access Co-ordinator.

You will need to outline your research proposal and include:

• Project start and end date
• A brief summary of your research proposal
• Background context for your research
• Research aims and objectives
• Research methodology
• Details of the data sets and data variables you require
• Justification for your data request
• An outline of your commitment to Growing Up in New Zealand’s Kaitiaki principle
• Details of outputs from your research
• Details of all those who require data access

3. Data Access Review

The Data Access Coordinator will come back to you within 10 working days of receiving your application and let you know if anything needs to be revised or amended.

This initial review is to determine whether:

• The Growing Up in New Zealand data sets can answer your research question
• Your research proposal reflects Growing Up in New Zealand principles, including the ownership, Kaitiaki, privacy and protection of value principles.

4. The Data Access Committee reviews the application.

The Data Access Committee is made up of representatives from Growing Up in New Zealand; the Growing Up in New Zealand Kaitiaki Group; the University of Auckland; Ministry for Social Development; Ministry of Health; Statistics NZ; and Ministry of Education.

The Committee reviews data access applications and aims to facilitate appropriate access to data for approved researchers in accordance with the Data Access Protocol.

The committee will provide you with a written decision outlining whether your application has been accepted or declined.  If your application is declined, the committee will provide you with reasons for declining your application.

You can read the Data Access Committee’s Terms of Reference here.

5. Sign the Data Access Agreement

Once your application has been approved, you will need to sign a Data Access Agreement confirming your commitment to follow the Data Access Protocol. The terms and conditions of the agreement are outlined here.

The agreement needs to be signed by the Principal Investigator on behalf of every person in your team who may be accessing Growing Up in New Zealand data or working on analysis using Growing Up in New Zealand data.

For a copy of the Data Access Agreement get in touch with the Data Access Co-ordinator.

6. Remote access to Data Sets

Once you have signed your agreement, you will be set up with access to the data sets via the Secure Data Access Platform. The platform is highly secure and can be used from any computer with internet access.  

You will be required to create a University of Auckland log-in, if you don’t already have one. You can do this here.

You will be able to access Growing Up in New Zealand data sets for the length of your project duration. If you need to extend the duration of your project, you’ll need to fill in a data access amendment form.

7. Data Output release

Once you have finished your analyses and would like to release your data, the output checking process can take up to 4 working days. Please ensure that you submit your request to dataaccess@growingup.co.nz in time to allow for output checking.

8. Amend your Data Access Application

You will need to complete a Data Access Amendment Form if there are any changes to your project, including:

• The length of time your project takes changes
• The personnel on your project changes

All changes are reviewed by the Data Access Committee.  You can fill in a Data Access Amendment Form here.

9. Publication

Before you can publish your research, you need to inform Growing Up in New Zealand of your intention to publish. You will need to fill in an Application to Publish Form and submit this to the Data Access Coordinator.

The Data Access Committee will monitor compliance with the Data Access Protocol and review the dissemination of all manuscripts, abstracts and other outputs in the public domain which relate to your Data Access Application. The Committee will inform you within 10 days of a meeting to review of your manuscript whether it has been approved for publication. The Data Access Coordinator will provide you with any feedback or detail of changes needed.

Once your publication has been approved, it can be submitted for publication.

Growing Up in New Zealand’s communication manager may be in touch with you at this time to discuss potential media opportunities.

Your publication will be linked on the Growing Up in New Zealand website once it’s been published. You can review previous publications using Growing Up in New Zealand data here.

‍