The latest report from the Growing Up in New Zealand study by Superu and the University of Auckland reveals:
- Our families are ethnically diverse: a third of children are born to at least one parent who did not grow up in New Zealand and where at least one parent is multilingual.
- Almost half of all families are living in rental accommodation when their child is born, and many families move frequently.
- Although current guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding for six months, most newborns are exclusively breastfed for only four months.
- Nearly one in three newborns lives in a house with a smoker.
- The number of children living with a single parent increases as the children grow older, with a greater proportion of Māori children living in single-parent households compared with other ethnic groups.
- By age two, 92 percent of children are fully immunised.
- By age four, 97 percent of children spend time away from their parent, such as in early childhood education or organised home-based care. Most mothers feel that their child has the pre-reading or writing skills to start school.
- Fourteen percent of the children were classified as overweight or obese.
The report is available here online here