The research, called “Family resources and how they influence children’s development in Aotearoa New Zealand”, was based on information from over 5,000 children in the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study, whose families have been involved in the study from the antenatal period through to when children were 8-years old.

It is informing the Productivity Commission’s inquiry into economic inclusion and social mobility-- A fair chance for all--which is focused on helping those experiencing persistent disadvantage in Aotearoa.

The research looked at children’s levels of advantage and disadvantage according to factors such as material hardship, income, neighbourhood deprivation and housing security. It showed that:

• Over three-quarters of children were in trajectories of resource experiences that could be classified as being stable in the “always advantaged”, “always average,” or “average to advantaged” groups.
• One in ten children, however, were found to be persistently or mostly disadvantaged.
• The rest of the children had steep changes in access to resources over their early life with twice as many children experiencing downward mobility (into disadvantage), than upward mobility from starting out disadvantaged.
• Inequities between the advantaged and disadvantaged groups appear to be driven particularly by the extremely low resources among children in the most disadvantaged groups.
• Consistent exposure to low levels of resources was associated with lower cognitive development, more behavioural challenges, and poorer health compared to those children who were consistently in environments with more resources.

According to Dr Kate Prickett, a lead researcher for Growing Up in New Zealand and Director of Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families and Children at Victoria University of Wellington, access to resources has important implications for children’s wellbeing and it seems to be much harder for families to claw out of disadvantage than it is to fall into.  

“Access to resources is important in childhood. These resources are important for children’s development, such as their learning, health, and psychological states, such as early signs of anxiety and aggression, so it’s concerning to find a significant proportion of children in Aotearoa New Zealand facing persistent hardship.”

“It’s also concerning to see how much easier it is for families to fall into disadvantage than it is for them to get out. These research findings suggest we need more focused policies that help prevent families falling into disadvantage in the first place,” says Dr Prickett.

Dr Prickett says this research has provided substantial evidence on several aspects of disadvantage,  which can we used to improve policies for children.

“Our research for the Productivity Commission points to several areas where policy can be improved. For example, the inequities between the advantaged and disadvantaged groups appear to be driven particularly by the extremely low resources among children in the most disadvantaged groups, so the most effective policies may be those which concentrate support for those families with less resources across several elements. This would mean government departments and services working collectively on income support, housing, employment and whānau support.”

According to Dr Prickett, the longitudinal data from Growing Up in New Zealand has been invaluable for informing the Productivity Commission’s report, with the strength of the data in being able to provide evidence about how family resources ebb and flow across all children’s early life but with some children persistently experiencing a lack of access to resources across a large portion of their childhood. The longitudinal data also enables us to see how this matters for their development.

“New Zealand needs a longitudinal data collection strategy that invests in existing flagship studies like Growing Up in New Zealand and in future studies.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Julia Crosfield
Media and Communications, Growing Up in New Zealand
Julia.Crosfield@auckland.ac.nz
027 282 4896

Saraid Black
Communications Manager, Growing Up in New Zealand
Saraid.black@auckland.ac.nz
09 923 7390 or 0274 732 211

Note for editors

New research: “A fair chance for all? Family resources across the early life course and children’s development in Aotearoa New Zealand”, by Prickett, K.C, Paine, S-J, Atatoa Carr, P; Morton, S. Published September 2022. See: https://www.productivity.govt.nz/assets/Family-resources-across-the-ear…

This research was prepared for the Productivity Commission to help inform their inquiry.
NZ Productivity Commission Inquiry: “A fair chance for all: Breaking the cycle of persistent disadvantage”. See:  https://www.productivity.govt.nz/inquiries/a-fair-chance-for-all/

The Commission has looked across the whole public management system to understand what is creating the inequities in people's lives in the first place, why certain groups are more vulnerable to persistent disadvantage in New Zealand, and how the public management system contributes to that. The Commission developed this report based on evidence and research they carried out or commissioned.

Inquiry timelines:
-    Preliminary findings (including research) and recommendations of the inquiry released 29 September 2022.
-    Submissions on these findings until mid-November 2022.
-    Final report to government March 2023.