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A selection of recent research projects undertaken by the Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit are listed below. All have demonstrated the breadth of FCSPRU experience, have involved a range of research and evaluation methodologies and taken place in many different settings and communities.
New Zealand Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NZLSA) FRST (2009-2012)
This programme of research is funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology and is led jointly with researchers from the School of Psychology, Massey University in association with the New Zealand Institute for Research on Ageing (NZiRA). The specific objective of the research is to establish a nationally representative longitudinal study. The aims of the longitudinal study are to test hypotheses about the factors that contribute to the wellbeing and quality of life of older people in four key areas: Economic participation; Social and civic participation; Intergenerational transfers; and Resilience and Health.
Resilience in Vulnerable Sole Parent Families FRST, CDRP and MSD (2010 – 2011)
This research programme is funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology through the Cross Departmental Research Pool and is administered and overseen by the Ministry of Social Development. Eight Government Departments (Education, Pacific Island Affairs, Health, Justice, Te Puni Kokiri, Inland Revenue, Statistics New Zealand and Women’s Affairs), the Families Commission and the Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit have collaborated together. The research seeks to identify factors that enhance or impeded successful social and economic outcomes for sole parents through eight separate work streams.
The Socio-economic Factors Associated with Food Security and Physical Activity for Māori and Pacific People HRC and Ministry of Health (2008-2009)
This project is funded by the Health Research Council and the Ministry of Health. The focus of the study is to investigate the socio-cultural factors associated with food security and physical activity for Māori and Pacific people. It takes as a central thesis the view that at least some of the differences in the distribution of nutritional status and physical activity have socio-cultural bases that are either independent of socioeconomic factors or that condition culturally specific responses to socioeconomic factors.
Building Research Capacity in the Social Sciences (BRCSS) TEC (2004
– 2009)
The BRCSS programme is funded by the Tertiary
Education Commission. It involves a research and teaching partnership between
senior New Zealand research leaders from seven universities and the Family
Centre Social Policy Research Unit. Its task is to build New Zealand social
science research capacity, particularly with doctoral and post-doctoral students,
through mentoring, special enhancement programmes and involvement in well
established research programmes.
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Enhancing Wellbeing in an Ageing Society FRST (2004 – 2009)
This programme of research is funded by the Foundation for Research, Science
and Technology and is carried out jointly in an equal partnership with the Population
Studies Centre at Waikato University. It involves a major investigation into
the changing demographics of ageing in New Zealand. The research will focus
on the aspirations, hopes and experiences of older people 65+ and the generation
coming through 40 – 64. It will also explore intergenerational transfers,
work, retirement, abuse, power and agency through a large scale survey, substantial
qualitative research and a number of New Zealand case studies.
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Briefing Document For Incoming Families Commissioners MSD (2004)
This project involved an analysis of a broad road range of literature pertaining
to families to provide an informative briefing document for the incoming Family
Commissioners in the newly established Families Commission. The Ministry of
Social Development contracted a number of researchers to write key sections
and chapters.
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Social Investment Research Programme MSD (2003 – 2007)
This is a joint research programme between the Ministry of Social Development
and non-Government researchers. It is an innovative research programme that
has been established to develop measures of wellbeing to provide an improved
evidential base for social investments.
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Development of a long-term evaluation plan for Suicide Prevention Information
New Zealand (SPINZ) MYD (2003 – 2004)
This contract from the Ministry of Youth Development consisted of an investigation
into the evaluation literature concerning suicide prevention information services,
interviews with SPINZ staff and stakeholders and the development of a five year
evaluation plan for the service.
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Investigating Poverty in New Zealand FRST (2002 – 2007)
This programme of research is funded by the Foundation for Research, Science
and Technology. Five separate studies will be undertaken. These will be: household
studies of income, resources and adequacy; family incomes distribution and poverty;
an examination of the consumption, expenditure and budgeting practices of low
income households; a continuation of the feminisation of poverty work focusing
on the choices of low income single women and the constraints upon them; and
an investigation of the choices of low income single men and the constraints
upon their labour market participation, social networks and social capital.
