Now We Are Eight: A snapshot of life for 6000 Kiwi kids

For the first time, 6000 children taking part in the country's largest longitudinal study have been able to give their own thoughts and insights into their lives. The latest report from the University of Auckland's Growing Up in New Zealand study focuses on life for the children born in 2009 and 2010 at the age of eight. Many of the children reported a firm sense of cultural and gender identity, increasing freedom and high levels of participation in sports and music. The cohort at eight had moved around a lot - three quarters had moved at least once - and almost half had moved two or more times since birth. Growing Up in New Zealand principal investigator, Professor Susan Morton, joins Kathryn to further unpick the results of the Now We Are Eight report.For the first time, 6000 children taking part in the country's largest longitudinal study have been able to give their own thoughts and insights into their lives.  JJ Mariner is one of the participants of the study.The latest report from the University of Auckland's Growing Up in New Zealand study focuses on life for the children, born in 2009 and 2010, at the age of eight.It is the first report to interview children directly so that researchers could gain insights into their view of themselves and the world.Growing Up in New Zealand principal investigator, Professor Susan Morton, told Kathryn Ryan about the purpose of the study."We, along with many policy agencies, wanted to see a study like this in the 21st century so that we could actually start to shape policies that were relevant to the context that these children are growing up in today, and also to the new diversity that is our current population." Listen to the storyMany of the children reported living fulfilling lives a firm sense of cultural and gender identity, increasing freedom and high levels of participation in sport and music, Professor Morton said.The cohort also moved around a lot - three quarters had moved at least once - and almost half had moved two or more times since birth.Sometimes it was for good reasons - such as their parents moving from a rental to purchasing their own homes, but for a portion, it was going from rental to rental.There were other signs of concern too, Professor Morton said."We have a group of children that are increasingly falling behind their peers and that is something that we've watched over time develop and it is something that saddens us and something that we hope to utilise the information that comes directly from these children and their families to understand how we can do better…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details