Dr Amohia Boulton (left) and Dr Debbie Goodwin (right) led an evaluation of five Healthier Lives National Science Challenge co-designed research projects.
EDOR members have contributed to a new publication on authentic co-design of health research with communities, as part of their former roles with the Healthier Lives National Science Challenge (HLNSC).
Professor Jim Mann and Dr Cherie Stayner are co-authors of "Authentic co-design: an essential prerequisite to health equity in Aotearoa New Zealand", based on a study led by Dr Debbie Goodwin and Dr Amohia Boulton.
The Healthier Lives-funded study used a Kaupapa Māori framework to evaluate five HLNSC projects that used co-design as their primary research approach. It identified a number of key lessons that are important to be aware of when co-designing research with Māori and Pacific communities.
One of the outcomes of this study was the development of a model for co-designing research projects. The Co-design research integrity poutama defines increasing levels of co-design exemplified by greater levels of transparency and power-sharing.
Dr Cherie Stayner
Authentic co-design of research and health services with communities has a greater likelihood of achieving equitable health outcomes for those experiencing racial and ethnic inequities, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and worldwide.
Access the publication
Authentic co-design: an essential prerequisite to health equity in Aotearoa New Zealand. Deborah Waireka Tuhi Goodwin, Amohia Boulton, Cherie Stayner & Jim Mann (2025), Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, doi: 10.1080/03036758.2025.2480207
Find out more
Further details about this study, including a short guide on co-designing research with Māori and Pacific communities in Aotearoa, can be found in two reports on the Healthier Lives website:
Co-designing health research in Aotearoa New Zealand, Healthier Lives National Science Challenge reports, 2024.