Research and policy
Up-to-date research and policy thinking can help your social service reach the right people and in the right way. New research helps put your work in the context of what others are doing. Sometimes you need to hear what policy experts have to say, and other times you need raw data or some form of evidence. In this section you can find links to both.
On this Page:
Databases
The Clearing House
Described as a place to find good community research and researchers. Provides research and other resources for the tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector, including a list of researchers.
Kiwi Research information Service
A gateway to the open-access research documents from universities, polytechnics and other research institutions throughout New Zealand.
New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse - research and publications section
Research, information and resources on various aspects of family violence. An online library provides an annotated bibliography of research, evaluation, policy and practice items.
Statistics NZ - information about people in New Zealand
Details about the population (eg births, deaths, age, education, ethnicity, life expectancy), the communities we live in (eg families and households, housing, work and income), and social themes (eg crime, the road toll, poverty).
NZ research centres, commissions and associations
Australia New Zealand Third Sector Research (ANZTSR)
This network pursues or encourages research into the not-for-profit, community or voluntary organisations and the activities of volunteering and philanthropy in Australia and New Zealand. ANZTSR produce a journal and run biennial conferences.
The Centre for Child and Family Policy Research Te Ara Tupuranga, University of Auckland
The Centre is comprised multi-disciplinary groups research national policy issues concerning children and families.
The Centre for Social Research and Evaluation (CSRE) Te Pokapū Rangahau Arotake Hapori, Ministry of Social Development
CSRE publishes reports on a range of topics including social research, living standards, family programmes and benefit evaluations.
The Family Centre - Social Policy Research Unit
This independent community agency carries out social and economic policy research and evaluation. Equitable cultural and gender partnerships are promoted.
Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families Te Putahi Rangahau Whānau, Victoria University of Wellington
An independent centre providing research and information on families and whānau.
Kōmihana ā Whānau Families Commission
The Families Commission conducts research on a wide range of topics related to families. It also funds Blue Skies and Innovative practice reports.
Nga Pae o te Maramatanga
The work of Nga Pae o te Maramatanga, also known as the National Institute of Research Excellence for Māori Development and Advancement, supports research on whānau and community.
Te Putahi-a Toi, School of Māori Studies, Massey University
Te Putahi-a Toi is responsible for a longitudinal study of Māori households that began in 1992. Te Hoe Nuku Roa is a 25-year study that involves more than 650 families.
SPEaR (Social Policy Evaluation and Research)
A portal highlighting news, upcoming events, funding opportunities and jobs for people working or interested in New Zealand social policy research and evaluation.
Journals and publications
AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples
An online publication dedicated to the analysis and dissemination of native indigenous knowledge that uniquely belongs to cultural, traditional, tribal and aboriginal peoples as well as first-nations, from around the world. Launched in 2005 by Nga Pae o Te Maramatanga.
Journal of the Sociological Association of Aotearoa/New Zealand
An academic journal concerned with the clarification and development of theoretically informed research in sociology and associated disciplines predominantly related to New Zealand.
Social Policy Journal of New Zealand Te Puna Whakaaro
Articles and papers on families, children and communities feature in the Social Policy Journal. Produced by Ministry of Social Development, the first issue was published in 1993.
Social Work Now
The professional practice journal of Child, Youth and Family. Published three times a year, Social Work Now focuses on social work practice and theory as they relate to children, young people, families and whānau.
Kotuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online
A free online journal launched in 2006 for social scientists in tertiary and research institutions and other organisations. Some papers on families and communities are included.
Information alerts
Every month we publish annotated references about new research and relevant resources for people working with families, children and young people. The papers, articles and publications listed are freely available on the internet.
Overseas centres and institutes
Australian Domestic & Family Violence Clearinghouse
A national organisation, providing high quality information about domestic and family violence issues and practice.
Australian Policy Online
Research on economic, cultural and political topics. Maintained by the Institute for Social Research in the Faculty of Life and Social Sciences at Swinburne University of Technology.
Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse
An information and advisory unit focused on the enhancement of family relationships across the lifespan.
Australian Institute of Family Studies
A centre focusing on research and information on family wellbeing.
Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth
A national organisation with more than 850 members (including individuals and organisations). Set up to encourage collaboration between researchers, policymakers and practitioners from a broad range of disciplines.
Centre for Child and Family Research, Loughborough University, UK
Research that informs, influences and supports policy and practice for children, young people, adults, families and communities.
Childwatch International Research Network
A global network of institutions that collaborate in child research for the purpose of promoting child rights and improving children's wellbeing.
Clearinghouse in International Developments in Child, Youth, and Family Policy Run by Colombia University (USA)
This web-based centre provides cross-national, comparative information about the policies, programmes, benefits and services available in 23 advanced industrialised countries addressing the needs of families and children.
Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia
The clearinghouse provides information and resources to assist those working in the field of early childhood and community development.
Family and Parenting Institute, UK
An institute promoting ideas to improve the services families use and the environment in which children grow up.
Fiscal Policy Studies Institute, USA
The Institute assists communities, cities, countries, states and nations working to measurably improve the wellbeing of their citizens.
Intute - Social Welfare search
The Social Welfare section provides guidance and access to high quality resources on the internet. Each resource has been evaluated and categorised by subject specialists based at UK universities.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
A UK social policy research and development charity focused on providing evidence and to help overcome the causes of poverty, disadvantage and social evil.
Social Policy Research Centre, Australia
A research centre conducting research and fostering discussion on all aspects of social policy in Australia, including families, children and communities.
Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement, Canada
An organisation that develops and supports collaborative strategies that engage citizens and institutions to solve major community challenges, and to learn from and share these experiences.
