Announcement
A Better Start is pleased to announce a new $4 million joint research funding round with Cure Kids to improve child health. We are seeking proposals for high quality translational research to improve child and youth wellbeing, specifically in the areas of healthy weight, early learning and mental health and resilience. Expressions Of Interest for A Better Start and Cure Kids Contestable Funding Round are now open. The deadline for applications is 17 February 2021 and the successful projects will be announced in July next year.
Our children are the future
Every child should have the best possible start in life. To achieve this A Better Start researchers are creating the tools and methods to predict, prevent and intervene early so children have a healthy weight, are successful learners and teenagers can access the tools they need to look after their mental health.
A Better Start is the National Science Challenge working to help children, teenagers, their whanau and family achieve the best possible start in life. Our job is to find practical, evidence-based solutions that make a measurable difference for tamariki.
We can do that only when we work with communities, draw together indigenous and Western approaches to knowledge and bring the best researchers from different disciplines here and overseas to take a holistic approach rather than address health, wellbeing and learning issues in isolation.
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A Better Start funding for research to address inequities in Māori maternal health services
New kaupapa Māori research funded by A Better Start: E Tipu e Rea National Science Challenge aims to address inequities in maternal health services for Māori by using Māori knowledge and tikanga to empower Māori families. Dr Waikaremoana Waitoki from the University of...
Read our latest newsletter
We've just sent out our latest newsletter, which contains updates about the Challenge team, A Better Start's webinar series, news and recent publications. Read more here.
Novel approach enables improved capabilities for autism research in New Zealand
A Better Start National Science Challenge’s Big Data theme has developed a method for identifying children and young people on the autism spectrum/Takiwātanga using health data within the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). The method enables research to better...
Kia ora Michele Crawshaw – welcome to the team
Kia ora and welcome to Michele Crawshaw. Michele is our new Senior Communications & Marketing Adviser. Michele brings with her a wealth of experience as an award-winning magazine editor and a passionate digital, social media, video and print storyteller. We...
E Tipu e Rea
Grow and Branch Forth
E Tipu e Rea is A Better Start’s Māori name.
In 1949, shortly before his death, Māori leader and scholar Sir Āpirana Turupa Ngata of Ngāti Porou wrote into the autograph book of schoolgirl Rangi Bennett a passage about his vision for Māori youth.
E tipu e rea mō ngā rā o tō ao
Ko tō ringa ki ngā rākau a te Pākehā
Hei ora mō te tinana
Ko tō ngākau ki ngā tāonga a ō tīpuna Māori
Hei tikitiki mō tō māhuna
Ko tō wairua ki tō atua
Nānā nei ngā mea katoa.
Grow and branch forth for the days destined to you
Your hands to the tools of the Pākehā
For the welfare of your body
Your heart to the treasures of your ancestors
adornments for your brow
Your spirit to god
Who made all things.
