Keeping School Grounds Open After-Hours: Lessons from Schools in Tāmaki Makaurau

SHORE & Whariki researchers Dr Simon Opit and Dr Linda Madden have examined the approaches schools take to maintaining after-hours community access to school grounds. Open school grounds are increasingly uncommon in Tāmaki Makaurau, particularly in lower-socioeconomic areas, where the majority of schools now restrict after-hours access. Drawing on interviews with school principals and Board of Trustees representatives, the research highlights the value of open school grounds as safe, familiar spaces that support physical activity, foster pride and informal care for school environments, and strengthen a sense of belonging for tamariki and whānau. Schools also shared practical, low-cost strategies for managing access and risk, including staged or partial openings, targeted gate and carpark management, partnerships for supervised use, and clear communication. The report concludes that keeping school grounds open works best when approached gradually rather than as an all-or-nothing decision.

Read the full report and view the two-page infographic here:

https://shoreandwhariki.ac.nz/school-grounds-report

This research received funding from the Massey University Research Fund.

SHORE Whariki
PhD Scholarship Opportunity | Cannabis Policy & Public Health

We are offering a fully funded PhD scholarship as part of a New Zealand Royal Society Te Apārangi Rutherford Discovery Fellowship–funded research programme examining cannabis legalisation through the lens of commercial determinants of health. The research programme investigates how the new legal cannabis industry shape information environment, lobby and influence regulatory processes, and promote industry-friendly narratives in digital spaces.

See full scholarship details here. To apply or for more information, contact: Associate Professor Marta Rychert – m.rychert@massey.ac.nz

SHORE Whariki
Join our online study of digital marketing

The SHORE & Whariki Research Centre has begun a new collaboration with the University of Queensland and the Australian Ad Observatory, investigating the digital advertising people receive when using social media. The first phase is under way in Aotearoa New Zealand and we are working with collaborators in Viet Nam, Philippines, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa to collect data in these countries.

We are inviting people to donate their digital ads to the study. We are seeking 18 to 55 year-olds who regularly use social media on an Android phone. The study uses an innovative and largely automated online tool, so the main task is simply to use social media as usual for a two-week period.

If you would like to take part in the study in Aotearoa New Zealand, apply here: digitalmarketing.shore.ac.nz

International Collaborators and Project Information

Vietnam, Thuongmai University (TMU)

Tên dự án: Đo lường mức độ tiếp xúc với quảng cáo kỹ thuật số trên mạng xã hội

Dự án này là hoạt động hợp tác nghiên cứu khoa học giữa Trường Đại học Thương mại (Việt Nam) và Trường Đại học Massey (New Zealand).

Về Trường Đại học Thương mại (Thuongmai University, TMU):
Trường Đại học Thương mại (https://tmu.edu.vn) là trường đại học công lập uy tín tại Việt Nam trong lĩnh vực kinh tế. Với hơn 65 năm hoạt động (thành lập từ năm 1960), Trường Đại học Thương mại hiện có hơn 800 giảng viên và mỗi năm thực hiện đào tạo cho gần 20 nghìn sinh viên ở tất cả các hệ (đại học, sau đại học).

Mục tiêu của dự án là tìm hiểu quảng cáo trên mạng xã hội – cách thức các quảng cáo xuất hiện trên tài khoản của người sử dụng. Kết quả nghiên cứu sẽ phục vụ cho mục đích nghiên cứu khoa học và đóng góp cho cộng đồng trong lĩnh vực chăm sóc sức khoẻ.

Việc người tham gia là hoàn toàn tự nguyện. Thông tin được thu thập chỉ dùng cho nghiên cứu, được bảo mật không sử dụng cho bất kỳ mục đích nào khác.

Thông tin liên hệ:
Người phụ trách tại Việt Nam: Tiến sĩ Nguyễn Thu Hương
Email: huongnt.t@tmu.edu.vn

Cảm ơn bạn đã quan tâm!

This project is a scientific research collaboration between Thuongmai University (Vietnam) and Massey University (New Zealand).

Thuongmai University (https://tmu.edu.vn) is a respected public university in Vietnam in the field of economics. With more than 65 years of operation (established in 1960), Thuongmai University currently has over 800 lecturers and provides education each year to nearly 20,000 students at all levels (undergraduate and postgraduate).

The aim of the project is to understand advertising on social media—specifically how advertisements appear on users’ accounts. The research findings will be used for scientific research purposes and will contribute to the community in the field of health care.

Participation is entirely voluntary. The information collected will be used solely for research purposes, kept confidential, and not used for any other purposes.

Contact information:
Person in charge in Vietnam: Dr. Nguyen Thu Huong
Email: huongnt.t@tmu.edu.vn]

SHORE Whariki
Guiding whānau towards affordable homeownership

This is our first research update from the Affordable Alternative Housing Tenure Pathways project, investigating participant experiences of affordable housing and progressive home ownership programmes such as rent-to-buy, shared equity and community land trusts. It provides a preliminary look at the data from the interviews conducted with Māori whānau and focusses on insights into whanau experiences as part of both formal and informal AAHT pathways. A key takeaway was the transformative power of support and guidance. Participants shared how “having someone in your corner” such as a financial adviser or mentor was a crucial turning point that helped to make “impossible things possible.” when pursuing homeownership. In August, we’ll release our Research Update 2, which will provide broader findings from all participants from collaborating AAHT providers.

Read the full update here.

The research was funded by the BRANZ Research Levy and was conducted by Dr Simon Opit and Karen Witten in collaboration with Dr James Berghan, Els Russell and Ian Mitchell.

Waimahia, a Housing Foundation development that included PHO schemes for Māori and Pacific families.

SHORE Whariki
About 24 years of life lost: people placed in state care died earlier, more violent deaths, study finds

A new study using a large collection of demographic data has revealed the lasting and damaging consequences for children placed in state care between 1950 and 1999 - including huge disparities in life expectancy compared with the general population. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/541049/about-24-years-of-life-lost-people-placed-in-state-care-died-earlier-more-violent-deaths-study-finds

SHORE Whariki
Māori Health Research Emerging Leader Fellowships

24 May 2024

Belinda Borell

Teah Carlson

Whariki researchers Dr Belinda Borell, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi, Whakatōhea, and Dr Teah Carlson, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou, Waikato-Tainui, have each received a four-year fellowship from the Health Research Council. Read more about Belinda and Teah on Massey News and an item on Teah’s project published in the New Zealand Herald.

Lisa Morice
Robin van der Sanden's PhD graduation

May 2024

Congratulations to Robin van der Sanden on graduating with a doctorate in Public Health from Massey University. Robin is pictured here with two of her supervisors, Marta Rychert and Chris Wilkins.

Lisa Morice
New study quantifies the impact of alcohol consumption on people beyond the drinker

26 February 2024

A new study published in Addiction addresses a gap in understanding around the full scope of alcohol-related harm. It estimates the reduction in healthy years of life lived due to alcohol consumed by another was greater than the impact on the drinker themselves in Aotearoa New Zealand and provides further evidence of the disproportionate impact of alcohol products on Māori. See further detail at Massey News where lead author Sally Casswell discusses the findings.

Lisa Morice