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The Social Dynamics Underlying Impacts of Housing Crowding and Costs
Upon Health. HRC (2002 - 2004)
This research is funded by the Health Research Council. It will identify and
examine the social processes underlying the impacts of accommodation crowding
and costs upon the health of people living in areas of high deprivation as defined
by the New Zealand Index of Deprivation. 400 households will be surveyed, and
in-depth interviews conducted with 40 householders.
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Indicators of Deprivation. HRC (2000 - 2004)
This research was funded by the Health Research Council. It is a collaborative
project with the Wellington
School of Medicine of the University of Otago. It involves the research
necessary to develop an individual non-occupational classification index of
deprivation. The work builds on the current NZDep Small Area Index of Deprivation
developed at the Wellington School of Medicine.
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Case Studies of the Use of Section 16 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988
with Pacific Island Offenders for the Ministry of Justice (1999)
This project involves an investigation into Pacific Island offenders’
use of a support person to speak on their behalf, particularly in relation to
their cultural or ethnic background, in court cases under Section 16 of the
Act. The research is qualitative, largely involving investigative interviewing.
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The Study of Relationship Between People’s Health and their
Socio-economic Environments HRC (1999 - 2002)
This research is funded by the Health Research Council. It involves a comparison
of health status, access to health services and stress levels of a low income
household primary sample with a control sample of the rest of the population.
The project has a longitudinal element over three years as participants respond
to an in-depth
questionnaire each year over the period.
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A Network Analysis of Pathways to Accessing Mental Health Services
and their Patterns of Use
(2000 - 2002)
Research is funded by the Health Research Council. A social network analysis
method has been employed to identify the individual patterns of service utilisation
of a sample of service users; to investigate the ways in which each arrived
at his or her particular pattern of use; to investigate the ways in which
each user has brought the services he or she uses into relationship with each
other; and to identify the strengths and weaknesses within the existing “system”
of mental health support and service providers.
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Review of Lottery Grants Responsiveness to Pacific Island Cultural
Groups for the Ministry of Internal Affairs (1999)
This project consists of a review and cultural audit of the Lottery Grants Board
from the perspective of responsiveness to Pacific people. It entailed a financial
analysis, focus group work with Pacific applicant groups and in-depth interviews
with staff.
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Family Start Training Programme for the Ministries of Education, Health
and Social Welfare (1998 - 2003)
This is a nation-wide joint training project carried out by the Family Centre
and the Chicago, USA based Kaleidoscope Inc. It involves creating and running
the training programme for the new joint Ministry Family Start project service
providers. The project has been designed as an innovative early intervention
approach to families at risk around the time of child birth.
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The Experiences and Reflections of Young New Zealanders who Attempted
Suicide Lottery Health Research (1998 - 2001)
This study involves in-depth interviews with equal numbers of Maori, Pacific
Island and Pakeha young people who made a serious attempt to kill themselves.
An equal number of young men and young women are selected for each cultural
group. It seeks their understanding of their own experience(s), the events at
that time and what might have helped them. Funding from charitable organisations
has also contributed to this project.
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Rural Household Dynamics and Social Sustainability for the Ministry
of Agriculture (1998)
This research has been commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture (MAF). It
involved an analysis of data gathered in our research on Urban to Rural Migration,
as outlined above. In particular, this work is focused on the household and
social aspects of the rural population being studied - that is recent migrants
from urban centres to rural areas and smaller towns.
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Development and Maintaining of a Social Monitoring System for Hutt
City Council (1998 - 2003)
The Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit was contracted by the Hutt City
Council to develop a Social Monitoring System. This involved the use of currently
available data sets to provide some insights as to the quality of life of the
residents of Hutt City. The final output of the project was an on-line system
for Hutt City Council, and can be updated as new information arrives. The FCSPRU
has been contracted to regularly update the database.
