This presentation showcases the recent research in health geography that has taken place at Te Ngira: Institute for Population Research at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Several recent projects covering a wide range of areas are briefly outlined.
- Research using longitudinal survey data from Growing Up in New Zealand to examine the residential mobility trajectories of children and how this influences unmet healthcare needs.
- An examination of spatial inequities in access to New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
- Monitoring of inequities in COVID-19 infections and hospitalisations for the Manawataki Midland region of New Zealand.
- The development of a novel rurality classification, the Geographic Classification for Health, which unmasked previously hidden rural-urban inequities in health outcomes.
- Developing co-designed StoryMaps to support Indigenous aspirations for thriving regions.
It will also touch upon health geography research currently underway or planned for the near future, and outline some of the key issues relating to health data needs in the New Zealand context.