Updates
The latest from A Better StartGut bugs making obese teenagers healthier
Listen to A Better Start's Director, Professor Wayne Cutfield, talk to Radio New Zealand's Nine To Noon programme about what happens when gut bacteria from healthy teenagers is introduced, in capsule form, to severely overweight teen's digestive systems. Listen...
Contestable Funding Round 2021 FAQ
A Better Start and Cure Kids have joined forces to create a contestable funding round for child health research. Expressions of Interest close on 17 February, 2021. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Does one proposal have to cover all three themes – healthy weight, early...
WATCH: Joint Funding Round – Cure Kids and A Better Start Q&A webinar
A Better Start: E Tipu e Rea and Cure Kids are hosting a free webinar on Tuesday 2 February, 2021 at 12pm, Cure Kids and A Better Start Joint Funding Round – Q&A. Register now In this webinar, A Better Start Director Wayne Cutfield and Cure Kids Director of...
World-first research uses gut bacteria to improve health of obese teenagers
New Zealand research has shown how gut bacteria from healthy, lean people can be used to improve the health of teenagers who are clinically obese. Obese Auckland teenagers who swallowed capsules of the gut bacteria of healthy peers reduced a condition called...
Meet the Researcher – Dr Sarah Maessen
A researcher with A Better Start's Healthy Weight team, Dr Sarah Maessen talks about her current project, surviving lockdown and the best piece of advice she has ever received. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR CURRENT PROJECT? Recently we’ve seen that the number of...
Helping children read and succeed earns top award for A Better Start’s deputy director
Decades of work aimed at improving children’s learning success and wellbeing has earned A Better Start’s deputy director Professor Gail Gillon the University of Canterbury’s highest research honour. Professor Gillon is the winner of the UC 2020 Research Medal,...
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...
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...
Aroha features on new NZ multimedia hub
Aroha features in a new multimedia hub for New Zealand's tech industry, Umbrellar Connect. Digital journalist Cat Mules recently interviewed the Challenge's Dr Sarah Hetrick and Tania Cargo about Aroha - a co-designed evidence-based chatbot designed to help young...
Supporting early literacy success
A new series of stories for young New Zealanders has been released by the University of Canterbury's Child Wellbeing Research Institute. Challenge Deputy Director, Professor Gail Gillon, Director of the University of Canterbury (UC) Child Wellbeing Research...
ABS Challenge Director awarded this year’s Gluckman Medal
Congratulations to A Better Start's Challenge Director, Professor Wayne Cutfield, who has been awarded this year's Gluckman Medal for his outstanding contributions to research. The Gluckman Medal is an extremely prestigious award and is awarded each year by the...