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National Cultural Awareness Training Course for Senior Executives in
the Accident Rehabilitation and Compensation Insurance Corporation (ACC) (1998
- 2000)
This project involved the development of a comprehensive training course for
senior management staff employed by ACC. The focus has been on developing cultural
awareness as a critical part of the strategy to address identified deficits
in engaging Maori and Pacific Island clients appropriately.
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National Cultural Awareness Training Course for the Sensitive Claims
Section of the Accident Rehabilitation and Compensation Insurance Corporation
(ACC) (1998)
This project involved the development of a comprehensive training course for
the full range of staff employed in the Sensitive Claims Units of ACC nation-wide.
The focus has been on developing cultural awareness as a critical part of the
strategy to address identified deficits in engaging Maori and Pacific Island
clients appropriately.
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Maori and Incomes Project for The Ministry of Maori Development, Te
Puni Kokiri (1998)
This project involved a community based focus group study of rural and urban
Maori householders. The investigation sought information on household income
and expenditure patterns for low income Maori whanau.
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A Qualitative Investigation of Samoan Perspectives on Mental Health
and Culturally Appropriate Services HRC (1997 - 2001)
This project is funded by the Health Research Council (HRC). It involves use
of focus groups with Samoan Elders and workers in the mental health field, to
investigate the opinions and experiences of Samoan people, with regard to Samoan
concepts of mental health and the provision of culturally based services.
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The 1997 Maori Option: An Assessment of Key Question and Answer Material
for The Ministry Of Maori Development, Te Puni Kokiri (1997)
This project involved focus groups with Maori in the Wellington region, in
order to assess the usefulness and understandability of information about
the 1997 Maori Roll option.
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Maori Responses to Changes in State Housing: Report prepared for The
Ministry of Maori Development, Te Puni Kokiri Social Analysis Portfolio
(1996)
This project involved a literature review, a survey of 100 Maori households,
and eight focus groups with Maori, to investigate participants perceptions
and experiences of the reforms in the state housing sector.
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The Impact of Urban to Rural Migration on Low Income Households FRST
(1994 - 2002)
This project is also funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology
(FRST). It involves a large scale face to face survey investigation of households
that have moved to rural areas and small towns from urban areas. Four generic
areas have been studied involving migration out of Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch
and Palmerston North. The project is now addressing Maori migration back to
tribal areas. The survey work is also complemented with focus group research
and the analysis of data from Statistics New Zealand Census and Supermap database.
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Household Studies of Income, Resources and Adequacy FRST (1993 - 2002)
This project is funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology
(FRST). It is a collaborative project that we at the Family Centre Social
Policy Research Unit carry out with Business Economic Research Ltd (BERL)
and the Public Policy Group at Victoria University. It is known as the New
Zealand Poverty Measurement Project. A major aspect involves a focus group
methodology to investigate estimations of minimum adequate income by low
income households, including Maori, Pacific Island, Pakeha, Sole parents,
Employed, Unemployed, Rural and Urban participants. The quantitative work
involves identifying the incidence, severity and make up of poverty in New
Zealand. A second aspect involves a quantitative and qualitative analysis
of Women and Poverty and a third aspect involves the investigation of the
consumer behaviour and monetary constraints in New Zealand low income households.
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A review of SPRU research undertaken for FRST was carried out by a review panel comprising George Salmond (Professor and Director, Health Services Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington), Jenny Neale (Director of the MA course in Applied Social Science Research, Victoria University of Wellington) and Anne Smith (Professor and Director Children’s Issues Centre, University of Otago). Comments by the panel were very favourable and included statements that the Unit has “…good research capabilities, enhanced by its strong community and cultural links, its grounding in issues of great concern and the development of social policy in New Zealand and its good record of accomplishing goals on target.”, and that the Unit “…has demonstrated a capacity to organise and manage inter-disciplinary research and to deliver research outputs on specification, on budget, and on time.” Return to top of page
Author(s): Member(s) of FC Staff; Creation Date: 31st March 2003; Last Changed: February 16 2019;
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